I've got baby on the brain tonight because currently, I am pregnant with baby #3 (actual date today: May 21, 2011) a girl (we are thinking will be named Julia, but don't hold us to that) and I realized that I have never recorded my labor experiences on the blog. I don't think this information is something that will mean anything to anyone other than my children so I put in a random date from the past so it will be here, but so that no one currently will have to read all the gory details.
Let's talk about Sabrina's delivery:
Date: April 19, 2006
Oh Sabrina. On the morning you were delivered, you were 9 days overdue. 9! May this never happen to you when you are pregnant and having babies. I was borderline crazy as your dad can attest to. Had you not been my first I don't think that I would have been so neurotic, I probably would have just enjoyed the extra sleep I was getting, but there was nothing enjoyable about the experience. Dr. Jones said that he wouldn't induce labor on a first baby because the rate of C-section was so much higher, so we waited until I was (nearly) in labor.
I had been to the hospital on a number of occasions during the pregnancy with you thinking that I was in labor (and I never was...I never even dilated). So the day of your birth, I woke up around 4 am to go to the bathroom, and saw I was spotting (gory detail but that's what it was) and decided that instead of rushing to the hospital I was going to call labor and delivery to ask what I should do. They told me to come in.
I let your dad sleep for a while longer and around 7 am we headed to the hospital to be checked. When they checked me, I was only dilated to a 2, but that was progress. The nurse there (I swore I would never forget her name, but I already have) looked at me and said, "You're 41 weeks and 2 days pregnant! Let's just start you for crying out loud!" For the record, Dr. Jones was going to induce me the next day, so I think he was okay with what went down.
Your labor wasn't the easiest as I threw up after every contraction. The epidural had the strength to knock out a 500 lb. man (it was too much) and the nurse at the time thought that she would put a nice dose of Fenergen in my cocktail to help with the nausea, which it did, but it also made me fall asleep, heavily. When it came time to push, I was very out of it. After about 3 hours of pushing I remember Dr. Jones coming in and asking me if I wanted to keep trying, do a c-section (which he didn't recommend), or try the forceps. I mumbled some jibberish to him (still falling asleep at times) that in my head said, "do the forceps." Not understanding me he said, "Okay, I think I'm going to ask dad." He then turned to your dad and said, "Dad, what do you think we should do?" Your dad read my mind and said, "Do the forceps."
The next thing I knew some blonde nurse (a new one I hadn't seen before) was yelling at me saying "Push harder, push harder, Lindsay!" I also remember Dr. Jones asking your dad if he was alright as I believe the sight of it all had him a bit pale in the face. And then the next thing I knew, you were here. And we were parents.
You were a beautiful newborn. Not at all ugly like you hear. You were clean (very little white stuff, an indicator that you were overdue). You had no markings of the forceps and immediately when I got to hold you for the first time, you sucked your middle two fingers (a habit we are still trying to get you out of!). You had brownish hair, not too much. I think I could tell you were going to be blonde.
I'd like to say that the first weeks of your life were all bliss for us. They weren't. I had a rough adjustment to nursing (couldn't produce enough), you were jaundiced (they sent us home with lights and we ended up back at the hospital for a night or two because of this and our new paranoia), and I wasn't quite prepared for the 24/7 exhaustion of motherhood yet. But you were perfect. I was amazed right away how I could stare at you all day long. You took to formula well (I stopped nursing at about 3 weeks when you weren't gaining any weight...you even lost a pound) and by about 3 to 4 weeks you still woke up several times per night, but you were regular (woke up at the same time each night) which made life so great for your mother.
As for the pregnancy with you, I was sick for about a month (weeks 8 to 12), but then it was fairly easy. I remember getting leg cramps in the middle of the night and having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the pregnancy. You were a moderate mover, which scared me (it was my first pregnancy) so I often drank juice laid on my side and eagerly counted every movement you made. I craved meat and pancakes at first with you, but then the cravings subsided. We didn't decide on your name until about a week before you were born. Your dad chose your name (I gave in, but loved it the minute you were born). Other names we considered: Marianne, Lucy, Eliza, Caroline, Alexa.
So, that's your story.
On to Lucy. Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. I have recorded many things about your pregnancy on the blog (most of 2008) so I'll be brief. You were the easiest pregnancy in human history. I felt great after week 11 (sick from about weeks 7 to 11), almost better than I did in regular life. After your ultrasound, we moved for the summer to Virginia. We were poor students who didn't think that having a doctor who wasn't going to deliver check my heart rate and weight was worth $300 per visit, so I didn't go. I know! Your paranoid mother was super calm during your pregnancy! What's that all about?
When we returned to Utah I was about a month away from delivery. And then I went back to Dr. Jones who didn't seem to think that the fact that I hadn't been to any doctor in three months was a big deal. He was super relaxed too!
I never really wrote about your delivery when it happened, so here's the run down: After the nightmare of going overdue with Sabrina, I decided that being induced early was a better idea. Dr. Jones was more than willing to do this on a second pregnancy so we knew that September 23, 2008 was going to be your birthday for about a month. I had no fears of ever going into labor on my own. I just don't do that.
Your induction was pretty perfect as I recall. We went to the hospital early in the morning; I woke up and did my hair and make-up because I couldn't sleep any longer (made for a lot better "after" photos than Sabrina's birth!...and I was awake for yours!). We dropped off Sabrina at Grandma Sampson's and we were on our way.
At the hospital they got me hooked up, and I think it was about 3 to 4 hours later when they broke my water and not to long after that I got the epidural. This time I was much more brave and asked for the smallest dose they had. If I needed more, I'd ask! It was perfect. I could feel all my contractions, but no pain. At one point I thought I was hungry so they let me have orange jello. I promptly threw it up (something about those epidurals) so that was the last thing I ate. Your dad was in his second year as a stressed out law student, so as I recall, he sat in the delivery room studying for most of the morning.
I stayed dilated to a 4 with you for about 3 or 4 hours and at one point I thought to myself, "Oh no what if I don't progress and I have to have a c-section...maybe we shouldn't have done the induction." It was at this point that I decided to take a nap while we waited so I rolled over onto my side. In 15 minutes time I had about 3 strong contractions and I began to feel pressure. I told Grandma Shar and your dad that I was feeling pressure but felt dumb asking the nurse to come check me as she had just barely been there to check me. They both said, "Call the nurse." Sure enough when she came in, it was time to push. Crazy fast.
They got things ready, and Dr. Jones came in to deliver with a 13 year old girl at his side. He said, "Hey it's Bring Your Daughter to Work Day so do you mind if my daughter watches." I thought that was kind of strange and that this poor girl may never want to have children of her own, but I said yes, so she witnessed your birth. In about 3 pushes you were out. Very easy.
You were very cute and cuddly. You had a good amount of dark hair. This surprises me now because you are so blonde. I immediately loved your cheeks and still do.
The transition bringing you home was so smooth and easy. I really didn't think it was possible to feel that good after having a baby. I remember I could and did hold you all day long. You slept most days but night time was hard with you for about two months. You were NOT consistent in your waking up like Sabrina was. At one point I gave in and you slept every night in your car seat until you were about 2 months old. You spit up all the time which made laundry fun. I gave up on nursing after about 2 days with you; there was something about starving my first child that made me feel too guilty to really try with you. No matter. You grew and were healthy as could be.
We knew your name was Lucy Mae after being pregnant for about a month. We briefly considered Claire as a name for you, but it was very brief.
