I guess it all started on Friday the 2nd. I was worried about how little movement I was feeling so I decided to go in to the hospital to get the baby checked on. She was always a mellow baby, but I wasn't feeling any movement all day. So Michael stayed home with the kids and I drove out to Gilbert to the hospital. I was put in triage and hooked up to the monitors. The nurse checked and I was dilated to 5 cm, which sort of surprised me because at my drs apt a few days earlier I was only at 2 cm. So they brought in the ultra sound machine to check on the baby. It was a half hour ultra sound, they had to count babies movements and give her a "score", after about 15 minutes and awkward small talk with the ultra sound tech he says "this baby hasn't moved once since I started. Heart beat and fluid levels look good, but it is not moving" When it was done he said he had to score her very low because she wasn't moving and that he was recommending induction that night. I freaked out. So I stayed in triage for another few hours being monitored and then they checked me again and finally said they were going to send me home because the baby was fine, just not moving......okay. Crisis averted. I left the hospital totally exhausted and slightly frustrated for the emotional roller coaster they just sent me on. I met Michael and the kids at my sister in laws house for dinner and was feeling really crampy and yucky. We went home and at about 10 pm I had a contraction, a big one that hurt really bad. I told Michael and he really didn't care because I had contractions all the time. Then I had another one, and another one, and another one. I started timing them and they were 2 minutes apart. Then they were a minute and a half apart. after an hour I said "okay lets go, I am seriously in labor" We grabbed our bags and ran out the door. My contractions were so close together with so much pressure, I swore the baby was going to be born in the car. Michael was driving so fast! I looked over at one point and he was going 85 on surface streets. We really didn't want this baby born in the car. I was pretty much like every movie scene where a couple is frantically driving to the hospital. With every contraction I was yelling "oh my gosh hurry up!!!!" We get there and run out and they take us right back to triage. I was once again hooked up to the monitors and checked, still 5 cm. I was hurting so bad. I have never had to feel contractions like that, I've always had an epidural by this point and haven't really felt them. I asked if I could get up and walk around and they said no because at 36 weeks I wasn't considered "term" yet so they didn't want to encourage labor. But they also wouldn't stop it if it was happening on it's own. So I got to lay in this super small, super uncomfy bed and have contractions every minute and a half. I was checked after about an hour and was still 5cm so they gave me morphine (fabulous drug, we should get some for the house) and monitored me for another hour. Checked me again, still 5 cm. This time they gave me a drug called Staydol, it's pretty much terrible. It makes you feel super weird, like you can't control your muscles. It's suppose to relax your body, but it just made me feel anxious. After another hour......still 5 cm. COME ON!!!!!!! WHAT THE HECK!!!!! I was in tears at this point from being in so much pain and being so frustrated and exhausted. After another hour the nurse came back in and said they had to send me home because I wasn't progressing. I could have punched that nurse right in the throat. But there was really nothing we could do. So we drive home at 5:30 in the morning. We slept for a few hours, the medicine they gave me really slowed down my contractions making it possible to sleep a little bit.
It's now Saturday the 3rd, Michael's parents just so happen to be in town so they took the kids on a hike, which was a total life saver. We were so exhausted. I was able to get up and get a little bit of organizing done, I knew this baby was coming very soon. At about 3 I went into the bathroom and to my surprise MY WATER BROKE!!!!!! Holy exciting!!! I ran upstairs with liquid running all over the place and yelled at Michael to get up screaming "My water broke! My water broke! Get up we gotta go now!" Our youngest Jett was still at home sleeping so I jumped on the phone to find somewhere for him to go. I seriously called 6 people, NO ONE WOULD ANSWER THE PHONE!!!! COME ON!!! I finally got ahold of one of my young women that lives up the street and she happily took Jett for us. Strangely, my contractions had slowed down so much that I was only feeling them about every 15-20 minutes. So it wasn't a huge rush like it was the night before. We got to the hospital, I was holding a big towel between my legs like a diaper and waddled in. Once again we were sent to triage and got all checked in again. But this time, we knew we were there to stay. I got that awful IV put in and was put into a delivery room. I was actually really comfortable, no contractions, so we were just hanging out, watching TV, which was awesome because we don't have cable so it's super exciting to watch real TV. :) That night just so happen to be girls night and a bunch of friends went out to dinner, when they heard I was in labor they asked to come visit, I of course said "come on over!" So they did, and was so fun to see them all!
