Zoe's Story

On Tuesday morning we checked into the hospital around 9 a.m. and things were on their way around 11 a.m. There was no sign of this little girl coming out on her own so I decided to be induced. I was on the pitocin for a couple hours when they decided it would be time to break my water.

I got my epidural, they broke my water and we waited around for another couple hours. The next time they checked me I hadn't really made much progress so I was starting to get frustrated but they increased my pitocin and around the same time I felt the rest of my water come gushing out. It was also around this time I felt like my epidural was starting to wear off. They had given me a low dose so they increased the medication hoping that would work.

Unfortunately the dosage was not the problem. My epidural was only working in my legs, leaving my legs completely numb and allowing me to feel every single contraction, which at this point were coming every minute or so. I was progressing quickly and after an hour or so of incredible pain they finally discovered the problem. They leaned my bed a little upside down so the epidural would travel upward; which it did, finally giving me some relief.

About an hour later I was completely dilated and it was time to push. She came out after just 20 minutes of pushing and it was the most incredible feeling in the world. I was able to just hold her in my arms and loved every second of it.

Gavin has been so incredibly sweet and he was so excited to meet her for the first time. He went straight to her with a huge smile on his face. He is very helpful and always wants to hold her. 

I love being home with my little family of four but recovery has been tough. I unfortunately suffered from what is called a post-dural puncture headache as a result of my epidural. It happens to 1 in 500 people and I happened to be one of them! It caused me to have a crippling headache and we actually had to go back to the hospital yesterday so they could do a procedure to fix it. The headache is gone but it has left me somewhat bed-ridden. I'm not allowed to lift anything which includes Zoe, so Jesse has to bring her to me whenever it's time to feed her. I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband who will gladly play with Gavin, clean up the house and take care of the baby all while I am stuck on the couch. 

I am looking forward to our lives with this beautiful little girl. It's amazing how I can't get enough of her, even when I am exhausted. We are so lucky and I am incredibly grateful for the chance to be her mom.