Mikayla did not go down until midnight last night due to some gassiness or a Spirit-led desire to sanctify her mother. We nursed again at 3:30 and 7:40 and were just about to go down for our traditional morning nap at 8:30 when it started.
Why, Lord, are the neighbors laying carpet in their bedroom at 8:30 in the morning?
The last hour has involved me in my bathrobe trying to stay a room ahead of the carpet-laying endeavors next door as my baby tries to sleep. Right now she is in her swing with white noise blasting in her face, bless her heart. She is darn near sleeping through the ruckus!
Oh my.
Hey, I think it's over! I can hear them packing up to leave. Must be nice, coming into a home for a short hour and a half, throwing an innocent baby off what small semblance of a schedule she has, and waltzing back out to continue your day.
This is where I go spend some time in prayer for that sanctification...after I fetch my crying baby...no seriously, I hope that the Lord uses these challenging moments to grow me in Christlikeness. I have so far to go!
SDG!
Mommyhood Lessons
As much as I learned from the experience of pregnancy in nine months, there have been far more lessons of mommyhood in a short two weeks. I know this list won't do justice to the many things we've learned, but they are the first ten that come to mind on this quiet (ah!) Saturday morning:
1. "Gross" is a relative term, and one that has lost much of its meaning.
2. I am able to sleep in a much wider range of conditions than I previously thought possible, including puddles of fluid that I don't even attempt to identify because I am so tired.
3. Old: Happy wife, happy life! New: Happy baby, PRAISE THE LORD!!!!
4. Girls also tinkle when you remove the diaper. The advantage is that it dribbles instead of shooting across the room - but can still ruin a perfectly clean sleeper at 4:00 a.m.
5. I don't know who invented the pacifier, but this individual should have a Nobel Prize in his or her possession. Ditto baby swing.
6. Sometimes babies' eyes appear to be crossed. I'm pretty sure this is because they are trying to imitate mommy, who has not slept through the night for at least three months now.
7. Dressing a baby is, indeed, like trying to put an octopus into a bag.
8. Two of my favorite things about the transition from pregnancy to mommyhood: coffee and wine. Not necessarily in that order.
9. "Sleep when the baby sleeps" is fantastic advice, but difficult to follow when you'd also REALLY love to do things that require two hands, such as have a hot meal/take a shower for the first time in three days/catch up on emails or phone calls/do laundry/wash dishes. Not that I've ever gone three days between showers....hahaha...ha ha...ha....
10. Netflix seasons of Law & Order, Wire in the Blood, etc. make for great company and a great reminder of what grownup life was like sans baby (spur-of-the-moment travel? thrilling adventures? sexy dates at fancy restaurants? check, check, and check!). (Not that my life was like that to start with - some of our favorite dates involve Dunkin' Donuts and the Sonic drive-through.)
In summary, mommyhood is the life-changing experience that everyone promised it would be. And I don't ever want to go back!
SDG
1. "Gross" is a relative term, and one that has lost much of its meaning.
2. I am able to sleep in a much wider range of conditions than I previously thought possible, including puddles of fluid that I don't even attempt to identify because I am so tired.
3. Old: Happy wife, happy life! New: Happy baby, PRAISE THE LORD!!!!
4. Girls also tinkle when you remove the diaper. The advantage is that it dribbles instead of shooting across the room - but can still ruin a perfectly clean sleeper at 4:00 a.m.
5. I don't know who invented the pacifier, but this individual should have a Nobel Prize in his or her possession. Ditto baby swing.
6. Sometimes babies' eyes appear to be crossed. I'm pretty sure this is because they are trying to imitate mommy, who has not slept through the night for at least three months now.
7. Dressing a baby is, indeed, like trying to put an octopus into a bag.
8. Two of my favorite things about the transition from pregnancy to mommyhood: coffee and wine. Not necessarily in that order.
9. "Sleep when the baby sleeps" is fantastic advice, but difficult to follow when you'd also REALLY love to do things that require two hands, such as have a hot meal/take a shower for the first time in three days/catch up on emails or phone calls/do laundry/wash dishes. Not that I've ever gone three days between showers....hahaha...ha ha...ha....
10. Netflix seasons of Law & Order, Wire in the Blood, etc. make for great company and a great reminder of what grownup life was like sans baby (spur-of-the-moment travel? thrilling adventures? sexy dates at fancy restaurants? check, check, and check!). (Not that my life was like that to start with - some of our favorite dates involve Dunkin' Donuts and the Sonic drive-through.)
In summary, mommyhood is the life-changing experience that everyone promised it would be. And I don't ever want to go back!
SDG
Two Weeks and Growing!
