I wanted to document the story of Audrey's birth. For those of you who care to read, here it is:

Background: I was due April 9th. My doctor said he would have induced me a week early, but since I was delivering at Utah Valley Regional, he had to go by their rules. Their rules require a first time mom to wait a full week after her due date for induction, if there are no medical needs to induce early! My induction date was scheduled for Tuesday, April 16th! I had Audrey Jo on tax day instead!

Friday, April 12th, 2013

At this stage of the game, I was 90% effaced and dilated 3 cm. I had been sitting like this for a few weeks!

That morning I went and got my hair done. It had been so long and I was dying to get it done! I warned my hair dresser the night before that the night before I'd been having contractions, and although irregular, I still wasn't sure what would happen while I was getting my hair done. I survived, but not without pain. I was having sporadic contractions the whole time she was doing my hair.. poor girl! She was a great sport though!

Later that night, Josh and I were on a date. I wanted to go on one last "hot date" before our little girl was born. :)  I was three days overdue at this point, and miserable, yet I knew that once she was here our time together alone would be limited. We went to Spark (which is where we went on our 2nd date back in the day) and I ordered some sort of entree, but I can't even remember what it was. All I remember is the awful back pain I was feeling. It was horrible! Needless to say, we ordered, and I had just as quickly told Josh that I was in so much pain, we needed to leave. We got our ticket, they bagged our food and we were off. I had been having VERY irregular contractions in my uterus for a few days now, but this back pain was new. We decided to go to the hospital to get me checked just in case. I was in SO much pain in my back.. I wasn't sure if it was labor or not? Lets face it, when you've never had a baby, you don't know what to expect. So.. Josh took me to Utah Valley, where I was hooked up to the machine and monitored for an hour. NOTHING happened. NOTHING! My pain stopped, the contractions that were random had stopped.. false alarm! I got sent home!

Saturday April 13th - Sunday April 14th

I was SO ready to have this baby girl! On saturday I went to the gym and walked forever.. then came home and walked some more around our apartment complex. I downloaded a contraction app and had been timing my contractions. They sat at about 10 minutes apart for days!! My doctor said I shouldn't go in again until my contractions were about 4 minutes apart, or if my water had broke. So, I waited.

Monday, April 15th: The Magical Day! 

That whole night, my contractions had been getting worse. I hardly slept a wink because they were starting to hurt worse too. They were getting closer, but they still weren't 4 minutes apart. They ranged from 5 to 7 minutes apart. In the morning, Josh got up to get ready for school. I had told him that my contractions seemed to be stronger and hadn't stopped at all at this point, but they just weren't budging from their 5-7 minutes apart range. I had wondered if my water had broke, because although I hadn't had that "pop" or water running down my legs... I had had other signs that led me think it might have. (I won't go into details here). Anyway, I called my mom and my doctor and he said to head in the the hospital if I thought it might have (better safe than sorry). Since my contractions were not going away this time, I felt more confident going into the hospital also.

When I got there, a nurse named Jill (an ANGEL from heaven) hooked me up to the monitors. She tested for amniotic fluid, and my water had NOT broken. I was a clueless first time mom! HAHA! Nevertheless, I was thankful to be there, just to check how things were going. I hadn't eaten anything all morning and was starving. An hour passed and she came in to check on me. She saw my contractions, but I knew they weren't as close as my doctor would have liked. I was getting frustrated because I really was in pain and wanted to just get admitted and get the show on the road, but I thought that they'd likely send me home again. I was surprised, however, when Jill said "No.. i'm not so sure i'm going to be sending you home today.. i'm going to keep you on the monitor for a little while longer..."

She left the room and I wondered why she had said that. In the mean time, I still had my IV in and had not eaten anything.. I was STARVING and anxious! A few minutes later, Jill came back in and explained that with each of my contractions, the baby's heart rate was dropping right after. She said the hospital was full and all the delivery rooms were taken, but that she could maybe see if she could get me into Orem Community since my insurance would work there as well.

A couple more hours went by and I stayed on the monitors. Jill somehow worked her magic and called my doctor who approved me to stay even though my contractions were not as close as he liked. Somehow, Jill worked her magic AGAIN and got me a room at Utah Valley Regional so I didn't have to leave!

