How we got SOAP

This 4th pregnancy was  difficult to say the least. Compared to others I'm sure it looked like a walk in the park but for one of my pregnancies it was hard, frustrating, and scary and some days my pessimistic side got the better of me if I'm being totally honest. I had the unfortunate pleasure of having my all day sickness last till about 7 months which is really difficult and hard when you have 3 other children and are fairly active like I am. My days are full of appointments and commitments and play dates and all sorts of things. Because I was so sick all the time I quickly had to re-prioritize what was most important to me and I had to scale back on extra stuff which for me is hard to do. I was also deemed a high risk pregnancy this time as well due to various test results we got which also meant I got to drive to Phoenix weekly for ultrasounds as well as having weekly non-stress tests here in Prescott. Due to my high risk status my doctors and I decided that I should be induced at 37 weeks to protect the health of Penelope. I had tested positive for jka and s antibodies which are more uncommon and rare antibodies to develop and there is no treatment that can be given before birth. Basically what could happen is that my body could start to attack the babies and she would become anemic and would need a blood transfusion at birth among a list of other possible health concerns that could have happened. So with all that swirling around in my brain I was more then willing to consent to an induction even though I hated mine with Abby. We called my in-laws to let them know that I would be induced on Tuesday, December 8th so they needed to be at our house by Monday night to help us with the girls and so my mother-in-law could be there for the birth. My final non-stress test went great and I was all set for my induction. My in-laws arrived Monday afternoon and we finished all the last minute items on my to do list to be ready for the next morning. Finally at 10:30 my mother in law got us to go to bed and I was starting to get nervous for the next morning. I was remembering how painful contractions with pitocin were and I was praying I'd get an epidural this time. I got into bed and was trying to get myself comfortable when I had a familiar feeling, something I hadn't felt since Olivia's birth...my water broke. It was different this time though, with Olivia it was like two 1gallon milk jugs got dumped on my bed but this time I heard the familiar pop and when I was finally brave enough to make a small cough I felt a small gush, I honestly questioned if  I had just peed myself or if it was really my water breaking after all it was still 3 weeks from my due date. I went into the bathroom and told Jacob to get his mom because I was pretty sure my water had broken, being a nurse she helped confirm my theory of it being my water and not pee. I decided to take a shower and then I attempted to lay in bed and get a little bit of sleep. Around 1 am my contractions were getting a little too intense to stay asleep but they weren't consistent so I decided to kick things into gear by walking the length of my kitchen and living room. My mother-in-law got up with me to time my contractions and I'm glad she did. My contractions became constant and never ending. Their intensity would dull but I would have constant contractions for over 20 minutes. Finally around 3am I was getting so loud that I was nervous I'd wake up the girls so Jacob, his mom, and I headed to the hospital. I had to stop 2 or 3 times from the front entrance of the hospital until I got to my room, by this time it was 3:30 and I was getting checked in. That also took forever because I kept having to stop to breath threw my contractions. When the nurse finally checked me I was almost a 7! I know my mouth dropped I just couldn't believe how dilated I was over such a short period of time. I then mentioned my very strong desire for and epidural and they called the anesthesiologist who had to come from Prescott. At this point I started to tear up a bit because it was becoming so painful and I was convinced the anesthesiologist wouldn't make it and I would once again have a natural child birth. Jacob was so sweet and told me it would be alright and that yes I might have to do this on my own but I'd done it before so I could do it again. I was the most vocal I'd ever been during this labor on what I wanted and needed and I made sure to let everyone in my room know exactly what I was feeling to ensure a less chaotic delivery then Abigail's. I asked to be checked before my epidural was placed and I was almost a 9, I decided to continue to get the epidural still because my cervix still wasn't quite ready and I desperately wanted any kind of relief I could get. For those of you who haven't' had the joy of experiencing contractions the only thing I can think to describe them is the worst gas pain you've ever felt x10 and on steroids. At least that's what they feel like for me. I had two major contractions while my epidural was being placed and by the time he was done I was at a 10 and almost ready to push. I could feel the pressure and knew it would be any minute, I once again had to wait for the doctor to get there before I could push and I was desperately trying not to till the doctor arrived. I was so exhausted by this point that I had a hard time pushing once I could but after about 15 minutes out came our beautiful healthy baby girl. I burst into tears like I did with the other 3 and held my baby girl and all the appointments, being sick, and the whole process were worth it because we now had this beautiful perfect little girl. Even as I'm writing this I'm getting teary eyed remembering that sweet moment. Penelope Lorraine Jefferies was born at 5:33 am just 3 minutes after I was scheduled to be induced ironically and just 2 short hours after arriving at the hospital. She was 7lbs 2oz and 20in long and just perfect in every way, all of our concerns for her after birth didn't come to fruition which was a relief and a tender mercy. We stayed in the hospital for two nights just to keep an eye on her and to make sure everything looked good. Jacob is in love with her name and I'm warming up to it more every day, her middle name though has special meaning to me because it was my grandmothers name. I knew early on that I wanted Lorraine to be her middle name, all of our girls have a family name as their middle name and both Savannah and Penelope have names from my side of the family and they represent people that I have a deep love for that are no longer with me here on this earth. Penelope is now a week and a half old and we are all smitten with her, she is a wonderful, calm, and sweet baby. I often catch myself in the most blissful state while holding her and rubbing her back and trying to soak up every memory of this time that I can. Life seems perfect now with our SOAP girls (Savannah, Olivia, Abigail, and Penelope).