josephine is here

Well, it's four weeks before my due date but she decided she was ready to arrive! Josephine Rose Mowrey was born on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. It was the craziest event...I was completely unprepared and not expecting her to arrive so early. But these things can never really be predicted! Every baby comes into the world in a different way on a different schedule!

Josie's birth story is somewhat embarrassing. I woke up around 2 a.m. with some leakage that I thought was some bladder trouble (oh the joys of late pregnancy!) As soon as I stood up, my pants were soaked and I was alarmed thinking, "Wow, I have some serious trouble with my bladder!" Seriously. I was so far off the idea that I could be in labor that I immediately thought it made more sense that I wet myself. I got cleaned up and went back to bed with crazy thoughts going through my mind..."Was that my water that broke? Noway...it's too soon. I must be having bladder trouble since I haven't been good about my pregnancy exercises." I tried to go back to sleep but the nagging thought that my water might have broken kept me awake. I decided to get online to at least see what to look for. After reading a few facts about water breaking before labor even starts, I began to think this scenario was much more likely. I climbed back into bed and woke Bryan up. Then we called the doctor. He told me I should head to the hospital to find out for sure if the water had broken but that it was possible the baby kicked my bladder. (Some kick right?)

I lugged myself around the house trying to gather my thoughts about how to pack when my laundry was completely overflowing and I hadn't really prepared for an early delivery. We got it all together and loaded up in the car around 3:30 am in the freezing cold and frozen snow leaving Elijah at home with our sleeping kids. I still had no contractions and no further leaking so I began to wonder if this was the real deal or not. When we arrived at the hospital and had the test done to see if the fluid was amniotic, it was clear to the doctor on call that labor was imminent and it was, indeed, my membranes that had ruptured. They set us up in a labor and delivery room to rest and wait for labor to begin or my doctor to arrive in the morning.

I couldn't sleep. There was too much to think about! How long before contractions would begin? Would the baby be small or unhealthy or would there be any complications like I had experienced with my past births? I prayed and committed it all to God's control and tried to quiet my mind. I got a small amount of rest until the doctor came in to consult with me around 8:30 am. Labor still had not begun and he decided we should get it going with some pitocin. They started me on an IV around 9 am.

By 10:30 or so, labor was beginning to get increasingly intense. We had decided to use anesthesia this time since I have had so many problems with third stage labor and hemorhage in my last two deliveries. The nurse encouraged me to get the epidural before it got too advanced and I agreed, remembering how difficult it was to sit still during the sustained and difficult contractions when I labored with Simon. I got the epidural around 5 cm dialated and tried to rest for a bit. But within half an hour, I startled myself awake with pressure, feeling like it was time to push. Bryan called the nurse and, sure enough, I had progressed to a 9.5, nearly complete and Josie was ready to be born.

The doctor arrived shortly thereafter and we got ready to meet our baby. Only a few pushes, and she was here, safe and sound. There was no further bleeding or trouble and she arrived crying loudly and persistently, ruling out the fear of underdeveloped lungs. I got to snuggle with her for a long time before they did any evaluations or gave her a bath. She is small...6 pounds, 2 ounces...but she is very strong and healthy. I am so pleased and recovering really well. It has been such a blessing to bond with her without all the trouble of recovering from a tramatic experience. I am not in much pain or distress. Just hoping she begins to eat well and gain weight! I can't wait to get home and share her with Simon and Ella and reunite our family! We go home in the morning! Love you Jose.