Welcome to the world Presley Ann- 11/28/2010 @ 2:38 a.m.

Presley Ann Hendricks

Born: November 28th 2010 @ 2:38 a.m.

6lbs 150z 20 inches long

Maddie is a big sister! My due date of Thanksgiving day (11/25) came and went, I figured we'd go past the due date and I'd end up being induced. We went ahead and set up and induction for wed 12/1 thinking that would be the day. Well, on Saturday we put up the Christmas tree, I moped the floors, organized the playroom and had not a single sign labor was immanent. Chad went out and got hot wings and we watched the FSU/FL game. FSU won (whoo hoo). We put Maddie to bed about 9:45 and when I finally sat down on the couch to relax for the evening, I had a sharp pain in my belly. I waited and had another soon after. I told Chad I thought maybe my stomach was upset from the wings. I got in the shower just in case we needed to go to the hospital and told chad to time my pains. Once I got out of the shower the pains had become much more painful and I told him to call now! My contractions were about 3-4 mins apart when we left the house at 11:15 pm, by the time we dropped Maddie off at my parents house (10 mins away) they were about 2! I told Chad to HURRY us there because I knew things were happening very fast. When we were about a minute away from the hospital Chad's phone rang and I could hear the nurse tell him my Dr wasnt on call and another would be delivering the baby! I was pretty pissed since it was never discussed she wouldnt be there if I went into labor and I had never met the other Dr. Poor Chad tried to avoid me hearing what she said on the phone but it was too late, my pain level once we got there was pretty bad, we had to go in through the ER and when I walked in while Chad was parking the car there was a room full of people. All of them stopped and were silent it seemed when they saw me walk in and yell for someone to get me up to L and D now! By this time its about midnight. I needed my epidural and I knew I didnt have much time. When we got up there the nurse in the triage room informed us she was the only one
there and they were calling more people in since there were 4 other women who went into labor of my Dr.'s patients. By this point Im really crying and in extreme pain with every contraction, now about one to two mins apart. My mom finally got off work and came to be there with us. I told her I was "dying" and she said she thought I had a ways to go! My nurse came and we got moved to our delivery room and I told her I felt lots of pressure down low, she immediately called for the anesthesiologist and checked me, I was about 8 cm when I got my epidural so i got it just in time. 20 minutes later it was time to push and the baby came out in 5 pushes because I was so numb. She came into the world at 2:38 a.m. I had a mirror placed in front of me so I could watch my little girl be born, when she came out I noticed some brown on her legs, then I heard the Dr say "meconium" and then I realized she was not crying or moving....when Maddie was born the Dr placed her immediately on my chest, this time the baby was quickly grabbed by a neo nurse. I remember it took a few minutes and I must have repeated myself 15 times asking if everything was ok. I finally heard her cry after she was suctioned and her airway was cleared.

My water never broke so they had to take her to the NICU and put an iv in her tiny hand and run some tests to make sure she didnt have an infection of any kind. She weighed in at 6lbs 15oz and 20 inches long. She was so tiny and everyone thought she'd be much bigger. From start to finish my labor was about 4 and a half hours. I got to the hospital at about midnight and delivered Presley 2 and a half hours later. Chad and I joke that if I had started labor during the game I probably would not have made it to the hospital ha! Chad was an awesome coach once again and Presley checked out perfectly great! We did have to stay in the hospital and extra day just to make sure she didnt develop and infection. Maddie met her new baby sister the next morning and immediately gave her kisses. Having that first moment with them was the sweetest thing I have ever experienced. The second night in the hospital was rough, the baby didnt sleep at all, and Chad and I were going on 3 straight days of no sleep. Needless to say a much different situation from when Maddie was born, she was in the NICU and never was awake or cried. I was just thankful to have a healthy newborn, who kept us up all night screaming during the entire hospital stay ;)

Everyone thought she looked like me, she had dark hair all over (which has since fallen out) and darker eyes than Madison. (now are looking like they are going to be blue). She is the sweetest little thing, I cant put her down and want to snuggle her all day, I do have some competition though as big sister likes to get her snuggles too. Maddie is incredible with her..we let her hold the baby in her big chair and she will go sit in it and put her arms out waiting for me to put the baby in her lap. Presley is showered with a hundred wet kisses a day from big sis and she is so tolerant of the level of noise around our house. Her sleeping pattern has improved a little bit at night. Some nights she'll go from 10 to 5am! (at 7 weeks 0ld) She is nursing well, despite some difficulty in the beginning with sever pain. She must be getting fed well because she was 11lbs 2 oz at her five week check up :) We have a big girl, the dr was stunned at her weight gain for a breastfed baby. She definitely has the same cheeks as mommy and daddy :)

Maddie was the first person to meet and hold her new little sister, other than mommy daddy and grandma :) That moment was so sweet and I will never forget how gentle and loving she was with her, it was like she knew just what to do with a baby!

Mommys "do it yourself" newborn photo shoot the day we left the hospital (3 days old)

Maddie and her new baby sister getting ready to leave the hospital.