Sixteen days ago, our lives changed for the best! Our beautiful Isabella Evan Scarborough made it to our arms at 12:05 am on August 5, 2011. She weighed in at 8 lb. 7 oz and was 20 and 1/4 inches long and came fully stocked with a full set of lungs and ridiculously cute cheeks. It was such a tough day because I had to be induced due to my amniotic fluid levels being too high and her weight being what it was. Had my water broken on it's own, Izzy's umbilical cord would have fallen out, causing infections for us both. I went in on Thursday August 4th at 8 am and had her 15 hours later! I was hooked up to the pitocin drip as soon as I got to the hospital so they could start the induction process. Of course I hadn't slept at all the night before because I was anticipating meeting my baby!! Poor Scott didn't sleep either because I tossed and turned and kept waking him up. We woke up at 5 waiting on the nurses at the hospital to call and let us know if there was a bed available. When they never called as they were supposed to, we called them at 6:15 and they said to come on in! 
We went in and I was immediately hooked up to my IV (whom I called Pedro because the IV pole had to go to the bathroom with me and I saw it fit to name it). It wasn't too bad at first, then I got my epidural. The actual numbing process was painful and then....Dr. Feel Good! I felt nothing at all! As soon as the needle went into my spine, my entire left side went totally numb and the awful contractions that I had been feeling were all of a sudden gone! The machines I was hooked up to told me when I was about to have another contraction. They were now a minute and a half to two minutes apart. My friends and family started arriving and broke camp in my room. The note on the dry erase board from my nurse said that only 3 people were allowed in the room with me. At one point, I counted 8 people in there. My nurses were very cool and so they never kicked anyone out.
I wasn't dilated to the point of pushing. After several hours of being hooked up to pitocin, I was still only dilated to 3 cm and 80% effaced. Being 10 cm dilated seemed so far away in my mind. It felt like it was never going to happen! They had broken my water for me at 11:30 and still, I wasn't moving along the way I should have been. My regular doctor, Dr. Firpo, came in and out all day and kept calling my nurses to see how far I had gotten. By 5 pm, I was only dilated to 5 cm and still not where I should be. Dr. Bruce was my doctor's partner and she took over at this point. We had met with Dr. Bruce a few times, and thought she was really awesome. She came in and told me that she needed a centimeter an hour from me or she would be forced to do a c-section. I was not happy with this. There is obviously nothing anyone can do to dilated faster, but just sit and wait. My second nurse that came in for her shift flipped me from side to side for 30 minutes on each side and at that point, things started progressing more. By 7pm, I was 7 cm. It felt like this was taking forever!! I started shaking uncontrollably, due to all the medication being pumped through my veins and I was so exhausted. I had no sleep, hadn't eaten anything in 24 hours, and had been energized by 2 popsicles and a cup of ice chips (the Sonic ice, so it was even better!). By 9 pm, I was finally an 8 or 9!! Ten o'clock came, and what do you know, I was finally 10 cm dilated and it was time to push!!!
They asked everyone to leave the room except for Maggie and Dana who were video taping and taking photos to document our miracle! I began pushing and of course couldn't feel a thing because I couldn't feel anything lower than my abdomen. I tried like hell though!! My nurses were great, but I couldn't have done it without my husband coaching me along! At one point, Isabella's head had crowned and Scott saw her head!! He looked at me and was so excited that he had seen it and it gave me the extra motivation I needed. He was doing great in encouraging me to push harder and stronger and then...it happened. He was chomping down so hard on his gum that here I am trying to count in my head and concentrate on getting her out safely and all I could hear was some serious gum smacking and I yelled, "That gum!!" He asked me if the smell was bad and I said, "NO, YOU'RE SMACKING!!" He spit it out on the floor of the delivery room and one of the girls ran over and picked it up. Within no time, the pushing became stronger and harder and there she was!!!
Since I was so drugged up and had hemmorraged so much during labor, I was very heavily drugged and couldn't even hold my child because I had the shakes so bad. I was given another drug, which was essentially an anit-anxiety drug to undo the side effects of the hemorrage meds. Finally about 30 minutes after Isabella was born, I was calm enough to hold her and comprehend what had just happened. I was elated and very emotional!!
The first night in the hospital was interesting to say the least. I was still so high from A. the drugs and B. the fact that I just experienced childbirth and C. the fact that we now had this gorgeous and most perfect baby sound asleep in a plexi-glass cart right next to us. She was the most perfect baby angel I had ever laid my eyes on and I sat up in my big ol hospital bed in my big ol diaper that they put on me and just stared at how much God really does love Scott and me!! It was amazing. Yes it was 4 am, but I was perfectly content just staring. It had been almost 2 days of no sleep, no food (I tried after birth, but got sick immediately), and constant work and I didn't care a bit. All I wanted was to hold her, but she was so tired after her long journey, that I couldn't stand to wake her.
The next day was rough, but we made it We had tons of visitors and phone calls! We got so many flowers, balloons, candy, gifts and people that just wanted to come check out our little angel. It was so overwhelming how much love we got from our friends and family and we felt like the luckiest parents in that hospital!!
We got to go home on Saturday evening and it was so nice knowing that I no longer would have nurses poking me with any more needles and that I could sleep soundly in my own bed...then the real magic began. I had no nursery to call to come get her at 4 am and I had no visitors to help me love on her. I had Scott who took off a week of work to help me and that was good enough for me. He helped me tremendously throughout that first week. I had third degree tears and was barely mobile, but I was very determined!! That first week, we had a crazy amount of traffic going in and out of our house and every bit of it was welcomed. We honestly couldn't have asked for more supportive friends and family and for that we are so grateful!!
Isabella has now had two doctor's appointments and she is healthy as can be!! God has really blessed us and been good to us through this life-changing process. All the possessions in the world could not amount to the greatest gift we've ever been given. She is that perfect to us!
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