Isabella Ruth McCoy

Isabella Ruth McCoy joined our family late Wednesday night at 11:07pm at exactly 38 weeks.

When I went to my appointment that Monday I was dilated to a 3 and 80% effaced and had been having more lower back pain and contractions. When I would lay down and rest the contractions would go away so I knew it wasn't real labor but that things were starting to change. At one point on Tuesday I had called Dr. Nance to see if he wanted to check me again but he assured me it wasn't real labor yet but it could be close.

Things decided to kicked into gear while I was sitting in a class at the hospital Wednesday morning. I started having contractions around 8:20am while just sitting there in class. This was a first so I figured I should go upstairs to L&D and get checked before going home. Laurie was my nurse and hooked me up to the monitors and watched me for a good 2 hours. I was definitely having contractions but I wasn't dilating farther than a 3 so they gave me a morphine and phenergan shot and sent me home to rest. She tried to help me not feel discouraged and assured me that she felt I was in the early stages of real labor. 

Gretchen was kind enough to drive me home and Chloe came over to watch the girls while I slept for several hours. I woke up still having contractions and decided to keep busy so I took the girls for a long walk. The contractions would increase in intensity but not staying regular. Laurie had talked to me on the phone a little before 7 to see how I was doing and after telling her I was still contracting she told me to come back in to be checked. So around 7pm G and the girls drove me back to the hospital and I was finally dilated to a 5 and 90% effaced! They admitted me while G took the girls back home and gathered his stuff. Thank goodness for family because Spencer and Shandy met him back at the house and ended up staying the night with the girls. 

Cherie came (on her day off) and placed my epidural around 8:20pm and when my nurse Stacey checked me at 10:00pm I was a 6 and 90% effaced. Dr. Nance arrived and broke my water at 10:30pm and at 11pm I was a 10 and complete. They set everything up and 3 quick pushes later Isabella was born at 11:07pm. She was posterior (face up) which explained my lower back pain and had a head full of dark hair which is a first for us. She weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 18 inches long.

After we spent time with her and she nursed the nursery took her to assess and bathe. Garlan went to our room to head to bed and I rested while my epidural wore off. Around 3am I could walk so they cleaned me and moved me to my post-partum suite. Mt. View has the best suites with queen size beds. It's pretty amazing and makes your stay so much better.

We got some sleep and then spent the morning and early afternoon resting and cuddling our sweet new baby girl. She was Coombs positive like Sophie and spent most of that night and the next day under lights. Thankfully she didn't have to come home on lights like Sophie.

Garlan went home on Thursday and got Emma, Sophie and Shandy and brought them back to the hospital to meet Isabella. It was the sweetest moment for us watching Emma and Sophie meet her for the first time. They couldn't stop loving and kissing her and wanting to hold her. They will be awesome big sisters!

We were discharged late Friday night on our 6th Year Anniversary. The nurses had bought us a cake from Magleby's to celebrate which was super kind of them. No better way to celebrate than to welcome another member to our eternal family. How blessed we are to have 3 beautiful girls!