Sydney's birth story

Strap in -this is going to be a long one. Last night I had serious contractions for several hours. True to form, nothing came of it...that's how my babies roll, but it prompted me to get some stuff done today to get ready for this little guy. I have just put my two precious girls to bed and I am packing my hospital bag....and I am getting teary as I remember the births of my girls. Since one day I hope to print this off and bind it in book form to give to my kids as a gift, I decided this would be a good time to write about how they entered this world. This post will be Sydney's post. Harper's will follow.... they are night and day!

Sydney, I found out I was pregnant with on July 6, 2004. My first doctor's appointment wasn't until mid-August (which completely freaked me out, but is totally normal) so I had about 4 weeks to think about the fact that there was this new life growing in me and I hoped I was doing things right. It's amazing how you are immediately protective of a tiny being the size of a penny. I rubbed my belly, I talked to you, I prayed over you.
At the time I was very good friends with a girl who had been trying to get pregnant for a year. The fact that my pregnancy came easily was hard for her. She did a good job being happy for me, but I knew she struggled. It was the only "downer" in the pregnancy for me. I started taking my pre-natal vitamins, I was on cloud 9. Your dad was in the Cayman Islands when the test came back positive I.Could.Not.Wait to tell him. He was in total disbelief, but he was excited. He brought back a onesie that had something about the Cayman Islands on it. It was blue. He was certain you were going to be a boy.
I had my first doctor's appointment and the verdict came in that the official due date was March 3rd. Not too long after that I began to feel the effects of morning sickness. For the next several weeks I was violently ill EVERY SINGLE MORNING for about 4 hours. Once 9:00 am hit, I was ok, provided I didn't eat meat, smell meat, talk about meat, look at meat or think about meat. I lived off scrambled eggs, cheese and bean burritos. Later in the pregnancy I could muster Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. We ate them almost daily. It is amazing I could fit through the doors of the hospital.
I'll never forget the day we found out you were going to be a girl..... you could have knocked us over with a feather. No one was disappointed, but for some reason, I just expected to be carrying a boy. We spent the next few months getting ready for your arrival. I read everything I could get my hands on. We painted the room....twice (it's a long story - another blog for another day), we bought bedding, we registered, we had showers, we were nervous, anxious and excited as we anticipated the day of your arrival. Our bags were packed and the car seat in the car weeks before your due date. We opened presents for you at Christmas and talked about how our next Christmas would be so different.
At 36 weeks I was starting to dilate (you should know before you have babies of your own that sometimes that means nothing....read on). First I was a 1, then 2 weeks later at 38 weeks I was dilated to a 2. It's almost here I squealed to your dad. We are going to have a baby soooo soon! Can you believe it???? On February 25th we went to the mall and walked and walked and walked. On February 26th I awoke to dampness (you should also know that when you are 9 months pregnant and expected to deliver any time the dampness is a toss up... "did my water break or did I just pee on myself?"). I called in to the doctor, "go back to bed and check again in a hour to see how much liquid you collected and get some sleep" (laughable). An hour later I checked and there was bleeding. I called back "maybe you should come in". I was a nervous wreck. Gigi and Papa were on their way in no time. We went in, checked in, changed clothes only to find that there had been no progress and the blood was a busted blood vessel due to contractions. "Go walk the halls and come back in an hour" I burned off every Filet-O-Fish sandwich I had ever eaten in that one night of hall walking. We walked for hours with no progress. I was sent home to get some rest with the instruction to come back when my contractions had been 5 minutes apart regularly whether I was sitting or standing for over an hour. Sunday morning brought more contractions, more walking and, eventually, the Golden Globes. We timed contractions while I watched the beautiful dresses walk the red carpet. When the contractions had been 2-3 minutes apart for an hour or so we went back. I was certain I would be almost ready to push.... I was still at a 2 - NO PROGRESS!!! How could that be?!?! I refused to go down and walk, I couldn't do it. I laid in that hospital bed contracting every 2 minutes and willing things to open up and let you out. At 7:00 am Monday morning, when my contractions had been 2 minutes apart for 12 hours, I was sent home. I'm not sure I had ever cried that hard in my life. I felt such defeat. I was a failure at dilating. Who can't dilate for crying out loud?!?! I labored at home, we continued to time contractions, I tried to eat, I threw up, I tried to drink, I threw up. At 3:00 Gigi took command. After talking to your dad she said, "you take her back to that hospital. You tell them you are not leaving without a baby. I do not care if they have to cut her open. And that your mother in law is on her way". He did as he was told. We headed back, checked back in, lots of tears, I was beyond exhausted. At this point I had been up for almost 24 hours straight. They checked me and, Praise The Lord, I was at a 4 which, at the time, was where you had to be to have an epidural. They didn't even ask, they knew it was a stupid question. Medication administered and then the beauty of numbness took hold of me. I watched Oprah. I played Wheel of Fortune. I could not wait until they told me it was time to push. At 9:00 I pushed and pushed and at 9:27 pm you entered this world. 6 lbs. 12 oz. and 19 3/4 in. long with a head full of some of the most beautiful dark hair I have ever seen. Daddy and I cried. Gigi cried. It was a most amazing experience. You were finally here. You were screaming and it was the most beautiful sound in the world to me. Trust me when I tell you that you have no idea what true love is until you hold your own flesh and blood. It is not something anyone can ever put into words. You must experience it to truly grasp it. Since that day I have prayed for you daily and will continue to do so until my final days on this earth. So sweet, such a giver, such a peace maker. I love you Sydney Reese Arrant and as hard as the labor and delivery was, it was among the most beautiful experiences of my life.