Sunday, April 26, 2009

Emma's 5th Birthday

I can't believe Emma is 5 today!! It seems like just yesterday she was born...since I didn't blog at the time, I thought I would give her birth story here, If for no other reason than just to remember it!
On the day I told Randall I was pregnant, we also got the call that he was being deployed to Iraq. The day was a little bittersweet for us to say the least. Randall spent most of the pregnancy in Ft. Hood, Texas training, and then headed to Iraq at the beginning of April. On April 24, 2004, Momma took me out shopping all day. When we got home about 5:00, I turned on the news (which I never did) and heard the news that Randall's camp in Iraq had experienced a mortar attack. There were casualites. When this happens, internet and phones are turned off until the next of kin can be contacted. I went through all of Saturday night and Sunday without knowing if he was safe or not. About 12:15 Monday morning, I woke up to a wet spot in my bed. I called Momma and Daddy and told Momma that I thought my water had broken. She asked me if I was having contractions, and I told her I wasn't. She told me to go back to bed and go back to sleep...and I did. About 3:15, I woke up to what I thought was cramping, so I took a hot bath. I called Momma and Daddy a little after 3:30 and told them I thought I needed to go to the hospital. They came over, picked me up, and we headed to WCMC. We walked all the way to Labor and Delivery, and as I rounded the corner, there stood Brandi Lindsey, a nurse at L&D. I was thrilled to see someone I knew. She put me in triage and checked me. I was dialated to 4cm. They got me into a room about 4:30. They had called down to get my epidural. A few minutes later, I told Brandi that I had to push. She told me that I didn't. After insisting that I did need to push, Brandi checked me again. She crossed my legs, looked at the other nurse and said, "Call Dr. Burns to get here NOW, and call the anetheisologist and tell him to go back home." I was dialated to 10. Emma was born at 5:26 am. Randall had tried to call me that morning at home and call my cell phone to let me know he was ok. He finally got in touch with my dad on his cell phone as Daddy was going back to the car to get my suitcase AFTER Emma was born. About 5:40, I was holding my newborn daughter and talking to my husband who was half way around the world. WHAT A DAY!! Emma weighed 7 pounds, and she was 20 inches long.
Emma talking to her daddy on the phone minutes after being born.Emma and the dozen pink roses from her daddy.

No comments: