Our sweet baby girl is finally here and Rex and I couldn't be happier! Hazel Ruth Smith made her debut on February 24 2012 and it was the best day of both of our lives.
Two weeks before my due date we had an ultrasound done and Hazel was weighing approximately just under 8lbs already! My doctor decided he would induce me a week early since it was my first delivery and we didn't want her to get to big for me to deliver her vaginally. I was scheduled to go into the hospital on the 22nd at 3:30 am and I was so excited to know Hazel would be coming so soon. Relief came over me knowing there was some sort of plan(im definitely an OCD planner). The anticipation of not knowing when I was going to have her was killing me! haha.
Well the night of the 21st came and I got a call from the hospital saying they were running behind with patients and didn't have a room available. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement... I knew that this was a possibility but I was crushed when it actually happened. Im pretty sure I cried for a good half hour. haha. Anyway the next morning the hospital called again and still no room.. I was so anxious it took everything for me to be patient. Since Rex had work off because we assumed we'd be at the hospital, we stayed occupied by seeing two movies, hitting up Cheba Hut, and visiting our good friends Alyssa and Trevor with their new twin baby boys. It was a fun last hoorah before we were going to have our munchkin. Finally we got a call Thursday morning the 23rd saying come in. I literally jumped around our bedroom with my big belly screaming for 5 seconds, grabbed our bags and we booked it out the door. That's when things slowed down...
When we got to the hospital I was dilated to a 1 and 80% effaced. Instead of starting me on pitocin right away they put a Cervadel in me to soften my cervix and to maybe start contractions. I had that in for 12 hours and I thought I felt small "contractions". Psh. I was wrong. At 12:30am they started me on Pitocin and at 1:30am they broke my water(which felt crazy weird). I was still dilated to a 1... Around 3:30am that's when I started contracting. And NOW I was contracting. Those "contractions" I felt early on were nothing compared to the pain I was in now. It was beyond belief. My mom had always told me while I was pregnant that real contractions will "stop you in your tracks". And they did. It took everything I had to not tense up. Every contraction I had my body would shake so hard. I tried to breathe and stay focus but holy crap it was so hard! Rex helped me so much; he could not have been more perfect! He just sat with me, held my hand and kissed me on the forehead in between the hellish pain. Such an amazing husband. They checked me at 9:30 that morning and I was dilated to a 3. The pain got worse as the morning went on, each contraction harder than the last. At 12:30pm they checked me and I was still at a 3. I finally gave in to the heaven sent epidural. Honestly I have so much respect for women who endure the pain and have their babies naturally, I could not imagine doing that. After meeting my new best friend, the epidural, it was smooth sailing from there. I went from a 3 to 10 in 5 hours and it was time to start pushing. I pushed for 40 minutes and baby Hazel was born at 6:50pm! Finally finally finally!
BEFORE:
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| Looking huge... |
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| Mama and Daddy |
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| Nana Blair |
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| Auntie Hannah! |
Hazel came out with her eyes wide open and she was very awake. The moment they laid her little naked body on my lap I looked at her and she stared right at me. It was so amazing, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on. Rex and I cried. It was such a spiritual moment, the veil so thin as our sweet angel came into the world. The miracle of life is truly miraculous. We were so thankful there were no complications. She weighed 8lbs 4oz and 22 inches long. She was perfect. She is perfect. Our sweet healthy baby. We love her so much.
AFTER:
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| So relieved to have her in my arms! |
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Our family:)
(don't mind my greasy hair) |
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| Our baby girl showing off her lungs! |
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| Nana and Papa Blair |
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| Nana and Papa Smith |
This was the most painful exhausting and WONDERFUL experience of my life. Hands down hardest 19 hours of my life. I am so thankful for my mom. I could NOT have made it through this with out her. She helped me so much through all of the pain and while I was pushing. I love her so much!
I will always remember Hazel's birth. The pain and the joy. I will never forget the first time I locked eyes with her and the way my heart grew instantly. I have never felt so much love.
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| Leaving the hospital. I look so awful! |
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| Baby Hazel so sweet! |
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| Daddy and Hazel! |
I felt so nervous to bring her home, but to my surprise it felt so comforting. Welcoming Hazel home and settling in was much nicer than being in the hospital. We are still not sleeping at night, feeding constantly, and changing lots of poopy diapers:) And now we are trying to soak in every precious moment; little grunts when she's pushing out a poo, long stretches after naps, the adorable sound she makes after a sneeze, her long sucks as she drinking mamas milk, even her restless cries at 2am.
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| On our way to the doctor! |
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| Hanging out with Hazy's best friends Brody and Jace! |
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| Mama and baby girl! |
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Our family!
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Our lives are forever changed for the better. I'm now understanding a mother's love for her child. It's not an easy job at all but every time I kiss my sweet angel it all becomes worth it. Tomorrow she will be one month and I can't get over how much she has changed since the day she was born. We love her and we're cherishing every moment!
We are so grateful for all the meals,phone calls/texts, visits, and support from all our family and friends!
