Welcome to the world Taylor Brynn

The day had finally come!!!!! 

Thursday March 13, 2014 at 2:31pm Miss Taylor Brynn graced us with her presence. This day was truely amazing, everything I could of dreamed of and more.

A little background: 

When I found I was pregnant with baby Littlefield # 2 last July, I was over the moon excited. Among all the wonderful thoughts and plans I had about our new little bundle, I couldn't help but think about the mode of delivery. I had big dreams of attempting a VBAC ( vaginal birth after a c/s). As a labor a delivery nurse I had ran through every possible outcome imaginable and had decided that it was worth a try, as long as baby Littlefield #2 was healthy. 

At our 20 week ultrasound the doctors told us that everything looked great with BL and that a VBAC could be tried! I could have jumped off the table with excitement! Not only was BL healthy and strong but the doctors were giving me the go ahead to VBAC!!! From this day forward, I had it in my mind that I was going to try and VBAC and I was going to be successful!!! 

As my pregnancy progressed everything was going according as planned. Dr. Bannon my OBGYN doctor agreed to "special" me, (which means no matter when I went into labor, she would be there to deliver me), I had wonderful coworkers/friends agree to be my nurse when I came into deliver! Everything was set and perfect all we needed was BL. 

At 35 weeks of pregnancy things began to change drastically and my pregnancy turned into a complete challenge! My feet, ankles, and legs started to retain fluid and began to swell to an astronomical size. My legs were no longer legs they were tree trunks, my feet looked liked they belonged to Sassquash, and my poor sausage toes were so swollen they looked like they were going to blow at any given moment. ( I should have seen this coming...after all pregnancy and the labor and delivery process is completely unpredictable!) 

By 36 weeks my blood pressure started to become elevated and my swelling had become so bad that the doctors decided that it would be best if I discontinued working and be placed on bed rest.... This came as a complete surprise to me, I planned to work up until delivery day, clearly God had different plans in store. 

I discontinued working and took it easy at home but my swelling and blood pressure continued to rise over the course of the following week. My doctors were monitoring both me and the baby very closely with multiple appointments weekly. 

At 37 weeks 4 days I was seen by the specialist at Maternal Fetal Medicine, were I was given very difficult news. The doctors had decided that it would be the safest for both me and BL if I delivered by c/s  at 38 weeks. They were concerned not only with my elevated blood pressure and swelling but the size of BL. The doctors estimated BL weight to be 8 lbs 1oz; they were concerned that by time BLl decided to make her appearance she would be in the 9-10 lb range. 

I left that appointment feeling very overwhelmed. I was so excited that there was an end in sight, but I felt very anxious about the thought of another c/s. My first delivery was quite an experience and something that I really did not want to put myself through again.  

That night I went home and started preparing for my delivery, which at this point was scheduled for Friday the 14th at 8am ( 2 days away). Dan and I made phone calls to our all our family,set up child care for our sweet Callie, and packed our bags. 

At  8pm that night I received a phone call from Dr. Bannon. This phone conversation was totally unexpected and caught Dan and I completely off guard. My doctor told me that we were going to have to reschedule my c/s for the following Friday due to hospital policy. According to hospital policy I did not reach the requirements to be considered medically necessary to be delivered before 39 weeks gestation  (which is when they usually schedule repeat c/s). I was devastated!!! I could not image being pregnant another week! 

About an hour after iIgot off the phone with Dr.Bannon, I regained composure and sat down and talked with Dan. It was at this point when I realized that I needed to completely let go and let God take over. Dan and I both began to pray. I told Dan that I felt like God was trying to tell us something, this is when I made the decision that between that point and next Friday if my body were to go into natural labor I was again going to attempt a VBAC. 

Around 3:45 am just 7 hours after my conversation with Dan my water broke! I was so excited I could have jumped for joy. I woke Dan up around 4:15 and shared with him the wonderful news! He was in extreme disbelief! He kept saying "Are you sure it's your water?" 

About 5 minutes after my water broke I felt my first contraction. At this point they were coming every 3-5 minutes and were not extremely painful, so I decided to take a shower and clean myself up. I didn't feel an urgent rush to get to the hospital because I knew this process was going to take awhile. Around 5:15 I felt like my contractions were really starting to pick up and they were becoming increasingly painful. This is when I told Dan, we should probably head to the hospital, since we live about an hour away. 

Once I sat down in the car I realized that I was contracting every 2 minutes and the contractions were getting harder to breath through. 

We arrived to the hospital around 6 am; I was greeted by all my lovely coworkers. I briefly explained the situation of events that had unfolded before I came to the hospital. After my short summary and a few powerful contractions, I had all my coworkers around me in room 11 checking me in, preparing me for an epidural, and helping Dan to get settled in. 