I ended up testing positive for group B strep, which I really have no idea what that means, but I know it's dangerous for baby so I had to be treated with antibiotics for 4 hours before the baby was born. So It was good that my contractions slowed down so much. After the antibiotic dose they were going to start pitocin to get things going. So I was able to get an epidural before all that was started. I'm not tough, I'm not going to pretend to be. I'm totally pro epidural. I was so done being in pain after 8 hours of contractions the night before. So that was done, then the pitocin was started around 9:30 pm. It took about two hours for the contractions to start up and get a good strong pattern. I was checked at 11:50 and was still 5 cm!!! At this point I asked the nurse "So what if I just stopped dilating, like I will never go past a 5, because after everything I've been through and it's still not moving, I don't know what will work!!!" She reassured me that everything will be fine and to just be patient.........About 15 minutes later I had to push. I had to push right now. I called the nurse in and said "check me now because I need to push" She didn't believe me because I was only at a 5 fifteen minutes earlier. Michael said when she pulled the sheet up to check me, he could see the babies head!!! Holy fast! She said "don't push! I'm getting the doctor!" and she ran out the door. I looked at Michael and said "I have to push so get down there"
It took about 30 seconds for the neonatal team and the doctor to get in there and set up for baby. And then, welp, I pushed that baby out!! It took about 30 seconds for her to come out. Now, remember we didn't know the gender of this baby, so we were beyond excited to find out what it was. As soon as she came out the doctor lifted up her bum and we all said "It's a girl!!!!!" It was one of the coolest moments of my life. For reals. Totally amazing. The first thing I noticed was how tiny she was. Teeny tiny feet and legs. I had requested that as soon as the baby was born, if she was healthy enough, that they put her right on my chest and let me hold her there. All of my other babies have been taken away from me and cleaned up and whatever else they do with babies, before they let me hold them. This time I said no!! Give her to me, she's mine! And that's what they did. Until the NICU nurse had to take her and give her some oxygen because she was slightly purple. The I got her right back and she laid on my chest. It was so amazing. After about 20 minutes she started sucking her hand so I moved her over and she nursed all on her own!! It was the coolest thing ever.
After that, we just stayed in the delivery room for a few hours so the neonatal nurse could keep an eye on Georgie. She was afterall, still a preemie. They finally weighed her and she was 5 pounds 13 ounces and 18 inches long. My smallest baby yet, smaller than my 34 weeker! As soon as my legs regained their feeling, I was moved to the recovery room and they let me keep her in the room with me. Michael stayed with us and we slept for a few hours. We didn't get to sleep until about 5 in the morning. The next two days were filled with visitors, narcotics, post labor contractions, nurses checking on my lady bits, gross hospital food, and so many snuggles and cuddles from this new peanut. I didn't let her out of my room unless they insisted on certain tests or somethings that had to be done outside my room. She amazingly didn't have any health problems. No breathing or eating problems, nothing. After having Jett in the NICU for two weeks we were really hoping she wouldn't have to go through that. But this little champ surprised everyone and is perfectly healthy.
And now we're home, my mom is here holding down the fort. (literally, She has taken over my life and let me sleep, snuggle and nurse this baby to my hearts content. I couldn't have done this without her) Georgie is so tiny, nothing fits her. Socks fall right off her feet. Newborn clothes drown her. She fits in preemie things but we didn't want to buy too many of those because I'm sure she won't fit in them for long. But for now we are all gushing over her tinyness and cuteness and every little sound she makes. The other kids are obsessed with her, always wanting to hold her and help. Jett is probably my biggest challenge, he's two and used to being the baby, and now all the sudden mommy is holding a different creature that takes up all her time. He tells me "mommy put it down" referring to the baby.
She had a pediatrician appointment the other day and weighed 5 pounds 8 ounces. Sooo little! My goodness! We also gave her a Japanese middle name, as we do with all our kids. We chose Jun, which means gentle and pure. We found it fitting since she has a very mellow energy about her, even in my tummy she was calm and gentle. So her full name is Georgia Claire Jun Tao.
I am just in pure newborn heaven. Even though since she's a preemie and so small she has to eat every two hours, even at night, which means I am not sleeping at all, I am on a high of excitement. But let me just say, nursing doesn't get any less painful with your 5th baby. Not sleeping doesn't get any easier, baby weight doesn't come off faster, hormones don't go easy on you, and your patience doesn't increase. But I'm one lucky momma. I've successfully brought 5 babies into this world and am currently holding a 5 pound beauty of a baby in my arms. It's all so worth it and so miraculous.
Here are some pictures of the big day and days that followed Georgie's birth.
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