That's IT!

I've lost countless hours of sleep in the last 5 to 5 1/2 months. The first two months were understandable. I was huge and uncomfortable and then Ariel was little and extremely needy (which is a very normal newborn thing). But the last two to three months haven't been so easy to live without sleep. I tried forcing her to wake up early, thinking that might make her want to go to sleep earlier. Hey, it works for me, why won't it work for my 5-month old?! That just made the daytime unbearable. Whining and crying, and then more whining and crying. My child didn't cry for the first two months of life, but now it's a regular occurrence before sleep and AFTER sleep. Then an epiphany...

I baby sat for a 4-month old recently. While explaining the daily routine to me, his father said something that has changed my routine with Ariel. After asking him if I should wake his baby up if he wasn't up by a certain time, he said no, that his baby should be happy when he wakes up. It didn't hit me until the next day--his child is not happy when he is awakened from his sleep, but happy if he just wakes up on his own.

Not so with my child. Ariel is never happy if she wakes up on her own, but if I wake her up, she's as happy as a lark. So, the task has begun for me to figure out a good schedule for the dear child. Then this morning, it dawned on me that I am living on the East Coast with a West Coast baby. She goes to bed at midnight and wakes up at around 8 or 8:30 the next morning. If we were in Washington or California that would translate into 9 pm to 5 am--fairly normal hours!

It's close to 8:30 so I better go wake the baby up! I don't care to hear the whining all morning.

Ariel's Birth Story

The whole pregnancy went very well, with only the usual issues and a lot of lower back/SI joint pain.  I was excited after going for the induction massage on August 7th, and hopeful that something would transpire over the weekend. Well, something did...I started having contractions every night! Sunday, Aug 10th, they got down to 3 mins apart, then totally stopped. It was evil! I would get excited only to be disappointed yet again. By my doctor appointment on Wednesday, I was 3 cm dialated and about 50% effaced. I comforted myself that the sleepless nights had resulted in something, but it was wearing me out.

Wednesday night/Thursday morning the contractions started once again. They were 7 mins apart and fairly consistent...all day long. By 6 pm, they were down to about 5-6 mins apart. We went for a walk and they just got worse, so we decided to get everything ready for the hospital and leave.

We arrived at the hospital around 8:30 pm, they checked my progess, which was 4 cm, and hooked me up to the machine to see how my contractions were going. Everything was progressing enough that they decided to admit me. I couldn't wait to get in the jacuzzi tub to ease the pain!

Most of the labor is a blur now. I remember how I thought I'd never get pregnant again because the pain was so intense, but I was determined (and Jeremy was supportive!) to not use any sort of medication. I hadn't used anything the whole time I was pregnant (not even one tylenol!) and so, it was the end of the full 9 months of determination. (I have the Bradley Method classes to thank for the good preparation for the whole labor and delivery process.)

My doctor had requested to be called as soon as I was admitted to the hospital. They tried calling him the evening we arrived at the hospital, but later he said he was in his basement working out so he didn't actually get the call until the following morning! (Apparently they only tried to call him once, ugh!) I had been told that I was 9 cm dialated, and Dr. Weaver was in a hurry to get there in time for the birth!

A little while after he arrived, he checked my progress, only to find out that I was 7.5 cm dialated!! Talk about a curve ball for me! I was feeling better at that point, thinking that we were close to delivery, but we were still sooo far away! I got back into the tub to relax after such crappy news. It certainly helped me chill out, but the contractions were very strong no matter where I was at.

Eventually, I finally hit 9 cm, with only an anterior lip remaining. I don't know how long I was at that stage, but it was driving me crazy not to push. Dr Weaver mentioned pitocin...but he knew how determined I was to do it completely natural, not to mention how much more painful the contractions would get. After what felt like an eternity to me, he suggested that I could face the back of the bed, and he would push the lip over the baby's head while I pushed her down. I worked hard at this--I was determined to make it work! And eventually her head was far enough past the lip that I could safely continue to push her out unassisted. 

My contractions were slow in coming, spaced about 3 mins apart. I kept working hard at pushing her out, and 2 hours later I experienced one of the best moments of my life--my baby girl was placed on my chest and I heard the wonderful sound of her beautiful cries. She was purple and slimy, but she was my baby! I couldn't believe it was over. I couldn't believe that I had pushed a baby out without any medication!

I have to say, I would not have made it through the natural birth without my husband. He was there for me every moment that I needed him, rubbing my back when I needed it, giving me encouragement to make it through each and every contraction. Now he's so very helpful in cleaning and cooking and even caring for the baby when I need a break. God knew what He was doing when He brought us together! I praise Him for our wonderful marriage.

Also, I had a doula present, Corrina. She was wonderful as well. I think she probably felt like the water/ice girl sometimes, but Jeremy was able to take a couple naps because of her presence with me. I appreciate her help and encouragement through the birth!

Dr Weaver mentioned to me at Ariel's well-baby check-up that he learned some things through the labor and delivery. And I hope that he is able to encourage more women to try the natural route first!

I was exausted for the next 2 days. Heck, I'm still recovering! But Ariel and I have finally figured out breastfeeding and we're enjoying our bonding time every night (she sleeps soundly on my chest). I can't believe that she's already grown, but it makes me feel more confident in my body's ability to provide for my daughter.

11-day check up

Ariel and I went to the doctor for her 2-week well-baby check up today. She's only 1 oz shy of her birth weight! Woohoo! Stats:

Head Circumference: 75th percentile
Length (21"): 90th percentile
Weight (7 lbs 12 oz): 50th percentile

Looking good so far. We have our appointment at the urologist's tomorrow. Hopeful that everything will go well there.

Ariel Renee's Arrival!

Ariel Renee decided to arrive (finally) on August 15 at 3:57 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz, was 20 3/4 inches long, and surprisingly has hair! We're doing very well now that we're home and slowly getting settled into a routine. (haha! I use that word loosely!)

I hope to have time to write all about the labor and birth. It was a LONG labor, but very, very special.

Patience is definitely a virtue

So, I had my induction massage on Thursday afternoon...and it netted me a weekend of cramping and various other things. BUT NO BABY! UGH. I am very ready to have this little one. Not just because I'm tired of being so big and not being able to pick anything up without squatting, but because I'm nervous about the whole birth process. Am I going to do it right? Will I know when I'm actually having real contractions?! Last night I had a good 3-4 hours of cramping and what I though were contractions, only for them to dissipate. I did everything I was supposed to do--showered, ate something, drank something, laid in a different position, watched tv...finally woke Jeremy up around 4:30 and we went for the last thing--took a walk! And still the cramps and "contractions" came at somewhat regular intervals. Then we curled up on the futon (my current sleeping spot) and feel asleep...and no more cramps or anything after about 35 mins. So confusing and frustrating.

I called the doctor to just be on the safe side. He's so funny. His first comment was that the baby is just playing with me. Haha! But then he reassured me that everything is as it should be, and the cramps and show are very, very good signs, but unfortunately, they probably won't go away until the baby comes. I guess practice makes perfect!

Well, we have been greatly blessed the last few weeks with many gifts and well-wishes! I am so grateful to my best friend, Tonya, whose birthday is tomorrow, for arranging everything! She's the best. :)

BTW, we found a free server to play WoW on...it's going to help pass these last few days until the baby comes!

Currently Gaming World Of Warcraft Expansion: Burning Crusade By Blizzard Entertainment see related