Birth story

So, I am really late writing this.  It's been a crazy/busy three weeks.  Babies have a way of being time suckers.  :P

So, I thought I would write down the birth story before I forget it.  After all, this is what I am going to hold over Eliana's head for the rest of her life so I'll need to make sure I remember every detail.  It's worth mentioning that, all of the pain I went through that early morning/all day, has really already started to vanish.  I'm not in the mindset that I want another child right this moment, but I've always heard people say you'll forget about the pain.  Which obviously makes sense, since people have 2nd, 3rd, 4th babies.  Anyway, here it goes...

On Eliana's due date, (1/28) I started feeling a slight cramp.  Couldn't tell though if they were really cramps or if I was having a stomach ache.  This lasted the 28th and the 29th.  On the night of the 29th, I went to bed but couldn't sleep, so I was messing around on my phone.  1:30 am on the 30th rolls around and I got this weird feeling.  I was thinking maybe that was my first contraction?  But I didn't feel anything again until 2:30, where I started to quickly realize I was in fact having contractions and they were about every 15 minutes apart at this point.  They were already keeping me awake and I wasn't able to get any sleep until around 3am, but only got an hour.  Woke up and was timing the contractions, which were now every 15 to 10 minutes apart.  It was already sucking, but I was getting through it.  My goal was to wait until they were every 3-5 minutes apart which was already seeming like a lifetime away from where I was. lol.

Ryan woke up for school and I told him I was having contractions.  Since they were still about 10 minutes apart, I told him to go ahead and go to school, but keep his phone handy.

I continued to labor at home and finally, the contractions were getting closer together, but still too spaced out for what I thought was an acceptable time to go to the hospital.  I didn't want to go too soon and have them turn me away.  Around noon, I text messaged Ryan and asked that he head home.  I was feeling like I was in hell at this point.  All of my labor pains were in my back, which I was 100% positive was breaking.  Jet Puff was very concerned for me and hung out with me the whole time.  I got in the tub and all of that, tried all of the things they tell you to try.  Btw, I found breathing didn't help for shit.  Lol.  Nothing did because contractions are going to hurt, no matter what you do.  Ryan got home (in 6 minutes from UC Davis to our house....on bike.  He looked like he was going to have a heart attack when he came in, he was panting so hard.  I probably would have been more concerned if I wasn't in so much pain.  Lol.)  I was still determined to hang at home for as long as possible, just in case.  At about 2, I was feeling horrible.  Ryan contacted our midwife and she asked to speak to me (last thing I wanted to do.) so she could hear me during contractions.  She suggested we hang out a little longer but that if we wanted to come in, we could.  I sucked it up and stayed at home for almost 2 more hours before Ryan called and let them know we were headed in.

My plan was to try natural first for as long as possible, and if it didn't work, I'd get the epidural.  On the way to the hospital (which Ryan played our wedding playlist and I later remembered and thought it was sweet.) I already knew I was asking for that sucker.  But I was still so worried that I was hardly dilated and that maybe I was just being a big ol' baby.

We get to the hospital and Ryan is having to fill out my registration forms, which brings up a complaint.  What is the purpose of pre-registration if they make you fill out more registration forms with the same damn questions on them?  I was happy on the way there, thinking "THANK GOD WE PRE-REGISTERED!  ONE LESS THING TO DEAL WITH WHEN WE GET THERE."  NOT!

They get us up to triage so they can check how far along I am.  I kept having contractions while I was trying to get the gown on though, and couldn't figure it out how to get the damn thing on.  Lol.  Had to get the nurse to help me and finally was able to get checked.  To my surprise, and everyone else there, I was already dilated to about a 5, which was awesome.  I literally said aloud, "THANK GOD!"  So they take us to our room and we start waiting for the most popular guy in L&D, the anesthesiologist.  Took a while to get him in and to get everything set up, so obviously I'm still laying there dying.  Finally he comes and my midwife gets there and asks if I want to try the Jacuzzi tub first.  Ha!  Tried that at home hours earlier, didn't work, don't think it will now.  Anyway, ten minutes after I get my epidural, I start feeling relief and open my eyes for the first time and see just how many people are in the room.  It's amazing how quickly your shame goes out the window when you're in that much pain.  After the epidural, everything else was easy breezy.

