Emily Merrill Fulcher

After much anticipation, Emily finally made her big debut. I was waiting and waiting for this day to come, and had even contemplated being induced. I was just so tired of living a life of "just in case" and so ready to hold this little girl in my arms. God definitely has everything under control. January 31st was the day before my due date, and I spent the night tossing and turning with mild contractions. This had happened before and when I got up and got moving the contractions would go away. I assumed the same would happen this time but around 4:00 AM I had to get up out of bed because the contractions were so painful. By the time Bryce got up around 5:30 I had already made the decision that even if real labor wasn't starting I was too tired and too anxious to go to work, so I called in for a substitute. By 6:00 Bryce called in for the day as well, and we started mentally preparing for the hospital. I was able to take a shower and get dressed, get Charlotte dressed, and eat breakfast with her before the contractions became too much. By the time Bryce dropped Charlotte off at Mrs. D's house and came back, the contractions were every 5 minutes and it was time to go. The ride to the hospital was a bit more peaceful this time because I knew what to expect and had my end result in mind. I really focused on my breathing and was able to walk into the hospital unassisted. It is amazing what all I missed in the hospital the first time because I was so nervous. I feel like I kept my eyes closed the whole time with Charlotte! After signing away my life at the front desk, they took me back and hooked me up to all the monitors with a lovely hospital gown to wear. By the time I was done answering all their questions, I was having a hard time making it through each contraction and they checked me and said I was already at 4 cm. Exactly like I was with Charlotte. Once moved into labor and delivery, I immediately requested an epidural (I learned that lesson last time too!) and they started prepping me with IVs and fluids. There was already a waiting list for the anesthesiologist! They kept regularly updating me where I was at "there's two more people in front of you", "ok, you're next!". My contractions were incredibly intense and every 3-4 minutes apart. It is amazing how different this epidural was from the last one. With Charlotte, the doctor said "You'll feel a warm sensation now" and suddenly I was completely numb. I couldn't even move my feet back up to the bed by myself. With Emily, I was still feeling my contractions for about 20 minutes, but they gradually got less and less painful. I could still move my feet and legs and all the pain was gone. I could just feel ripples through my abdomen when a contraction came. The doctor came around 12:30 and broke my water and they had to give me a shot of muscle relaxant to lengthen the time between contractions so they would be more productive and from there everything went in fast forward. At 2:30 I was at 9 cm and they called my OB and began prepping for delivery. The doctor walked in at 3:00, and Emily Merrill Fulcher entered our world at 3:18. Everything about her delivery was peaceful and calm and even after her birth she had the most serene aura around her. We got some cuddle time before family came in to meet her and I can say for sure that the births of my two daughters are two of the happiest days of my life.

After a bath and some time under the warmer, Emily came back to our room in time to meet her big sister, Charlotte. Charlotte was SO excited to see her! I will never forget the look on Charlotte's face the first time she saw Emily. All she wanted to do was hold her and hug her and give her little fuzzy head kisses. Charlotte was so sweet!