Leah's birth story
This took me all day to write and was all done with a baby in my arms...hope it makes sense. :P
Monday afternoon Donna called to see if I'd like her to check me/sweep my membranes since I was at 40w 6d. I said sure and headed in for the exam. I was dilated barely to 2cm and only 10% effaced so she could hardly do the sweep. She did try to agitate things a little, though & I went home and took a nap. I had no real symptoms from the exam...no bloody show, no mucous, no cramps or real contractions. We had dinner and after the girls were in bed, got started on painting our bedroom. I did the cutting in, which involves a lot of climbing up and down on a chair to reach the high parts. By the time I was almost done I was feeling pretty crampy but I really wanted to finish it and not have to go back the next day. Before heading to bed I decided to take the blue and black cohosh Donna had given me, along with taking one evening primrose oil pill orally and inserting one vaginally. I dropped 30 drops of each herb into a shot glass, mixed with just a bit of water, and took it. Donna said it would taste like dirt and she was right...rotten dirt. Brandon didn't think it could be that bad so he squirted some of each and took it as well. lol We finally got settled into bed at almost midnight and as I was laying down I felt a small gush of some kind of fluid. I thought it was maybe the EPO coming out and when I went to check, of course that is what it smelled like, so I put on a pad and went back to bed. At 1:30 I woke up again and had completely filled that pad so I knew either I peed or my water was broken. I put on another pad and two hours later at 3:30 that was full as well so I called Donna. I was also having some uncomfortable contractions that were about 20 minutes apart. She had me empty my bladder then hold a piece of tissue paper under me (while sitting on the toilet) and cough to see if anything came out. I did and got some clear odorless fluid. She said to go back to bed and call her if things picked up or got more intense, otherwise to call her at 7 with an update. I woke Brandon up to tell him my water had broken and I was contracting....then I took a shower (my hair was dirty!) and shaved my legs (some things are important, okay?) before going back to bed and continued to wake up about every 20 minutes with a contraction. Around 6:30 I got up for the day, they were coming 15-20 minutes apart by then. I texted Nicole to update her that today was most likely Baby Day (she, Todd, and Amanda were going to be handling the girls for us.) Brandon made me some eggs, toast, and OJ for breakfast and I continued having contractions, now having to stop to breathe through them. Around 7 I called my mom, MiL, and Donna to let them know what was up. Todd came by and took the girls to he & Nici's house (we decided it'd be easier if Emilie just missed school.) After they were gone, Brandon ran around the house doing this and that and I just stayed mainly on the couch, timing and breathing through contractions. About 9, I called Donna again to tell her they were coming about 6 minutes apart and I felt like things were getting more intense...she said they would head over. Also around that time, the Sears delivery guy called to say he was on his way with our mattress and would be about 35 minutes. I think I said, "Will you REALLY be 35 minutes, because I'm in labor and we're kind of busy." lol, poor guy. He said yes and got directions from me just to be sure. About 9:30 they got here and I have never seen guys move so fast. They RAN in with the mattress, RAN in with the box spring, and RAN out, saying, "Good luck!" Shortly after they left I called Bre, my friend doing the birth photography, to give her a heads up and let her know where I was in my labor. I remember being annoyed because Brandon was running around the house worrying about setting up the bed upstairs in the guest room and being sick, I suppose from the herbs the night before. lol I eventually made him sit down in the living room with me and write the times of my contractions. I stayed perched on the couch pretty much the whole time, closing my eyes and breathing through each contraction.
I guess it was about 10 when everyone got here...Donna (midwife), Dawn (RN/assistant/monitrice), Cher (midwife's apprentice/doula), and Bre. I was still breathing through my contractions which were coming now 4-6 minutes apart. I laid down on the couch and Donna checked on Leah's heart tones and checked my cervix (OW) which was now 3cm and 50% effaced. I was discouraged that I was "only" 3 but tried to remind myself that it doesn't mean anything...I could go to complete from 3 in an hour or I could have been at 7 cm and still been at it for a long time. Donna said they were going to make me move...walk around the block, squat through contractions, go up and down the stairs...but that I could go upstairs and try to rest some more if I felt like I would be able to. I chose to do that because I felt so tired, and Brandon and I headed up. I really just wanted to lay with him and soak up our last few moments of relative calm before everything happened. However, as soon as I got into bed and laid down, the contractions started coming much more intense and right on top of one another. Now I wasn't breathing through them but instead moaning/humming through them. After only about 20 minutes I knew resting wasn't going to happen so we went back downstairs. The birth pool was set up in the kitchen and our queen air mattress next to it in the dining room. I sat on the edge of the air bed and asked if I could get into the pool. Donna said no, that the water could relax me so much it could stall out my labor...much like getting an epidural too early. She suggested we take a walk around the block. Let me tell you...the LAST thing I wanted to do at that point was walk...but we went. We walked down the end of our street/the cul de sac and I stopped probably 5 times for contractions, leaning on Brandon for each one and humming. The whole time I was just concentrating on my feet and rubbing my lower back, where most of the contraction pain was...keeping my eyes open just enough to see where I was going. It was windy outside and SO ANNOYINGLY SUNNY and as soon as we'd made it back around to our house I high tailed it inside and went to the bathroom where I sat through a few contractions on the toilet. The contractions started in my lower back and moved around across my abdomen. I started out with low moans that got louder and louder until each contraction peaked, then softer until finally it was gone. Donna reminded me to take a deep breath at the end of each one to cleanse and let it go. Cher and Dawn had rigged a scarf over a door and said that I should try hanging onto it and squatting through the next contractions if I could. I had been squatting though some painless BH contractions the night before and it was not fun then so I couldn't imagine how this would feel, but I did it