Growing Acorns: The New Addition

Well this is it! Baby number four is coming our way. My OB is going out of town so with this baby I had an elective induction. I was really anxious about the whole thing because it was going to be different than the three deliveries I had befre. To begin, I had to go in to the hospital the night before and I wasn't even in labor. That was just strange.

My family dropped me off. Does it look like I am ready to have a baby within 24 hours?

After Matt left, the nurse asked me all the health history questions and more and more questions that I can't remember being asked in the past. It was much easier to answer all the questions since I wasn't having to breathe through contractions. With all the paperwork done the nurse gave me the cytotak which would ripen my cervix and maybe put me into labor. I talked to my family when they called just before bed, and Kaitlyn was so sad. She really wanter her mom. I had overlooked the fact that she needed to be prepped with what to expect since change is hard for her. I think she was feeling anxious for me since they left me in this lonely hospital room and there was no instant baby. It was sad to talk to her, I just wanted to go home and give her a snuggle. Instead I got to be hooked up to monitors and try (try being the operative word) to sleep. Sleep didn't come however. Eventually I was given a second cytotak and this is when I began to feel like I had major cramps. I was just uncomfortable and lonely and tired and...

But I also realized that I had forgotten to have Matt give me a priesthood blessing. In all the hub bub of Memorial Day I left without one. So I called my sweet husband up at 4 in the morning and had him rouse his brother to stay with the kids so he could come and be with me. Let me tell you, I don't know how anyone could go through the birthing process without a wonderful coach. Matt came over and gave me a beautiful blessing- I am so thankful for the priesthood in my home and for the blessing of being married to a worthy priesthood holder. I also had the nurse give me some stadol to help me relax. Let me tell you that drug is like putting lead in your body. I was able to relax, and at that point the contractions really started coming. I didn't really care all that much though because in between I was in la la land. I still felt the pain, but then there was rest. All of a sudden however, somewhere in my groggy brain I realized that the intense pressure I was feeling was actually the urge to PUSH. The nurse came in and said I was at an 8 and my water hadn't broken, but little did she know that was all about to change. There was barely time for her to get a glove on and she had to deliver my baby.

This is little baby girl Holyoak #4. She came so quickly that her face was bruised. Poor little blue face baby.

She is my BIG baby weighing in at 8 lbs 1 oz. She is 20 inches long with a head of 14 inches. She was born June 1st at 5:36 am after at most an hour of real labor. Matt says that judging by the number of times I squeezed his hand that I had a total of 2 contractions.

Here is the little blue face

Do I look a little drugged? Since I delivered her merely 30 minutes after the nurse gave me that stadol, I was feeling mighty strange for the next little while. Luckily it didn't seem like any of the drug made it to the baby. There is the risk of respiratory depression for the baby if it is in her body at the time of delivery.

Once she was delivered we really started talking about what we should name her.

Here you have Emily Ann Holyoak

Emily, we are so glad to have you in our family. It is amazing that Heavenly Father is willing to entrust you to our care. I want you to know that you are a daughter of God. I want you to know that we love you and you are surrounded by a family who loves you and we will do our best to show you our love, to lead you, guide you, walk beside you, and help you find your way back home to our Father above.