At two weeks old, Mikayla earned another clean bill of health from her pediatrician. She is growing like a lovely little weed - already 9 lbs 8 oz, 22 inches long, and her head has grown to 14 3/4 inches around. This puts her in the 82nd percentile for weight, 96th percentile for length, and 79th percentile for head size. I believe the comment was, "She must be a good eater!" She wears 0-3 month clothing with ease, and her newborn outfits are a stretch, literally, because she is so long.
Here's our first of many teddy bear photos: (she was being a little cranky pants at the time, but you can still see the size comparison.)
Mikayla has slept for 6 1/2 hours at night in a single stretch (last Saturday, 1/22), but more often sleeps for 3-4 hours, waking to feed for about half an hour and then going back to sleep. She is a morning person so far, enjoying some wide-eyed happy time early each morning when mommy would rather be sleeping. Though she's also a night owl, preferring to go to bed around 11:30.
For the first week and a half, Mikayla preferred to sleep on mommy's chest. This made nighttime feedings super easy! For the past couple of nights, though, Mikayla has been sleeping like a big girl in her very own bassinet next to mommy's side of the bed. She enjoys a "modified swaddle" with one arm free, and her Nuk (pacifier) helps her fall asleep by herself. She is having more fussy times, letting her mommy know that she might just take after her strong-willed, assertive personality after all. But she also loves her swing, and no matter how fussy she is, she quiets down when mommy turns it on to speed 3 with the sound of rain playing.
The doctor recommended regular tummy time to help her develop her ability to hold her head up at this point. She is already bobbing her head up to look around, keeping it up for several seconds in a row before plunking it back down on mommy or daddy's shoulder. When she lies on her tummy, which is her favorite nap position, she easily turns her head from one side to the other (though sometimes she pauses in the middle with her face in the mattress, silly girl).
She got her first shot today and handled it like a pro - or at least, she turned a paler shade of green than her daddy did. He doesn't like needles. She only cried for a few seconds and got a cool Bugs Bunny band-aid to commemorate the occasion. Daddy didn't get anything but he was a very big boy and didn't have to leave the room at all.
I think that's it for our two-week update. Mikayla is a big girl and an even bigger blessing to her very grateful parents. Glory to God for His gracious gift of life, made real to us in this little person. We look forward to her baptism on February 13, when Mikayla will receive the sign and seal of the covenant to which she belongs, as we place our trust in God for His faithfulness to bring her to Himself through the regeneration of her precious heart. May she never know a day apart from Christ, her great savior and Lord.
SDG!
Here's our first of many teddy bear photos: (she was being a little cranky pants at the time, but you can still see the size comparison.)
Mikayla has slept for 6 1/2 hours at night in a single stretch (last Saturday, 1/22), but more often sleeps for 3-4 hours, waking to feed for about half an hour and then going back to sleep. She is a morning person so far, enjoying some wide-eyed happy time early each morning when mommy would rather be sleeping. Though she's also a night owl, preferring to go to bed around 11:30.
For the first week and a half, Mikayla preferred to sleep on mommy's chest. This made nighttime feedings super easy! For the past couple of nights, though, Mikayla has been sleeping like a big girl in her very own bassinet next to mommy's side of the bed. She enjoys a "modified swaddle" with one arm free, and her Nuk (pacifier) helps her fall asleep by herself. She is having more fussy times, letting her mommy know that she might just take after her strong-willed, assertive personality after all. But she also loves her swing, and no matter how fussy she is, she quiets down when mommy turns it on to speed 3 with the sound of rain playing.
The doctor recommended regular tummy time to help her develop her ability to hold her head up at this point. She is already bobbing her head up to look around, keeping it up for several seconds in a row before plunking it back down on mommy or daddy's shoulder. When she lies on her tummy, which is her favorite nap position, she easily turns her head from one side to the other (though sometimes she pauses in the middle with her face in the mattress, silly girl).
She got her first shot today and handled it like a pro - or at least, she turned a paler shade of green than her daddy did. He doesn't like needles. She only cried for a few seconds and got a cool Bugs Bunny band-aid to commemorate the occasion. Daddy didn't get anything but he was a very big boy and didn't have to leave the room at all.
I think that's it for our two-week update. Mikayla is a big girl and an even bigger blessing to her very grateful parents. Glory to God for His gracious gift of life, made real to us in this little person. We look forward to her baptism on February 13, when Mikayla will receive the sign and seal of the covenant to which she belongs, as we place our trust in God for His faithfulness to bring her to Himself through the regeneration of her precious heart. May she never know a day apart from Christ, her great savior and Lord.
SDG!
Mikayla's Birth Story, Part 6
The next few moments are a blur in my memory. Jen suctioned her quickly, and there were no issues from the meconium staining. She told me to take my baby, and then we checked to find out that she was, indeed, a she! I held her close to my chest, and Joel announced through tears, “Her name is Mikayla Grace.” Jen clamped the cord, and offered Joel the scissors to cut it. I could tell he was nervous, but in awe of being able to do this himself. I just looked at my baby, completely smitten at her wide-eyed wonder as she looked back up at me. She was so alert, and so incredibly gorgeous with her dark hair and eyes! All I could say was, “My baby! You're so beautiful!” (etc.)
