1. After waiting and being sure Zoe would come early we awoke 5 days after her due date to be induced.
- We were excited, tired, and so ready to meet our little girl . We weren't nervous -- we trusted our doctors!
2. We arrived at the hospital around 7:45 am. After being checked they started me on a prostaglandin to get things moving. Once on this medicine we had to wait 4 hours before they could do anything else. So we waited and walked the halls (17 laps makes a mile we were told multiple times)
3. Our doctor came back in 4 hours later and after looking at my contractions was pretty sure we would have to try another dose and wait another 4 hours. It was then that I sent out a text to just a few people to pray for this process to speed up. 5 minutes later the Doctor checked me and was ready to break my water.
4. After 30 minutes the contractions started coming closer together and much stronger. The nurse checked me -- 5 cm. I knew my friends who had asked for an epidural waited until 7 cm and I felt weak. The nurse left and I decided it wasn't worth it to feel the pain anymore. They called the anesthesiologist in and 20 minutes later Cam and I were roaring with laughter reading Tina Fey's book Bossy Pants.
5. We watched a movie, chatted, and read some more. I will always treasure that time after my epidural and before Zoe came. Our last couple hours together just enjoying each other without a care in the world.
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| Look at the smile on that new dad's face |
6. At 9:00 they told me it was time to start pushing. Cam was a champ -- really absolutely amazing! He cheered me on and coached me through a LONG hour of pushing. Finally, our Zoe Carolina entered the world at 10:07 pm.
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| Be still my heart |
7. She weighed 8.7 pounds and was 22 inches long! I have a feeling she'll have her daddy's physique ;)
We still aren't sure who she looks like. Anyone who has known me my whole life says she looks exactly like me, but the same is said by Cam's family about him. She's a mystery.
We headed home on Cam's birthday (January 1st) and couldn't wait to sleep in our own bed. I thought I would be terrified leaving the hospital with our new babe, but we weren't -- it just felt natural.
Once home we were greeted by both of our parents who were an incredible help the first couple days. By day two I was already sobbing telling Cam that Zoe had taken over my life and I would never sleep, eat, or see him again. (slightly dramatic but real)
We love our Zoe, our child of life. Things have changed for our family and at times it's stressful and overwhelming. Cam and I have to be incredibly intentional and plan ahead to make sure we get time for just us. We both know that we'll never be able to love Zoe well if we don't take time away from her to enjoy just each other.
Cam has stepped into the daddy role like a pro. He has changed three times as many diapers as me. He comes home from a long day of work and rocks our fussy babe to sleep. He feeds her from the bottle so I can have a break and grins from ear to ear as he connects with our little girl. He prays for her and over her, he watches tv with her, and he is constantly running around to get all the things we need. I couldn't do this without him and would never want to.
We've felt so cared for since Zoe entered the world. From people visiting to keep me company to our church making us meals and our parents who were willing to hold her so Cam and I could recover. Thank you for serving us family and friends. We feel loved through your service both physically and through prayer.
And now I get to spend my days with this little girl of life. This precious girl who has made me a mom and will continue to shape and mold me. We love you Zoe Carolina -- to the moon and back.
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