Caution: This post will be very long and descriptive! I am recording this for my very own sake, so I want to include EVERYTHING that I can remember! You don't have to read any of it if you don't want to. There are pictures if you scroll down a little bit.
Just saying.
Okay. Let's start at the very beginning.
BIRTH STORY
Friday, July 23rd
4:51 a.m.
I get a call from the hospital telling me I can come in anytime for my induction! I can't believe I even slept that night, I was so excited. I threw on my clothes, washed my face and waited for Josh and my mom to get ready :)
I guess I was in a bit of a hurry to get the show on.
We finally arrived at the hospital at about 6:00 a.m. and I had to sign all my paperwork and get our little visitor badges. While waiting in the waiting room, one of Josh's classmates, Abby, came to chat with us. She was so excited we were there and even talked to the resident to tell them that Josh was a med student and that he should get to deliver the baby. They said he could cut the umbilical cord. He he.
They finally called my name and took me to my delivery room. My super nice nurse, Lynn, was bustling about getting everything ready, but we did a whole lot more waiting because all of the residents were in a meeting and we had to wait for them to get everything started. HELLO! Why even have me there that early?? Anyway. We had a few visitors in between. More of Josh's classmates. Apparently, Abby had emailed the entire 2010 class and told them if they were around to stop by and visit. Umm. Okay. Whatever.
We also took some guesses as to the time the baby would be born and how much she would weight.
Mom: 7 lb 11 oz @ 2:30 pm
Josh: 7 lb 15 oz. @ 4:47 pm
Me: 8 lb 2 oz. @ 5:17 pm
Lynn started my pitocin at 8:30 a.m. and the contractions were coming regularly, but I couldn't really feel them. Which I thought was strange. When the resident came in to check on me, I was dilated to a 4 still and she guessed that I would have a 6 pound baby. Unless I "hide babies very well." He he again.
My doctor came in and broke my water at 10:48 a.m.
Almost immediately the contractions really started kicking in. Whooee! I have NEVER been in such pain. Props to those who give birth naturally. My pain level jumped from a 3 to an 8 or 9 in just 20 minutes. By the time I got my epidural at 11:37 a.m. they were easily at a 10. My anesthesiologist kept trying to explain everything to me but as soon as a contraction would hit I couldn't focus on anything but the pain.
Well, that and the huge gushes of water coming out of me. That was a strange feeling! I was seriously sitting in puddles of water. I felt like I was losing gallons at a time. Sick.
Nurse Lynn told me as soon as I started feeling pressure on my rectum to let her know.
I wasn't sure if I should tell her I was already feeling that pressure...
When I did tell her she said she had a gut feeling to get the doctor asap.
Josh called our neighbor Brady to come and help give me a priesthood blessing. While getting the blessing, another of Josh's classmates came in. Her name is Natalie. She just came in to chat and eat her lunch.
(Little did she know...)
As soon as the blessing was over, I was ready to go! Brady left pretty quick! :)
Nurses were bustling about by then and told me to start pushing.
I'm not kidding, two little pushes and I saw the baby's head poking out (there was a mirror on the ceiling!)
Then they told me to stop pushing! The doctor wasn't there yet!
Good thing Natalie was there. She threw on some gloves and held the baby in for me because I felt like if I laughed or sneezed the baby would come flying out!
The doctor came in and I pushed one more good push and DONE! We had a perfect little baby at 12:42 p.m. (Just over 4 hours total from pitocin to birth) And she was Brinkley's twin only two years later! It happened so fast the nurses didn't even have time to put the end of the bed down to catch all the yucky stuff. By baby was just born on the bed. 7 minutes total! Whoo!
I couldn't help but say "that was so easy I could have 10 more kids!" Call me crazy!
They immediately let me hold her skin to skin (they called it Kangaroo Care it's supposed to help us bond as well as help breastfeeding go better and promote brain development. Highly recommended, just because it felt so good to hold my new baby!)
I couldn't believe how small she felt. When they weighed her and told me she was 8 lb 7 oz and 19 inches. I almost didn't believe it!
The doctor told me that I had a tiny tear, but not even big enough to stitch up.
They then wheeled me to my new room. Where Darcy and I stayed for two days. Boy were we ready to go home!