After they took my IV's out, Josh ran down to the cafeteria and got me some food. Jill was such a sweetie and said "You're not supposed to eat much now that you've been admitted, but have Josh sneak you something up and eat it quick.. something light" .. really I was only supposed to eat ice chips... but she was so sweet and knew I hadn't eaten for over 12 hours. So I ate a bowl of soup fast before they cleared a delivery room and moved me into it.

My contractions were starting to get stronger and longer at this point! 

YUM YUM Tiger's Blood flavored ice! :)

Once we got me into my delivery room, a doctor came in a broke my water about 20 minutes later. When they did, meconium came out.. which means Audrey had pooped in her sac. :( That was a sign of fetal distress. Because of that, they had to have the NICU nurses present at her delivery just to make sure she hadn't breathed in any of the meconium.

After my water broke, they started me on the Pitocin. OH MY, it was only about 15 minutes later that MAN those contractions got more painful... I can only IMAGINE what those momma's who don't have epidurals go through... I was dilated to a 4 and still feeling it, that was ENOUGH pain for me.

By the time the anesthesiologist got there.. I couldn't have been more eager to get stuck with a needle! :) He had suspenders that had smiley faces on them.. that couldn't have been more appropriate. That man made me very happy that day! :)

After I had my epidural, it really seemed to be smooth sailing. The pain went away and I felt VERY loopy and out of it!! My husband and mother-in-law watched The Hobbit, while I slept for a little bit. I SLEPT DURING LABOR.. Thank GOODNESS for modern medicine!!

While my contractions were going much stronger, my nurse Jill seemed concerned. She said that the babies heart rate was still dropping significantly after every contraction. She kept a close eye on them. She was thinking that we might have to do a C-Section to get the baby out quickly... I was mentally preparing myself for that possibility. Anything to make sure my baby was safe!

About an hour after I'd received the pitocin she checked to see how far I was dilated, and I was at a 4. After that, Jill would come and go every 20-30 minutes and continue to check the monitor. With each check, she grew more concerned. She was strongly debating calling the doctor and suggesting a C-section. She said with the meconium and the dropping heart rate, she didn't want to have the baby inside if it was in distress and she didn't want to risk it.

It was only an hour since she last checked me and I was at a 4, but she decided to check again. To her absolute shock I was dilated to an 8, almost a 9!! She was floored and very happy! That meant if I continued to dilate quickly, we could get the baby out fast! Sure enough, within about another 30 mins I was dilated to a 10. After receiving the pictocin, it only took my body roughly 3 hours to go from a 3 to a 10! I definitely take after my momma! I was SOOOO THANKFUL that I did too, or else it might of meant a C-Section! (She went from a 2 to a 10 in about 10 minutes with all three of her kids! That's CRAZY fast!)

Jill called my doctor and he rushed over to the hospital. I pushed for about 30 minutes and out she came! She was born at 5:59 PM on tax day! She weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces, and was 18 1/2 inches long! She looks just like her daddy!

My pretty mommy! Someday that'll be ME as a Grandma, watching/kissing/comforting Audrey when she's having her babies! :) Awe! 

Holding her for the first time.. words can't describe this moment.. 

My BEAUTIFUL niece Jordan, looking at her new baby cousin!! LOVE my Jordan and i'm so glad she was able to be there! 

Audrey Jo Gruwell, our angel from heaven.. love her sooo much! 

Audrey's proud daddy holding her in the hospital nursery. She is wrapped in a super soft, adorable blanket my sweet cousin Bonnie made for her!!

We love her SO much! I am SO very grateful for my AMAZING nurse and incredible doctor. I'm grateful for medicine so that my birth experience could be something very pleasant and a day I will never forget! I am grateful for the power of procreation and to a God who has trusted Josh and I to be parents of this precious daughter of his. We couldn't love her more. I thought I knew what love was, but the love you feel for your child.... is a wild, crazy, unreal feeling! It's unlike anything else in this world!

April 15th was the day the titanic sank 101 years ago, it is also as everyone knows.. tax day!! NOW instead of it being a day I don't particularly love, it is a day my husband and I will CHERISH forever! Our baby girl makes even some of the not so great days on this earth BRIGHT, just because she was born!!

XOXO Audrey Jo.. we love you baby girl! For all eternity! To the moon and back!

Love, Mom and Dad