Jen told me that I had not torn at all, but could possibly use a stitch on one side to speed the recovery and lessen my discomfort, to which I readily agreed. The placenta was delivered within a few minutes, and Jen showed us how healthy and big it was. What an incredible organ, to have sustained and grown our daughter for the past nine and a half months!
They allowed us to just hold and love Mikayla, without doing any of the newborn checks aside from making sure she was breathing well on her own. The nurse, Bev, told us that someone’s sister was there to visit. Brittany, my sister, was there already! Joel went up to get her from the waiting room at the front of the birth center, and she walked in less than twenty minutes after Mikayla’s birth, with tears in her eyes. It was such a vivid reminder of when a similar scene played out at her daughter, Khloe’s, birth. How special to have her there right away! Not long after, Joel’s parents arrived from New Jersey, and we invited them in after Mikayla had nursed for the first time, and still within the first hour of her life. It was a joyous time, and I was so thrilled to be awake and unmedicated, and to enjoy the same qualities in our newborn daughter as she met her family. Brittany’s husband, Kory, arrived a short time later with food from Chick Fil A (what better first post-partum meal?).
We talked to my parents on the phone and shared the joyous news. They were so thrilled to hear about Mikayla’s birth, and how healthy and perfect her delivery had been. They just couldn’t wait to come visit and meet her for themselves! My parents were in Florida visiting my dad’s family, and they were able to share the news with my dad’s sister almost immediately. What a great time of celebration they had, even from a distance!
Things had gone so well during Mikayla’s birth that the midwife and nurse had no qualms about us going home early in the afternoon. We took care of the necessary paperwork and newborn procedures, got me up and out of bed, and generally assessed our readiness to leave. We were packed up and on the road by 2:30 p.m., about four hours after the birth! Granted, I was walking gingerly and eager to get home to my own bed, but we were ready to go. After one last birth center photo of Mikayla in her car seat, the nurse escorted us out, gave me a big hug, and sent us on our way. With plenty of phone calls to make and visits from family and friends to enjoy, this happy new family of three set out for home!
Mikayla's Birth Story, Part 5
So at 9:08, Jen confirmed that my water had broken and told me that I was free to push whenever I felt the urge. That was all I needed to hear! The last several contractions during transition had been the most intense yet, with my body wanting to push if I let up my focus for one instant. So, on the next contraction I curled up, chin to chest, and gave it all I had! Joel tells me that on each contraction I gave 3-4 good pushes; and on a few contractions, I gave it 5! Jen was so encouraging, coaching me to curl into it and focus the push down at the bottom. At first I wanted to vocalize while pushing, but she told me to keep the air inside my lungs to help give stronger pushes. I remember her constantly telling me how perfectly I was pushing, that I was really moving the baby.
Jen called the nurse in as I began to push. They took turns listening to the baby’s heartbeat between each contraction; a few times the heart rate dropped a little, but always stayed above 100, which they said was what they wanted. Also, the baby was helping me all the way – even though she turned and gave me some back labor, she also kept wiggling and turning throughout pushing in order to find the best way to come out. We could see her kicking and wiggling from the outside – it was so cool to think of her in there working with me to birth her!
Jen encouraged me to turn onto my side in the tub, that it might make the pushing a little easier. Joel gently held my head above the water as I leaned to the side. For me, starting to push at the beginning of a contraction was painful as I tensed and curled up rather than relaxing, but the pushing itself felt fantastic! I think that’s why I gave it so many pushes each time, and didn’t rest during any contractions from there on out. I was almost reluctant to stop pushing as each contraction subsided. I literally felt no pain as I pushed; instead it felt like a huge relief!
Unfortunately, Jen noticed a little meconium when my water broke so she told me I would have to get out of the tub for the actual delivery. She said this gently but with some humor, and asked me not to kill her for making me get up and walk in the middle of pushing. If I thought getting out was tough during labor, it was just awful during pushing! I had pushed the baby down far enough to be able to easily feel her head when I reached down, so to get up, climb out, and waddle the two steps to the bed was really not ideal. Wow.
My terrific attendants took care of quickly drying me and helping me onto the bed. I got onto my side again to continue pushing. Again, I had no sense of time, it felt like I had only been pushing for a few minutes when Jen and Bev, the nurse, told me that I was getting really close to meeting my baby! They took turns holding a small mirror so that I could see her head. We all touched it and enjoyed the full head of hair that our baby was apparently to be born with. Jen called for oil, and applied it as the baby started to crown, helping me to accommodate her head. She coached me wisely through this part, telling me when to relax and allow the baby’s head to stay where it was for a few moments. It was a very controlled process that allowed my body to adjust and stretch; it was intense, and I felt very full, but it didn’t burn until the baby’s head was actually in the middle of crowning and I was pushing her out. So the “ring of fire” for me was very brief, and a great motivator to get the job done!
