My due date with our baby #2 was set for Wednesday, September 17, 2014.  But in talking with the doctor and the way I was progressing (3-4cm by the 38th week), we decided to schedule an induction for Monday, September 15, 2014.  However, scheduling an induction at this hospital wasn’t as simple as saying be here on a certain day at a certain time, but I had to be put on a waitlist and it really depended on how busy the hospital was at the time.  So even though I knew of this “date”, it wasn’t certain.  I got a call Sunday night saying I was still on the waitlist and be ready anytime from 7AM to the afternoon to come in at a moment’s notice.

So on the morning of September 15, 2014, my parents, husband, son and I went about our day getting ready, preparing breakfast, etc.  We were in the middle of eating breakfast when I got the call, the call that said to come in for the induction pretty much right away.  Marvin and I scrambled to get everything ready, said goodbye to Austin as his grandparents took him to daycare and were on our way to the hospital.

We checked in around 9:30AM, they checked my vitals at 10:00AM and were going to get an IV going for pitocin.  Apparently I am a hard stick because the first nurse couldn’t find my vein (the same thing happened with Austin too!) and the second nurse came in and got it in around 10:30AM.  The doctor came in and decided to break my water at 10:35AM (I was 4cm dilated / 80% effaced at that point).  I started to feel some very minor contractions and asked for an epidural immediately.  🙂  The anesthesiologist came in around 11:00AM and gave it to me and my body legs and bottom half of body slowly started to go numb.  The doctor came back in at 12:15AM to check on me and I had progressed to 10cm and he goes, we’re ready to have a baby!  Let me stop and say that with Austin, this process of getting to a 10cm took many many hours and we were in total shock how quick this one went.  I gave 4 good pushes and at 12:47PM, our little princess Vivian was born!  🙂

When she came out, she gave out a little cry (not as loud as Austin) and she was just perfect.  Marvin got to cut the umbilical cord again and she was cleaned off a bit and then put in my arms to hold.  She weighed 6 lbs and 9 oz and was 19 inches long, a little smaller than Austin but that’s to be expected with a girl and her gestational age.

After an hour we were moved to our new room, they put me on a stretcher instead of having me get up because with Austin I had fainted when I got up, so we didn’t want to risk any fainting this time around.  We let all our family and friends know about the good news and then immediately the feedings and naps started.

That evening my parents brought big brother Austin to come visit us and that was the best!  Austin was a little shy at first and wouldn’t really go close to Vivian but eventually he warmed up to her and was trying to give her the blankie “Flora” that he had gotten for her.  Vivian also gave Austin a few gifts as well as people were telling me that gift exchange between siblings is very important!

The next couple of the days in the hospital were spent healing, getting to know our baby girl Vivian, and trying to get that breastfeeding going.

I am so happy to now be a mother of a son and a daughter!  I can’t wait for them to grow up and for their sibling bond to really form and develop.  I am excited to create amazing memories with these two beautiful children of mine and for now, we’ll just say our family is complete.  🙂  As for recovery, I am quite swollen in the feet and all over really and my belly is still huge, hope it goes down soon though.  And now, really, I need to go take a nap before Vivian wakes up again for another feeding!  I’ll may be a little sporadic on the blog during these next few weeks but I hope you understand why!  You can find me on Instagram for often updates as well!