Piper has arrived!

Well, we hoped she wouldn't share a birthday with her big brother, but had NO clue she would be TWO weeks early. Here is the story of how Piper came into the world:

I had a VERY busy weekend. I worked 9 hours on Saturday, had a pedicure and went to dinner with a friend. Sunday was my baby shower and that was a crazy day too! I was feeling WAAAAY too good and just felt like something was going on.

Monday came and I was so tired. I rested a lot in the morning and discovered a little "bloody show" early in the AM. I called the birth center (didn't page them because I didn't think it was that big of a deal, just wanted to see if it was anything to get excited about). Around noon I stood up and "gushed". I thought I just peed myself, but then it happened again a bit later and I had JUST gone to the bathroom. I took another nap and waited for the midwife to call. She called around 4:00 and I updated her on my "gushes". She thought it might be water and instructed me to create some sort of contraption to collect whatever it was. I decided to make a little pad made of saran wrap (not really my best idea ever!). I got to the birth center just after 5pm and hadn't collected anything. So I did squats, bends, anything to recreate what happened at home. Nada. FINALLY, after doing nothing at all I had some water escape and it was tested....POSITIVE!!!!! MY WATER BROKE!!!!! I was told I would have a baby in my arms within 24 hours (hello, cloud nine!) I had not been having a single contraction since my water broke, so I was instructed to purchase Castor Oil to jumpstart labor in the morning.

Went home, ate dinner with my boys and tried to get some sleep. Some slight contractions started around 11pm, but I was able to get a little sleep, so they weren't that strong. At 4am I woke up, the contractions were strong enough that I couldn't sleep through them anymore. I waited an hour before waking anyone up, then sounded the alarm. Brian made us all eggs and toast for breakfast, then we took Nolan to Rebecca's house around 6:30am. We arrived at the birth center around 7am (the usually empty parking lot was SLAMMED as there was another woman already there laboring).

We went in, but the midwives could tell I wasn't in active labor and sent me outside to walk and start active labor. It was REALLY windy, but we walked all over the place, me having contractions all around the town. I asked to go back about an hour later so that I could use the bathroom. The midwives still weren't excited about my progress since we were on the clock with my water breaking the day before. They threatened me with drinking the Castor Oil and we sent my hubby out to get a smoothie to add the Castor Oil to. My doula and I went for another walk and I was instructed to do nipple stimulation while walking (Yes, I played with my nipples WHILE walking around my town!!!! I cannot believe I'm admitting it, but now it is SUPER funny!!!) We did little loops through one neighborhood and the contractions got hard enough that I could keep on moving, but couldn't talk through them. We returned around 10:30 and they were still not thrilled with my labor, but checked my cervix to see where I was at. I was at a 5 and told to go back out for a walk or drink the Castor Oil. I REALLY REALLY didn't want to do either and evidentially neither did Piper, because labor really intensed at this point. Up until this point the contractions were strong, but not horrible. Now, they were pretty darn horrible. I was LOUD and the poor people in the waiting room got to hear it all!!! The contractions were coming so frequently that I felt like there was little to no break in between. I know I said I couldn't do this a few times, but didn't honestly mean it, because I wasn't going ANYWHERE!!! I was getting so tired of the labor and it felt like it would never end. Then all of a sudden my body just pushed. I didn't even know it was going to happen and kinda shocked me. I have NO record of time at this point, my eyes were closed, I was screaming and yelling and not the lovely, sweet laboring woman I thought I could be! They let me push because my body wanted to. I think I pushed 3 times before they turned me from laboring on my side to my back. I pushed 3 more times and on the last one I was about to stop pushing but they all yelled "just a little more" and she popped right out!!!

I had some SERIOUS doubts in the middle...why in the world did I decide to do this all natural???? However, in the end I am THRILLED with my decision and so excited to have such a wonderful little girl! She is an amazing child and I cannot remember our lives without her. Last night she even had a 4 hour, then 3 hour stretch of sleep!