Sunday, May 23, 2010
For B
Today in church, one of B's little girls came up and asked me if she could hold Elena. I let her and while she sat next to me holding Elena she told me all about how her mommy is having a baby too because she prayed for it. It was very cute, and of course I had to snap a little picture on my phone. So this is for you B. :-) Can't wait to meet your next little one, only a few more months!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Long overdue
Both Elena and this blog! ;-)
Two weeks late, I am finally getting around to writing Elena's birth announcement here. The basics - Elena Grace was born on May 6th at 5:38am weighing 7 lbs 8 oz and 21.5 inches long. I was 41 weeks 3 days.
The long story:
On Wednesday the 5th I woke up feeling pretty 'done'. More so than I'd felt in the previous couple weeks. I was exhausted, sore and all those fun things that go with the end of pregnancy. I called and left a message with my OB to get induced ASAP and waited anxiously for her to call me back. She didn't call me back all day however and I spent the day feeling fairly irritable and trying to not take it out on other people. I was having sporadic contractions but nothing to really pay attention to. My wonderful friend and neighbor mommagriffith invited us over for dinner which lifted my mood considerably and so we went over there and had yummy Mexican. While we were there was when I started to notice I was having more contractions that seemed fairly close together. I didn't think much of them, though. A few days previously I'd had a long bout of regular contractions that went away and I thought the same thing was happening again. When we got home from dinner there was a message on my answering machine from my OB to make an appointment the following day so we could discuss induction and I felt relieved thinking there was an 'end' in site. Nathan encouraged me to time the contractions I was having, which I thought was silly, but I agreed anyway. I noticed right away the contractions were 5 - 7 minutes apart but I definitely didn't consider them to be that painful. Uncomfortable yes, but nothing I couldn't handle fairly easily. I was having a lot of pain in my back though so I bounced on my exercise ball for awhile which really helped.
After awhile of timing contractions I decided to run a bath and see if that would help my body relax. I still felt that these contractions were not 'real' and I was getting pretty tired and just wanted them to go away so I could go to bed. The bath was very nice, but the contractions continued. After I got out of the bath I tried walking around to see if I could get the contractions closer together and more intense, but that didn't work. They continued to stay at the 5 - 7 minutes apart and of mild to moderate intensitity.
I'd been timing contractions on and off for 5 hours when I thought maybe I'd just try to go to bed. I was so tired. I didn't make it laying down through more than 4 contractions though. Up and moving they didn't feel bad, but lying in bed made them almost unbearable. I started to feel fairly overwelmed at this point. I was still certain that this labor was not real, or that it was very early labor, but it was uncomfortable enough that I couldn't get any rest. Around midnight I decided to call the labor and delivery floor to see what they suggested. They suggested that I come in right away, since I'd been experiencing contractions for so long without them going away, and told me that my OB would likely not send me home, even if this was not real labor. I woke up Nathan and we called his mom to come and sit with Gabe. It was while we were getting ready to go when I started to notice the contractions were getting stronger and closer together. It was almost like I needed that mental 'I'm having a baby today!' thought in order for things to really get going. By the time we got in the car I was quite uncomfortable.
The drive to the hospital was by no means fun, but it wasn't any worse than I expected. Having to labor while sitting strapped into a seat has got to be one of the most uncomfortable ways to labor though. When we got to the hospital the only real thought in my mind was 'I want that epidural, and I want it now' but sadly that wasn't going to happen right away. They got me admitted and hooked up to the monitors. I think laboring flat in your back in bed has also got to be one of the worst ways to labor but I sucked it up and gripped the bed rails for dear life while they got their 15 minute strip of the baby's heartbeat and my contraction pattern. After they got that they checked me and with a contraction pattern of 3 - 5 minutes apart and a check showing I was 4 - 5 cm along put me into the category of 'active labor' (no really? haha). I begged them to get the jacuzzi tub going and call anesthesia ASAP.
Now I've heard that laboring in a jacuzzi tub is like a 'natural epidural' to which I must laugh. No, no it is not. It was nice in the sense that I could relax better between my contractions but the contractions themselves were just as intense. I did enjoy the tub though and was glad I had that to labor in while I waited for my epidural. Anesthesia actually arrived fairly quickly and it didn't take long to get set up and get the epidural placed. Once it was placed I was one happy mom. I got checked again and was 6 - 7 cm but baby was still up at a -1 station. Nathan and I decided to take the time to relax and try to nap before delivery time.
I couldn't actually nap because I was still feeling intense pressure with my contractions, however I was able to doze between them well and I felt so much better not being in pain. Around 4:30 I started noticing a difference in the contractions, I was starting to feel an urge to push, but it wasn't a very strong urge and I was honestly too tired to buzz the nurses to tell them. At 5:00 my OB came in and checked me and found I was complete, baby at a +2 station and we could push whenever I wanted to. I was surprised, because it had all seemed to happen so fast. We woke up Nathan and my OB got all gowned up and within 10 minutes I was ready to push.
Pushing this time was an entirely different experience than it was with Gabe. I won't go into too many details, but my epidural was absolutely perfect. I was numbed enough to not feel too much pain, but I could feel all that intense pressure and my pushing was so well controlled. I won't say it seemed easy, because pushing is not easy, but it was 10 times better. It also took considerable less time! In fact, it took so little time to push her out that in that moment they took her out and put her on my chest I hadn't even fully had the time to process it. I just stared at her and couldn't believe she was finally born! No crying this time, unlike with Gabe, but I think that's because I was in so much shock and I felt such wonder looking at my beautiful baby girl.
She's got this amazing olive skin tone and a full head of dark hair. I'm not quite sure how Nathan and I produced a girl who looks so dark, but I love it! She is absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way.
