Introducing Adalynn Jani Egbert...

On Wednesday, August 17th, 2011 we were able to welcome the newest addition to our little family. Adalynn Jani Egbert was born at 2:10 in the afternoon weighing in at ONLY 7 lbs 4 oz and being 20 inches long (quite a difference from all my 9.1, 9.14, and 9.3 lb boys).

The night before I was scheduled to be induced I stayed up late getting lots the last minute things ready for little Miss’s arrival (like cleaning my floors cause thats REALLY important. he he) and then spent most of the night AWAKE out of sheer excitement for her arrival. I think I literally looked at the clock just about every 15 minutes or so from midnight until 5:00 am. We weren’t scheduled to go into the hospital until 6:00 so I took a nice long hot bath, put my hair in pigtail braids, and then made myself a peanut butter banana smoothie for breakfast. My Mom had kindly stayed overnight to help with the kids so when it was time we just left them sleeping and drove the 2 minutes to the hospital.

Adam dropped me off at the admissions desk in the ER while he went to park the car and get all my bags and pillows for my stay at the hospital. Then we were up to Labor and Delivery. My nurse got me all set up in my bed and then after a series of health related questions started my IV and pitocin drip (at around 7:05). It took me awhile to start feeling anything from the pitocin drip but pretty much the second I did I asked if I could order my epidural (I just figured there was no reason to feel any pain if I didn’t have to). So around 9:00 am I was able to have the epidural put in and then around 9:30 my doctor broke my water.

Interesting enough epidurals have changed since 2.5 years ago when I had my last with Dawson and this time around the epidural allowed me to continue to feel my legs, wiggle my toes, and at least know when I was having contractions (which I wasn’t sure I liked or not).

My incredible Mom was also able to join us at the hospital around 9:00 when I got my epidural as my wonderful in-laws Mum and Smurf came down to help out with the boys so she could be with me to cheer me on. I was so grateful for everyones help. I truly am blessed to have such an awesome family on both sides! My Dad also came down around that time and stayed at our house to help with the boys as well.

During this whole time I should mention that I had TWO nurses who were basically doing the same thing twice. Kathy was my main nurse and was a no nonsense (but sweet) woman who has been in delivery for 30 years. I also had Krista who has been a nurse for around 10 years but it was her FIRST day in Labor and Delivery so she was FRESH and in Training. Krista would always be the first to check my cervix – and then give her estimation to Kathy who would then check me again to make sure Krista was right. The problem was that Krista had a hard time figuring out what I was dilated to each time (or where the opening to my cervix was for that matter) so I often times even had to be checked a third time so that Kathy could explain to her what things should feel like. Quite the interesting day to say the least. This also happened when getting a catheter put in (I had to have two done – the first they threw away), etc. Kinda crazy!

Because I had been induced before I kind of expected things would move AS fast if not faster than they did with Dawson – but for some reason this time around my contractions didn’t seem to be making as much progress and it was frustrating hour after hour to hear that I was still only dilated to a THREE. Most of us predicted the baby would come around noonish but there was pretty much NO progress at all from around 9:30 am (when I got my water broke) to 1:30 pm.

However, finally at 1:30 Krista said I was dilated to a FIVE!!! (We found out later I was actually dilated to a 6 from Kathy but Yay for some progress!) So my Mom and Adam suggested we call Mumsie and tell her to come up. I was pretty sure we still had a long way to go though as usually I don’t go fast until I hit a 7. BUT….only 30 minutes later at 2:00 Krista and Kathy checked me again and sure enough I was fully dilated (however, by now I couldn’t wiggle my toes or feel the contractions so I had no idea I was even feeling pressure down there).

Doctor Anderson was immediately called and he came within 5 minutes and by 2:05 I was able to start pushing. 2 contractions and 4.5 pushes later little Sis was born at 2:10 pm and officially pronounced a GIRL! We were all so overjoyed! Doctor Anderson placed Adalynn on my tummy first thing (usually they clean her up and then give her to me) and it was so fun to be able to just look at my little princess and hold her in my arms. I was in love with her from first sight and knew the second I saw her that she was an Adalynn.

The first thing I said when I saw her though was “she’s so tiny!” And I was shocked later to learn that she indeed was only 7 lbs 4 oz a whole 2 pounds lighter than all my boys. Wowsars! I didn’t know I could make small babies. I loved that she actually LOOKED like a newborn and not a small man child. 🙂 Adam and I just felt so very grateful, humble, and amazed to actually be holding our first little girl. What a blessing these little ones are!

After Adalynn was born we called the Dad’s (Smurf and Papa) and they were able to bring the boys over to the hospital to meet their new sister. Adam showed them all how to hold her and then they each took a turn loving on their new baby sister. It just melted my heart to see the way they loved her from the moment they met her and squeals of “She’s so cute,” and “feel how soft her head is,” and “Hi sissy Pants” just made the moment even sweeter. It was so nice to have us all together for the first time.

The rest of our hospital stay was really wonderful and we had amazing nurses and staff who took amazing care of us. Mum and Smurf were kind enough to watch the boys so that Adam could stay at the hospital with me and I was so grateful for that as we had some lovely precious moments bonding with our new little girl together. I was also glad to have Adam there as on day two I ended up getting sick and throwing up in the morning and then on day three just as were were planning to leave the hospital I started having some really bad back and leg pain even after taking 800 ml of motrin and 2 pain killers. We ended up staying at the hospital another couple of hours and having Doctor Anderson have to come back to the hospital to check me out. He thought at first it might be a bladder or kidney infection but after tests ruled that out – he diagnosed it as a sciatic nerve which there is really nothing you can do about. So we were released from the hospital and sent home with instructions to keep on the pain meds until the pain stopped.

Anyway, we truly feel so so blessed to have this little girl in our family. The boys have been absolutely delightful and so loving and cute with Adalynn that I find myself just feeling like life couldn’t get any better. She has brought such a warm loving spirit into our family and we already just love her to pieces. Below are a plethora of pictures of her birth and fist few days at home.

My crazy awesome Ad playing the waiting game!