We got to go home Sunday morning, and I was so glad! Josh came and got us at about 9:00, and then he had to get ready to speak in Sacrament meeting and teach Sunday School. It was a busy weekend for poor daddy.
A week later I have to say I am feeling AWESOME! I feel almost back to 100%
And I fit into some of my skinny clothes. Not all of them...
But what a blessing that I feel so good!
I still can't lift Brinkley, getting up off the floor is painful, and so are stairs. But otherwise I feel pretty darn good. Especially compared to my first recovery. I didn't feel back to normal for a good 5 or 6 weeks after Brinks.
I can't wait to start jogging again!
BRINKLEY'S BABY SISTER
At first (in the hospital) Brinkley wasn't so sure what to think of Darcy. She would say 'baby sister' but wasn't too interested in her. But when we brought her home, she took to her really well! I feel so blessed that she likes her so much. She always wants to give her blankets and pacifiers. She also gives her kisses and knows to be soft with her. She still mostly calls her baby sister, but has called her Darcy a couple of times.
She hasn't acted jealous at all, and has actually seemed a little more well behaved (for the spunky two year old that she is). She has been occupying her time by herself really well. Who knew my child could play contentedly all by herself for a full hour?? :)
What an angel.
1ST DOCTOR APPOINTMENT
Tuesday July 26th was Darcy's first doctor appointment. Her weight was already up to 8 lb 15 oz! She had dropped down to 7 lb 15 oz in the hospital. That means she had gained a full pound in like 3 days.
Yup. The milk came in. I make yummy creamy butter for my children to fatten them up quick!
It's torture for me for a few days though!
The nurse at the pediatricians office measured her length twice and she was 21 inches. We think the nurse at the hospital must not of straightened her out enough because I doubt she grew two inches in length.
MY MOM
My mom flew in the Thursday afternoon before I had Darcy. I am soooooo glad she was here! I'm glad she got to see the birth (even if I was 6 days late to have this happen) and I'm glad she got to spend time with her granddaughters.
She was so very helpful. She cooked meals, kept my house clean, did my laundry and let me shower as long as I wanted while she watched the kiddos.
She even watched them so Josh and I could go on a date. I don't know when we'll be able to go on a date for quite a while, so that was very fun for us.
It was really hard to watch her go through airport security yesterday. I usually try really hard to be tough, but I couldn't stop the tears yesterday. I hope she knows how much I love and appreciate her. I have avoided baby blues so far and I really feel I owe that to her! She is an amazing grandma (ga ga).
Brinkley misses her too. She keeps saying "Where's ga ga? Ga ga bye bye? Airplane?" It's so sad.
I LOVE MY GIRLS
I just have to say that I adore my little girls. I cherish this newborn so much. I love her smell, her sounds, her faces, and that she cuddles with me.
And Brinks has been so good about this little addition to our family. It makes me love her even more.
It's so true when people say that your love just grows when you have another child!
Not only that, but my love for my husband has grown too! It is so reassuring to me that we are in this together and that he is there for me.
I keep singing that little primary song
"We are a happy family!"
Here's a few pictures I took of Darcy Kate. I'm still learning how to pose newborns... it's hard!
But we had a few goodies.
Thanks mom for being my partner in crime trying to get these pictures!
Just saying.
Okay. Let's start at the very beginning.
BIRTH STORY
Friday, July 23rd
4:51 a.m.
I get a call from the hospital telling me I can come in anytime for my induction! I can't believe I even slept that night, I was so excited. I threw on my clothes, washed my face and waited for Josh and my mom to get ready :)
I guess I was in a bit of a hurry to get the show on.
We finally arrived at the hospital at about 6:00 a.m. and I had to sign all my paperwork and get our little visitor badges. While waiting in the waiting room, one of Josh's classmates, Abby, came to chat with us. She was so excited we were there and even talked to the resident to tell them that Josh was a med student and that he should get to deliver the baby. They said he could cut the umbilical cord. He he.
They finally called my name and took me to my delivery room. My super nice nurse, Lynn, was bustling about getting everything ready, but we did a whole lot more waiting because all of the residents were in a meeting and we had to wait for them to get everything started. HELLO! Why even have me there that early?? Anyway. We had a few visitors in between. More of Josh's classmates. Apparently, Abby had emailed the entire 2010 class and told them if they were around to stop by and visit. Umm. Okay. Whatever.
