Baby Umland - 40 Weeks & Birthday!
It's a Girl!! Baby Umland, also known as, Alyssa Jeanne Umland, arrived on her due date, Oct. 6, 2014 at 8:55 p.m. She was 7 pounds even and 20 inches long. Our first child was very punctual and just BEAUTIFUL! And with a head full of hair!
Birth Story
Robert and I attended the CSU vs. Tulsa football game on Saturday (Oct. 4) afternoon. It was a beautiful day and pretty warm. I was feeling fine through the tailgate, but I think sitting in the sun during the game wasn't the brightest idea I could have had. Heather also attended the game, very anxious for her baby girl to arrive into the world.
The Rams won and are off to their best season in a decade!! Once I got home that evening, things started to change in my body. I lost my mucous plug and started very small contractions. They were about 45 minutes to an hour apart and my doctor told me to wait it out at home. On Sunday, the contractions stayed about the same and actually lessened while I watched the Broncos game and Robert did all the yard work. On Sunday evening, however, they came on stronger and faster. I did't get much sleep that evening as the contractions started coming every 7-10 minutes. Funny looking back, I kept asking myself if they were really contractions or just cramps :)
Coincidentally, we had an appointment with my doctor on Monday (Oct. 6) morning. She hooked me up to a stress test and we saw more contractions then what we were really counting. My doctor checked my dilation and to her and my surprise, I was 4cm dilated and my water could have broke at any time. She sent us directly to Poudre Valley Hospital. Good thing we had our hospital bag packed because I was certainly not thinking we would be going to the hospital on my due date. I was actually planning on at least another week before we met our child.
We arrived at the hospital around 10:30 a.m. and had our child at 8:55 p.m. The day went pretty quickly. We tried to break my water by walking, walking and more walking. By noon, my doctor decided she would break my water and see if the contractions would become stronger. There wasn't a drastic change, so in the afternoon they gave me pitocin and Bring On the Contractions! My contractions became stronger and stronger by the minute. I labored in a chair for a while, walked around, bounced on the medicine ball and then needed to lie down. Robert fed me ice chips to keep me hydrated and all I remember was waiting for the "humdinger" contractions. Robert also stayed near the monitor to watch when the contractions would start and end. Some went off the chart! I remember questioning whether I wanted the epidural at 6cm. The nurse offered fentanyl first. She called it "the margarita" and told me it would "take the edge off." The drug made me fall asleep after every contraction, which felt like every minute. I think the breathing exercises really helped me through the strongest contractions. I was offered to sit in the bath, but at that point I didn't want to move and I was very tired. (Side Note: While I was in active labor, Heather was being admitted to the hospital. She was just a door down from me. I'm really surprised she didn't hear me :) When it came time to push, or when I felt like I needed to push, the nurses called my doctor back into the room. It felt like an hour for her to get into the room, Robert said it was only 5 minutes. I just wanted to be done and hold my baby. By this point I had totally forgotten about the epidural and I don't think it could have been administered at that time anyway. My doctor explained how I should push, but I was so exhausted I think it went in one ear and out the other. It took a few pushes for me to learn how to do it right. This was probably the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I never thought my baby was going to come out. I think I had four long pushes and our baby girl entered the world! Thank God! Robert got to announce the gender and cut the umbilical cord. We finally were able to start calling our baby by her name, Alyssa! The next hour was just admiring our new beautiful creation!
The rest of our birth story went by very quickly. Our family members and friends helped welcome Alyssa with gifts, encouragement and love! A series of tests, blood work and exams were done on both Alyssa and I. She was in great health and I was recovering nicely. Breastfeeding was a work in progress, but it was great to have nurses all around who assisted whenever we needed it! Speaking of nurses, I couldn't say enough about the staff at PVH. Everyone involved in labor/delivery and recovery was very professional, helpful and willing to help. Alyssa was given her first bath and we were sent home on Wednesday evening. We had a great experience at PVH and would recommend that hospital to any woman wanting to deliver their child.
To make this story even better, Heather gave birth to Blair 18 hours after Alyssa was born. Heather, Ike and Blair were our neighbors for the rest of the stay at the hospital. We couldn't have written this any better. Best Friends since 7th grade and delivering our baby girls less than a day apart. What a fantastic journey and one we all will never forget.