April 18
The night before was hectic, it was the first day of soccer for everyone, dinner plans kind of fell through so we scrambled to pick up some pizza on the way to soccer. After soccer at 7:30 we still had to pack all the kids stuff. After packing up I drove them to Casey's parents house in Green River for them to spend the next couple days over there. Casey stayed home and cleaned up our crazy messy house so it would be ready for showings potentially if we were gone. Making the house perfect is EXHAUSTING, bless his heart for doing that. I stopped at the grocery store to pick up last minute Easter stuff and milk and hospital treats. We were both dog tired by the end of the night and didn't go to bed until about 11 or later, whew.
April 19
5:45 am- bright and early wake up call to get ready to leave for the hospital. Casey gave me a blessing- we packed the car with our 2 bags (WAY less crap than we had with Maxson haha)
6:20 am- leave the house for the hospital that is about an hour and 15 minutes away
6:35 am- stop at an exit in Green River to hide a grocery bag of shoes for Easton since we forgot to send him to Grammie's house with shoes, ha
Casey and I had great conversations the whole way to Evanston, talked about the baby, the house, work, the kids, dreams, concerns. It was nice way to start the day together like that. We listened to Florida Georgia Line just about the whole way there and we loved it
7:45 arrive at the hospital- we were supposed to be there at 7:30, oh well. Then we had to fill out paperwork which took until 8:15, goodness. So finally walked over to labor and delivery at 8:15 and started getting the whole process going! Changed into my gown, more paperwork, chatting with nurses.
I was the only patient in their area all day long, it was so nice and quiet, ha. My nurses were Chelsea and Megan and they were both fantastic. I sufficiently scared them and told them how difficult I was to stick for an IV. Of the past 3 deliveries, no nurse has been able to get the IV in my arm, only in my hand which is way uncomfortable to then try to use for the next 24 hoursish. Each time they've poked me between 2-6times to get the IV in and it's awful. So after that whole story she closely examined my arms and hands and veins and pushing and checking for about 20 minutes- she tried once in my arm and got it! I was so proud of her and happy for me! So we definitely started the morning off well!!!!!
8:45 we got me on antibiotics since I tested positive for strep B and also started pitocin. All day long my blood pressure was high, which is normal for the end of my pregnancies, hanging in the 140-150/90 range.
9:15 Dr Hansen came in, checked me, I was still at a 2+ a little from my appointment with him on Monday but he couldn't feel her head at all like he had on Monday, worried that she may have flipped he got the ultrasound machine out, checked only to find I had a full bladder. So after peeing, and getting checked again, her head was indeed down low enough and he could confidently break my water. Again, from warning them that I have a had a TON of fluid in the past they were better prepared for it with multiple towels and kept changing them out quite often. From there on we started watching Friends and it was just a waiting game! We started with the "Pivot" episode and laughed so much.
Casey and I have watched Friends during every hospital delivery. We've watched the whole thing before so know what's going on however much we (I) are or are not paying close attention. It's light hearted and funny and a great way for us to pass the time since they're small episodes.
12:45 2nd round of antibiotics is given and now I'm safe to deliver, they were giving me pitocin very slowly before this time so I wouldn't risk delivering too early. The nurse checks me and I'm at a 5. Dr Hansen suggests you get to a 4 before your epidural to not slow down the process. And now that contractions are getting more frequent and intense, not awful yet, I opt in for the epidural, because, hey why not! It just makes the process easier for me ha. That needle sure stings and gives you a big tinge of pain but you know it's worth it. No drop in blood pressure afterwards and a very smooth epidural process.
1:45 the epidural is done and I'm laying back in my bed pretty flat- ZERO pain in my back and feet and rest of my body which is far from what I've experienced the last 5 months. I quickly and easily shut my eyes and rest- not fully asleep but definitely happily tired for the next 3 hours. This was the first epidural that for majority of the beginning of it and then after I had the baby I was shaking a lot from being cold and the adrenaline of it all pumping through my body, lots of shaking haha.
2:45 dilated to a 8
3:45 still an 8, 90% effaced, and -1. She then brings out this large peanut ball- it's a large exercise ball shaped like a peanut- put it between my knees and says it will help
4:08- checks me and I'm at a 9 and +1
4:15 I'm feeling all the pressure I'm familiar with to call in the nurses and tell them I'm ready to go. Over the next 15+ minutes they get everything moving and grooving and set up to deliver. At this point I'm so freaking grateful for that epidural. Still feeling all the pressure but I'm more than happy for the contractions to continue pushing baby girl down further and further to make my pushing that much easier. We laugh about figuring out some background music but couldn't quite put our fingers on it. Playing Push It by Salt and pepper appeared once as a joke though, ha.