Checking the heart rate again just after a contraction that helped the baby to crown, Jen told me that the heart rate had dropped to about 80 or 90. She said it wasn’t an immediate problem, but that the baby needed to come quickly now. She said she would prefer for me to deliver the baby on the next contraction or else she would like to do an episiotomy to help speed it along.
Again, that was all I needed to hear! On the next contraction I gave four of the strongest pushes I could possibly muster. I let out a yell on one, then held the energy inside for two more pushes as I brought my daughter into the world. I watched in the mirror as much as I could, but had to close my eyes to focus. Joel said it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen, to watch his daughter be born before his very eyes. She was a sturdy baby with broad shoulders, and Jen helped as I delivered the rest of her body on the next push.
Mikayla's Birth Story, Part 4
At one point, Jen asked me how I was feeling, and my response was, “I’m in the zone!” And she said, “I can tell you are!” Only twice did I verbalize complaints about the pain. Once I told Joel that I couldn’t do it anymore, and he was quick to remind me that that feeling meant I was almost finished! And once when Joel went to call off work for the day, I sneaked a request to the midwife for pain meds. She told me I could have a series of injections that would “burn like crazy” but reduce some of the pain, or the medication that would not take away pain but would make me not care. Even in my condition, I knew that not caring was not an option, and that something that would “burn like crazy” and merely reduce the pain was also not worth it. Onward and upward, medication free! Joel was surprised when I told him later that I had asked. But I’m glad I asked, and decided against it. I feel stronger for it.
While transition was the most intense, it was also one of my favorite parts of labor. I was in my zone, feeling totally in control of my mind and body, and Joel was behind me with his arms around me, kissing my neck and continuously telling me how much he loved me, how amazing I was, and what a great job I was doing. I was certain that he would have broken hands from my squeezing (that’s how I sent all the pain to my hands – I squeezed the life out of his, and occasionally squeezed his shoulders instead. After all that, I can’t believe he was able to hold our baby after she was born!)
For me, transition lasted from 6 a.m. until around 9, when my water finally broke. Just before that, Jen started talking to me about an amniotomy, which would make things more intense but then probably allow me to get to pushing more quickly. She had also presented the idea of having a shot of pitocin just after delivery, to help reduce the odds of hemorrhaging. She explained that since I had had prodromal labor for about a week, my uterus might be fatigued by the time of delivery, which could cause a lot of bleeding. Unfortunately for Jen, but fortunately for us, transition was not the time to be explaining anything more complex than “focus, blow it away”. We were unable to provide a response at the time, and delivery passed with no pitocin shot and no hemorrhaging.
Back to the issue of the amniotomy – I heard Jen talking to the nurse about breaking my water. They knew we had hoped to avoid this, but as transition was taking awhile (though again I had no sense of time, and didn’t actually feel like it was taking a long time), she did make the suggestion. Just as with the pitocin idea, I wasn’t really able to render consent as contractions kept sweeping over me. Then, just after 9 a.m., my water broke spontaneously! We’re so thankful that we put the decision long enough to make it a moot point. For us, it was a clear testimony that waiting and allowing my labor to progress naturally was the best thing for both mama and baby.
Mikayla's Birth Story, Part 3
At this point I need to consult Joel for the sequence of events. I remember distinct positions, feelings, and thoughts from the labor process, but really had no sense of time whatsoever. According to Joel, I got onto my hands and knees for awhile to open some space, and encourage the baby to turn. For some reason it was comfortable for me to lean my forehead against the edge of the tub, but I learned quickly to just do what came naturally to my body! When my arms (and head) grew tired, I sat and leaned back against the side of the tub, with Joel behind me. The back pain continued, but our midwife was super brilliant and knew how to push straight back on my knees, toward my back, to help open my pelvis. That relieved some of the back pain, and we went on like that for a while. The deep, abdominal breathing and relaxation we had learned in our Bradley class continued to serve me well.
Eventually I ended up back on hands and knees, probably because the back labor was continuing and becoming too much in the seated position. It sounds scary, but in between contractions I was able to rest, and Jen’s pushing on my knees did bring quite a bit of relief. But it just wasn’t working to help things change or progress. So back onto hands and knees, and this time Joel and Jen took positions on either side of the birth tub in order to push on my hips. Jackpot! The contractions were getting stronger and stronger, and I found that I had to vocalize in order to manage the pain. I also became very focused on what my body needed, barking at my attendants to push on my hips – now harder! Now stop!
