I had a doctor's appointment at 11:00 on July 12. It was pretty routine until the doctor took my blood pressure. It was elevated a bit higher than usual. The doctor kept me in her office for over an hour to see if it would go down (I think that in itself make it higher). After they took my blood pressure a couple of times, the doctor decided it was best to just induce me that day. I was due the next day, so the doctor wasn't worried about any complications with the baby. The doctor called the hospital and the only time they could get me in was at 2:00 that afternoon. That gave me a mere two hours to get ready to have a baby! I had my overnight bag in the car and called James as soon as I left the doctor's office. He was more than happy to leave work immediately.
I met James at the house, we had a quick lunch, and headed to the hospital. We got checked in and they hooked me up to the IVs. They didn't start the pitocin until 4:15pm, but after that the delivery went very quickly. I tried to go natural, but with pitocin is nasty stuff. I was dilated to an 8 before I needed an epidural. I couldn't believe how much easier that made the delivery.
All told, I was in labor for 4.5 hours and only had to push through three contractions. My little Amelia was born at exactly 8:45 pm and weighed 5 lbs 8 oz. The doctors were a little worried because she was so small, but she's as healthy as can be and is doing great.
Here are some pictures that her daddy took. She's a great little model.
