Tuesday, June 30, 2009, Ross and I became a family of three. At 6:52 PM, our precious daughter, Samantha Joy, was born at Flowers Hospital in Dothan, AL. She made her debut weighing in at 8 lbs. 15 oz. (we rounded off to 9 lbs. just for fun!) and 20 in. long. Sammy Joy has her father's chubby checks, a full set of hair (literally!) and is just absolutely precious in our eyes.
My Labor & Delivery Story
Everything started at 2 AM. I woke up to some uncomfortable cramping and automatically assumed it was the beginning of my first round of contractions. So, I followed the pregnancy rule book and grabbed my pen and paper from the kitchen and started keeping track for the next couple of hours. Looking over the chart I had created, I didn't think it was a big deal simply because my contractions were only ten minutes apart. So I tried my best to go back to sleep on the couch (which ended up being an unsuccessful attempt to say the least). At 5 AM, when Ross was getting up, I decided to go ahead and call the hospital (better to be safe than sorry...right?!) The doctor on call told me to continue to keep track of them and if they got any closer together then to call the doctor's office at 8. I am sure he thought I was just another paranoid pregnant lady. Anyway, by the time Ross left for work, the pain started easing off so I thought I was golden for the rest of the day. This is the part when I knew the Lord was smiling down upon me with a big grin. :)
Around 8, I received my good morning phone call from mom. Since I was scheduled to induce on Friday (July 3rd) she was flying in later that day so we could spend a few days doing some last minute things together before Miss Samantha's arrival. Anyway, I told her about my eventful morning and immediately she said, "Call the doctor." How come moms always know what's best? She then proceeded to say, "You are going to have her today." I thought she was crazy but I went ahead and followed her orders just to put her at ease (she tends to worry quite a bit). So once I hung up the phone with her, I called my doctor's nurse. She suggested I come in at 10:30 so they could hook me up to the monitor to see what all was going on.
I told Ross I was going in just to check on things and he asked if I wanted him to go. I said "no" simply because I didn't want him to get behind in his flying hours (he had his final primary checkride the following week and I wanted him to still be able to check). I also thought I was going to be sent home for false labor (little did I know!) So after I cleaned the house for mom's arrival, I hopped in the car and drove to the hospital.
Anyway, after my checkup, my doctor said, "We're having this baby today." Before I knew it, I was admitted into the hospital and my "Officer and a Gentleman" came to the rescue.
The rest of the story continued to be in God's hands. After my water broke, the "fun" contractions, an amazing epidural (praise the Lord!), a three hour nap, deep breaths and a little pushing, Samantha Joy was born. Since then, she has been shining bright her middle name as she has truly been a "joy" in our lives.
Around 8, I received my good morning phone call from mom. Since I was scheduled to induce on Friday (July 3rd) she was flying in later that day so we could spend a few days doing some last minute things together before Miss Samantha's arrival. Anyway, I told her about my eventful morning and immediately she said, "Call the doctor." How come moms always know what's best? She then proceeded to say, "You are going to have her today." I thought she was crazy but I went ahead and followed her orders just to put her at ease (she tends to worry quite a bit). So once I hung up the phone with her, I called my doctor's nurse. She suggested I come in at 10:30 so they could hook me up to the monitor to see what all was going on.
I told Ross I was going in just to check on things and he asked if I wanted him to go. I said "no" simply because I didn't want him to get behind in his flying hours (he had his final primary checkride the following week and I wanted him to still be able to check). I also thought I was going to be sent home for false labor (little did I know!) So after I cleaned the house for mom's arrival, I hopped in the car and drove to the hospital.
Anyway, after my checkup, my doctor said, "We're having this baby today." Before I knew it, I was admitted into the hospital and my "Officer and a Gentleman" came to the rescue.
The rest of the story continued to be in God's hands. After my water broke, the "fun" contractions, an amazing epidural (praise the Lord!), a three hour nap, deep breaths and a little pushing, Samantha Joy was born. Since then, she has been shining bright her middle name as she has truly been a "joy" in our lives.