Cara, my midwife, came back in and checked me around 7, and I was already dilated to a 9.  I was glad I was moving along so quickly, but baby girl was still was a little high up.  Cara came back and checked around 8 and suggested breaking my water, since baby still hadn't moved from where she was.  She came back in around 8:30, started pushing and baby girl arrived at 9:53pm.  The nurse (Joy) and Cara were awesome, Ryan was awesome and all of the other nurses/hospital staff were great.  I had such an awesome experience (minus the pain earlier in the day) and was so thankful for everyone's help.

As soon as Eliana was born, they put her on my stomach/chest and she cried and cried some more.  She was definitely pissed to be moved from her nice, cozy home but we were glad her lungs were obviously working.  I will never forget Ryan's reaction.  lol.  The moment she was born and they put her on me, he just started laughing and said, "THAT'S A BABY!"  lol.  It was funny.  It was such a surreal moment.  It was definitely weird to finally see this person, who had been hanging out with me for so long.  Lol.  It's amazing because you just think, "Wow!  We made this!"

It's still so weird to look over and see her.  Ryan and I still have these moments where one of us will say "Wow, we made this!" again.  lol.  I am guessing it takes a bit to sink in.  She's amazing though, and I'm so grateful for her.

Diapers!

Organized and ready. :)

38 weeks.

Your baby has really plumped up. He or she weighs about 6.8 pounds and is over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). Your baby has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his or her hand for the first time! His or her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If your baby is born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he or she is born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time your baby is 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after birth, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Baby girl is moving around so much lately. Definitely seeing some pointy parts of her body slide across my stomach. I haven't seen any specific, identifiable parts or anything, so not that creepy yet.

Not much to update on. Going to the doctors every week. Our next appointment is on MLK day.

My last day of work is tomorrow. Can't believe how fast this has all gone. This week has flown by because I was training my replacement while I am on maternity leave. Now I get to watch trash t.v. professionally, eat Bon bons, ect. Ect.

Hiccups

Baby girl, you seem to constantly have hiccups.  Such a funny feeling!

Tour of the birthing center/37 weeks (one day early) update

We will be 37 weeks, officially tomorrow.  Here is baby update:

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

So we finally went on the tour of the birthing center.  It was interesting to be there, but not as scary as I thought it would be.  I thought possibly seeing where the "bidness" goes down might be frightening.  It was so quiet and no one was really there when we went.  That was kind of good.  I was worried I was going to hear some woman screaming her head off while we were passing through.

We have Eliana's diaper bag packed and we're finishing up our hospital bag.  Ryan finished the last of her laundry today, I just need to hang it.  Girl has a closet full of clothes.  I don't think I am supposed to look at my daughter's side of the closet and be jealous, but I am.  haha.

I think that is it for now!

    

36 weeks! And a happy new year!

Your baby is still packing on the pounds – at the rate of about an ounce a day. He or she now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long.

Your baby is shedding most of the downy hair that covered his or her body, as well as the vernix caseosa – a waxy substance that protects the skin during its nine-month bath in amniotic fluid. Your baby swallows these substances, along with other secretions, and they form a tar-like black substance called meconium which your baby passes in his or her first bowel movements.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full term. (Full term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are preterm and those born after 42 are post term.) Most likely he or she is in a head-down position. But if not, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version. (This is a fancy way of saying that your caregiver will try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him or her from the outside of your belly.)

Happy new year!  We are only 26 days out from our due date.  WHOA.  Also, I have been pregnant for 253 days.  That is a long damn time.  haha.

I rang in the new year folding baby clothes.  Ryan did all of her laundry and I packed her diaper bag.  We're super wild.  We also had some sparking cider with his friend though, so we got a little crunk.  Today I have the day off and I am feeling so lazy.  :(  I've noticed my days off make it insanely difficult for me to get and do anything.  I am much more productive on days I have work.  

This weekend, we're going on a tour of the hospital.  That should be exciting and sufficiently nerve wrecking.  haha.  

Baby girl is MORE than welcome to stay in for a bit, as we still have a lot of organizing to do and she still has some more developing to do.  (Though, the organizing seems like it will never end.)  I cannot wait to sleep like a normal person again.  

Well, I'd better get off of this couch before I become a permanent fixture.    

Pictures

Ryan putting together the stroller. :) 

Little miss will be reppin UC Davis

I just loved this.  :) 

Didn't end up buying these but love these pants.  I planned on getting some cute, colored pants once I am wearing regular clothes again.  She can match her momma. 

Some of the clothes hanging in the closet.  We got more since this photo was taken, though!