Carrie Has Arrived!!

We rejoice in the healthy birth of our second daughter, Carrie Cassandra Olson. Below is the story of her birth.

I woke up on September 24, 2013 around 5:00 feeling a long hard contraction in my back. I was nine months pregnant on that day and had been feeling contractions for several weeks, so I didn’t think too much of it. Around 5:45 I started to write down the times of the contractions to see if this was “the real thing” or simply false labor again. I told Zach what was going on and we both hoped it was the real deal! Zach decided to hang out for a bit at home in case I did go into labor so we headed downstairs to eat breakfast.

The contractions continued to come, much more intense than they had been in the previous weeks, but they were still 10 minutes or more apart. We weren’t supposed to go to the hospital until they were five minutes apart. I got ready and showered and just kept timing them. Around 9:30 I told Zach to go into work and I called my mom to ask her to come help with Lydia. She came and was a huge help, especially when I was having contractions.

Over the next hour the contractions continued to get further apart and by noon they became very far apart, almost 15-20 minutes, so I figured it was another false alarm. Mom and I continued to play puzzles and games with Lydia. Even though the contractions were very far apart, they still hurt tremendously so Mom taught me Lamaze breathing to help me with the pain. I thought maybe some exercise would help the situation so I did 30 girl push-ups and started to fill out the baby’s baby book to distract me.

We moved into the kitchen to get Lydia’s lunch ready. Around that time the contractions suddenly started coming quicker…10, 8 minutes apart, and they were much more intense. I’m so thankful for Mom's help during that time. As lunch progressed they kept getting closer together and much more painful, some even bringing me to tears.

By 1:00 they were 5-6 minutes apart regularly so Mom called Zach and I called the doctor. Zach rushed home and found me on the couch in mid-contraction writhing in pain and we knew it was time. We rushed out the door, only to stop on the porch while I had another.  We then hopped in the car with our hospital bag, leaving Lydia with Mom.

On the way I had several contractions and must have been quite a sight to those driving by us. We couldn’t find the entrance to the hospital and took a few wrong turns before arriving. Zach told me he now owes me a trip to the Caribbean to make up for that awful drive. J

But we found it and I was whisked into triage. The nurse checked me and told me I was 7-8 cm. and need to go to delivery. By the time Zach got to the room they were finishing taking my vitals and then rolling me upstairs.

We got to the delivery room and I was very nervous I was not going to have time to get the epidural. The nurse seemed concerned about it, which made me even more concerned. I was praying and praying that we didn’t miss the window. I remember telling Zach I thought I was going to die if I didn’t get it…Okay, that may be a bit dramatic but when you are in that kind of pain you say weird things. :-) (Side note: My hat goes off to any woman who has given birth with no meds- you are amazing!) Anyway, back to the story...Everything seemed to be taking forever. All the while, I kept thinking, “Where is the anesthesiologist?!”

After about a total of 2 hours and many more contractions the anesthesiologist made it and I received the epidural….Ahhh, sweet relief! Once it was administered it was bliss! I couldn’t feel a thing, and I could talk and relax. With an enormous grin on my face I kept telling Zach how happy and thankful I was. It was wonderful! He wondered if the medicine from the epidural went into my brain too because I just kept repeating how happy and thankful I was!

We got to know our nurse a bit and had about 3 hours to rest and relax. I listened to classical music on my iPod and Zach watched part of a movie. Around 6:00 the nurse checked me and said I was fully dilated! My doctor soon arrived and they started to prep me for delivery. 

At 6:34 pm I took a deep breath and pushed two times. The doctor told me to take a deep breath again- then another big push. She told me to stop so I did, then she told me to push half as hard. As I did I could see a head (there was a mirror). The doctor told me to put my hands under the baby’s shoulders. I did and pulled a beautiful baby up into my arms! I looked up and saw tears of joy falling from Zach’s eyes and I started to cry too. It was a beautiful, precious moment. After a few seconds Carrie started to cry out. What a beautiful sound! And she didn’t stop! She cried for the next 20 minutes as we held her and took many pictures of our sweet Carrie girl. Carrie Cassandra (named after a dear friend and my amazing mom) was born right on her due date, weighing 8 pounds, nine ounces.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made: your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

Here I am all ready to go!

 Holding Carrie for the first time!

 Zach holding Carrie for the first time.

 First picture with our beautiful little girl.

 Snuggling on Daddy's shoulder.

 Lydia meeting Carrie...LOVE!

 Our first family shot of 4!

 My sweet girls.

Labor and Deliver Stats:

Date of Birth: September 24, 2013

Time of Birth: 6:37 pm

Length: 21 in.

Weight: 8 pounds 9 ounces

Length of Labor: 13.5 hours

Excitement of Parents: Off the Charts!!

Thank you for all of your support, love and prayers. We are so thankful to be surrounded by supportive and loving friends and family. We covet your prayers as we continue to parent our two beautiful daughters and teach them about their Father's love.