Wednesday, April 22, 2009

"I Think My Water Just Broke!"

It seems crazy to me that it has been THREE years to the day since I was lying in bed, talking to my mom on the phone, when I suddenly exclaimed, "I think my water just broke!"

Looking back, I guess you could say that I had "not the greatest" pregnancy. I was constantly nauseous unless I was eating. That might have something to do with why I gained over 60 pounds... I think at least 5 pounds of that was in my nose alone! I couldn't wear normal shoes past week 26 because my feet were so swollen. And finally, I was toxic with preeclampsia which caused me to have to go on bed rest at week 33. But in all honesty, I loved all of it. I truly loved being pregnant. Reagan was a VERY planned baby, and I remember the feeling of being over the moon with excitement when we found out that I was pregnant. Laugh if you must, but I did SIX pregnancy tests that week that ALL came back with a positive result just because I got such joy from seeing those two lines! I cried the first time we heard her heartbeat... it was magical. Ryan would tell me that I was positively glowing every time that we would have an ultrasound... I would just be so excited to catch a glimpse of her. And thinking about the day we found out that we were having a little girl still brings me to tears sometimes. It was Christmas morning, and we had our doctor put the "results" in a sealed envelope that we placed under our tree. The envelope was our final present to open that morning. As soon as we found out that we were having a little girl, I was instantly envisioning ballet shoes, pink dresses and pigtails!I felt like my entire pregnancy was a gift. I loved knowing that it was our time, just the two of us. Every kick, every hiccup, every flip... feelings that only Reagan and I could share. If it weren't for the fact that I was so ready to hold my sweet child in my arms, and for the fact that it really wouldn't have been very fair to her Daddy to do so, I could have stayed pregnant forever! But on April 22, 2006, when my water broke, I was ready. Ready to see her, hold her, nurse her, and love her. She, on the other hand, wasn't quite so ready just yet!We arrived at the hospital where we had planned all along to give birth only to find out that they wanted to send me to a different hospital because our hospital was too busy. I begged my doctor to keep me there, but she said that she had to follow procedure. I cried, my husband started begging on my behalf, I phoned my parents, I prayed. I just wanted to be in "my" hospital where I was comfortable... where I had PLANNED to be. (Remember, I'm a bit of a planner!) My OB came back into the room with the most wonderful news... since I had tested as Group B Strep positive, the other hospital would not accept me. I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO STAY RIGHT WHERE I WAS! Thank you Lord for small blessings in disguise. I had never been so thankful to have a "problem" like Group B Strep before in my life. I was admitted, taken to my birthing suite, and hooked up to several different machines along with a constant IV drip of penicillin for the now gloriously wonderful ailment of Group B Strep! Even though my water had broken, I was showing no signs of labor, so we just settled in for the evening knowing that the next day would be Reagan's birth day. We were so wrong!

The next morning around 9:00, I was induced with pitocin. By noon I was having some seriously strong contractions that were becoming steadily more painful. This lasted until 2 PM when the nurse stopped my pitocin drip to see if I could continue to labor on my own. An hour later, my contractions had stopped completely. I was thankful for the break, but disappointed that I couldn't do it on my own. By 3:30, I was back on the drip at increasingly larger doses. I was determined to not use any drugs... I wanted as natural of a birthing process as possible. I was stupid! I was crazy! I was naive! I was unprepared for the pain of induction! At 5:00 that evening, I was only 1 cm dilated. Despite the fact that I was having NON-STOP contractions (literally one would start before the previous one had even ended) I was still only 1 cm dilated at midnight that night. I accepted the laughing gas that the nurse was offering around 7 PM. By 9:00, I let her give me a shot of morphine. By midnight, I gave up the fight and let my husband and the nurses convince me to have an epidural! Only one hour after the epidural, when my body finally relaxed for the first time in over 15 hours, I was at 7 cm dilated! At 4:30 in the morning on April 24, 2006, I began to push. Nearly two hours later, at 6:12 AM, little Miss Reagan Marie Knopp was born weighing 7 lbs 8 oz and 19.25 inches long.I'll share a brief portion of an entry from my pregnancy journal on the day she was born....