Dr Hansen comes in so chill, seats himself sideways at the edge of my bed, and says "let's make this birthday party happen". With one light push out comes her head, he tells me to stop, turns her a little, and the second push (again, I really didn't even have to push at all) out comes her shoulders and rest of her body, easy peasy!
4:38 Baby girl Cutler has officially been born! They lay her straight on my chest and I hold and gush over her for the next long while! (Re-watching a small video of her immediately on my chest you can hear the doctor say "You could have 5 or 6 more of those, she almost pushed herself out" ha, no thank you!) Casey cuts the chord- the placenta takes a little longer to deliver but still comes out easily just not as easy as her. 1 small stitch is put in and I'm good to go! They clean her up just a little bit more, we start skin to skin and nursing right away, she wasn't the quickest latch but still got going and figured it out. It was just nice and quiet and easy and a wonderful anticipated birth. I just kept saying "hi baby" over and over again. Small tears in my eyes realizing she was finally here and safe in my arms. So freaking happy.
5:30 they take her to the warming station, clean her off more, weigh her coming in at 7 lbs 5 oz- far off from the 12 lb baby Dr Hansen joked I'd have because I had gained so much weight (60 lbs!) and my uterus was always measuring larger than I was in weeks (41 cm when I was 38 weeks). She was 20.5 inches long and I have no clue on the head, ha. She was absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way! Dr Alan Brown came in as the pediatrician to look at her. His wife, Kate, is one of my most best friends and they moved away from RS to Evanston about a year ago so it was so fun to have him come in and look Summer over. And then at night Kate came and visited me for over and hour which was oh so fun! During this time I ate dinner too which although I wasn't hungry I knew I should eat and it was a good things because I kept eating and eating and eating, ha. Once she was all cleaned up and given back to us we decided on her name- Summer Cutler.
We face-timed the boys and they were over the moon happy to see her and hear she was here finally and learn what her name was. I nursed her once more and then from 6-7:30 I slept. Man I was so exhausted! I didn't personally work hard but apparently my body had, ha, and my want to sleep showed it.
Also to be remembered- this was the first warm day Wyoming has had in 6+ months- everyone said it finally felt like summer outside! Getting up towards 70, I had multiple friends get sunburnt from the time they spent outside. So it seems like our little Summer brought some summer with her :)
7:50 I call in the nurses and tell them I'd like to try and get up- shuffled my way to the bathroom with their help and got all cleaned up. It was so nice to be standing again, I hadn't in hours! We moved to the post partum rooms and it was lots of sleeping and resting and nursing, and holding the baby from there.
April 20
12:00 Brad and Nan brought the boys over to Evanston to meet their new baby sister! And man they were so all so freaking cute about it. I relished in watching themHe videos we have of them all are just so darling.
5:30 we ate a quick dinner and drove home from there! Bada boom! I remember being so scared on the drive home with Maxson, a whole 12 minutes. I cried while sitting in the back seat of the car with him worrying about if we got in a car accident if we'd be safe, making sure he was happy on the ride home, just WORRYING! Baby girl got the 5th child treatment: carseat in the back, me in the front, and for the long hour plus drive she happily slept and I happily and not a bit worried sat in the front and talked with Casey. I think I only checked on her once or twice. Truly, I become a better parent in so many ways each time I have a baby.
We are over the moon excited she is here. Yes it is fun and a tiny different to have a baby girl in the family but it's the same over abundance of love I've experienced each time before. I love her deeply and am so excited for the girl she will grow and become.
Side note- I LOVED delivering in Evanston, not only because I feel like I received really awesome care from my Dr and nurses but because it was really nice being the ONLY labor and delivery patient, ha! It was really nice to be so well cared for and all the attention on me, as vain as that sounds. I was my Dr's main priority that day as well as all the staff (meaning all 2 nurses) but it was just a quaint little birth and I loved it. If I have another baby I would want to drive to Evanston to deliver again it was such a great experience ( not like I'd actually do that but that's how much I loved it)
Also reflecting back on all my birth stories, Ive decided that I really love giving birth, like the birthdays of all my kids are some of the best days of my life. Everyone cheering for you to have a baby, caring about you and your new baby, attentive to how you're feeling, taking care of all your needs so you can focus on baby or getting through whatever pain you're dealing with during labor. It feels like you finally become great friends with your Dr that you've been seeing over all the past 6+ months. I love baby delivery days, I know, I'm weird. Through all the pain I've experienced on those days, I'd live them over again easily...Ok maybe except Max, that one not so easily
PS- if you click the label/link below that says "birth story" you can read the other kids too😊
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