Payton Meredith Reece

Well here I am at almost 41 weeks weighing 154.4 and NO STRETCH MARKS!!! I didn't get any with Gray either so maybe I will luck out every time? haha I'm a little doubtful. But None this time! yay!

At my 40 week and 5 days appt my midwife told me she could easily break my water and it would be safe for me to go into labor and have this baby. Obviously she wanted me to wait one more week but after discussing with Chris there were several reasons why this week was better for us to get her here. So we set our day to be induced for the next afternoon...Friday around 4 I was to head in and get started. I had a huge list of things to get done that morning so my mom could come and stay in our house while we were gone with Grayson. Around 11:45 I got a phone call from the hospital asking if I could be there in the next hour to get started!! CRAP! I had just finished touching up my gel toes and had only finished the dishes, started the laundry, mostly cleaned the house and cleaned the bathroom thank goodness. So we asked my girlfriend to change out our laundry and leave it in our apartment so we could head to the hospital. 

We got in just before one and waited on the nurses to come in. They got me started on an IV around 2. My midwife came in to see me to get the go-ahead from the on call doctor since he had to be within 5 min of me if I was going to be on piton since I was a v-bac. He was very skeptical and unhappy at first since I wasn't OVER 41 weeks and he technically doesn't get paid since I"m not his patient. Thankfully he said okay and also got another doctor to cover for him just in case since he had two in labor at Timp hospital. 

At 4pm my midwife placed what's called a foley balloon into my cervix. What this does is it goes into my cervix then they blow up a balloon with water and due to the pressure from the babies head and the tightness of my cervix it slowly dilates me until I get to a 4 then the balloon comes out on it's own. We did this because I was only dilated to a 1 1/2 when I came in and we needed to get things going naturally without pitosin. 

Normally it only takes a few hours to get to a 4 but my body is seriously ridiculous and loves to take it's time. At 10 I had gotten to a 3!  At 11 I got up to go to the bathroom and went on a walk with Chris. We didn't get far and turned back. The midwife checked me and still nothing...It just wasn't budging so she tugged for a few minutes and POP its as out!!! I was to a 4!! HOORAY! Sad thing is my midwife was a little concerned because she couldn't give any credit to my body. I was having consistent strong contractions that I was really struggling to make it through but wanted to get to the 4 before getting the epidural. IT was ROUGH! 

Getting ready to walk the halls

12:00 they had started me on pitosin broke my water and I got the epidural. I was feeling soo much better. And yet I still had pretty good movement of my legs. I was very itchy everywhere I don't really remember that with Grayson. 

feeling happy after the epidural. : )

1am rolled around and I hadn't progressed at all. Payton started dropping with every contraction and the doctor started to get worried and was threatening a c-section if she didn't start acting better. I asked Chris to give me a blessing then said my own prayer that things would continue to go well. Paytons heart rate started to pick up and stay consistent even through the contractions. 

2:30 my midwife came in to check me and I was a +1 and at a 5!!! I DID IT! My body progressed on it's own! What a relief. We were headed in the right direction. We all tried getting some rest but my contractions were getting stronger and closer together and I was feeling them. Boy was that not cool! 

Really starting to feel pain even with the epidural...trying to breathe through 

At 4am I felt the urge to throw up but was able to breathe through it. Then I felt a deep pain as if I had something stuck that was small and just needed to come out. It was really weird. (remember I've never experienced a vaginal delivery). The nurse came in checked me looks up and says "you are a +2 and COMPLETE" Chris had no idea what that even meant he was so confused. I at that point was in TOTAL SHOCK! I couldn't believe my body did it...IN AN HOUR AND A HALF... I went from a 5 to a 10! The nurse typed at the computer then rushed out. My midwife came back in and said..."LETS HAVE A BABY!!" 

My midwife warned me when I first started pushing that my Perineum was a very strong thick muscle and depending on how things went we may need to do an episiotomy. Suddenly about 10-15 nurses rushed into my room to get set up for the baby and also for myself in case I had to be rushed to the OR...Talk about NO PRIVACY! I guess you could say at that point I was in pain and just didn't care. I wanted her out! 

