Today's blog post might be a liitle bit different than usual. How so?
Well, I will be writing about the most amazing experience a person could have,
and it happened to Nick and I just two months ago!
As you know, Nick and I were expecting a little angel to enter our lives on October 20.
Well, she had a plan of her own and came down to meet us 8 days early.
About 3 weeks before she was born, Malia gave us a little scare.
Normally, it felt like she was doing kung-fu, gymnastics, and summer salts
in my tummy all at the same time, but this morning was different.
I hadn't felt her move for quite some time.
The last time I could remember was her having hiccups the night before.
We rushed to my doctors office, which happened to be my doctors day off,
so we would have to see one of the other doctors there.
We checked in and one of the nurses took my vitals and
asked me how long it had been since I felt movement.
Before I had even seen the doctor, they quickly came to a decision
that it was pointless for me to see one of their doctors
and since it had been "...too long since I had felt movement,
I needed to go to Labor and Delivery IMMEDIATELY!"
We rushed to the hospital, where they checked me in and hooked me up to a monitor.
The quickly found her steady heartbeat.
The sound of her heartbeat was the most relieving sound I had ever heard.
They said she must have either been taking a nap
or just decided to be little Miss Stubborn.
That was our first scare.
About a week later, I began feeling contractions.
It wasn't just Braxton Hicks. It felt different, more painful.
We began timing them and they were about 10 minutes apart, and 45 seconds long.
At my doctors visit earlier that week, I was 80% effaced and dilated to a 1cm.
These contractions could be serious and mean I was going into labor,
or they could last a couple weeks.
It's different for everyone, so we just kept timing them.
They began to get closer and closer, about 8 minutes apart.
We packed our "emergency bags" just in case,
then headed to bed to get some rest. Yeah right..
With contractions coming every 8 minutes, there was no sleep on my end.
Around midnight, I couldn't take the pain any longer.
We decided to head to the hospital.
The nurse checked me in and got my "stats."
I was 90% effaced, but still only dilated to a 1cm.
(At least I had progressed, right?)
She said she would monitor my contractions for an hour, then check me again.
If I was still the same after an hour, they'd have to send me home.
Well, that was a looooong hour, to say the least.
She checked me once the hour was up, and no progress.
They'd have to send me home again.
Her "advice" for me was not to come back unless my contractions were
2-3 minutes apart.
SERIOUSLY LADY?!
When your contractions are that close,
you should be pushing the baby out, not barely checking in.
So, back to our home we went.
The next few days were quite painful because my contractions were still consistent,
but not consistent "enough" to go to the hospital.
Then on October 12th, it all happened...
I woke up that morning, just like every other morning.
Made Nick breakfast (yes, I am a great wife), then kissed him goodbye to school.
I took Samson for a walk, just like I did every morning.
I did the dishes, cleaned the house, and even swept and mopped the floors.
I was probably just "nesting" like most expecting mothers do.
Nothing was different. Little did I know what would be happening in just a few short hours.
I threw on a hat, some mascara, and luckily some jeans and went to do some errands.
After going to Home Depot to buy some paint for her crib, I was drained.
I headed to my mom's to hang out.
We ate some lunch together, then I watched her paint the crib.
She wouldn't let me help because of the "fumes."
I told her I had been having contractions all morning.
During lunch, I had a really painful one. Since that one, we began timing them.
They were about 5-7 minutes apart.
Still, not close "enough" (according to that nurse at the hospital).
My mom would try and get my mind off of it by talking to me about other things
and telling me stories, but when her stories were interrupted by me
having contractions every 5 minutes, it was hard to get my mind off of it.
I had not cried at all up until now,
but now it was to the point where I couldn't hold back the tears any longer.
She told me I should call my doctor and see what she says.
Sure enough, it was a Wednesday, which is my doctors day off...AGAIN.
They had me talk to one of the other doctors at the office.
Once I told her how painful my contractions were and how consistent they had gotten,
she told me to go to Labor and Delivery ASAP.
This could be it... I could be having my baby... TODAY!!
I called Nick and told him to meet me at the hospital, and my mom would drive me there.
So what does my mom do? The most logical thing of course.
She takes a shower. She had paint all over her from the crib! Haha. My mom is so funny.
