DELIVERY!!!!

Emma after a long hard day

She goes cross-eyed all the time looking at her nose

In the N.I.C.U. with just the feeding tube left

Her first outfit

Right after I had her when they rushed her to the N.I.C.U. and got her all hooked up

It all started June 18th, it was about 11:00 a.m. I had been having quite a bit of low back pain that morning, and it didn't help little tootie bug thought he needed to be a wild man. About 4:30 p.m. I was starting to realize that this low back pain, was actually contractions because of the baby dropping and engaging even more into my pelvis. So i decided it would be a great time to take some Castor Oil since i was no longer in the danger zone for delivery seeing as i was now officially 34 weeks, and Dr. Ponder said she felt confident that Emma would be fine if she came. Well contractions came on pretty strong and heavy so we decided to go for a walk instead of just sitting around. Well that really started to do the trick. At about 10:00 p.m. we decided finally we should head to the hospital. We spent 14 hours in L&D and I only dilated to a 4+!!!! They said if I had gotten to a 5 they would rupture my water. Well that never happened. Exactly 24 hours later my water broke! So i had gotten all my things together, and called Chris who happened to be in Manti doing a show. We headed to the hospital which it took us 1 1/2 hours because of traffic, and food stops. Well at the hospital I still measured a 4+. After a few hours of contractions they finally started me on Oxytocin. It took me 9 hours to go from a 4+ to a 6+. I was planning on going as natural as possible, but the contractions were getting to be quite much to handle, so I asked for the Epidural. They came in almost immediately to give it to me. At the same time the nurses were rushing in because Emma was showing signs of possible cardiac arrest. They started what's called an Amniotic Flush, well as she's doing this she checks me again, and tells me I'm a 10 + 2 so that means the baby was almost crowning. I still could feel everything so they has the anesthesiologist come give me another bolis of Epidural. By the time I was ready to push I still had feeling in every part of my body, and just a little tingly in my toes, and my sides. Well after 10 minutes of pushing, and intense burning sensations I delivered Emma at 12:03 a.m. June 21 Father's Day she weighed 4 pounds 10 ounces, and was 18 1/2 inches long. She was having some major issues breathing so they rushed her to the N.I.C.U. where they monitored her, and she seemed to be doing really well. After a few hours they moved her to Oxygen, and was over exerting herself to breath so the next morning they decided to put her onto a C PAP machine which blows air pressure into her lungs to help them from collapsing. She did not like this machine covering her whole face so they had to give her Ativan to calm her. 24 hours after that she was doing great, and was taken off the C PAP machine. She's been doing so well, better, and better every day. She's feeding like a hungry little pig. It's so cute. They tell us that we should be home by this upcoming weekend unless she has any non-resolving issues which I hope, and pray that she doesn't. This whole time we've not been allowed any visitors since I exposed them to the swine flu even though other mothers in our unit have similar situations, and they are allowed visitors!! But that's a whole other story. Love you all, and please keep us in your prayers! (Pictures will be up as soon as I can get to my own computer)