Welcome Isabella Betsy (Izzie B)!!!

We are pleased to welcome Isabella Betsy Trapuzzano to our family!  Most of you know we were scheduled to be induced on March 6, but somehow here we are with a two day old!  We are just as shocked as all of you probably were that she decided to come on her own.  This is her story ;)

We were all set to meet our daughter on March 6.  We were getting things together in our house and only had the bare minimum left to do with a week to go.  I had been to the doctor on Tuesday and had made only the slightest of changes from 1cm dilated to 1-2cm dilated.  Both I and the doctor were confident I would make it to induction, especially since Brady was a week late and still needed to be induced.  The next day, I started to have some signs that labor might happen in the next few days (I won't go into too much details for those who are very squeamish).  My mom had had a similar situation with my brother, Alex (the only one who wasn't induced), and she went into labor that night.  I was very nervous, because my parents were scheduled to drive in on Friday night.  Everyone said to lay low and relax just in case.  I spent the next few days in the house, doing laundry, and snuggling with Brady.

Friday night we had plans for Andy to drop off some painting supplies at the Reese's house, and they had offered to watch Brady so we could have a final date night before Izzie came.  We had made dinner reservations at Bahama Breeze for 7PM and were excited to have some alone time.  We got there and had to wait a bit as it was Friday night and the place was packed.  We got seated about 15 minutes later and I needed to use the restroom (not shocking since I was 9 months pregnant).  I was used to the normal discharge, but noticed my underwear had a little more wetness than normal.  I didn't think anything of it and went back to order my food.  We were eating our appetizer and I started to feel some more moisture, so I went back to the bathroom and saw that I had even more wetness.  I waited until I felt another small trickle of moisture before telling Andy I thought I might be leaking fluid (code for water breaking more slowly than one big gush).  He asked if we should just get the check and leave.  I figured that if it was, I wouldn't be eating for a long time, so I wanted to finish my dinner. 

By the time we left to get Brady, it was pretty apparent that we'd be going to the hospital even if it was just to get checked out.  I had called and they said to come in.  We headed back to our house, where luck would have it, my parents had just arrived.  I got out of the car and my pants were also wet.  We spent the next half an hour running around packing a few bags and getting the car seat installed (both things we'd had on the list to do this weekend).  By the time we got in the car at 9:30PM on Friday night, I was starting to feel mild cramping.  I pretty much knew that we weren't coming home without a baby.

We got to the hospital by 10PM and the got me into my room right away.  They took all my info and tested the fluid I was leaking which turned out to be amniotic fluid.  I was admitted at that point, and other than having a doctor check me (now at a 2-3cm dilated), they told me that they'd leave me alone unless I needed something.  The big joke was that we thought we'd be coming in to have her in the morning after a full night's rest.  Brady was induced during the middle of the night and Andy still remembers not getting any sleep.  I guess babies have their own plans.

I was having contractions on my own and by 3AM asked for my epidural.  With Brady, I was induced, so the contractions were much more intense and closer together, so I was able to hold out much longer.  Andy was shocked when I asked for it, as we were watching movies and I hadn't said anything.  They gave it to me right away and we decided to sleep for a bit.  I woke up at 5AM wanting to change which side I was lying on, and realized my legs were dead.  This didn't surprise me because they had been like that with Brady.  Andy came over to help turn me, but when he couldn't even lift them, we knew it was a little too much medicine.  They came in and turned it off completely and would turn it back on at a lower dose when I started to get some feeling back.  I didn't feel anything until 8AM.  They called in the nurse anesthetist and he turned it back on.  It didn't seem to be doing anything so they gave it a booster shot and that did the trick.  I was numb enough not to feel any pain, but could move my legs.

They checked me at 9AM and I was still a 2-3cm dilated and not having consistent contractions, so they were ready to start the Pitocin (drug used to intensify or start contractions).  By 11AM I was only at 4cm and they were saying the Pitocin had actually made the contractions farther apart instead of closer, so they would be turning it up gradually until it got where it needed to go.  They told me they'd only check me every few hours because my water had already broken and they didn't want to introduce any unneeded bacteria.  Since I was a second-time mom, they told me if I felt anything was happening to let them know and they would of course check me early.

