MEET MOLLY!!!!

You guys! Molly Lou Duggan is HERE! She is beautiful and healthy and perfect and I could not love her more. My heart was capable of this kinda love all over again after all!

I went in to be induced Sunday, June 29th @ 7pm, the cervadil was inserted around 8pm. I started having regular contractions right away and we never even ended up needing pitocin! I made it to about 2:30am without pain management and that's when I got the epidural - I was around 4cm. It took several attempts for him to get it in successfully which was terrifying and painful - especially since Tony was not allowed in the room. 

I felt so much better after the epidural but never felt total relief as I could still feel a whole lot. A couple hours later I was checked (about 5:15am) and I was at a 6cm. It was around this point I started to have extreme anxiety and really started freaking out. I called the nurse back in 15 minutes (about 5:30am) later and I was hysterical. I figured out why - I was feeling so much pain and pressure during each contraction and realized my body was pushing!!!!!! She checked me and my bag of waters was bulging- she told me that she thinks I'm at a 10cm and ready to go. She called the doctor and a bunch of nurses came in to prep. My nurse allowed me to push involuntarily at this point as my body was literally taking over. 

Dr. Podraza (my angel!) ended up being there in thirty or so minutes (roughly 6am) and he told me Molly was posterior (sunny side up... JUST like her sister!) and he flipped her - which did not feel great during contractions. I pushed 2-3 times, felt her crowning with the ring of fire, at which point he told me to stop pushing that she was going to fall out on her own with him guiding her. That happened just a few minutes later which was a WONDERFUL relief!!!! She cried right away, was plopped on my belly, and Tony cut the cord!!! I had one minor "scrape" that required one stitch to stop the bleeding. 

Molly was born at 6:12am and weighed in at 7#12oz - EXACTLY LIKE HER SISTER! She measured in at 20.25 inches and has black fuzzy hair. She looks somewhat like her sister and is just so tiny looking! She latched amazingly and breastfeeding is going so smooth. 

I've experienced what is known as a wet tap and lost some spinal fluid as a result of the epidural. This has caused extreme pain in my head and neck and has literally been debilitating. I had a blood patch (another epidural procedure where they put my own blood into my spine to fill up the missing fluid and block any leak) and it is supposed to help right away but it hasn't. They suggested having another but I am not doing that. I'm taking pain meds and drinking fluids and caffeine - all things that are supposed to help. Finally I've found a drug that offers a little relief! So I will be taking it every four hours until this gets better. 

I am so happy and will be even more happy once this pain hopefully goes away and I can enjoy my family even more.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers - they truly helped and gave me a labor and delivery to be proud of! Not to mention a gorgeous baby.