The birth story of Shayna Elizabeth <3
Anyone who has ever said that the 9th month of pregnancy is the longest, probably never made it to week 41, and the beginning of the 10th month. :)  May 4th came and went and still I had no baby and no signs of impending labor.  My fears of needing to be induced became more and more real as each day passed.  I wanted to have a very natural labor and birthing experience and to me, there was nothing natural about needing to be induced and spending hours upon hours in a hospital.  I went to the doctors on Monday May 6th and was told that I needed to get some testing done that Friday and then again that following Tuesday, just to make sure Baby K was still thriving.  As long as all of those tests came back fine, I would not need to be induced until Thursday May 16th.  I went to work on the morning of Friday the 10th and left to go to my testing, fully expecting everything to be fine and to return to work.  Baby K passed the non-stress test with flying colors, after being prompted by me drinking some apple juice for a sugar high.  However, the amniotic fluid check that I had done revealed that my fluid levels were running low and that I was going to need to start the proceedings of being induced that night.  The reality that I was not going to be returning to work, that I was not going home, and that I was now trapped in this hospital until I gave birth scared me as it sunk in.  This was not the birth plan that I signed up for.  All I knew and believed about trusting God for His best and relying on Him to keep me and the baby healthy, no matter the methods, went temporarily flying out the window.  The multiple people that told me that I was being silly and who cares how I had a baby didn't help.  I felt like they just didn't understand.  I texted my mom and my husband to come to the hospital because between the hormones and my then volatile emotions, I needed some support and perspective.  I was losing the control that I covet so much very quickly, and I knew it.  And that was scary.

I was admitted to the hospital around noon on Friday.  I was encouraged to eat a lunch that I didn't really want, and to grab a nap I knew I wouldn't be able take.  I was really nervous, but more than anything, I just wanted my baby to be ok.  The doctor announced that the plan of action was to give me cervidil to try to encourage dilation and potentially start my labor.  She started that at 4:00pm and said that it needed to be kept in for 12 hours.  I wouldn't have cared but I was not going to be allowed out of bed the whole time, and I was going to need to constantly be on the fetal monitor.  For anyone that knows me, being chained to a bed for any extended period of time is my worst nightmare.  It took some talking to from my mom to shake me of my bad attitude and get me back to the place of just wanting a healthy baby.  So I dutifully stayed in bed.  Around 9:00pm that night, Baby K started to wake up and really start moving around.  I think as a result, the baby's heart rate skyrocketed up to a level that concerned the doctor.  They monitored me and the baby closely for about an hour before the doctor decided to take the cervidil out, thinking that maybe that was what was causing Baby K's heart rate to spike.  I was about 2 cm dilated at this point.  As Baby K settled down, the heart rate came, all the more convincing me that the spike was movement related.  The doctor gave me permission to get up and walk the halls to try to encourage further dilation and to try to get active labor to start.  So from 10:00pm to 4:30am on Saturday morning, Jeff and my mom took turns walking the halls with me.  I had contractions coming every 2-5 minutes pretty much that whole time.  By 4:30, the doctor wanting to check me again and I was extremely disappointed when she told me that I had not made any progress.  I was still at 2 cm.  All those contractions weren't even real labor.

She made the decision then to induce me and start me on Pitocin.  Since induction was a circumstance that I knew I was going to want and epidural for, I requested it for when the Pitocin was started.  At 5:00am after being hooked up to the epidural and the Pitocin, my labor officially started.  Once I got my epidural, I became extremely warm and comfortable and was able to relax after a very long night up walking.  Contractions came every 5 minutes and when the next doctor came to check me at 7:15, I was up to 3 cm.  He broke my water and the contractions picked up right away.  At 9:15 I was up to 4 cm.  By 11:00 I was up to 7 and then 8 cm.  The doctor said he'd be back in an hour so I could start pushing!  By then, I became very excited.  I knew my baby was only a few short hours away and I couldn't wait to meet him/her.  At 12:09 and the doctor returned and announced that I was ready to begin pushing.  I gave it everything I had and 40 minutes later, Baby K was born!  "IT'S A GIRL!!"  I heard my husband say.  I had just given birth to the daughter I had so desperately wanted.  I absolutely could not believe it.  The next thing I know, I am cuddling the most perfect little baby girl on my chest with my husband raining kisses down on my head and telling me what an awesome job I did and how absolutely beautiful she was.  Tears poured down both our faces as we marveled at our little miracle.

Shayna Elizabeth Kulp was born at 12:49pm and weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19.5 inches long.  And she is perfect.  My husband and I are both in awe of God's goodness and mercy in the blessing that she is.  I may not have had the birth story that I originally thought I was going to have, but God was still in control and he kept me and my daughter safe through the whole process.  Now 2 weeks later, Jeff and I are even more in love with each other and with our pretty little princess, Shayna. <3