WELCOME GRACE CATHERINE!
BORN: September 30, 2009 at 7:10AM
WEIGHT: 7lbs, 9oz
LENGTH: 20.5in
We are thrilled to welcome our little girl into the world and happy to have all of her friends and family come to meet her. I wish it hadn't taken me an entire week to update the blog, but parenthood has been a blur so far and I'm learning to balance family, pleasure and taking care of myself. If you'd care to read on about the labor and birth, please do so. Otherwise just enjoy the photos.
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On Monday, September 28th around 8pm I began to have contractions that were a little stronger and a little more consistent than anything I'd previously experienced. Rich and I went on (yet another) long walk and enjoyed dinner and a TV movie together as I tried not to get excited about timing the contractions. We went to bed around 10:30 but sleep was not in the picture for me, as the contractions were just strong enough to keep me from getting any shut eye. Instead, I did a little cleaning and found another movie. I fell asleep for a few hours on the couch near morning, after I'd discovered a more comfortable position. Rich woke up at his usual time and we decided to go for a walk at 6:45am. Afterward, we both contacted coworkers to make arrangements for our absence, since it looked like this might be 'the day'. Rich was supposed to be on call in obstetrics and had several other residents lined up to take parts of his shift, but after several hours of waiting it out and taking another walk, we decided I wasn't progressing fast enough for him to remain at home. My mom drove over to stay with me at noon and Rich went into work for a few hours to relieve his relief. With the hospital bag in the car and my mom around for support and a few last-minute cleaning duties, we stayed at the house for a few more hours. Then just before 3pm I decided I should go to the hospital so that I would still be in good enough shape on arrival to sign myself in, find my husband, and go through triage. The contractions were now 4-5minutes apart for about 60 seconds. Text book.
Everything at the hospital went smoothly and after an hour and a half the three of us (mom, me, and Rich) had settled into my room. An initial exam showed I was 80% effaced, 3cm dilated, and at -2 station. Decent progress but nothing to indicate a short stay. In the room I continued to talk for a little while, but before long the contractions picked up and I was in full concentration mode. I laid in bed, managed to walk the corridor once, and sat on the birthing ball for some time. Rich began his role as coach by getting me small snacks and water and supporting me physically and verbally as I relaxed through each difficult contraction. My mom stuck around for a while, but soon allowed Rich and I to labor undisturbed. Beginning at about 8pm my contractions were coming every 1.5 to 3 minutes and lasting at least 60 seconds, often double-peaking. Because of their intensity I wondered several times if I was in 'transition', the period of very fast, hard labor that quickly moves the baby and my body to 2nd stage when pushing begins. As it turned out, I was no where near pushing and I began to doubt how much longer I could keep up this hard work. The nurses continued to examine my progress every few hours, but little changed. My doctor also came to see us sometime late in the night and she, Rich and I decided to have my water manually broken so that the baby could descend a little, perhaps speeding up the process. Without this cushy bag of water, however, my contractions would feel even more intense. I labored this way for several more hours. Near 3am I accepted a small, one-time dose of pain medication in hopes that it would allow me to sleep a little, so that I would retain enough energy for pushing later on. The catnap was a huge help and we chose to have the meds early enough that they would be out of my system and baby's by the time he or she was born. Near 5am the pain meds felt long gone and I was beginning to get the urge to push, but remained only 6 or 7cm dilated...not close enough. I continued laboring until the doctor showed up at 6 to move me around to a new position that might help me finish dilating. The urge to push felt unbearable and finally, just after 6:30am and at 9.5cm dilated, I was given permission to push.
The end was near! I said several prayers asking for this last burst of strength, because I knew I could not push long before running completely out of energy (I had been laboring for close to 36 hours with about 2.5 hours of sleep). My mom returned to help Rich hold my legs , and Rich and the doctor guided me through pushing, each time amazed at the baby's progress toward the outside world. I knew we could finish soon if I kept my cool... We were so close! Then finally, at 7:10am on September 30th, Grace Catherine was born. She weighed 7lbs, 9oz and measured 20.5 inches long. She came into the world shouting loudly with her eyes wide open and her arms outstretched. Both Rich and I instinctively called her 'Bright Eyes' during those first few moments together. She was beautiful! When the doctor caught her she announced Grace's gender and then handed her to me to hold while Rich cut the umbilical cord. For the next hour our new family posed for photos and cuddled together. I also acquired a few battled wounds during delivery so I patiently waited through the stitching up process and Grace got her first meal and a quick scrub down. In due time our room was flooded with grandparents and uncles, as well as the occasional resident friends from the hospital. Grace was quite an appropriately spoiled little girl.
Our family stayed in the hospital the full standard 48 hours after the birth and I really appreciated being taken care of for a time, before embarking on parenthood in a house void of helpful nurses. By the time we left I'd received my flu shot and assistance treating those battle wounds, Grace all of her initial check-ups, a few more photos, and lots of love. We want to thank everyone, near and far, for your love, support, prayers, phone calls and texts, visits, food, and baby gifts. Our hearts and our home are overwhelmed with joy from it all. Thank you also for the respect and patience you've shown our new family as we try to catch up on sleep and navigate caring for our infant. The extra 'space' has also been much needed at times. We look forward to spending more time with you all as the days go on. God bless.
(UPDATE: Grace's first doctor's appointment was on Monday. She has gained 5oz since birth and was given a clear bill of health by the doctor. She is unfortunately battling some diaper rash and a bit of reflux, but we're slowly getting the hang of her needs and her signals. And, to her parents' delight, she spent most of last night sleeping and allowed Mom some catch-up)
Baby Grace is 4 weeks and 5 days old today! She, Daddy and Mommy are all doing great, and we are learning something new about each other every single day. Mostly, Mommy and Daddy realize a little more just how beautiful our little girl is and how much we love her. Grace is also learning many new things about herself. She now lifts her head quite well for short times, she loves to look around at her surroundings and track moving objects, and she is beginning to smile when smiled at! Grace is also starting to graduate from grunts to coos and she's becoming slightly more coordinated (enough to get her fist to her mouth when needed). And, when I weighed her today, she was 10lbs, 8oz...almost a 3 lb gain! Grace has now graduated to some of her 3 month clothes and she's entirely done with newborn diapers. Unfortunately, our pretty little girl is also losing her hair (so much so that Dad's been giving her a comb-over for the last few days), and she has acid reflux and a very sensitive tummy. So poor Grace has had some pretty fussy days as I try to figure out what foods to eliminate from my diet to make her feel better.
