4 years ago, on March 19, 2015, I hoisted my very pregnant self out of bed at 6:15 and started to get ready for work. I was 38 weeks pregnant exactly and feeling great. I had been to the doctor the day before and she said she’d be surprised if I made it to my due date. I had had zero Braxton Hicks contractions and really no other signs of labor so I started my day like I always did. I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when….I sneezed….and my water broke. Like movie theater, complete fish, water breaking. I froze toothbrush still in my mouth and stared at myself in the mirror.

Oh man.

This is happening.

So, I threw a towel on the floor and started calling! I called my doctor, my boss, my mom, and finally Jonathan…who of course, had woken up earlier than normal and decided to go on to the gym. I knew he’d take a bit to get home so I finished getting dressed, packed the last few things in my labor bag, and folded the last load of laundry. Our house was officially ready for Sophie.

When Jonathan got home, we loaded up and headed out. I hadn’t started contracting or anything yet so we weren’t even frazzle. Just ready to meet our girl. Then, they started. I started having some pain about 20 minutes before we got to the hospital and of course…it was 8AM so we went through 200 school zones!

We finally got to the hospital and I knew something was off. The contractions weren’t terrible but my back/tailbone area hurt so bad I couldn’t stand up. Upstairs in L&D we got checked in and settled into a triage room with my nurse Jacinda and I couldn’t even sit down my back hurt so bad. She suspected back labor was the culprit. Everything else was great. My water had, in fact broken. Sophie was doing great with a strong heart beat. My contractions were coming 3-5 minutes apart and I was dilated to a 3. My blood pressure was great…it was just that dang back pain. I had to stand up with my elbows on pillows. I

Initially hadn’t planned on getting my epidural until I was a little further along because I wanted to be able to walk around. But the back pain was too much so Jacinda was an angel from heaven and got the anesthesiologist to me 45 minutes after I checked in.

After that, the rest of the day was pretty low key. I was pain free…stuck in bed…but I was comfortable. Friends and family came in and out, I took a nap, Sophie was still doing great and my contractions were still progressing. It was slow but not too bad.

FINALLY, at 5:30pm I was a 10 and it was time to push. The first push was hard but my doctor said ‘I see her head! This will go fast!’……but an hour later, still no baby. She was stuck. We realized that the reason I was having such horrible back labor was that Sophie was what they call ‘OP’… meaning she was face up instead of face down. So her shoulders were stuck in my pelvis. She was still doing great, her heart rate was fine…but I was exhausted. We decided one more push and if she didn’t come out then I’d have to have a c-section. At that point I was honestly fine with any option that got her here safely.

Thankfully, that last push, with a little help, brought out my perfect 6lb 9oz 19 1/2 inch long Sophie Kay Skiles. She was perfect! They immediately put her on my chest and I just stared at her. I don’t remember anything else…Jonathan cutting the cord, my doctor finishing up and leaving….nothing…just her-on my chest-looking at me.

She was perfect. The hospital stay was uneventful and honestly pretty great. She nursed like a champ. We got pretty decent sleep all things considered. And we had our perfect one.

I miss her today. So much. But, I’m also overcome with thankfulness that I was able to spend 2 years 9 months and 16 days with my perfect Punkin. I’m thankful for every second.

So today, be thankful for those you love…and those you lost. And maybe today, Do More for my Sophie. Be kind…go out of your way to make someone’s day. Because she made every day amazing.

Happy Birthday my little love.

I loo much.