Nora Mae was born on April 26th, 2013 at 5:43 am, weighing a slight 6lbs, 1 ounce. Her entry into the world was not expected, at least not this soon. Madison and I had been dating for a year when he proposed to me. About 8 months later, we found out that I was pregnant. We hadn't even begun to plan our wedding, I was fresh out of college, and we were just beginning our lives together. Madison and I had already decided that we wanted children, but this was certainly much sooner than planned. Finding out I was pregnant was the biggest turning point in my life. From that moment on it wasn't just about Madison and I, it was about this little bean-sized life form growing inside me. I couldn't grasp the situation at the time, I was too stunned, but our lives would change radically because of this one piece of news.
Honestly, I was upset when I first found out. I was 22 years old and did not feel like I had the qualifications to be a mother. Madison was so encouraging and excited from the beginning that it didn't take long for my attitude to change. From then on it was all about our little girl. We did our best to prepare for her arrival.
I didn't have the easiest pregnancy. There were issues with perpetual high blood pressure and suspected preeclampsia (which thankfully never occurred). I gained more weight than I was comfortable with. My feet swelled up like balloons. There was one memorable moment at work when a co-worker took one look at my feet spilling out of my shoes, that she yelled "Oh my God!" and promptly told me to go sit down and put my feet up. I was allowed to wear flip-flops to work after that.
On April 25th, I went into work and told everyone I would be having a baby that day. They all laughed because I had been saying that for the past 2 months. My weekly checkup was scheduled that day at 11:30 so I was determined to be induced. My doctor and I had not really seen eye to eye during my pregnancy, which was incredibly stressful, so imagine my shock when she said I could be induced that day! A quick text to my boss to say I wasn't coming back and we were off! Packing for the hospital was a frantic event but we made it in time, despite being stuck in traffic for almost 45 minutes.
Once we arrived at the hospital at around 3 pm, Madison and I were SO excited. We couldn't believe that after so many months of waiting we would finally be able to meet our baby girl. I was put on Pitocin and my contractions began almost right away. When we had gotten there I was 2cm dilated. I wasn't progressing so the nurses kept upping my dosage of Pitocin. If you've never been induced, let me tell you- ouch! I had contractions one on top of the other. It seemed like they never stopped. By the time 2 am rolled around, I had had enough. At this point I was sitting in a chair away from my call button and Madison was asleep in a cot next to my bed. I tried to yell to him and wake him up but it wasn't working. I had a cup of Jello in my hand and seriously considered throwing it at him to wake him up. Luckily for him, he did eventually wake up and I didn't have to go that route.
Madison came over to me and I told him enough was enough, I needed an epidural. He got a nurse who immediately checked me out. I was only 3cm! After almost 12 hours of labor she agreed that I could have an epidural and went to get the anesthesiologist. By now I could barely get up to walk to my bed, the pain was so intense. The anesthesiologist got there quickly and did his thing. I immediately felt better. So much so that I fell asleep for about an hour and when I woke up I was fully dilated! It was time to push, everyone got into position and about 45 minutes later we had a baby! I will never forget the look on Madison's face when he first saw his baby girl. It was amazing to witness.
Nora was perfectly healthy and I recovered quickly. When we got home from the hospital the following Sunday, we had the initial "ok, now what?" moment, but quickly fell into a routine. The love we have for this little girl is overwhelming. It's so crazy how quickly you can fall in love with someone you just met.
Almost 10 months later I am still overcome with my love for her. She has brought such joy and meaning to our lives. Being a young mother is hard, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Of course I would have liked to own our own home or be more financially stable before having children, but now we have a reason to make those dreams come true.
Having a child was the biggest turning point in my life. From then on, nothing was the same. I am so happy to be blessed with such a joyous little girl who loves to laugh, play and dance with my husband and I. Just one smile from her will instantly brighten a room. She brings so much happiness to our lives that I can't imagine a day without her.
I hope you enjoyed Nora's birth story and a little peak into this girl's beginnings! And because I can't resist, here are some pictures of newborn Nora.