When the nurse handed her to me, I was instantly and madly in love. It was amazing. She looked up at me, and my heart just melted. I will spend the rest of my life doing all that I can to make this little angel happy. I want her to know how much I love her, I want her to know that she can count on me and trust me for anything that she needs, I want her to know that I will protect her, I want her to know that she is capable of doing anything that she wants to accomplish, I want her to know that I will help her make all of her dreams come true because she truly is a dream come true to me.
Now, in just two days, my precious baby will be three years old. None of my feelings have changed since the day that she came into the world... BUT THEY HAVE GROWN MUCH STRONGER!

20 comments:

Ace said...

Great story! Sounds kind of like mine (pre-eclampsia), except I was on bedrest at 26 weeks and my peanut was born my emergency c-section at 32 weeks (I was so bad I was about to start with the seizures). Now she's 11 years old! Can't believe it!

I have something for you at my blog today!

3 Bay B Chicks said...

Such a lovely, lovely story of Reagan's birth, Tiffany. I was moved beyond words.

...And those newborn pictures of her practically made me cry! :)

-Francesca

The Stiffs said...

Sounds exactly like one of my pregnancies. We have another friend with a birthday today. Happy Birthday to your little one!

Kameron said...

I just got all teary eyed. I love baby stories!!

Kathy B! said...

What a sweet story of Reagan's entry into this world. And I am seriously impressed that you made it as long as you did without the drugs! Funny how things can move along so much more efficiently when your body can relax...

Ashley @ {Let Go, Laughing} said...

What a sweet story!

I got chills when I saw the newborn pictures!

Loukia said...

What a beatiful post... thanks for sharing! It made me emotional, and now I want a third! How will I ever convince my husband? :) Lovely story and it is amazing how quickly the first year (and the years to follow) pass by...

E @ Scottsville said...

My how time flies, huh? My baby will be TEN this year!!!

Great "walk down memory lane" post. You should join me today!!!

Anonymous said...

What a great post! I loved being pregnant too. In fact I'm still waiting for Hubby to 'climb aboard' so to speak so it can happen again. Happy third birthday to your little girl!

E @ Scottsville said...

Hey, thanks for linking up to my blog. You were my FIRST player. One more has followed suite. I hope this thing 'takes off!'

erin said...

what a beautiful story! i love those blessings in disguise!

it's amazing how fast time flies, huh! my baby will be 6 soon. seems like she was just turning 3...

Grand Pooba said...

You are so cute pregnant! And Reagan was such a cute newborn!

Sara @ Domestically Challenged said...

That was so sweet! I loved it! I also loved the post below with her running to grandma and grandpa~ i got tears in my eyes!!

forever folding laundry said...

What a sweet post! Combine it with the video of your parents visiting, and I need a kleenex now! Lovely.

Love the new blog, by the way. Looks fabulous!

~Keri

Gracie said...

There is NOTHING in the world that compares to being a Mommy. Wonderful Story. It's amazing how God can use "bad" things for good. I love it when that happens. Beautiful Baby Girl! =)

Miller Racing Family said...

Oh, I love the pictures of Reagan. The last one was so cute. How I just love new born babies. Thank you so much for sharing your story, it was so sweet.
I was also induced, which is wasn't as bad as yours but I will agree that I wanted to do it all natural, what were we thinking. Thanks again for sharing this family story.
Also thanks for stopping by my blog and entering the giveaway. I will put you down for two chances to win. Have a great day!

Brooke said...

What a beautiful story! She was a beautiful newborn too.

Miller Racing Family said...

I just wanted to let you know I just gave you a most deserved award, come check it out when you have time!

Stesha said...

Such a wonderful story. Please tell you darling Happy Birthday for me on tomorrow. (4-24)

Hugs and Mocha,
Stesha

Kelly said...

The best things in life are worth waiting for aren't they?