At 1PM it was time to be checked again and I was only at 4-5cm.  I was starting to get a little worried because they don't like women to labor more than 24 hours after their waters have broken as the risk of infection increases.  I asked what the plan was and they said they would continue to increase the Pitocin and I still wasn't having consistently strong and spaced contractions, so they wouldn't worry unless I was having strong contractions and no dilating.  They also reassured me that it was a good sign that I'd already had a baby the natural way and they were reluctant to perform a c-section at any point (unless absolutely necessary) due to my bleeding disorder.  We had been texting my parents throughout the day and at this point felt like we wouldn't be seeing them until Sunday because even if we did have the baby on Saturday, it was likely to be late.

Around 2PM I started feeling some pressure, so I called the nurses to check me.  I was already at 9cm!  They scrambled out to call the doctor who lives 15 minutes from the hospital.  25 min later, I was buzzing them again because I knew it was time to have a baby.  Just as I hit the buzzer, the door opened and the doctor and all the nurses came rushing in.  In four contractions and ten minutes of pushing, Izzie B was born!  It was such a different experience and feeling than when Brady was born.  They put her right on my chest instead of taking her away.  They encouraged me to breastfeed while she was against my skin and they'd clean her and weigh her later.

Because of my bleeding disorder, they were prepared ahead of time to hang an IV of a medicine to replace the factor that I'm missing which helps people clot.  They did that and a few other measures to make sure that I didn't have any extreme hemorrhaging like I did after Brady was born.  Things went much better than we could have hoped for and things were under control quite quickly.  I was hardly paying attention as I was overjoyed at the little girl laying on my chest. 

Almost immediately after birth on Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 2:54PM.  The doctor could tell while I was pushing that she had her daddy and grandma's strawberry blonde hair and we were both so happy, especially since her middle name is for Andy's mom.  If you can't tell, I'm crying because I was just so relieved and happy to have her in our lives after thinking about her for so long.

Izzie was very feisty and refused to turn her head to look at Andy for a picture.  She did however lift her head right up and has continued to do so every since.  She's very strong.

After an hour of her being on my chest, they took her to the other end of the room to bathe her, measure her, and weigh her.

Getting her bath and not at all happy about it.

30 minutes before she was born, Andy and I decided to take guesses on how much she'd weigh.  She was born a week shy of her due date and a whole two weeks earlier than Brady (born at 8lbs 5oz), so I guessed she'd weigh 7lbs 8oz.  Andy guessed 7lbs 3oz.  We played with Price is Right rules, so the closest without going over.  I won as she weighed in at 7lbs 14oz.

She measured at 21 inches, only a half inch shy of where her big brother was at birth.

Daddy getting to hold her for the first time after she was all clean.  So different from last time, where he got to hold Brady long before I did.

Holding my baby girl.

All dressed and warm in her pj's.

Snuggle time.

Amazingly, I was up and showered before my parents brought Brady to visit around 6PM, only 3 hours after delivery.  I was still bedridden with Brady almost 24 hours later.

Brady's reaction to his baby sister.  He brought her "puppy blankie."

My kids ;)

Nana with her first granddaughter.

The first night went really well.  Izzie continued to latch (although there was no milk yet) and slept in four hour stretches, only waking once to spit up some mucous and get her diaper changed.

My parents brought Brady back on Sunday morning before my dad headed back to Pittsburgh.  My mom plans to stay several weeks to help out with adjusting to life with two kids.

Brady getting ready to give his baby sister a kiss goodbye.

Around 4PM my doctor came in to check on me and said as long as Izzie passed her newborn tests (which she did), we could leave whenever we wanted.  We talked about it and decided to go home that night because we'd probably sleep better at home and be a lot more comfortable.  So only 27 hours after delivery, we walked through the garage door to surprise my mom and Brady who were very happy we were all home and healthy.  Now begins our life with two kids.

P.S. - It took us a while to place who Izzie B looked like in those first few hours.  Initially we couldn't tell, but at some point during the evening I looked at her and almost saw an exact image of Andy's newborn pic from the hospital when he was born.  Her having red hair didn't automatically mean she'd look like him (as many people assume he looks like his mom because they have the same hair, when in truth his older brother looks like their mom).  There are times when I look at her in a certain way and see Brady too, so we are excited to see how she grows and changes.