Tatum Marie Woodward

Tatum Marie: Birth Story

Before I go into the nitty gritty details ( I promise I will leave most of them out ), if you aren't interested in the means, but merely the end, then feel free to scroll down and take a look at some pictures of our little sweet pea!

Tuesday morning (one day after my April 1st due date) Shane and I packed up and headed to the hospital. I had had contractions all night long and like a typical first time mom sat up and timed every single one for about 8 hours!!! I was exhausted. They were about 5 minutes apart and once the morning came they started to get more painful. I had called my doctor at about 5 a.m. and he instructed me if they increased in pain to head to the hospital since I was past my due date.

We checked in and of course all contractions STOPPED! I was checked and was only at 2/12 cm., in early labor, but I was told that if I truly desired a natural child birth I should go home and come back once my contractions were stronger. "You'll know" they said.

Disappointed, we returned home and tried to get some sleep : ) The following morning I had some signs of nearing active labor and called the doctor's office-they said it sounded like I was close and to simply monitor contractions and call back if my water broke or things progressed etc. Shane had just walked out the door and I called him on his way to work to let him know. Soon afterward I finally understood what people meant when they said "You'll know when its a true labor contraction"I felt like I was being torn apart and was completely incapacitated. These started very spread out (about an hour) so I didn't feel any need to call Shane. I simple laid low during the day as the contractions got more intense and closer together. Shane came home from work and we both monitored them until suddenly, after each contraction was about 10-15 min apart for about 2 hours things sped up extremely fast and before we knew it I was screaming and crying and urging us out the door.

It was a dark, cool, rainy night and I was nervous to say the least-I could not ever fathom the amount of pain I was going through and Shane was worried I was going to punch the window out during my contractions. Thankfully the Lord kept us safe on our ride there, but I never thought I would enter the hospital the way you see it on t.v. ! Unfortunately in real life you have sit at a desk while you can't breath and fill out paperwork-even if you are pre-registered-I couldn't even talk, and I could barely stand but I had to make sure I wrote my pediatricians name correctly on the form!

Quickly afterward Shane whisked me away in a wheel chair straight to the delivery room where I was quickly checked and found at 8 cm. and 80 % Even though I was very far along (which was the plan) -I hadn't slept in quite some time, and after 12 hours of contractions at home that nearly sent me over the edge I was fearing that I couldn't bear much more. In between my contractions (which were about a minute or two apart) I would talk about all the reasons I didn't want an epidural, and then as each contraction hit I screamed about how I couldn't do it anymore. If I hadn't experienced the pain I might have found the situation funny, but it wasn't. Poor Shane was standing by my side as I sat at the end of a rocking chair trying to answer the nurses questions, while another nurse tried to put an I.V. in in between contractions. My doctor finally showed up and told me he wanted to check me-I just looked at him and screamed "No." I was in so much pain and really felt like things were unraveling.

I eventually asked for an epidural, and the nurses were very sweet, as they could tell I was disappointed in myself. The doctor came in to administer it within 5 minutes and as Shane sat in front of me I quickly realized he didn't look so great. He was taken to a bench to lay down and some nurses brought in some smelling salts to help keep him alert. Thankfully I was in so much pain and didn't have see anything that the epidural didn't phase me.

Fortunately, the epidural did take well, and I was able to relax and calm down from my hysterics, but with this relief also came the slowing down of all contractions which led to 12 more hours of labor. I will briefly say that no one ever tells you certain aspects of labor, and there is probably a reason. No one ever told me I would convulse and shake uncontrollably for hours on end as my body went through traumatic contractions and changes, or that vomiting multiple times throughout the process was normal. After a long night, no sleep, and two hours of pushing, I was suddenly met by the subtle cries of our little girl as they placed her on my chest. Words cannot express the awe and amazement that I felt in that moment as Shane and I looked upon our little miracle of life-and although I cannot say that I "forgot" the pain, I can say that all of it was well WORTH IT!

Tatum Marie Woodward

April 4th, 2013 8:50 a.m. : 8 pounds-13 ounces-22 inches

Just moments after birth. . . . 

and she is already doing push ups. 

The nurse weighed her twice to make sure, and I couldn't believe it when they announced it. 

My little angel

Sweet bundle of joy

Mommy and her sweet pea

Daddy and his little snuggle buddy 

So serene

I really want to be able to share these sweet memories with Tatum as she grows up, as well as have something to give her someday when she starts her own family.

Baby books are great, but they also take a lot of work to keep up with. I completed the book up until her birth, but decided to do a keepsake box for her that I can easily toss small memorabilia, cards, and pictures in as well. When we got home I added her nursery cap from the hospital along with her foot prints and hospital bands. Eventually I will add things like her favorite blanket and a favorite newborn outfit that she can look back at in the future. 

We were met by these flowers sitting at our door from some of Shane's colleagues at GAC.

Soon after arriving home, Garrett and Amelia Granberg were sweet enough to bring us dinner and some very sweet gifts for Tatum, including this personalized blanket! Talk about speedy monogramming! 

It is so great to be home with our little girl and we are soaking up every moment! So many people put a negative spin on having a baby, complaining and warning you of the lack of sleep you will get, the amount of laundry you will do, and how life will "never be the same...ugh." In the midst of our sleep deprivation, feeling like we are in the Twilight Zone, and dealing with a few bouts of fussiness into the wee hours, Shane and I cannot help but feel abundantly blessed. Tatum has brought us so much joy that even when she is spitting up on us, every moment with her is a joy, and our love for her is overwhelming at times-we cant' wait to enjoy all her stages, but I am desperately hoping time will slow down and that she doesn't grow too fast! haha : ) 

We are blessed to have this week for our schools' Spring Breaks-so we are enjoying it as a family of three, and next week we look forward to the arrival of Grandma and Papa Sum : ) 

-M.W.