Happy Birthday Kendall!- The Birth Story & Hospital Pictures

Before I get into Kendall's birth story I should back up and explain why I was induced at 37 weeks. My doctor only does 2 sonograms the entire pregnancy (pregnancy confirmation and gender) and I desperately wanted another one before I had Kendall. I mostly wanted to make sure that she was still healthy and growing as she should but I also wanted to confirmation that she was in fact a girl. You never know! (side note-a fellow mom at ava's school was pregnant and expecting a girl right around the same time as me and much to her surprise she had a BOY! They CAN get it wrong at those sonograms!) Anyways, after asking the dr. she said that since Connor was such a huge baby (9lbs. 4 oz and a week early) she agreed to have another sonogram at 36 weeks to check to make sure Kendall wasn't getting too big. Our sonogram revealed that 1) she was a girl (whew!) 2) she was healthy (most important part) and 3)my amniotic fluid levels were just below what they should be. At first the dr. wanted to admit me but after speaking with a high risk obgyn she said that since my fluid levels weren't really low that as long as the baby's heart rate and movement are good then I could go home and come back again in 2 days to have another sonogram and check the fluid levels again. We were so relieved to be going home. We asked Gigi, Mikey's mom, to come in town to watch the kids when we went to our next sonogram and we packed our bags in preparation for having Kendall that day. If my fluid levels were lower then they would have needed to deliver Kendall. The sono showed that they were the same but my dr. wanted to induce at 37 weeks (in just 4 days) to make sure that Kendall would be ok. Even though we weren't expecting to meet her so soon we couldn't have been more excited! We were glad she had a few more days to grow and it gave us some time to process it all and make last minute preparations for our baby girl. So now that takes us to the beginning of the story, Kendall's birthday!

On April 28, 2014 Mikey and I headed out the door around 7:30am to go to the hospital. Gigi, Papa Jim, and Gramielle were all in town to watch the kids while we were gone. We took one last picture as a family of 4 and hugged the kids goodbye. Ava ad Connor gave one last little belly pat to their sister and then we walked out the door. It's such a surreal feeling knowing you are about to meet one of your children for the first time and that when you come back home life will never be the same as it once was. I was both nervous and excited! This moment, this day, these feelings....nothing can match the excitement and anxiousness of meeting your child for the first time. I would relive this day (and Ava and Connor's birth day) over and over again if I could. BEST.DAYS.EVER!!

Once I got settled in, the nurse checked to see how much I had dilated and I was already 3 cm. She said that I probably would have had Kendall that week anyway so that made me feel better about evicting her so soon!

I know that people have their opinions about being induced but I absolutely love it! I feel so much peace knowing that the entire process is being closely monitored and that the nurses and my doctor are there every step of the way making sure that Kendall and I are doing ok. Plus, I prefer as little pain as possible so I like being able to get that epidural as soon as I want it. Speaking of epidural, for some unknown reason epidurals don't seem to work very well on my right side. Just like when I was in labor with Connor, I did feel some pain during my contractions but by the time they were getting more intense it was time to push. I only pushed 3 times! It was my fastest delivery yet.

My precious girl, Kendall Vaughan, was born at 3:34 pm, weighed 6 lbs 8oz., and was 18 1/4 inches long. 

Our initial thoughts were how tiny she was and how much dark hair she had (and how much vernix was all over her!)

She has the same crazy toes as her daddy and sister! I love it!

Holding my girl for the first time. A moment that will forever be etched in my mind. When I held her she stopped crying and I could just hear her tiny little breaths and baby gurgles. She knew I was hers and she was mine. 

 (the hospital has a policy that they don't bathe the babies until they are 6 hours old, it's best for them I suppose, but I didn't mind snuggling with my cheesy baby AT ALL!)

We spent quite a long time in the delivery room afterwards (for no reason really). Kendall nursed well the first time. After about an hour the grandparents brought Ava and Connor up to the hospital to meet their little sister. :) 

Mikey went out to get them and since I didn't know he was going to be videoing I caught them coming in on my phone too. (hopefully I can upload his video sometime soon too)

Ava and Connor were quiet and I could tell a little nervous/excited about meeting Kendall for the first time. Our sweet nurse, Andrea, grabbed our camera and took most of these pictures as they were coming in. She took the ones of Kendall right after she was born too. We didn't ask her to but we were so grateful that she knew how important these moments were for us and for them to be captured.

Connor actually seemed the most curious out of the two. He calls her "Nenall". 

Papa Jim and his 3rd grandbaby

We promised that we would have lollipops for the kids so my dr., Dr. Watkins, brought some to them from her office. They each got to open their Big Sister and Big Brother present from Kendall. 

She's a proud Gigi

Connor, Kendall, and Gramielle

And why is it that the instant I have another baby my little boy looks like he is 5?!

The next couple of days in the hospital were spent holding and getting to know my sweet girl, eating yummy hospital food (no really, it's delicious!), watching too much tv, and getting too little of sleep. 

Ava and Connor came up to visit several times and enjoyed playing by the window with their toys, playing in my moving bed, and talking to their little sister.

This was one of the few times I actually saw her blue eyes open. 

Thank you Cassie for this beautiful wreath you made!! It got lots of compliments. 

Dr. Watkins is one of the doctors that makes you feel like you are her most important patient. She is amazing!

Going home!!! She was too small for the newborn outfit that we picked out for her to wear so luckily I brought the same preemie outfit that Ava wore when we brought her home. I think it's pretty special that both of my girls wore the same outfit coming home. 

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Stay tuned for more pictures of Kendall's 1st month! (hopefully it wont take me till she turns 2 months to get that post completed!!)