Around 6:00 a.m., Jen checked me again. I honestly don’t remember where this fits into the sequence of events in the labor tub (and neither does Joel), but I do remember how difficult it was to get out of the tub with the baby moving ever further down in my pelvis. I waddled the two steps to the bed, up onto the little stool and onto the bed. Jen checked me – 7 cm dilated – and I promptly threw up ALL over the place. Repeatedly. How humiliating! Jen continuously encouraged me, told me it was normal and perfectly fine, and grabbed something for me to be sick into. At this point I also lost the mucous plug with a little blood. I remember feeling completely at the mercy of my body as I threw up, and a contraction hit – my sensation was of being out of control, watching from a distance as my body just freaked out and convulsed. But, it only lasted a VERY short time, and then I stopped being sick and things came back under control, mentally and physically. I think it must have just been my body’s reaction to the internal check, and contact with my cervix, as well as the beginning of transition.
Back into the tub! Again, the sequence of events is a little fuzzy but as I went into transition things really clicked. I was leaning back in the tub, with Joel behind me outside of the tub with his arms around me. The contractions became incredibly intense. Jen tried to push on my knees again but this time, it was NOT what I needed. I locked into a mental place wherein each time a contraction came, I focused visually on the rubber duck thermometer – some intense eye contact with its one beady little eye! – and mentally clicked into a mantra: Send all the pain to my hands, and blow it away. The deep breathing wasn’t working at that point, since a deep inhale sent my lower body into a frantic attempt to push/convulse. So it became five short, intense exhales and then a nice sharp inhale, repeated throughout the contraction. Mentally sending the pain to my hands enabled me to keep my lower body as relaxed as it needed to be. On a few contractions, I lost focus and felt my body tense up, which made it sort of try to push, and this increased the pain. My advise for transition is this: find what works for you! For me it was the focal point, and having a repetitive breathing and thought pattern, continuously telling myself what to do and focusing intensely on the present moment only. Doing those things really made it bearable, and decreased the pain!
Mikayla's Birth Story, Part 2
This was good news to me – all I wanted was to get up there and into the birth tub! But between us and the birth tub stood a 25-minute drive over snow-covered roads. Joel left me in the bathroom to go investigate our driveway situation and get the “last-minute” items together for our birth bag. Thankfully we had a list on the fridge of things to grab on our way out the door, so we didn’t have to worry about forgetting something in the moment.
The driveway was full of snow, and the roads weren’t looking too good either. After debating whether to call a friend with 4-wheel drive, we opted to at least attempt the drive in my car. All our bags and the car seat were in my car, and we had brand new tires, so it seemed worth a try. Joel helped me put some clothes on, and put my socks and shoes on my feet between contractions while I leaned on the dresser. I was starting to vocalize a little during the contractions, which were still 3 minutes apart, and I wondered what our neighbors were thinking!
The next minutes involved lots of strategy. Contractions were three minutes apart, so as soon as one passed, we hurried down the stairs. The next one rushed upon me in the kitchen so we waited, and then Joel helped me with my coat and gloves. We paused through another contraction, then tried to make it out to the car before the next one. The ice and snow said otherwise, so I hung onto Joel through a contraction before making it into the car.
The 25 minute drive took us nearly an hour, in second gear until we made it to the relatively clear highway. My contractions mercifully spaced out to 4 minutes during the ride. I focused on the snowy road in front of us and breathed through each one; I thought I was handling the whole car labor thing pretty darn well! At one point I realized I REALLY had to go to the bathroom, so where else would we stop at 3 a.m. but at the Turkey Hill gas station? The guy at the counter went white as he realized what was probably going on right there in his store. We avoided eye contact and hurried through the bathroom process – somehow, I didn’t have any contractions while we were in there! I did have one on the way back out to the car and clung to Joel for support. I got the impression that because we were in public, he wanted to “act natural” as much as possible, but that wasn’t exactly the priority for me!
Soon enough we hit the highway and clearer roads, so we were able to pick up speed. We reached the birth center around 4 a.m., hoping Jen (our midwife) wouldn’t judge us too harshly for being late. Quite the opposite – she welcomed us quickly, helped me through a contraction just outside the door, and took us inside where she had the birth tub set up and was ready to do an initial check.
At 4 a.m. I was 5 centimeters dilated. At this point my water had not broken, nor had I come “uncorked” yet. Jen asked me what I wanted to do, and without hesitating I said, “Get in the tub!” She quickly began to fill it with nice warm water. I labored on the toilet while we waited for the tub to be ready.
If laboring on the toilet was good, getting into a hot birth tub was AMAZING!! Not that it was particularly fun throwing a leg over the side of the tub at that point, but sinking down into the water and feeling the soft, inflatable tub all around me was as close to heavenly as one can feel during labor. I wasn’t sure what position to be in, so I just sat down initially, but as the contractions rolled over me, I realized that the baby had turned posterior and was causing a LOT of pain!
