Delivery - The Aftermath

So when you have a baby (at least at our hospital), the plan is as follows:

1.  Have baby.
2.  Baby and Mommy get cleaned up.
3.  Baby stays in room with Mommy and Daddy for 1 hour.
4.  Baby goes to nursery for bath/tests/etc. and Mommy goes to postpartum room.
5.  Happy family is reunited a few hours later.

That is not exactly what happened for us.  Pregnancy and labor had gone so smoothly that I guess I was due for something to go wrong.  Luckily, I usually don't set myself up for disappointment by having high/specific expectations, so I took it all in stride.

I'll spare you the gory details of why this happened, but basically I lost 4 times the amount of blood you are supposed to lose when you have a baby - a total of about 2000 mL.  Later, my dad pointed out that 2000 mL equals 2 liters.  That made it sound like even more, so I like to stick with milliliters since they sound small!

The delivery room was very chaotic during this ordeal, and as time went by, the doctor's voice sounded more and more concerned/alarmed/nervous.  After more than an hour of trying all kinds of techniques and drugs, they were finally able to stop the bleeding.  Unfortunately, that meant that my brand new baby girl was already sent to the nursery, and I hadn't even gotten to hold her.

Although this was not how I envisioned the moments after the delivery, in the end, everything turned out okay.  I got to hold my daughter about 4 1/2 hours after she was born, and it was incredibly emotional as you can see below.

Now I get to hold her whenever I want, and she is too cute for words!

Happy Birthday Emery

When my due date came and there was no sign of Emery, my doctor scheduled an induction for the following Tuesday.  Emery had other plans.

On Saturday, I started worrying that my water had broken.  I hadn't experienced the typical gush, so I wasn't sure.  I called the doctor and she wanted me to get checked out just in case, so we packed up and headed to the hospital.  Here is a picture right before we left.

My cousin Ginger works in labor and delivery, so she checked me out and told me that my water had indeed broken 2 1/2 days before.  This can cause a risk of infection, so they started me on pitocin right away.

Here is a timeline of my labor:

5:15 PM got to hospital
5:50 PM found out water broke
6:15 PM IV started
6:40 PM pitocin started
7:30 PM start feeling uncomfortable
9:00 PM threw up and was given meds for nausea
10:20 PM asked for epidural
10:40 PM got epidural
11:15 PM epidural kicked in  (great decision...see picture below)

11:30 PM catheter inserted and cervix checked (thin and 5cm)
1:00 - 3:00 AM tried to sleep
3:00 AM cervix checked (10 cm ready to push)
        call dr (20 min away)
        can already see long dark hair
3:30 AM start pushing
3:55 AM EMERY IS BORN!

Overall, I think my labor went really well.  It was what happened next that was kind of scary...

...TO BE CONTINUED

Due Date

Emery was due to be born February 10, 2011. 

What was I doing that day?

Having a baby?  No.

Relaxing with my feet up?  No.

Teaching a bunch of 6th graders?  Yes.

I actually taught the next day too!  I had one of my students take a picture so I'd have proof!

Baby Shower

I really thought I'd have a baby by now (thanks to the doctor telling me for 2 1/2 weeks that it would be any day now), but I don't, so I guess I should post something here.

Here are some pictures of the baby shower Abraham's mom threw me in January.

Diaper cake courtesy of my mom.

Abraham was really excited about his hat...

The aftermath...

Overall, we felt really blessed to have such great family and friends to celebrate with!

Dear Emery,

I don't want to go to work tomorrow, so if you could be born soon, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Mommy

Emery's Nursery

The nursery decor was important to both Abraham and me as soon as we found out I was pregnant...first time parent thing, I guess.  As soon as we found out we were having a girl, the search for bedding began.  I really had a hard time finding something I loved, and ultimately it was Abraham that found the winner.  I had seen the pattern a million times, but it never stuck out to me.  I had faith in his choice, and I'm glad I did.  I could not be happier with how it all turned out.  Sure - there are little details we could still add, but the majority is DONE!

Daddy, being the paint match specialist he is, picked the perfect shade of pink for his little girl's walls.  Mommy then painted some extra touches to match the design on the bedding.  Yes folks - you heard right - I painted those cherry blossoms by hand.  No stencils, no projector, no decals.  Just a pencil, a paintbrush and a steady hand!

I had a hard time picking a glider because I don't like the look of traditional wooden ones, but the upholstered ones are so expensive.  In the end, I decided to splurge because you only have your first baby once, and I figure it will get a lot of use!  A friend at work crocheted the beautiful afghan that matches the decor perfectly!

Here is a close up of the details on the wall.  Again, I am very happy with how it turned out.  It looks just like the bedding!

We don't have room for a dresser in the nursery, so I tried to get lots of closet storage.  Luckily the closet is way bigger than it looks (it's much wider on the inside).

A close up of where Miss E will lay her sweet head at night...

We also have a good amount of storage under the changing table.

View from the door...

 I found this cute hair bow holder at Hobby Lobby, but it was originally pink, white, black, and green (not exactly a good match for E's room).  It was so cheap, I couldn't resist, so I took it apart, Abraham and I repainted it, and I put it back together with some new brown ribbon.  I think it turned out perfect - if I do say so myself!

I can't help but walk in the nursery at least once a day.  It is so cute, and it gets me excited to bring Emery home to it!

Heather

Starting a Blog

I love blogs...

...other people's blogs.

I've always wanted one of my own, but never felt like I had enough to say.  But now that I am about to have a baby, I feel like I need to document this time in my life - more for me (and the baby) than for other people, but hey, why not a blog?

So here I sit, at 38+ weeks pregnant, while I should be doing a million other things, starting a blog.

Here's to you, Emery.  May we enjoy the short time left as just the two of us and the exciting lifetime to come!

Mommy