Josie's Birth/First Few Days at Home

Here are pictures from Josie's birth (that uploaded in a very mixed up order)...

I started having start and stop labor (that was making progress) around 35 weeks which was very similar to all my previous pregnancies. I am always told that labor could be hours, days, or weeks away...and usually I hang out like that for a long time! April 18th (the Saturday after Easter) we went on an afternoon walk/hike at Grace Park and all afternoon/evening I was having a lot of contractions (especially in my back). When they got to about 3-4 minutes I called the doctor on call with my practice and was told to come into the hospital to be checked out. Stephen dropped me off at the hospital around 7 pm, and he called his parents to begin driving toward SC. We had really struggled with this birth plan due to the coronavirus and what our new birth plan would be. We had originally planned to have someone from Stephen's work sit with the boys until my family could make it to our house and then Stephen's parents would take over from there...but once everything got wild/scary with the virus (and visitors were no longer even allowed at the hospital) we actually struggled with if Stephen would/should even come...I was so afraid/terrified of one of us getting this virus with a newborn baby and with so much unknown about it. But as the day got closer, I was devastated to think about him not being there, but also we knew there was a real possibility (with us cutting out the local babysitters for our big kids until family could arrive because of the risks associated with the virus) that I would have her before family was even able to arrive and Stephen could get to the hospital. 

The night I was monitored at the hospital my labor stalled for a while and then picked up again to as close as contractions two minutes apart....at one point I thought I would be sent home to labor longer at home but then after reviewing my contractions, the nurse called my doctor (around 9:30 pm) and they decided to keep me. I was moved to a different room and they decided to start me gradually on Pitocin (around midnight of April 19) because although I had dilated/progressed really far, my labor was stalling and starting and the Pitocin really made things regulate after that. My doctor (who was not even on call) came in to deliver Josie which was such a comfort to me (especially since this was my new doctor of all of three weeks (and my second practice of this pregnancy) and I couldn't imagine introducing another doctor), and they also very kindly waited to break my water until Stephen arrived. After my water was broken around 3:15 am, everything intensified and I got an epidural very shortly after. By 5:30 a.m. I was 10 cm and ready to push. My doctor expected her to be out in just a few pushes, but we discovered that Josie was in the posterior position and was actually born "sunny side up" which explained my intense back labor and some of the stalling in labor as well. Fortunately with just a little assistance from my doctor but no other interventions (and no complications!), Josie Mae arrived at 5:57 a.m. weighing 7 pounds 13 ounces and 19 3/4 inches. She had lots of dark hair! She was laid on my chest and my first reaction, besides tears of joy at welcoming this little girl into our family, was that she has her own little look that was different than her brothers (although she had similar features but with a different, feminine look), had full lips, and long fingers! She was not crying a lot and I remember asking several times if she was okay because she cried less than her brothers did and she was sucking on her hands and acting hungry (although she took a while to figure out nursing).  We were tired (having been up all night! and I don't think we slept again for 36 hours) but so happy to have her here healthy and so perfect!

We spent the next 24 hours in the hospital just the three of us (Mama, Daddy, and Josie) just working on nursing (she struggled in the beginning) and dressing her up in all the girly outfits and bows. It was so quiet in the hospital without visitors (which was definitely something that was sad/hard to accept) but it was a special time just focusing on her as well. We were only kept for 24 hours due to Covid-19, but we were eager to get home! Since our boys didn't get to come meet her in the hospital, we had them meet her outside the hospital as I was discharged for the first family hospital picture. Stephen's parents met her briefly at our temporary house (with masks - such a crazy time to be born!) before heading back to Alabama. We are looking forward to everyone else meeting her very soon as the cases of the coronavirus go down and as she gets a little older! It will be crazy to tell her about her birth one day and the events surrounding it but we trust God's timing and his sovereignty and praise Him for "adding" Josie Mae Johnson to our family.