Mikayla's Birth Story, Part 1
So I just finished writing Mikayla's birth story, in as much detail as a new mama can remember. Scrolling back through, I'm realizing that it is seven pages, single spaced. Now that is a lot of detail for one blog post, so at Joel's suggestion I am going to post it in installments over the course of a few days. Let me know if you're interested in the whole thing; I can email the file in its entirety so you don't have to wait :-).
As a brief word of introduction, I'll say that we had an amazing birth experience supported by a phenomenal midwife and nurse. Joel was an amazing coach! The birth story you'll read here was written by me, from a laboring mama's point of view. I noted where I had to check with Joel for details. He's planning to read through the whole thing and add comments where he remembers things that I don't, or remembers them differently. Hopefully he'll add those comments here as well, but at the very least you'll get a sense for the course of our labor and delivery from my perspective. Again, this is as much detail as I can remember, carefully recorded as an encouragement to other moms-to-be and as a personal memoir of this life-changing experience. It is not for the faint of heart, and probably not for the uninitiated male reader. I left out some of the less dignified details, but recorded as much as I could of the physical sensations and mental gymnastics that were involved in birthing our daughter. For those who would like to learn about the most intense, beautiful, miraculous eleven and a half hours of my life, read on...
Our birth experience began quietly and unexpectedly at 11:00 p.m. on 1/11/11. I was dozing, having gone to bed a short time before, when I experienced my first contraction. Now, I had been pre-laboring for about a week – lots of random, relatively painless contractions, sometimes happening regularly for a few hours, but always spacing out and subsiding eventually. So when this one woke me up and took my breath away, I didn’t immediately suspect that I was starting into labor. But, since it felt different than previous contractions, and I continued to feel somewhat crampy even after the contraction ended, I decided to make a note of it.
Despite the ongoing discomfort following this first contraction, I was able to go back to sleep for a bit. The next contraction woke me at 11:29 p.m. and felt similar to the first one. I abdominal-breathed through it just as our birth class instructor had taught us, and again made a mental note that it had come about 30 minutes after the first one. So far, Joel was still sleeping soundly with nary a clue that anything might be happening. I decided not to sound the alarm just yet, and settled in for (hopefully) some more sleep myself.
The next contraction didn’t hit until 12:30 a.m., so I’m not sure whether I slept through one. I still wasn’t getting TOO excited because they were pretty far apart, but the contractions were definitely intense enough that I needed my deep breathing and relaxation skills to feel ok. At this point I got up to walk around a little and use the bathroom, to see if that would help the crampy feeling to go away (it didn’t).
At 12:54 I had another contraction, and the next followed swiftly on its heels at 1:03. We went from spaced out, almost half an hour apart contractions to 9 minutes apart after only three contractions. At this point I was definitely considering waking Joel to provide some coaching! He actually woke on his own and asked if everything was alright. I told him I was considering waking him in a few minutes, that I was having painful contractions.
I should mention at this point that Joel can, and often does, sleep through anything. He is not easy to rouse. So I confess to several minutes of bitterness as another contraction rolled through at 1:11 and he was still, apparently, sleeping soundly. If he wasn’t going to wake up, then I was going to need to get comfortable. I headed for the bathroom. And may I say, laboring while sitting on the toilet is amazing! I was able to use all my breathing to completely relax through each contraction. Contractions kept coming at 8 minutes, then 7 minutes, then 6 minutes apart. It seemed that each one came closer upon the previous one, rush upon rush.
In all fairness, Joel got up quickly as soon as he realized what was happening. But naturally he requested to go to the bathroom – what?!? Give up my precious laboring position?? But there weren’t a lot of options, so I stood for the next one. Yup, I definitely preferred sitting on the toilet.
I labored until about 2 a.m. in the bathroom. We lit a scented candle, wrote down the timing of contractions on a little note pad, and generally talked about what in the world should we do?? Our area had a winter weather advisory in effect, and our driveway (not to mention the roads) was covered in 4-5 inches of snow. At 2:00, my contractions were 6-7 minutes apart (we only had a few contractions that were 8-9 minutes apart before they ramped up). We decided that with how quickly things seemed to be moving along, we had better call the midwife to give her a heads up and talk about when to head to the birth center. While Joel was on the phone with her, my contractions went from 6 minutes to 3 minutes apart. Holy smokes! Our midwife on call, Jen, asked to speak with me. I told her everything was going fine, and had a contraction while we were on the phone. She observed that I had to stop talking and breathe through it, and we decided to meet at the birth center at 3:30 a.m.
Tomorrow's installment: Battling the snow!
Welcome, Mikayla Grace!