We also took some guesses as to the time the baby would be born and how much she would weight.
Mom: 7 lb 11 oz @ 2:30 pm
Josh: 7 lb 15 oz. @ 4:47 pm
Me: 8 lb 2 oz. @ 5:17 pm
Lynn started my pitocin at 8:30 a.m. and the contractions were coming regularly, but I couldn't really feel them. Which I thought was strange. When the resident came in to check on me, I was dilated to a 4 still and she guessed that I would have a 6 pound baby. Unless I "hide babies very well." He he again.
My doctor came in and broke my water at 10:48 a.m.
Almost immediately the contractions really started kicking in. Whooee! I have NEVER been in such pain. Props to those who give birth naturally. My pain level jumped from a 3 to an 8 or 9 in just 20 minutes. By the time I got my epidural at 11:37 a.m. they were easily at a 10. My anesthesiologist kept trying to explain everything to me but as soon as a contraction would hit I couldn't focus on anything but the pain.
Well, that and the huge gushes of water coming out of me. That was a strange feeling! I was seriously sitting in puddles of water. I felt like I was losing gallons at a time. Sick.
Nurse Lynn told me as soon as I started feeling pressure on my rectum to let her know.
I wasn't sure if I should tell her I was already feeling that pressure...
When I did tell her she said she had a gut feeling to get the doctor asap.
Josh called our neighbor Brady to come and help give me a priesthood blessing. While getting the blessing, another of Josh's classmates came in. Her name is Natalie. She just came in to chat and eat her lunch.
(Little did she know...)
As soon as the blessing was over, I was ready to go! Brady left pretty quick! :)
Nurses were bustling about by then and told me to start pushing.
I'm not kidding, two little pushes and I saw the baby's head poking out (there was a mirror on the ceiling!)
Then they told me to stop pushing! The doctor wasn't there yet!
Good thing Natalie was there. She threw on some gloves and held the baby in for me because I felt like if I laughed or sneezed the baby would come flying out!
The doctor came in and I pushed one more good push and DONE! We had a perfect little baby at 12:42 p.m. (Just over 4 hours total from pitocin to birth) And she was Brinkley's twin only two years later! It happened so fast the nurses didn't even have time to put the end of the bed down to catch all the yucky stuff. By baby was just born on the bed. 7 minutes total! Whoo!
I couldn't help but say "that was so easy I could have 10 more kids!" Call me crazy!
They immediately let me hold her skin to skin (they called it Kangaroo Care it's supposed to help us bond as well as help breastfeeding go better and promote brain development. Highly recommended, just because it felt so good to hold my new baby!)
I couldn't believe how small she felt. When they weighed her and told me she was 8 lb 7 oz and 19 inches. I almost didn't believe it!
The doctor told me that I had a tiny tear, but not even big enough to stitch up.
They then wheeled me to my new room. Where Darcy and I stayed for two days. Boy were we ready to go home!
We got to go home Sunday morning, and I was so glad! Josh came and got us at about 9:00, and then he had to get ready to speak in Sacrament meeting and teach Sunday School. It was a busy weekend for poor daddy.
A week later I have to say I am feeling AWESOME! I feel almost back to 100%
And I fit into some of my skinny clothes. Not all of them...
But what a blessing that I feel so good!
I still can't lift Brinkley, getting up off the floor is painful, and so are stairs. But otherwise I feel pretty darn good. Especially compared to my first recovery. I didn't feel back to normal for a good 5 or 6 weeks after Brinks.
I can't wait to start jogging again!
BRINKLEY'S BABY SISTER
At first (in the hospital) Brinkley wasn't so sure what to think of Darcy. She would say 'baby sister' but wasn't too interested in her. But when we brought her home, she took to her really well! I feel so blessed that she likes her so much. She always wants to give her blankets and pacifiers. She also gives her kisses and knows to be soft with her. She still mostly calls her baby sister, but has called her Darcy a couple of times.
She hasn't acted jealous at all, and has actually seemed a little more well behaved (for the spunky two year old that she is). She has been occupying her time by herself really well. Who knew my child could play contentedly all by herself for a full hour?? :)
What an angel.
1ST DOCTOR APPOINTMENT
Tuesday July 26th was Darcy's first doctor appointment. Her weight was already up to 8 lb 15 oz! She had dropped down to 7 lb 15 oz in the hospital. That means she had gained a full pound in like 3 days.
