One Week!

Wow, Josette is one week old already! We have had a really good first week. We have been working on getting the hang of nursing and it is going quite well. I have let go of some of my initial anxieties. We had a 1 week visit from a nurse on Thursday. Josette weighed in right at 7 lbs, 15 oz. so she was back up to birth weight in just 5 days. The nurse said they only expect 1/2 oz gain per day, so we quadrupled that! The nurse also checked her latch and said everything looked good so I am feeling a little better about it all. It is still such a learning curve, but I am trying to be more relaxed about it all. We are very much enjoying the newborn cuteness. Just look at that face:

Birth Story

I love reading birth stories and wanted to make sure I wrote up ours before I forgot the details. Be warned, it does include all the details, so if you are squeamish about the biology or just don't want to know those gory bits about me, just skip this post!

On Friday, May 6^th, at 40 weeks, 5 days, I was starting to feel a little discouraged. While, I knew it was perfectly normal for women to remain pregnant through 42 weeks, it had never occurred to me that I would actually go that long. And with no labor symptoms whatsoever, I was starting to think that I would actually have to go to the non-stress test appointment and start to consider at what point we would think about induction, etc. Generally, I was uncomfortable and cranky! It was a gorgeous day and my mom, Finn, Lily and I went on a long 3 mile walk. I pushed Finn in his stroller and kept a good pace. Then, when we got home, we walked with Finn while he rode his bike. I was really active all day. I spent the afternoon weeding the garden. I was trying so hard to remain positive, but I remember being really short and having very little patience with Finn and feeling terrible about it. Friday evening we were invited over to our fabulous neighbors for dinner and it was nice to have a break while Finn could run around and play with everyone. Although, it was a little hectic and we didn't get home til a little later to get Finn to bed. Once, he was settled, I was sitting at the computer and feeling some aches in my lower back. Thinking I was really tired, I decided to crawl in bed and get some rest. I first woke up around 10:30 with more aching in my back and around my pelvis. On some level, I wondered if it was a contraction, but I managed to fall back asleep. I was pretty restless, but also very groggy as I got these “aches” periodically through the night. Finally, at 3am, I realized I should get up and figure out what was going on. I had a contraction as I got up and then quite soon after going to the bathroom. I decided it was pointless to try to sleep and so I got up and turned on the light. I decided to warn Sean and I woke him up and told him that I was having contractions, but they weren't terrible yet. Then, I started putting some last minute things in the hospital bag. Sean got up and asked me to tell him when the contractions were coming and he would time. I told him as a couple of hit and he looked and me and said, “Sadie, that was three minutes apart, are you kidding me?” And, really, that is when it hit that things were really happening. Then, I became nauseous and vomited and that is when I really knew. I had a lot of that with Finn as I was going through transition. We called the hospital to let them know we were on our way.

As we made our way out to the car, the contractions made me stop and I had to breathe through them. The car ride was uncomfortable for sure with each contraction requiring all my attention on breathing to get through. They were really intense in my back before they moved around to my lower abdomen. I had to vomit several times on the car ride in, but it wasn't quite as bad as when I labored with Finn. We made it to the hospital around 4:10 am. We entered through emergency and I was really irritated that they made me ride in a wheelchair to The Family Place (labor and delivery). When we got there, they took me into Triage to assess where I was in labor. I requested that fetal monitoring only be done intermitently, but they wanted to get an initial 20 minute read. They probably only went for about 5 minutes when they decided they better get us to a labor and delivery room before we had the baby. I was at 8 cm at that check. At 4:45 they got us to our room. I requested a birthing ball as that had been the most comfortable when I was laboring with Finn. Contractions were really intense through my back and abdomen at this point and I was really hoping things were going to progress faster than they had at that point with Finn because I didn't know how long I could do it. I breathed and moaned through each one and focused all my internal energy on visualizing my cervix opening and having the baby move down. I really liked the nurse who sat with us through it. She was very reassuring that my body would tell me when it was time to push and we would just wait for it all to happen. While it seemed like a long time to me, it wasn't very long until my water broke on its own and they asked that I get up from the birthing ball. I was on my hands and knees on the bed when my body really did take over and tell me to push. I turned over and began pushing with the contractions. I had requested a mirror to watch the process and I am so glad I did. It was completely amazing to watch and it helped me stay motivated to see the progress. It really wasn't very long before Josette's head came out. We stopped for a moment there. I had requested that they not cut the cord until it had stopped pulsing, but it was loosely around her neck and they had to cut it before her body came out and pulled it tight. She began crying right away. After that, one more push and out she came. The nurse told Sean to “catch” her as she came out and he handed her to me on my chest. She was officially born at 6:28 am. We both looked at the same time and Sean announced that we had a girl! I couldn't have been more shocked! The nurse wrapped a blanket around us and within 10 minutes, Josette began nursing. She was a latching pro right away! We cuddled with her on my chest for at least an hour before they came to weigh and measure her. I had just a small tear (between 1^st and 2^nd degree) that required a few stitches. It was a fast and furious delivery. It was incredibly intense on all levels. I can't help but compare with Finn's delivery which lasted so much longer. This time around I was so much more aware of what my body was doing and what was going on around me. Recovery is also so much better. I have to remind myself not to do too much because I feel really good and then I overdo it.