With the help of the Lord and a fantastic midwife, Joel and I welcomed our precious Mikayla Grace into the world at 10:18 a.m. on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. (Even better than making it for a 1/11/11 birth, she has a palindrome birth date of 1/12/11!) She weighed in at 8 lbs 3 oz, and was 21 1/2 inches long.
We had a near-perfect birthing experience, other than a little back labor for a few hours and having to finish the delivery outside of the birth tub due to meconium staining. All told, labor lasted just over 11 hours. I'm working on writing up the whole birth story and will post it here when I'm finished. Thank you to all who have been praying for us, that Mikayla would arrive soon and with a safe delivery. We truly have been far more blessed than we deserve in both pregnancy and birth. It went so well that we went home a short 4 hours after Mikayla was born!
Truly the Lord has smiled upon us in this season, and our hearts are grateful. Glory be to Him alone!
We had a near-perfect birthing experience, other than a little back labor for a few hours and having to finish the delivery outside of the birth tub due to meconium staining. All told, labor lasted just over 11 hours. I'm working on writing up the whole birth story and will post it here when I'm finished. Thank you to all who have been praying for us, that Mikayla would arrive soon and with a safe delivery. We truly have been far more blessed than we deserve in both pregnancy and birth. It went so well that we went home a short 4 hours after Mikayla was born!
Truly the Lord has smiled upon us in this season, and our hearts are grateful. Glory be to Him alone!
On Being Pregnant Forever
An actual conversation, copied and pasted from Gmail chat:
me: Laura's in the hospital working on having her baby, so that'll be two down from our birth class. I almost cried when I read it (though I think she was due before me) because I am now certain that I will be pregnant forever
Joel: Honey, you won't be.
We're still a week away from the due date!
Your pelvis will open, and the baby will descend, like millions of babies before him/her (quote from birth class).
me: yeah yeah....
It feels like my pelvis IS open and the baby IS descending, and will remain halfway down for the rest of my LIFE.
But I have to acknowledge that you are probably right.
But I have to acknowledge that you are probably right.
Joel: Probably.
I mean, I could be wrong, and you could be pregnant forever, and we could be in the guinness book of world records, and then you could give birth in 50 years, and we could name him or her Benjamin Button.
In all seriousness, major congratulations to both Angie and Laura, ladies from our birth class who have welcomed or are welcoming their little girls! I hope to join you in the ranks of motherhood someday...
Nursery Photos
Hey, want to see the nursery?
The view from the glider, where mama will spend oodles of time in the next few months. You can see diapers at the ready, and a closet stocked with newborn clothes (there's plenty of room for more, when we know whether to buy blue or pink).
It's pretty bright in there...we might need to add a few curtains to make it a little more conducive to afternoon naps.
There's room for grandparents to sleep here (baby can move to the portable crib in our room), or an exhausted mama who doesn't feel like making it back to her own bed in the middle of the night.
The table is one I painted not long ago, given to us by friends the Mokrejses. The same friends also gave us a cute wall hanging ("Our home has just been enlarged by two feet!" with a picture of little baby shoes on it) that Joel needs to put up sometime soon. The table holds the many books given to us for baby, a little musical horse that graced my room when I was tiny, and the picture frame I gave Joel to tell him I was pregnant.
And see the big space above the crib, waiting for the cross stitch that my mom is making for the baby? Speaking of the crib, here's a photo of the inside. It looks a little feminine, perhaps, but that's because most of the stuffed animals we have are from when I was little. Though we do have Joel's old teddy bear in there as well. It's the one you can barely see in the lower right corner. Also notice the cow from Becca and Amy, part of my "milk"-themed shower gift from them. Bumper courtesy of best friend Susan and her mom.
I think my favorite thing about our nursery is the fact that almost every item reminds me of the person who graciously gave or lent it, or helped us find it, out of love for our new baby. The crib from the Benders, clothes and changing pad from Laurie, glider found by Laurie (and a rocker downstairs given by her as well!), swing from my grandparents, books and stuffed animals from friends and family, diapers from my dear sister and her husband, and more. The whole room (along with other items throughout our home now) is such a collection of love and friendship, as well as history, reminding me that we could not welcome this child without the support of all the wonderful people in our lives. We feel so blessed by the generosity of those around us, and look forward to relying on you all to help us as parents, raising this sweet baby in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Thank you!
Sweet pea, come out and enjoy your new digs!
The view from the glider, where mama will spend oodles of time in the next few months. You can see diapers at the ready, and a closet stocked with newborn clothes (there's plenty of room for more, when we know whether to buy blue or pink).
It's pretty bright in there...we might need to add a few curtains to make it a little more conducive to afternoon naps.
There's room for grandparents to sleep here (baby can move to the portable crib in our room), or an exhausted mama who doesn't feel like making it back to her own bed in the middle of the night.
