Sweet Pea turns 1

One year ago (yesterday), our Sweet Pea was born. And thus, my labor story:

The day before she was born, I had an appointment with my midwife. I think she must have stripped my membranes. I had more painful than usual contractions sporadically throughout the day.

That night BA and I took the children to the school skate night. I told BA on the way that I was in the first stages of labor.

That night I had 2 hours of 7-8 contractions an hour and then 3-4 every hour until morning. I slept on the couch, tried to sleep, watched a little TV, and timed my contractions.

BA got up at 6:30 to get ready to go to a final. I ventured off the couch at 6:50. And my regular contractions started. We took the kids to some friends and went to the hospital.

My first words upon entering my room were, "I would like an epidural ASAP." I was told they had to get 1 1/2 liters of fluid in my IV so my blood pressure wouldn't get too low. The first IV they tried burst as I was throwing up. So they put it in my left hand. I was actually pretty dehydrated so it took much longer to get fluid in me than it should have.

At 9:00 I finally got an epidural. Relief. For an hour. Then I started feeling pain. Slight at first. But it got more and more intense. "We have our anesthesiologists put the epidurals in in a different spot so our patients can feel more and help out in the delivery process more," I was told.

REALLY?!?!?!? I've done it both ways. I wanted to feel NO pain!!! Note to self- never have a baby in that hospital again. By the end, the pain was the same intensity as if I'd never got an epidural. My theory: the epidural didn't work.

After a LONG time pushing (ok, not for you it wasn't long. But I'm used to 2 pushes for the whole baby to come out) the midwife realized the baby was sunny-side-up. And thus ensued all sorts of methods to turn her. They hurt. And she didn't turn. I was later told that if I'd had one of the OB doctors he would have done an emergency c-section. Thank goodness I had a midwife.

By the end, however, I was pleading and even demanding them to just take this baby out! Sweet Pea was born at 11:27 am. My longest active labor. 4 1/2 hours.

I got to hold my precious baby for only a few minutes before they checked her out and found her breathing to be to fast. After a few hours her breathing was still too fast. So we allowed some blood work to be done. It showed an infection. A friend came to the hospital and helped BA give Sweet Pea a blessing. Then within 5 hours of being born, our beautiful baby was taken to a different floor to the NICU.


I felt calm during the whole ordeal. I knew something was going to be wrong when she was born. No, I wasn't just paranoid. But I knew. I had been praying for almost 9 months that this baby would somehow know whatever challenges would face her at birth and be extra strengthened for them. And she was. And there were angels with her. Both seen and unseen. The NICU nurses were some of the most amazing, kind, loving women I've ever met in my life.

My recovery was the quickest of them all. Since Sweet Pea was in the NICU, I tried sleeping there, but couldn't. So I slept at home. All night. I would wake up at 3 am to pump. And sleep peacefully the rest of the time. Now I'm not advocating babies to stay in the NICU. All I'm sayin' is- look on the bright side.

I do have to insert about her name. Many of you know. But some of you don't. I have ancestors who were in the Willie handcart company. Daved, Robert(17?), and daughter/sister (15?). They met up with the wagon train where another daughter, her husband and children were. David gave up his food each day for his grandchildren because they were starving. He died of malnutrition. 8 days later when the teenage daughter went out to gather sagebrush for the fire, she was found unconscious and later died. (We come through Robert.) She gave up all she had to come to Zion. This was the legacy we wanted our little girl to have.


So yesterday our sweet little girl turned one. She has been such a joy in our lives. She is patient as she gets her arm and leg pulled over who gets to hold her. She laughs and plays. She is so happy. Yesterday afternoon, some friends stopped by to give her a present and she backed away from Janel to come closer to me. She's just learning that everyone is not her mom or dad.


Her newest trick is to play peek-a-boo. I got it recorded. She'll hold up whatever she can find in front of her face and then lower it and laugh.

She's starting to not like baby food that we feed her. She'd rather feed herself. She's a great traveler.

She sleeps all night. She slept through by 3 months. Then around 5 months started getting up. After a few months of that, she got to spend a few nights in a room in the basement. She had really long morning naps for 3 days. But now she sleeps through.

If Boo's Polly Pockets are out and I let Sweet Pea play in the basement, she goes straight to them. She puts everything in her mouth, but doesn't swallow things that she shouldn't. At least I don't think she does. I let her explore a lot.


She can hold her own. Countless times she has fought for something she wants (usually it's something I don't want her to have).

She loves baths. Which is good because she gets about 2 a day. Yep. Two. I know I'm a mom. And I should "enjoy" slober and food all over in her hair. And snot. But I don't. And the best way to clean her all the way up is a bath. So she bathes. Lots.
I love my Sweet Pea so much!