Eliza Jane Walters was destined to be born December 23, 2008. We had been scheduled to be induced on this date by our doctor and the night before I started having very painful contractions at 3am. By 5:30 am I woke up Ed because the contractions were 5 minutes apart and getting worse. We got to the hospital at 6:45 am and to our surprise I was already dialated to 6 cm. It wasn't long after that little Eliza was born. She came into this world at 9:55 am. We joke that Eliza heard us talking about being induced and decided she didn't want to be forced out so she beat us to it! Our doctor was so surprised that we were so far along when she arrived at the hospital that morning; I think we made her day. By the time she arrived, I was already pushing and just about 10 pushes later Eliza was here. I feel so blessed that her delivery was a successful one, without any problems and we were able to deliver naturaly. It was extrememly painful and intense for the time that it did take for her to arrive but given the choice I wouldn't change our experience. Many times I remember thinking, " I wish I could just have a minute or two break from the contractions to catch my breath." Ed and one nurse named Nell were with me the whole time holding each of my hands and telling me exactly what to do. I couldn't have done it without them.
The moment that she came out is one that I will never forget! I remember looking at her in amazment and thinking, "She is perfect; I cannot believe she is mine!" Ed and I tell her every day how much we love her. She weighed 7 lbs, 11 oz. and was 20 inches long. She was born with a full head of blonde hair. Here are some photos of her in her first 2 weeks of life. We will be sure to share more as she grows!
