labor and delivery

several people have asked about labor and delivery, so i thought it would be easier to blog about it...i promise, no gruesome details will be revealed. =)

isabelle's early arrival was a little unexpected. i had been experiencing high blood pressure at 36 weeks of pregnancy so my doctor put me on bedrest to buy me some time until i made it to 38 weeks. initially, everything seemed fine...my labwork came back negative for protein, i wasn't experiencing any headaches, my reflexes were ok and my blood pressure was borderline high. two weeks later, everything suddenly changed and my doctor felt it was best to have me induced. labor was loooong and painful. i was induced at around 1:00 pm thursday afternoon, was given another dose of medication at 8:00 pm. by 3:00 am, i had only dialated 1 cm. my goal was to have the baby naturally, with no pain medication, but after lying in bed for 14 hours, i was frustrated with the slow progress and couldn't deal with the pain anymore. i requested an epidural and 3 hours later, my body was finally ready to have a baby. after my doctor arrived at the hospital, i began pushing and no more than 15 minutes later, our precious little isabelle was born into this world. the doctor put isabelle in my arms immediately after she was born, and i was overwhelmed with joy and amazement. part of me wanted to cry but i was in such awe that all i could do was stare at her. thank you to my baby for being my support system...mario was by my side the entire time and did well through labor and delivery...no one fainted and i didn't yell or cuss him out during labor. =) my mom was also in the delivery room and witnessed isabelle's birth.

isabelle is now 6 days old and the three of us are trying to adjust to all the new things that come with being a new family. pictures will come soon...