The Birth of Hannah Grace Yee

I finally am able to sit down and write about the birth of our beautiful baby girl Hannah. It was probably the best emotional rollercoaster experience I will ever have. Here it goes:

When I went to the OB on July 1st, I wasn't dilated all that much, but the doctor thought I would go into labor on my own over the weekend. So Travis and I did a ton of walking around on Friday and Saturday to naturally induce me, and maybe have contractions start. On July 3rd around 4:30pm I went to the hospital because I thought my water had been leaking all weekend and contractions were coming and going. Travis and I didn't think I was going to be admitted because my contractions weren't strong enough, so I thought I would have been sent home. I had already been scheduled for an induction on July 4th at 7pm if I didn't go into labor naturally, so I figured they would just check me and have me wait it out at our house.

They decided to admit me then because I was dilated to 3cm which I was surprised about. The walking helped!! So the OB broke my water and started me on pitocin. I wasn't too thrilled about that because I had heard that Pitocin makes your contractions unbearable. I had mild contractions for about 2-3 hours, and was able to tolerate them for the most part. The only thing I had to deal with at that point was hunger, it had been about 7pm and I hadn't eaten since 11am that morning. Travis of course was also complaining about being hungry and I wanted him to be alert as possible, so he and my Dad went to Burger King which made me super jealous! Right after he left my contractions got horrendous, they were pretty unbearable. I'm happy my Mom had been in the room with me, because they started to come every 1-2 minutes and the OB checked me and I was dilated to 5cm. I wanted to go as long as possible without the epidural because I knew once I had it labor would slow down.

As soon as Travis came back I decided to get the epidural which was a tad bit painful but what was worse was sitting still while getting it done because the contractions were so intense.. Everyone who has had a natural birth I admire you! I seriously had tried to do it for a few hours but knew that it definitely wasn't for me. The epidural was a lifesaver! I couldn't believe how quickly I felt better, and I didn't feel any pain at all. The only thing was it slowed down my progress. I was stalled at 6cm for like 3-4 hours. Finally at 2am I was at 10cm and my epidural had wore off, and I started pushing. It was probably one of the hardest things I'll ever do. Hannah didn't want to come out, and I was so exhausted from pushing for an hour I thought it would never be over. If it wasn't for my husband and labor nurse I would have never been able to get past pushing. They were great motivators! Finally at 3:27am on July 4th, our beautiful baby girl, Hannah Grace Yee was born at 7lbs. 6 oz. and 20 inches long. In all my labor and delivery was about 9 hours long, which I don't think is terrible at all. I had a fairly easy delivery compared to a lot of other first time mothers I know.

The feelings I felt when I finally saw Hannah were unbelievable, the minute I saw her my whole life changed, and you just have this huge indescribable amount of love towards your baby. You really can't explain it. I must have cried non-stop for a half an hour, the feelings were overwhelming, she's just perfect, I don't even have the words for it.

Travis and I just marveled at her, and couldn't believe she was finally here after 9 long months of pregnancy. I said throughout my pregnancy I would never go through this again, after Hannah's birth I would definitely want to have another child. I'm so in love with her. She's just perfect in every way, shape and form.

More to come about Hannah! Here are some newborn pictures!

6 weeks and counting

Ultrasound-33 weeks

Only 6 more weeks! I will be 35 weeks this Sunday, and couldn't be more happier about it. Getting closer to meeting Baby Girl is an exciting but nerve racking feeling. Travis and I are trying to prepare ourselves for what is to come, and I could tell he's starting to get rattled now. I just can't wait for her to get here and see her beautiful face.

We had an ultrasound last week and she is currently weighing in at 4lbs. 13 oz. The perinatologist told us it looks like she has a lot of hair and chubby cheeks! I can't imagine what she is going to look like. Everything seems to look like it's going well, no signs of pre-term labor which is what my OBGYN was most worried about.

This heat is definitely taking a toll on my body. Just trying to take it day by day and adjust to becoming huge, at least that's the way I feel. We have been so busy every weekend with activities that it's hard finding time just to rest. I'm also in that stage where I feel the need to clean my house all the time, so I guess it's the start of my nesting period. The nursery is painted and new carpet has been installed, it looks gorgeous, it's the perfect color!

The nursery furniture was delivered yesterday and I can't wait until it's all put together and the room is set up. Everything is starting to become real now! Baby Yee has received so many gifts already! Our church threw Travis and I a Baby Shower on May 15th, it was great, and our congregation members were more than generous! Our house looks like baby central has hit it, can't imagine what it will be like after my family/friends Baby Shower.

We also went on a tour of the Maternity Ward at the hospital where she will be born. What a reality check that was. Definitely scared me, especially when I saw the Labor and Delivery Rooms. Trying not to think about that too much because I freak myself out if I do.

Hopefully will be able to update soon with Nursery pics!

Third Trimester Jitters

So the third trimester is finally here. There are 8 weeks and 6 days til my due date, not that I’m counting or anything. Will be 8 months on Sunday! At this point I’m experiencing the crappy symptoms of this wonderful trimester: unbearable heartburn, endless bathrooms breaks especially during the middle of the night, backaches, swollen feet and cankles (or as Travis calls them my fat feet), and restless nights of sleep. On a positive note the baby is moving a whole lot which is awesome and wonderful to feel except when she is laying on my ribcage. Feeling her hiccup and move around is something I will miss after she is here.
 

Anxiety and jitters are starting to settle in, and my thoughts are running wild with some scary thoughts. I just have so much going through my head that needs to get done, and I’m nervous it won’t get done before Baby Yee is here.

Some of my anxious random thoughts are:
~Will the nursery be ready on time before she gets here? We are painting and having new carpet installed the third week of May.
~Will she like her name? I don’t know why I’m so concerned about it, Travis said she doesn’t have a choice. And yes we have her first and middle name picked out, but we are waiting til she is born to reveal it. We’ve actually had our children’s names all picked out since our Engagement.
~ Preterm labor? The one thought that has been invading my head the most since the third trimester hit. I’ve been told that I’m high-risk for preterm labor and it may happen, but at this point my OBGYN thinks I may go full term which I’m praying happens. So I will be trying to take it as easy as possible for the next 2 months, easier said than done.

~What do I pack in my hospital bag?
~Labor and delivery. Definitely nervous about this and how difficult it is going to be. We are taking a Birthing Class in the beginning of June so hopefully that will offer some insight into the process. I’m sure that will all fly out the window though when the time comes.
~Will I have a flare-up after delivery?
~Can I handle a newborn, Graduate School and working full-time all at once?
~Will Travis and I be good parents, and how in the world are we going to know what to do? As time inches closer, I’m terrified that I’m not going to know what to do. I heard your instincts just kick in, I just want to be the best mother possible for my baby.

Those are just some of my crazy thoughts. The positive thoughts/updates about Baby Yee is that she is definitely growing. Trust me, I feel like a house so she better be growing in there! At my last ultrasound she measured at 2lbs. 15 oz which my perinatologist told me is right on track as to what she should be weighing at this point. She also has a lot of hair, and is developing very well! From this point on she should be gaining a good amount of weight every week or so until she is here! On that note, I would like to end this entry with a note to our sweet Baby Girl.

Dear Baby Girl,
Mommy and Daddy can’t wait until you are here. We talk about you every day and how wonderful you already make our lives and you aren’t even here yet. God has blessed us in ways we couldn’t even imagine, and we can’t wait to hold and have you with us. I pray for you every day, and hope that you continue growing so you will be soon and healthy when you enter this world. We love you, and so does Stella Lu (she can’t wait to meet you too!)
Love Always,
Mommy & Daddy