Yup. The milk came in. I make yummy creamy butter for my children to fatten them up quick!
It's torture for me for a few days though!
The nurse at the pediatricians office measured her length twice and she was 21 inches. We think the nurse at the hospital must not of straightened her out enough because I doubt she grew two inches in length.
MY MOM
My mom flew in the Thursday afternoon before I had Darcy. I am soooooo glad she was here! I'm glad she got to see the birth (even if I was 6 days late to have this happen) and I'm glad she got to spend time with her granddaughters.
She was so very helpful. She cooked meals, kept my house clean, did my laundry and let me shower as long as I wanted while she watched the kiddos.
She even watched them so Josh and I could go on a date. I don't know when we'll be able to go on a date for quite a while, so that was very fun for us.
It was really hard to watch her go through airport security yesterday. I usually try really hard to be tough, but I couldn't stop the tears yesterday. I hope she knows how much I love and appreciate her. I have avoided baby blues so far and I really feel I owe that to her! She is an amazing grandma (ga ga).
Brinkley misses her too. She keeps saying "Where's ga ga? Ga ga bye bye? Airplane?" It's so sad.
I LOVE MY GIRLS
I just have to say that I adore my little girls. I cherish this newborn so much. I love her smell, her sounds, her faces, and that she cuddles with me.
And Brinks has been so good about this little addition to our family. It makes me love her even more.
It's so true when people say that your love just grows when you have another child!
Not only that, but my love for my husband has grown too! It is so reassuring to me that we are in this together and that he is there for me.
I keep singing that little primary song
"We are a happy family!"
Here's a few pictures I took of Darcy Kate. I'm still learning how to pose newborns... it's hard!
But we had a few goodies.
Thanks mom for being my partner in crime trying to get these pictures!
12 comments:
You are very talented. I love them. Especially the picture frame one. Wish I could see her in person. She is beautiful.
yay! so glad things went so smoothly. and i hear ya, i think induction labor is sooo much worse. way to get through it! those pictures are amazing hailey! seriously beautiful. she is just lovely.
sorry, i meant hayley, not hailey. :)
I wouldn't be too keen on all the 'extra' visitors! I just want to be left alone when I am in the worse pain of my life :) I am so glad your mom could be there. Grandma told me how you cried when she left - honestly how could you not, I think you are super woman taking on the world, It's nice to get a break once in a while and have someone take care of you again. Your pictures are AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING! I know you get to come home for Christmas and I hope you are still here a few days into the new year because I am due new years day and I would LOVE if you could do some pictures for us - I know you'll be stretched trying to spend time with all your family and all of Josh's, but I will totally cater to your schedule, even if we have to do it in the hospital :) You are so talented and you make such adorable babies!
So glad your cute mom was there!
What a cute mommy YOU are!
Oh my heck, give those baby girlies BIG kisses!!!
Way to go on the labor.
Jealous about the "skinny" clothes...
we're still working on that.
MORE PICTURES!!!!!!!
Such a sweet story and the pictures are beautiful. You did a great job congratulations!
ok....you are amazing! those pics are perfect. will you take pics of my baby girl in december?? PLEASE. i will even pay! you make having babies seem so easy. please let me know if i can ever help too.
I love your pictures, and I love that we have babies only a few weeks apart from each other. Once you move in with me (dont tell jed), they can be the best of friends! I am glad Brinkley is adjusting well to having a sister. I know I love love love my baby sister, so I hope she has a relationship like ours with Darcy.
Congrats! I am so excited for you. And i am glad to hear your recovery is speeding along. Children are just so wonderful. Seeing your cute Darcy makes me even more excited for our #2 to get her. Its taking forever!
Good Luck!
You've got serious photography skills! Wow! Those pictures are treasures. And...not only that, you are super woman. I can't ever live up to you Hayley but I'm so glad that I can call you my friend. Brinkley can come play at our house anytime. Please ask!
I am here to watch the girls while you and Josh go on a date! PLEASE!!! I am dying to hold Darcy more and Paisley and I both miss Brinkley. Kind of bad timing to have your guests leave and our guests come... There is always Sept : (. Miss ya!
Your pictures of your baby girl are beautiful. I'm glad your delivery went well. She's perfect. :)
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