Matthew, Chelsea, and Baby Scarlett

   So tonight Scarlett Belle is 3 weeks old. I can't believe it! Time is flying by and somehow we are all surviving. Scarlett is a complete joy to be around. Instead of sleeping while she is sleeping, I find myself staring at her! I can't help but look at all her tiny features and think of what a wonderful blessing she is in our lives. We are in love!

   The Birth . . .

   I figure I should write the birthing story down before I forget! So here it goes . . . Scarlett's due date of March 21st came and went with no excitement except for another routine OB appointment. I hadn't been dilated previously and was praying that I might be a little dilated at this appointment so that I could have my membranes stripped. Sure enough, I was dilated to a little less than a one but it was just enough for the nurse practitioner to get in there and swipe the membranes. It was pretty painful and I ended up feeling crampy the rest of the day; however, I didn't feel like it really would do much since I had read so many stories of how stripped membranes didn't do anything for other women.

   Two more days came and went . . . On Thursday March 24th I woke up around 5:30 a.m. to what felt like menstrual cramps. They were pretty uncomfortable to the point where I couldn't sleep but I didn't say anything to Matthew since my NP had told me that cramps are NOT contractions. Matthew left for school at 8:00 a.m. and at 8:15 a.m. I started to think these cramps came pretty regularly and close together. I called Matthew and told him he should come home but he thought this might just be in my head. Me crying and hanging up the phone gave Matthew enough conviction to come home and take me to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 9:30 a.m. and I thought I was going to look so silly to the nurses because I probably wasn't having contractions. Wrong! I was having contractions and they were coming 2-4 minutes apart. They made me walk around the hospital for 45 minutes (mind you, my right hip was hurting me severely) to see if I would dilate anymore. Unfortunately, after a painful walk, I hadn't progressed much at all and they sent me home saying it could be another week! Ah!

  We get back home around 12:00 p.m. and I decide to take a hot bath. I continue to have contractions 2-4 minutes apart as we begin to watch the NCAA BYU basketball game. Since the doctor told me it could be another week I let my parents know they don't need to come up and they book a flight for the next day. So I continue to have contractions while watching the basketball game and with 5 minutes left in the game I go to the bathroom. And . . . my water BREAKS! (This is at 6:30 p.m.) I was a little confused thinking maybe I just peed but then realized I had no control over the liquid so it must has been my water breaking. I yell to Matthew who is intensely watching the end of the basketball game and he replies with, "Can we wait? There is just three minutes left in the game!" Wrong answer. The contractions instantly got worse and I told Matthew we had to leave now for the hospital.

  Through stormy weather Matthew speeds to the hospital. We arrive in Labor and Delivery at 7:15 p.m. and I am starting to be in some serious pain (I am now dilated to a four) and ask for an epidural. The nurse tells me they will get it to me by 9:00 p.m.! What?! There was no way I could wait that long! Luckily a wonderful nurse, Linore, steps in to replace the previous nurse and she attempts to save the day. At this point contractions are a minute apart! Linore gets me hooked up with an IV and calls for the anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist was busy and mean while I am in a tremendous amount of pain! It felt as though I wasn't getting any kind of rest period between contractions and they were so painful I was hunched over to one side gripping the side bar and Matthew's hand, balling my eyes out. WORST. PAIN. EVER! Finally the anesthesiologist comes in around 8:30 p.m. and kicks Matthew out of the room. For some reason she had a No-husbands-allowed policy. The anesthesiologist had a lot of trouble getting the epidural in and finally by 9:00 p.m. she had gotten it! When the epidural finally kicked in at 9:15p.m. Linore checked to see how dilated I was and she laughs and says, "I knew that would be a waste of time! You're at a 10!" What?! I was stunned! None of our family or friends had even had time to get to the hospital yet and to top it all off my parents were on an airplane flying here and wouldn't land until 10:30 p.m.! Matthew was so excited and ready for me to push but I asked Linore if there was a way I could wait a little bit. She said I could and let the baby labor down. So we waited until 10:30 p.m. when family and friends had arrived and I could talk to my mom on the phone. I told her I couldn't wait any longer and I was going to push. I hung up the phone and it was go time! I started pushing around 10:45 p.m. and at 11:11 p.m. Scarlett Belle Abinante was born. When she came out both Matthew and I were able to lift her up onto my chest. It felt like a dream. I couldn't believe what was happening. Scarlett came out crying and looking everywhere. Her eyes were so wide and they stayed open and alert for hours afterward. I cried. Matthew cried. Scarlett cried. We were all emotional! It was the best day of my life.

On our way to the hospital . . .