They checked my cervix around 6:15, and I was already 3 cm, 80% effaced, and BL was at

-2 station. I was elated!!! I had been checked the day before at Dr.Bannon office and my cervix was 1cm, 50% effaced, and BL was at -3 station. So I knew at this point I was making progress, which was extremely gratifying. 

Around 6:20 the anesthesiologist placed my epidural. Around 6:30 I was feeling better than I had felt in months! Epidurals are truely amazing!!!!! I would absolutely love to give the person who invented them a massive high five! I don't know how women give birth without it! 

After my epidural recovery period was complete Dr. Bannon paid us a visit. The nurses had called her when I arrived on the floor and updated her on my current labor status. After receiving the phone call,  she cancelled all her office appointments for the day and headed right to the hospital to be with Dan and I to assure that everything went smoothly! How amazing is she!!! I feel so blessed that God placed her in my life! 

After chatting with her for a awhile she told me that she wanted me to rest and spend time with Dan and that she would be back around noon to recheck my cervix. 

Around 8:00 am Dan and I decided to put in a movie to help pass the time. Around 9:00 I told Ashleigh, my wonderful nurse that I started to feel my contractions again and started to feel some pressure down south. She and I both agreed that there was no way that I was completely dilated so i went ahead and had the anesthesiologist team give me a bolus of medication through my epidural catheter. 15 minutes after they administered the medication I was not feeling any pain and back on cloud 9. Dan and I continued to watch the movie and chat about all that was about to take place. 

At a little after noon Dr. Bannon came back into our room to check on us and check my progress. She was in complete disbelief when she checked my cervix. She said Jeannie, you are completely dilated, 100 % effaced and the baby is a + 1 station. I was over the moon excited, these were the words I had been waiting to hear for 9 months. 

Since I had just had more medication placed in my epidural we decided to wait an hour before I started to push in hopes that I would regain some feeling in my legs and have the ability to direct where I was pushing. 

At 1:00pm just 45 minutes later I was really starting to feel my contractions and felt the sudden urge to push. I called out to Ashleigh and told her I was ready. She came in with Dr. Bannon and prepared the room for delivery and prepared me to push. 

Out of the entire labor and delivery process the only part that made me nervous was the pushing. I was so scared that I wasn't going to be good at it, or that BL simple just wasn't going to fit. Nevertheless I knew it needed to be done so we could meet our sweet BL. With the assistance of Dan, Ashleigh,and Dr.Bannon I began the grueling process of pushing around 1:15. 

About a half an hour into pushing my epidural started to really wear off and I started feeling extremely nauseas!! When Dan explains this part of the story he says thisi s when things got a little crazy!! Ha ha I think my body was going through a transition, either way the pain and nausea became unbearable and made it extremely hard to continue pushing. 

Dr.Bannon and Ashleigh saved my life at this moment by getting me anti-nausea medication and more anesthesia. I remember at this moment I wanted to jump off the bed and yell I quit!

Clearly I knew that was not an option, but at this point in time, I sure wished it was.  5 minutes after the medication kicked in I felt good enough to start pushing again. 

A few pushes later at 2:31pm Miss Taylor Brynn graced us with her presence. This was the best moment of my life (other than Callie's birth) they placed her on my chest just as I had dreamed! Dan and I were in complete shock. She was absolutely perfect and such an amazing miracle.

She weighed 8lbs 6oz and measured 19.8 inches long. She was born with a full head of blonde hair and blue eyes. I was absolutely breath taking. 

This day is going to be something that I cherish forever. I could not have imagined it going any better and I have my wonderful medical team ,my amazing husband, my parents and in-laws to thank for it. 

This is the selfie Dan and I took to share the news with family and friends that we were in the hospital. 

Last picture of my belly. Thank goodness!!! 

Room 11 

Miss Taylor Brynn just seconds old. 

Big Girl!! 

Words can't describe how happy I was in this picture! 

Daddy taking another selfie with his new little lady. 

First family photo <3

Callie meeting her sissy for the first time. 

Blowing her kisses! 

Callie giving Taylor 'lovies'
LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture.

1 day old 

So happy, and feeling wonderful! 

Love her so much! 

Sharing Chipotle with each other.
( Callie's go-to-food these days)

My girls.

Mom Mom holding Taylor for the first time.

Our best buddies came to visit us and meet the newest member of the play group. 

We gave Callie a few gifts when Taylor was born so she would have something to play with while she visited us in the hospital and while she was a home with my parents and in-laws. 

 This was one of the gifts. A princess dress up set. Clearly it was a hit! 

Taylor's first bath. 

Poor Taylor on her way out had her arm positioned across her body which caused her clavicle bone to break.
The pediatrician doctors assured us that this was fairly common and that it would heal by itself over the course of the next 3 weeks. They gave us orders to keep her swaddled all the time and not to pick her up with this arm. 

Dan packing our sweet new bundle in the car to head home.