Willow Brooke Worthington

Willow Brooke Worthington

Born: April 19th, 2014

Weight: 7 lbs 6 oz

Height: 20.5 inches

Time: 4:32 AM

Our beautiful little girl

Willow Brooke ~ Labor and Delivery

I have been meaning to write this for almost a month now! 

It's crazy how fast time goes by when you are so happy. 

I want to get it down before I forget the details of all that happened. 

April 18th. 

I woke up after having a night full of dreams about going into labor. I remember thinking in my dream - "Oh, I'm having a contraction", but it was obviously just a dream because I didn't wake up until 9:00 AM. 

My mom was still in bed so I went and sat with her and around 9:20 I started getting menstrual cramp feelings in my back. I told my mom this and she said to just watch it because I had been having braxton hicks all week. 

15 minutes later, another cramp. 

They started to be every 15 minutes and were getting stronger with each one. 

At 10:15 I text Jake and told him I was having contractions every 10 minutes and that he needed to keep his phone close and on. He was at work at a sexual harassment training all day, and this was his ticket to get out of it. So, he called me and asked if I was really having contractions and all that and I told him I was and that it would probably be smart if he came home just in case. 

Another reason our baby girl is amazing. She waited until Daddy's test was done, then got him out of a training that takes all day and yeah...

I decided around 12:00 that I should get ready for the day just in case we needed to leave for the hospital soon. 

My contractions at this point were 5 minutes apart and getting a lot stronger. 

I thought showering made the contractions feel better, but they still sucked. 

I was done getting ready and was all packed for the hospital by 1:00. 

Jake had gone back to the base during this time and got gas in the car and made sure everything was ready. 

At 1:00, my contractions were still 5 minutes apart and the midwife had told me not to come in until they were 2-3 minutes apart and I couldn't hold a conversation. So I waited. 

Jake put on Lilo and Stitch because I had never seen it and he said it was really cute (and it was). It was good to watch and keep my mind off the contractions that were happening 

*Side Note* Contractions SUCK!!!!!! Especially after having them for hours and all they did was get closer together and stronger! AWFUL!!!!

Around 2:15, my contractions were finally 2-3 minutes apart and I was struggling. I was in a lot of pain and it was time to go. 

We got everything in the car and took off down the road... Only for me to remember that I forgot my book that the hospital HAS to have to be able to know my history and all that and it's a really big deal, so Jake turned around and ran inside to where I always put it and... it wasn't there!!!

Mom went in to the house to help him look while I sat in the car contracting every 2 minutes trying to remember where I put it. 

After about 10 minutes of Jake and my mom looking, I finally remembered and basically crawled up my front stairs and went and grabbed it where I pretty much hid it. 

We were finally driving to the hospital. 

Why is it that when you are in a hurry, you always have the slowest people driving in front of you? OR when you are finally in the city, every person decides that they will just step out in front of you to cross the street - not in a cross walk might I add? I have seriously never cursed out so many innocent people in my life or glared at them wishing them not very nice things. Ha ha. 

When we finally got into the hospital labor and delivery room, the midwife there was kind of rude and to me, acted as if I wasn't really in labor. 

She checked me and I was only dilated to a 1, so yeah I can see why she thought that, but I was also crying out in pain. 

She put us in a room with a big bed and told me to just relax. I laid in there from 3:30 until 6:00 and she checked me again. I had dilated to a 1.5. 

I was so sad because the pain was getting stronger.

At one point though, my contractions had slowed from going every 1-2 minutes to every 7 minutes. I said a prayer to Heavenly Father to just give me the contractions and help me get through it. Next thing I knew I was having contractions again every 1-2 minutes. I had to remind myself that I had prayed that they would speed up again and that I had to focus. 

They came and got me again around 10:30 and I had a new midwife, Christina. She was amazing!!! She checked me and I was dilated to a 2.5-3. She told me that I had finally reached the point where I could get the epidural! Hallelujah! 

*Side Note* The epidural is amazing and everyone who wants a good experience should get one :)

The anesthesiologist got there around 11:30ish and started the procedure. 

Jake had to leave for this part and it was probably for the best because besides actually giving birth, getting the epidural is the worst and very painful and doing it while contracting every 30 seconds to 1 minute really didn't help either. Once it's in though, ahhhhhhhh is all I can say. Instant relief and instant ok feeling. 

I threw up sometime during the night as well. I can't really remember when I threw up, but I know I did and I was told it was normal, but ugh it did not make me feel any better than I was feeling. I also was still having terrible heartburn so they had to give me something for the nausea and the heartburn. 

April 19th.

When I first started having contractions at 9:20 am I thought I would have her on April 18th, but then 

12:00 PM came and she had not arrived yet. 

With the epidural in I was finally able to sleep a little. Around 2:00 AM I started to feel contractions again and they were further down. The midwife came in and gave me more of the epidural and checked me and I was a 5. She said it would be early morning, like 6 when I had her. 

I went back to sleep and at 4:00 AM, I started to feel the contractions again and that feeling to "push". The midwife came in and checked me and I was fully dilated to a 10. FINALLY!!! 

She told me that I was ready, I asked for more of the epidural, but it was too late and they couldn't give me anymore. She said whenever I got the feeling to push to just do it. They called in my dr, Dr. Jerono, and he came from his house and was there by 4:15. That's when the real pushing started. 

The midwife kept yelling at me to stop crying (I wasn't crying!), and to stop breathing through my mouth (I didn't think I was), and to just do it. Ha ha she was way forceful, but she helped me a lot. The whole time Jake was sitting by my head and was giving me so much support. I love that man so much and for what he did for me that night made me love him that much more. Dr Jerono just stood by the bed and pretty much did nothing (he counted fingers and toes and made sure she was a girl when all was finished ha ha)

I pushed for 15 minutes before Willow came. 

Words cannot describe that feeling of seeing them that first time. It takes your breath away. 

They placed her in my arms and I just sat and looked at her. She is mine and she is perfect. 

The umbilical cord was cut by my mom and Jake went and stood by Willow the entire time she was examined. Seeing Jake hold her for the first time was amazing. He is such a good daddy and loves his little girl more than I can describe. 

We were in the labor and delivery room for 2 hours before they came to move us to our other room. When they came they asked if I wanted a wheelchair, but because the epidural had worn off before I even gave birth, my legs were perfectly capable of working. So, I denied the wheelchair and said I wanted to walk. Willow was doing amazing and Jake held her the entire way to the room. 

Total labor hours - 19

Any complications - Nope

I had what the doctors called a "textbook" delivery. It went so smooth and so well. 

Willow came on her due date. I was 40 weeks with her exactly and she is perfect and perfectly healthy.