My recovery this time has been so much easier as well, something I am so grateful for.
Here is her first picture, right after her bath:
Happy family:
Next blog: Elena's hospital trip. I'll write that one when I get a chance! Hopefully it won't take me too long.
Two weeks late, I am finally getting around to writing Elena's birth announcement here. The basics - Elena Grace was born on May 6th at 5:38am weighing 7 lbs 8 oz and 21.5 inches long. I was 41 weeks 3 days.
The long story:
On Wednesday the 5th I woke up feeling pretty 'done'. More so than I'd felt in the previous couple weeks. I was exhausted, sore and all those fun things that go with the end of pregnancy. I called and left a message with my OB to get induced ASAP and waited anxiously for her to call me back. She didn't call me back all day however and I spent the day feeling fairly irritable and trying to not take it out on other people. I was having sporadic contractions but nothing to really pay attention to. My wonderful friend and neighbor mommagriffith invited us over for dinner which lifted my mood considerably and so we went over there and had yummy Mexican. While we were there was when I started to notice I was having more contractions that seemed fairly close together. I didn't think much of them, though. A few days previously I'd had a long bout of regular contractions that went away and I thought the same thing was happening again. When we got home from dinner there was a message on my answering machine from my OB to make an appointment the following day so we could discuss induction and I felt relieved thinking there was an 'end' in site. Nathan encouraged me to time the contractions I was having, which I thought was silly, but I agreed anyway. I noticed right away the contractions were 5 - 7 minutes apart but I definitely didn't consider them to be that painful. Uncomfortable yes, but nothing I couldn't handle fairly easily. I was having a lot of pain in my back though so I bounced on my exercise ball for awhile which really helped.
After awhile of timing contractions I decided to run a bath and see if that would help my body relax. I still felt that these contractions were not 'real' and I was getting pretty tired and just wanted them to go away so I could go to bed. The bath was very nice, but the contractions continued. After I got out of the bath I tried walking around to see if I could get the contractions closer together and more intense, but that didn't work. They continued to stay at the 5 - 7 minutes apart and of mild to moderate intensitity.
I'd been timing contractions on and off for 5 hours when I thought maybe I'd just try to go to bed. I was so tired. I didn't make it laying down through more than 4 contractions though. Up and moving they didn't feel bad, but lying in bed made them almost unbearable. I started to feel fairly overwelmed at this point. I was still certain that this labor was not real, or that it was very early labor, but it was uncomfortable enough that I couldn't get any rest. Around midnight I decided to call the labor and delivery floor to see what they suggested. They suggested that I come in right away, since I'd been experiencing contractions for so long without them going away, and told me that my OB would likely not send me home, even if this was not real labor. I woke up Nathan and we called his mom to come and sit with Gabe. It was while we were getting ready to go when I started to notice the contractions were getting stronger and closer together. It was almost like I needed that mental 'I'm having a baby today!' thought in order for things to really get going. By the time we got in the car I was quite uncomfortable.
The drive to the hospital was by no means fun, but it wasn't any worse than I expected. Having to labor while sitting strapped into a seat has got to be one of the most uncomfortable ways to labor though. When we got to the hospital the only real thought in my mind was 'I want that epidural, and I want it now' but sadly that wasn't going to happen right away. They got me admitted and hooked up to the monitors. I think laboring flat in your back in bed has also got to be one of the worst ways to labor but I sucked it up and gripped the bed rails for dear life while they got their 15 minute strip of the baby's heartbeat and my contraction pattern. After they got that they checked me and with a contraction pattern of 3 - 5 minutes apart and a check showing I was 4 - 5 cm along put me into the category of 'active labor' (no really? haha). I begged them to get the jacuzzi tub going and call anesthesia ASAP.
Now I've heard that laboring in a jacuzzi tub is like a 'natural epidural' to which I must laugh. No, no it is not. It was nice in the sense that I could relax better between my contractions but the contractions themselves were just as intense. I did enjoy the tub though and was glad I had that to labor in while I waited for my epidural. Anesthesia actually arrived fairly quickly and it didn't take long to get set up and get the epidural placed. Once it was placed I was one happy mom. I got checked again and was 6 - 7 cm but baby was still up at a -1 station. Nathan and I decided to take the time to relax and try to nap before delivery time.
I couldn't actually nap because I was still feeling intense pressure with my contractions, however I was able to doze between them well and I felt so much better not being in pain. Around 4:30 I started noticing a difference in the contractions, I was starting to feel an urge to push, but it wasn't a very strong urge and I was honestly too tired to buzz the nurses to tell them. At 5:00 my OB came in and checked me and found I was complete, baby at a +2 station and we could push whenever I wanted to. I was surprised, because it had all seemed to happen so fast. We woke up Nathan and my OB got all gowned up and within 10 minutes I was ready to push.
Pushing this time was an entirely different experience than it was with Gabe. I won't go into too many details, but my epidural was absolutely perfect. I was numbed enough to not feel too much pain, but I could feel all that intense pressure and my pushing was so well controlled. I won't say it seemed easy, because pushing is not easy, but it was 10 times better. It also took considerable less time! In fact, it took so little time to push her out that in that moment they took her out and put her on my chest I hadn't even fully had the time to process it. I just stared at her and couldn't believe she was finally born! No crying this time, unlike with Gabe, but I think that's because I was in so much shock and I felt such wonder looking at my beautiful baby girl.
She's got this amazing olive skin tone and a full head of dark hair. I'm not quite sure how Nathan and I produced a girl who looks so dark, but I love it! She is absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way.
My recovery this time has been so much easier as well, something I am so grateful for.
Here is her first picture, right after her bath:
Happy family:
Next blog: Elena's hospital trip. I'll write that one when I get a chance! Hopefully it won't take me too long.
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