Welcome Baby Elisha!!

April 12, 2014

Welcome Elisha Andrew Kassouf!  

Weight: 6 lbs 15 oz
Height: 20.75 inches
Time: 1:47 am

Photo taken by Ron Wilkinson

Photo taken by Ron Wilkinson

Minutes Old - Elisha's First Picture

After Elisha's first bath

After Elisha's first bath - too cute not to include

Photo taken by Nicole Renee - http://nicolereneenewborns.com

Photo taken by Nicole Renee - http://nicolereneenewborns.com

Thursday night (April 10th) things seemed a little different but everything in my body had been changing so I thought it was normal and I went to bed.  Friday morning when I woke up things were still "off" so I decided to call the doctor.  Andrew told me to wait until the office opened so I got ready for work like a normal Friday morning.  On my way to work I called the doctor and receptionist said the nurse would call me back soon.  As I was walking into school the nurse called back.  I explained how I was feeling and she said that my water may be broken so I needed to go to the hospital to get checked.  I ran into my co-teacher outside of school and told her that I was leaving for the hospital (she really wanted to take me but I insisted I would be fine and off I went).  I called Andrew and told him they said I needed to come in and that I would call him when I knew something.  In the mean time my co-teacher called him and told him that he needed to leave work to join me at the hospital.  Andrew got there just before the triage doctor came in to check me.  When she came in she said that she thought my water was broken but she had to run a test to be sure.  In the mean time she asked if I could feel the contractions that I was having.  I told her I had no clue I was contracting!  She came back a few minutes later to tell us that my water was indeed broken and I was going to be admitted. At this point we both called our Mom's to tell them that they needed to come the hospital.

We then went down to labor and delivery.  Our day nurse Rose was awesome!  Around noon the doctor gave me medicine to move me along because I was only a 1/2 centimeter.  The doctor told us she would be back in 4 hours to check my progress and determine if I needed another dose.  At some point during that time frame I began feeling my contractions.  Andrew went home and pick up our bags.  I left them at home that morning because I did not know what the doctor was going to say.  He also went by school to get stuff ready for Monday because he was not planning on me going into labor.  Mom and John got there while Andrew was out.  When the doctor came back I was 2 centimeters so she broke my water completely and then told me the waiting game would continue.  

Around 7:45 pm my contractions were very close together and I was ready for an epidural!!  I was only 3 centimeters when I got the epidural. :-(  Things started moving quickly once the pain was managed.  I went to 5 centimeters in very little time.  Elisha was not very happy after I received my epidural.  His heart rate rose very high because of the stress of the labor process.  They tried having me lay different ways to calm him down.  That was not working and my contractions were still very close together so his heart rate remained high.  They decided to give me Terbutaline Sulfate to slow down my labor!  After waiting all day for things to get started; then they had to slow it down!  (That medicine also made me feel really weird.)  

Around 11:00 pm Mom Kassouf arrived at the hospital!  Then at 11:45 p.m. the doctor checked me and I was 10 centimeters!  They then had me sit up and the nurse began getting things ready.  Around 12:30 a.m. I started pushing and Elisha arrived 1 hour and 17 minutes later! It was a very long day and Andrew and I are so happy to welcome our little boy into the world!