I started to push at about 4:30 am and after the first few pushes Payton started to drop again with every push. After a few of those my midwife said let's take a break every other contraction. That was hard to do. The doctor came in concerned and i was REALLY UNHAPPY about that. I did NOT want him in my room. He says to me "if you can't get her out in the next few pushes I will bring in the vacuum to try and suction her out. Sometimes the vacuum can fall off and if it falls off 3 times then we will be taking you in for a c-section." I was LIVID! GET OUT OF MY ROOM! GRRRR! I guess that gave me some motivation. Payton started to do better and after a few pushes more and a snip Payton Meredith Reece was born. The cord was wrapped around her neck. Thankfully she was in great condition just a little blue. They laid her on my belly for a few minutes while they cut the cord then took her to be checked and poked and weighed. They let me hold her for a few more minutes before they went and gave her a bath. 

Stats:

Birthday: May 26, 2012

Time: 5:02 am

Weight: 7lbs 11oz

Length: 19 1/2in

Getting checked out

Holding her before they took her for a bath while I was being stitched up. youch!

We stayed in the hospital til Sunday evening and I was feeling so good! I was moving around going to the bathroom bending over sitting down holding my baby not feeling loopy and overly emotional. I couldn't believe how wonderful I felt. Payton was nursing well and being such a sweet baby. Everything so different compared to when I had Grayson. The first night I was very nervous but she did great. She was up every two hours to nurse and easily went back to sleep. 

 Cousin Landon and Adriana came to visit before they headed to NYC!!

Your Big Brother Grayson came to see you and immediately wanted to snuggle up to you.

your goofball father with your nurses funky glasses

Hanging out with momma

Aunt Reesh, Uncles Hayden and Mason also came to visit you. You were born on the same day as Aunt Reesh!

Cici came to see you in the hospital and spent the week in Utah playing with Grayson so we could adjust to you.

Papa came to visit on Sunday

You and your rockstar aunt Jessi...maybe she will teach you to dance someday. : )

Nana visiting you at the hospital.

The three of us headed home from the hospital.

Monday night we put her down at 1 for the night when Chris and I went to bed and wasn't up again til 5:30!!! I couldn't believe it. The nurse had told me that if I was good at keeping a 2-3 hour nursing schedule that that meant she was eating more during the day and would sleep more at night. Well she did! I thought it was a fluke. But she did it again last night...I guess it could still be a fluke so we will see. 

My recovery has been so different. Payton has been so different. I remember at 2 weeks old when my family came to stay with us when Gray was born that my mom and I sat on my bed and tried to let Grayson cry it out in his bassinet desperately wanting him to sleep on his own and not have to be held or rocked. It was a serious struggle. Payton has been such a good baby. She easily falls asleep on her own, is a good eater and just so happy. Maybe the extra week in the womb did the trick. : ) 

So at 6 days after delivering. I still have no stretch marks (obviously) and I am down from 154.4 to 138! I feel soo good it's amazing! 

What a testimony builder it was. We have been praying for a long time to be able to have a successful Vaginal delivery. I had Chris give me a priesthood blessing a few times in hopes that things would go properly. What an amazing experience. Our bodies are just unbelievable! It's crazy the things they can do. 

I am a happy momma!

Another quick update! Payton is a week old...and a couple days now but time is already flying. We are still waiting for her to give us some good grins whether it be from gas or just being happy but she constantly has the hiccups! She is a great sleeper and eater! She eats every two hours and rocks at it! She loves to poop after we have already changed her and (knock on wood) we haven't had an explosion yet! haha Grayson is still doing great...no competing jealousy sibling syndrome yet. : ) I am down to about 130 and feeling great! This no c-section thing has been a night and day difference for me!

Here you are with Gray your first night home from the hospital. 

Here we are showing what you would look like on the inside...except not upside down...this was kind of akward to hold you like this since you LOVE to lift your head up. 

We gave you a quick wash down in a little toy bin we have. We kept trying to smash your nose up against the wall of the bin. hahaha

 One Week Old...First Bath and wearing the adorable robe nana got for you!



Newborn/family photo shoot 1 week old

snuggling up to daddy

You Cici and Momma posing for the camera

Its been a great week!! Now daddy is back to studying and you gray and I are to ourselves. We move this weekend to live with Nana for about a week til Ryan Jessi and Amaya move out then we get settled into the Condo til December when Daddy graduates!!