Wake Up Smiling: CAMDYN IS HERE!!

So this is definitely a little late and I apologize, but having a baby is definitely time-consuming! Especially at first since you're also recovering from labor (btw, no one ever tells you how painful it is!).

Camdyn Ellie Brooks was born on May 10th at 11:44am. My water broke at 2:00am and John and I rushed to the hospital. Driving over there was very surreal - and even now when I drive past the hospital I tear up! I started having contractions around 2:30 and my oh my those are PAINFUL! Anyone who is able to give birth naturally is literally my hero! I got an epidural around 4:30am and that was a gift from God. Pain = Gone! I was able to talk and laugh with John and the nurses while waiting to progress more into labor. Around 6:30am nurses came rushing in and hooked me up to oxygen. They said the baby's heart beat dropped and they were concerned. They gave me a huge ball to put between my legs to get her in a better position. This (the oxygen mask and ball) happened twice before I could start pushing. Little Camdyn was head first, but was slightly turned, so they wanted this to be corrected before pushing.

At 10:00am, I began pushing. Even with an epidural, that is probably the hardest thing I've EVER done. I kept telling the nurses that with my next pregnancy I'm going to work out that way I can push better. It was the most out of shape I've ever felt! After 15 min I thought I was going to die...but continued to power through for almost two hours before she was born!

Poor baby came out blue and wasn't crying. This scared the crap out of me. Was something wrong with her? Why wasn't she crying? I kept asking the nurses and doctors if she was ok, and they kept saying "yes," but still...no crying. I hadn't read much at all about labor and one could definitely say I was unprepared, but I knew for a fact that a baby is supposed to cry as soon as they're born. More nurses/doctors rushed in and hooked Camdyn up to oxygen and got her breathing. She still never really cried, but thank God she is ok :)

The rest of the stay is pretty much a blur. Doctors and nurses in and out of the room checking on both me and Camdyn. The staff at the hospital was AMAZING though. They were great at comforting me and helping me with everything. I give my birth an A+ for that reason, even though it was "traumatic" for both me and Camdyn.