The table is one I painted not long ago, given to us by friends the Mokrejses. The same friends also gave us a cute wall hanging ("Our home has just been enlarged by two feet!" with a picture of little baby shoes on it) that Joel needs to put up sometime soon. The table holds the many books given to us for baby, a little musical horse that graced my room when I was tiny, and the picture frame I gave Joel to tell him I was pregnant.
And see the big space above the crib, waiting for the cross stitch that my mom is making for the baby? Speaking of the crib, here's a photo of the inside. It looks a little feminine, perhaps, but that's because most of the stuffed animals we have are from when I was little. Though we do have Joel's old teddy bear in there as well. It's the one you can barely see in the lower right corner. Also notice the cow from Becca and Amy, part of my "milk"-themed shower gift from them. Bumper courtesy of best friend Susan and her mom.
I think my favorite thing about our nursery is the fact that almost every item reminds me of the person who graciously gave or lent it, or helped us find it, out of love for our new baby. The crib from the Benders, clothes and changing pad from Laurie, glider found by Laurie (and a rocker downstairs given by her as well!), swing from my grandparents, books and stuffed animals from friends and family, diapers from my dear sister and her husband, and more. The whole room (along with other items throughout our home now) is such a collection of love and friendship, as well as history, reminding me that we could not welcome this child without the support of all the wonderful people in our lives. We feel so blessed by the generosity of those around us, and look forward to relying on you all to help us as parents, raising this sweet baby in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Thank you!
Sweet pea, come out and enjoy your new digs!
The One Wherein My Patience Forsook Me
Little sweet pea,
Enough with the warm fuzzies. Please get here, and I mean today. Well, maybe tomorrow so your daddy can finish recovering from being up so late. But seriously, I am ready to tango.
Love,
Mama
Yesterday:
- Grocery shopping, which I thought sure would get our little 2010 tax deduction rolling.
- Baked brownies and cream puffs from scratch, which...ditto above.
- Ate spicy hot wings and laughed til it hurt, but alas, it was all in vain.
Today:
- Cleaned the kitchen and reorganized the utensil drawers (seriously, how can that not mean that labor is imminent?)
- Made two lasagnas for the freezer, which is also stocked with autumn chowder, beef stew, and some Christmas leftovers. Also some Christmas cookies that might come in handy, because when do Christmas cookies not come in handy?
- Brewed some red raspberry leaf tea to maybe start some labor.
- Commenced Day 3 of Evening Primrose Oil supplements to help prime the pump, as it were.
Tomorrow:
- All of the above (tea, EPO, etc.) plus:
- A drive up the bad part of route 222 to maybe knock this sweet pea loose. Or maybe the drive to church will be enough if we take the back roads!
To any readers who stumble across this post: Don't you dare ask the Lord to teach us patience. Don't even think about it. Seriously. We have already passed the day of the tax deduction and have a fresh health insurance deductible waiting on us to boot. At this point, let's just get this show on the road! If you are going to pray, please pray for progress rather than patience.
Or, you know, just for the Lord to bring this baby in His perfect timing, because despite what you all believe, I am not nearly as smart or wise as the God who is putting the finishing touches on this little miracle He has knit together in my womb.
Enough with the warm fuzzies. Please get here, and I mean today. Well, maybe tomorrow so your daddy can finish recovering from being up so late. But seriously, I am ready to tango.
Love,
Mama
Yesterday:
- Grocery shopping, which I thought sure would get our little 2010 tax deduction rolling.
- Baked brownies and cream puffs from scratch, which...ditto above.
- Ate spicy hot wings and laughed til it hurt, but alas, it was all in vain.
Today:
- Cleaned the kitchen and reorganized the utensil drawers (seriously, how can that not mean that labor is imminent?)
- Made two lasagnas for the freezer, which is also stocked with autumn chowder, beef stew, and some Christmas leftovers. Also some Christmas cookies that might come in handy, because when do Christmas cookies not come in handy?
- Brewed some red raspberry leaf tea to maybe start some labor.
- Commenced Day 3 of Evening Primrose Oil supplements to help prime the pump, as it were.
Tomorrow:
- All of the above (tea, EPO, etc.) plus:
- A drive up the bad part of route 222 to maybe knock this sweet pea loose. Or maybe the drive to church will be enough if we take the back roads!
To any readers who stumble across this post: Don't you dare ask the Lord to teach us patience. Don't even think about it. Seriously. We have already passed the day of the tax deduction and have a fresh health insurance deductible waiting on us to boot. At this point, let's just get this show on the road! If you are going to pray, please pray for progress rather than patience.
Or, you know, just for the Lord to bring this baby in His perfect timing, because despite what you all believe, I am not nearly as smart or wise as the God who is putting the finishing touches on this little miracle He has knit together in my womb.
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