As this current stage of my life is nearly wholly defined by my status as a new mom, I feel the first real thing that I share here should be a recap of the last six months. So here I go...
Our amazing daughter was born about six-and-a-half months ago, arriving about one month earlier than we had expected her. (Skip ahead to the next paragraph if you have no interest in reading delivery day details, but I'll keep them PG, none the less.) My water broke unexpectedly around 3AM on July 28. Let's just say I am glad I was in my own home for this event! It was definitely NOT one of those, "I didn't even notice my water had broken" type of experiences. We called the doctor, and then took our time getting ready and eating breakfast, before finally heading to the hospital around 6:00AM. After being checked in, filling out a stack of papers, and having about a dozen bracelets strapped onto my arm, I was moved into a labor room to be hooked up to antibiotic and pitocen (the former because I had not yet been tested for Strep-B, and the latter because my water had broken before any contractions had started). Contractions began shortly, and progressed until about 11:00 when I decided it was time for the epidural (which we had planned to have all along). In our childbirth classes, we had learned about the different classifications of contractions. The ones referred to as the "transition stage" are the ones where they change from just regular cramping sensations to "I'm-being-stabbed-in-the-back-and-stomach-at-the-same-time" sensations...with only about 20 seconds to recoup in between each one. These hit hard and fast, so Rob (my hero in those moments) went searching the halls for the anesthesiologist. He came within a few minutes (which felt like eternity), prepped my back, asked me if anyone had ever told me that I had slight scoliosis (no, and I don't care at this particular moment), and finally administered the epidural. However, I had a contraction while he was inserting it, so I flinched. The first one didn't take, so he had to re-do it. (I'm one of like three that he has had to re-do over the last five or so years.) Within minutes, I could feel the medicine taking effect and I was finally at ease. Rob and I were able to nap for the next several hours, which was delightful. The afternoon was blissfully peaceful. Around 4:00, the doctor came in to check on me again, and she told us we were ready to "give it a try." By 4:20, I had pushed through about four contractions, and my daughter was now laying on my chest. The delivery portion was short, sweet, and amazingly painless. And our little Pebble was finally meeting the outside world.
After Aubrey was delivered, Rob (who had paid attention well during our childbirth classes) pointed out to the nurses who were taking care of me at the time that Aubrey was having some difficulty getting a good breath, so she got whisked away to the nursery to be hooked up to some oxygen and have her blood-oxygen levels monitored. And there she stayed from Wednesday afternoon until Saturday. Not being able to be with her and hold her was by far the most difficult part of our whole experience, but we knew she was being well taken care of and was exactly where she needed to be. During her time in the nursery, I also wasn't able to nurse her, so I had to pump milk and give it to her in a bottle. (In future posts I will comment on the after-effects of this for her.) But on Saturday morning, our fabulous nurse who had been with us during delivery was working in the nursery. She made the executive decision that it was time for Aubrey to be with us, set us up with a portable oxygen monitor, and shipped the three of us off to our room together for the first time. This was a beautiful day. We spent the whole day cuddling and bonding and visiting with family. We were discharged and sent home the next day.
The time since has flown by like I cannot believe, but we have absolutely loved it. More details to come. Stay tuned for part 2.
Grace and Peace.
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