An 11 lb 7 oz miracle!

After a LONG LONG 40 weeks and one day Chelsea Ruthe Petersen has joined our little family. A lot of people are asking for the story so here it is...

I went to my doctors appointment on my due date (August 13th). My doctor checked me and I was dilated to a 3 but the baby hadn't dropped any. The doctor had mentioned the last few visits that she was a bit concerned about the baby's size and that she thought the baby was getting kind of big (when I asked what "big" meant I was told about 8 lbs). When she mentioned it again at this appointment and then asked us what we wanted to do, Brad and I decided that we would go ahead and schedule an induction for the next day. The doctor pre warned me that because the baby was probably going to be a good size baby that I was at a high risk for a C-section. I was NOT a happy camper to hear that news. I did NOT want to have a C-section. Anyway, we scheduled our induction for the next day, Thursday, August 14th. Brad and I went to the hospital at 7 am. We got all of our paper work taken care of and they hooked me up and started labor. 20 minutes after I was all hooked up an Ultra Sound tech came into our room and said that our doc had ordered an ultrasound to check the size of the baby. They did the ultra sound and the results were shocking to me. Only 2 weeks prior I was told by the doc "8 lbs" but the ultra sound was coming back showing about a 10 lb baby. Now they told me it could be off by as much as a pound so Brad and I automatically took that to mean...OK this could be a 9 lb baby (big by anyone's standards). So the doc came in and talked to us and said she strongly recommended just doing a C-section but if I wanted to try to have the baby vaginally that she was willing to let me try. So...me still thinking I was dealing with a 9 pounder decided to give it a go. So we continued with the induction. By noon that day I had progressed to 5 and we all thought things we going well. Then labor got quite a bit more intense and they gave me an epideral. Once I was given the epideral things slowed down and by 5 in the afternoon I was still at a 5...no progress. My doc came in and asked what I wanted to do. The thought of going another 5 hours without any progress was not a pleasant one so Brad and I talked about it and decided that a C-section was the best option. So the room was prepped and about 30 minutes later our little Chelsea came into the world. I was soooooo terrified! Like I said...I did not want a C-section. I could not stop shaking...even a half an hour after the procedure was done I was still shaking like a leaf. Anyway, the procedure was really short. They took Chelsea out of me showed her to me for about a milasecond and then rushed her off to go be cleaned with Brad at her side while they stiched me up. When one of the nurses came in and announced the weight to my doctor and the others in the room she said "5194 grams". I yelled over the sheet..."Wait...how big is that in pounds?" Still completely expecting to hear the word NINE come out of her mouth. She said "ELEVEN POUNDS AND SEVEN OUNCES". I screamed back over the sheet "WHAT????...ARE YOU KIDDING ME???" I was in total shock that she was that big. That's a far cry from the 8 or 9 pounds Brad and I were expecting. Brad and I have both agreed that making the decision to go ahead with the C-section instead of continuing to try to have her vaginally was the best decision. There is no way I would have been able to deliver her the way I wanted to. We are both grateful for the guidance of the spirit, which helped us make our final decision. Anyway, they stiched me up and send me back to my room. Probably the most unpleasant part of the whole experience for me was the fact that after they pulled Chelsea out of me and showed her to me for litterally a spit second, they wheeled her off and I didn't get to see or hold me little girl for another two hours. It was two hours of pure torture. I cried and cried. I just wanted to see and hold her. The good news was Brad was with her the whole time and he got the opportunity to really bond with his little girl...and let me tell you...she is definitely "Daddy's little girl". She's got him wrapped around her little finger already.

After they finally brought her to me I was so happy. I just stared and stared at her. I love her chubby little cheeks, her chubby little thighs and her beautiful round head. She's got a good amount of brown hair and she has ginormous feet. She is such a pretty pretty little girl. Brad and I are soooo in love!

So far she is a really good baby. She loves to be cuddled and loves to sit up and see the world.

I was in the hospital for a few days. Brad took great care of both Chelsea and I and we had wonderful friends and family come and visit us, which really helped the time pass. I did not enjoy my hospital stay (like anyone really does) due to the tiny/uncomfortable bed and being constantly interrupted but the nurses, so I was thrilled to be able to come home today.

It was such a blessing to bring Chelsea home for the first time. It just feels right to have her here. My mom, dad and brother Greg are all here and helping us out, which Brad and I are really grateful for.

Anyway, that's the scoop. She's here, she's beautiful, she's healthy and I am fine and recovering. It will be a while before I am 100% again but so far so good!

A great big thanks to all of our family and friends who have showed us such love and support throughout this whole thing. A special thanks to our parents!