Since I don't plan on staying awake until 4:32am just to post this, here is the rest of our sweet baby's birth story...it was the best night of our lives, and I am still in shock that this all happened a whole year ago! Happy 1st Birthday my beautiful daughter, Melody Piper McMillan 😍

9pm - At this time Kenny was getting ready for work, and we decided to head to labor and delivery to get things checked out just in case...I had been feeling crampy along with the contractions I had been having for days all day long and we were worried my waters might have been leaking...we got there and confirmed it was not my water leaking, but I was 3.5cm dilated at that time and contracting every 4 to 6 minutes (still inconsistent), so I was sent home and told it could still take days for active labor to establish. But I was in the early labor stages, and definitely excited! As we left the hospital (we walked down a hill to the car) the contractions became more uncomfortable, not unbearable but I was definitely aware of them now! Kenny went into work for his graveyard shift and left me at home with instructions to eat and rest...I couldn't eat a bite, I was too nauseous, but I did drink my tea (Raspberry Leaf Tea, I swear by the stuff lol) and take a nice warm shower to help relax...I never did fall asleep, but I dozed in and out of "twilight" trying to rest between contractions...

2am - I woke from my twilight sleep and had to pee, as usual lol I did the super-pregnant "lift the leg and use it to get up" move, felt a lot of huge karate kicks from my belly buddy, and POP! I literally felt and heard my water break 😱 I waddled to the bathroom (managing not to make a mess anywhere but my shorts on the way lol) and sat on the toilet and called Kenny right away, I had to ring him several times before he finally answered, all the while the contractions were getting stronger and the amniotic fluid was gushing with every contraction! Kenny finally answered and then rushed right over, with me on the phone the entire time...active labor was definitely kicking in at this point, I was in the zone! He got there and got me new shorts, a towel and pad for the front seat of the car, and grabbed the bags. As we left the hospital, calling the Boss on the way there to tell him why Kenny left work in such a rush, Kenny was speeding the entire time and almost panicking and I'm the calm one going "it's okay babe, take your time" between contractions LOL instinct took over and I was breathing and moaning through the pain, and waters gushing...this was it, we were finally headed to the hospital to have our baby!!!

3am - We arrived at the hospital and started checking in, the nurse checked me and knew for sure my water broke as I contracted and gushed everywhere again lol I was 4cm dilated at that time, and definitely in active labor! We transferred from triage to my room and I lied down on my left side as she asked me questions between contractions to finish signing me in. Kenny stayed for a little while to make sure he was signed in then left to go park the car and bring the other bags in...

4am - At this time (approximately, the nurse told us it had been almost an hour since arrival), Kenny was parking the car still and getting a smoke break in and I started feeling the urge to push. At first it was mild, but then the next couple contractions my body started pushing and I couldn't control it so I told the nurse...she said to resist the urge because she had checked me about halfway through and I was then only 5cm dilated so she assumed I was around there still. She told me I should get the epidural despite wanting a natural birth so I could relax and stop pushing, she said I was going to hurt my cervix if I didn't stop...Kenny came back in and first thing I said was "I think I'm getting the epidural!", and he was confused to say the least lol I was so torn I was close to tears, I wanted my natural birth so bad but the nurse was convinced I was going to hurt myself if I didn't stop pushing and I couldn't stop it, I was experiencing the ejection reflex and whether I tried to hold back or not my body was pushing with every contraction...

At this point she decided to check me again just in case, and to her surprise, I was fully dilated and our girl was on her way! She was shocked that I had gone from 4cm to 10cm so quickly, I had dilated 6cm within an hour, and really 5cm (from 5-10) within a half hour! But I was right, my body was pushing for a reason, so she called off the guy with the epidural and told me I "could still have" my natural birth, like she was doing me a favor 😑 LOL I was so relieved and nervous! I looked at Kenny and said "this is it, we're having our baby right now!" we were both so excited and scared! As soon as I got the go ahead to let myself push it felt soooo relieving, like a weight lifted, the pain eased and we were laughing between contractions! I got to feel her head as she crowned, and was so shocked she had hair! Our baby girl was almost born...

Our little blessing was born at exactly 4:32am, weighing 7lbs 7oz and 20 inches long...that last push was so relieving and I finally got to relax, the doctor pulled her the rest of the way out and put her on my chest, she cried her first cry and I cried with her...it was the most amazing, intense, empowering experience of my entire life and it was worth every second of pain and tearing and stitching I had to endure...he stitched me up with her on my chest and first thing my little Princess did was poop meconium on me LOL but I didn't even notice til the nurse told me, and I didn't even care. The only things in my world at that point were my baby girl and my love by my side! Some things are still kinda fuzzy to this day (most of this story is pieced together from what the nurses later told us and what Kenny and I remembered), but I will never forget the love in my heart and the moment Kenny and I looked each other in the eyes as parents for the first time, our newly born daughter on my chest...it was magical! They took her to the table beside my bed to weigh her, clean me up, and wrapped her in a blanket for daddy to hold her for the first time! I took pictures, of course 😉

After I was cleaned up and a new gown on, she was given back to me and she nursed for the first time, all this within an hour after her birth...I still feel like this all happened yesterday, and yet, so long ago at the same time!

This year has been the best year of my entire life so far, hands down. It has been so hard, but every struggle, sleepless night, poopy diaper, sore nippled moment was worth it! Every bump and bruise and cry and whine and laugh and smile and milestone...it was all worth it! Our daughter is the funniest, sweetest, most loving, smartest, most beautiful person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and the fact that she came from my body makes this so much more impressive for me...if I could do it all again, every second of it, I would. And I wouldn't change a thing, because my daughter is perfect the way she is and I love her more than anything. Her and her daddy are the most important things in my life! I will always be there for them both, I will always love them, and I pray that they will always know this 👪💞💖

Happy Birthday to our beautiful Princess, Melody Piper McMillan 👸