After she got cleaned up, we headed on our way.
She dropped me off with Nick and told me to call her if anything exciting happens.
I was so nervous because they treat first time mom's
like they don't know what they're talking about
and I didn't want to be sent home again without my baby.
Once again, they hooked me up to monitor the baby.
The nurse put on her gloves and began to check me.
She got a big smile on her face and said...
"You said that you were at a 1cm the other day?"
"Yeah..."
"Well sista, you're at a 4cm right now!! You're not going home tonight!
Let's have a baby!!"
Then came the tears flowing down my cheeks!
So many emotions running through my body!!
The first thing I said was "I told you!! I knew I was in labor!! I wasn't crying wolf!!"
Haha. Then you'll never guess what the next thing that came out of my mouth was..
"Ah!! I didn't want to be wearing this outfit when I had my baby!!
I wanted to have cute make up, and not be wearing a hat!"
All being said with tears flowing!
I seriously think I was just in shock.
Like seriously, why does it matter if you're wearing at hat
of have cute make up on.
It's not a fashion show. I'm having a baby, for crying out loud!!
Really, I am not that shallow.
I quickly got over it (sort of) and called my mom to tell her the news.
Within minutes of being there, I got my epidural and was feelin' great!
My mom took multiple pictures of my contractions on the screen saying
"Oh my gosh!! They're off the charts!!"
But I couldn't feel a single thing. I was lovin it.
After about an hour, they called my doctor and she came to pop my water.
She told me "When someone's water breaks, it normally takes about
an hour per centimeter to dilate, so you're looking at another 6 hours until you'll start
pushing. And the average person pushes for about 3 hours.
So we're lookin at another 9 hours until you have your baby!"
Then she left to go to her son's choir concert.
Seriously? She is leaving?! I am in labor lady!! You can't leave!
But she did, and I was in the nurses hands now.
I was terrified. I couldn't believe that I was really having a baby.
Nick was being so amazing and offering me words of encouragement like
"Baby, you can do this. You're so strong!! I love you!"
My mom, sister Stephanie, and her kids were in there to keep us company.
About an hour after the doctor popped my water, the nurse came to check me again.
Her facial expression was one that I will never forget.
She had a grin from ear to ear as she said,
"Sheri, you're complete!"
Complete? What does that mean? I had no clue.
"Let me grab another nurse for a second opinion before I call your doctor and
tell her the progress." Well, the first nurse was correct,
but it was great to hear it from a second opinion.
I was complete. As in COMPLETELY DILATED!!
Oh. My. Gosh.
This is it!!
She told my family to leave the room, then had me start pushing.
With the nurse on one leg, and Nick on the other, I began to push.
I went through one cycle of pushing and the nurse looked shocked.
She said that I was a great pusher and that my baby would be
here quicker than they thought.
I told her that I was scared to push without my doctor there.
She comforted me and told me to push again.
After 5 cycles of pushing, she told me to stop immediately!
What!? Why?!
She said in just a few more pushes that Malia would be there.
Then in walked my doctor, right in time!
She put on her doctor clothes, and her gloves and got in position.
She told me to push and was completely shocked when I did.
She said that I was "the ideal pusher."
Most people who have an epidural can't feel how hard they're
actually pushing, so she was amazed when she
saw how hard I could push. She told me to push again.
I was getting closer.
And on the third cycle of pushing, I heard her cry.
The most beautiful sound I've ever heard.
The next thing I knew, she had placed MY baby
on MY chest as she cleaned her off.
I've always seen pictures of this, but it is so much more
real and amazing when it's actually happening to you.
There was the shock, the tears, the excitement.
She was flawless.
I couldn't take my eyes off of her.
I looked at Nick and have never seen someone so happy.
His face was priceless.
Our baby Malia is finally here.
She was in the hands of Jesus right before she was placed into ours.
What a humbling experience to know that God is trusting us to raise his child.
She is the greatest blessing that we could ever ask for.
Nothing has ever brought us such happiness as our baby girl.
We knew that our lives would never be the same from that moment on
and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Haha, looks like she was just as shocked for her to be here as we were.
Malia Ka'iulani Aiko Dargel
7 lbs 9 oz
19 1/2 in