We're Home!

Last family picture at the hospital:

And a family picture at home:

Lily says, "uh oh, you guys brought home another one?"

Dual winking:

Sean tries to multi-task by holding Josette, playing motorcycles with Finn, and checking work email:

We are having a really good day. I got some rest last night and feel pretty good today. Sean and Finn and Lily and my mom went for a really long walk while Josette and I worked on nursing and resting. I pulled out the moby and was able to walk in the yard with Josette and watch Finn play. Then, I was able to read to Finn and get him napping while Josette napped on my chest. She is still there now making wonderful newborn sleeping noises. I am amazed at how much calmer I am right now compared to when we brought Finn home. I guess I am a little more confident in my parenting skills, although, I am still nervous about establishing nursing. It is so difficult in the beginning and I am second guessing everything. Josette latched on well right away at the hospital and nursed a lot, but then yesterday she slept so much we had to rouse her to eat. I get so worked up about reading feeding cues, how often to wake her up to eat, how long to try to keep her awake at the breast, when to swith, when to burp. It is just not intuitive for me. Plus they give you all these handouts at the hospital that say how many wet and dirty diapers should be expected and I worry if we aren't following the pattern, even though obviously every baby is different. I called my pedi office yesterday to set up Josette's 2 week check up and I tried to ask some of my questions and while she was very nice, the nurse I spoke with was obviously young, not a mom, and pretty much reading verbatim from a cue card. Then, I go back and forth on whether I am just worrying too much, or if I should actually seek out the lactation consultants again, if I should go have her weighed before her one week well check. And why is it that I never hear about any of these worries from other moms? Ha, how is that for feeling more confident second time around? I am working on my birth story and will post that soon.

Welcome, Josette!

Just Born:

Officially, a girl:

First Bath:

Getting warm:

Mama cuddles:

Daddy cuddles:

Sleepy time:

A very proud big brother:

Family of four:

Daddy time:

Its a GIRL!

Josephine Aurelia S.

born this morning at 6:28am

7 lbs 15 oz

21 inches long

We are all doing very well. She is absolutely perfect and healthy. I will post pictures and birth story very soon.

Everyone has been curious about her name. Josephine is after her great grandmother. Aurelia is just a name that Sean and I thought was pretty. Click here for meaning.

40 Weeks

Yep, still pregnant. I had my 40 week appointment today. Everything still looks great, nothing to report. They set me up with an appointment for next week for a non-stress test and ultrasound just in case we make it that far, but the nurses were very sweet and optimistic that I wouldn't need that. I keep reminding myself that it could still be any day now, no need to get too anxious. Finn was born at 40 weeks, 3 days. I feel like I am getting a lot more inquiries this time around than last time. Which is not to say I don't want to hear from everyone :)! I am also enjoying the advice on how to get this kiddo to come, particularly from random strangers at the store! Mostly, advice tends to focus on lots of activity. So, in addition to the norm of chasing Finn around, I am trying to ramp it up. We spent my due date in the garden and we are very excited to have trenched out an asparagus patch and we planted 12 crowns of purple passion asparagus!

Happy Due Date!

This is bound to be the last belly pic, right? I hope so! Little Peapod, we are ready to meet you!