Evin's Birth Story

I was scheduled for my 39 week appointment and potential induction on March 21^st.  The doctor’s office called on Wednesday, March 20^th and asked if I would go ahead and come in that morning.  If things looked OK and I was progressing like I was the week before, they would probably just go ahead and schedule the induction for the next day since I had been having contractions for a week and a half.

I saw the doctor around 9:45 am on March 20^th.  I was 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced, with Evin’s head extremely low.  I could have told her how low she was- I knew she had dropped down VERY low in the last day or two!  Dr. W had mentioned several times before that after she “checks” her patients for progression, it often sends them into labor.  She said that if she sent me home, she felt like I would have contractions all afternoon and probably would be at the hospital on my own by the end of the day.  She recommended that I go ahead and check in at the hospital immediately.

I went straight to the hospital and called Mitch to tell him to leave work, run home and get the bags, and meet me there.  Dr. W was right, because by the time I got to the hospital parking lot (just a few minutes from the doctor’s office) my contractions had started back up and were pretty strong!

I checked in at the hospital at 10:30 am.  They hooked me up to an IV and Dr. W came in around 11:00.  She said she was ready to break my water and broke it around 11:15.  At this point, I was dilated to a 5 and she said that Evin had lots of dark hair!

I spent some time on the birthing bean, which really helped with tolerating the pain.

Tonya, my nurse, checked me at 1:35pm and said I was still at about a 5.  Evin’s head was really low, but my cervix wasn’t.  We decided to go ahead and start Pitocin to speed things up a bit.  She gave me a small dose and said it should take much since I had been in prelabor and contracting on my own for a while now.

Our last picture as a family of 2!

She came back in about an hour to ask how my pain was.  I said I would be ready for an epidural soon, as long as it wouldn’t wear off too early.  She assured me that it wouldn’t wear off and that if I was in pain I might as well go ahead and get it.

An anxious PawPaw-to-be and Daddy-to-be

I got the epidural around 4:00.  It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be, and I felt better almost immediately after having it. At this point, I was at 6 cm and 90% effaced.

Mums, waiting on her first granddaughter

Tonya checked again at 5:00 and I was the same, but Evin was at a zero station.

Ready to become Aunt Kyla

At 6:00 pm I started to feel contractions on my left side.  They quickly got Dr. Tang back in to give more medicine in my epidural and I am so glad they did because I was QUICKLY dilating at this point.  At 6:00 I was at 8 cm and by 6:15 I was at 10 cm. 

I started pushing around 6:25pm and our sweet Evin Kate Armstrong made her arrival at 8:06 pm, weighing in at 6 pounds 14 ounces and measuring at 20 1/4 inches long!  We were in LOVE!