anyway. Anything to bring the baby down and speed this up. It actually wasn't that bad. It made for more pressure through my pelvis and butt, but I could also use the scarf to rock/swing through them, which felt better. After 3 contractions doing that, I asked again to get in the pool and they said I could, so I hopped in and it felt WONDERFUL and relaxing, until I had a contraction. The contractions felt the same or better in the water as they did "on land", but they sucked either way. I wanted to stay in one position and just get through each one but they all said it'd be better if I squatted. I used the handles on the side of the pool to pull myself up to squatting during each contraction. They started picking up while I was in the water and Donna was constantly reminding me to let my mouth hang open, all my muscles relax, make deep sounds, and of course to take a big cleansing breath at the end of each one. Those last breaths were the best things ever...one less contraction I would ever have to feel! They were feeding me various things from grapes to peanut butter and making sure I took sips of gatorade in between. All I wanted in the world was to go to sleep but of course I couldn't. Brandon sat outside of the pool behind me so I could lean me head against him and relax between contractions. After maybe 30 minutes in the pool they said I needed to get out and keep moving, so I got out and again went to the bathroom. I had to have the bathroom dark because when the light in any of our bathrooms comes on, so does a very loud and very annoying fan. I sat on the toilet for bit and when I came out Cher or Donna suggested I get on my knees in front of the air mattress with my legs spread apart and lean forward onto a pillow. I think I stayed that way for about 45 minutes because not only could I manage to fall asleep for a minute or two between contractions, but Dawn and Donna took turns providing counter pressure on my lower back and also using their legs on either side of my hips to push in. I don't know why but it seemed to take the edge off. They kept feeding me this stuff called "Gu" which was just that....goo. It tasted somewhat like pudding but was a thicker texture. It was a quick way to load calories, I guess. I called for Brandon every now and then...saying to him, "Tell me good things." I don't remember what he said but I'm sure he tried his best to be encouraging. Donna asked if I wanted her to check me again. I said okay and it seriously was one of the worst things ever. She said she wanted to check during a contraction so she could feel how far Leah's head was coming down...OMFG PAIN! I know it wasn't her fault, she was gentle as possible, but it took everything in me not to kick her. But, good news! She said I was 7-9 cm, almost 100% effaced, and Leah was at +1. (I would later learn from Bre that Donna has her fair share of midwife tricks. She doesn't always tell the truth when she is checking you, as she knows dilation doesn't mean a whole lot in terms of how long labor will really last. Sometimes she'd check me and tell me I wasn't ask far along as I was if she needed me to keep moving to bring the baby down. Other times she might tell me I was a little farther than I actually was to give me that encouragement.) I was ready to get back into the pool, so I did and continued to (very loudly) work through contractions in there. I don't think I ever opened my eyes, even for a second. In between each contraction I would lean my head back on Brandon's shoulder, who was sitting behind me outside of the pool. I have no idea how long I was in there, but after a while my moans became really really deep and it sounded, even to me, like my body was starting to push. Donna checked me again and said I was complete and ready to push when I felt the urge. I have never, even with the other girls, felt that incredible urge to push that everyone describes. I did start to feel more vaginal pressure with the peak of each contraction, though...so i began to push. It was very very intense...I didn't want to keep going, buy lucky for everyone, there is no choice! I kept pushing and heard the doorbell ring...apparently they had ordered pizza for after the birth. lol! What that pizza delivery person must have been thinking of the noises coming out of my house. :D After a few pushes, I could see her head...lots of dark hair. Once her head was about 1/2 way out, Donna told me to stop pushing and instead blow like I was blowing out a candle. That was pretty much the hardest thing I've ever done...not to push when there was all that pressure there. But I was able to keep control, although it felt at the time like I was a crazy woman. :P She had the cord wrapped once around her neck and her right hand on the top/side of her head, so I had to wait while those things were corrected and allow my perineum to stretch so I wouldn't tear badly. After maybe a minute or two, I asked Donna if I could push. She said yes and then to reach down and grab my baby. I was able to pull her out of the water myself...it was a completely amazing experience! I held her and cuddled her and she pretty much started crying and opening her eyes right away. She was covered in a THICK coat of vernix all over (Donna said as much vernix as you usually see on a 37 weeker) and had a full head of super dark brown hair. She looked so tiny! Brandon and I both guessed just under 7lbs.
The cord was left until it stopped pulsing, Donna helped the placenta to deliver fairly quickly because I had a gush of blood that came out right as it detached. Brandon cut the cord. While Cher was examining it I heard her call Donna over. Then Donna said, "Kate I think you might have a miracle baby..." and Cher commented that it was the strangest placenta she'd ever seen. It was large and flat & shaped like a bat (the animal.) Donna showed me where the cord was attached and said it was so close to the edge that it's really amazing that I didn't have any bleeding issues & that it functioned like it did. Also there were some blood vessels on the maternal side of it that I guess were supposed to have some covering but had none? Cher told me later that one of the three blood vessels of the cord itself was completely uncovered by the Wharton's jelly. They got me out of the pool, all dried off, and then set me up on the air mattress with Leah while Donna looked me over to see where my bleeding was coming from. She said I had a teeny tiny 1st degree tear, which she put a couple sutures in just to aid with faster healing. I tried nursing but she wouldn't latch so Dawn helped me get her on & she's been pretty great at it since. They all went into the other room for a while to give Brandon and I some quiet time with the baby, then they came in and started cleaning up....emptying the pool, throwing out trash, fixing me something to eat and drink, getting me to the bathroom, etc. Donna weighed and measured Leah, 20 1/2 inches long and 7lbs. 13oz. Bigger than we thought when we first saw her, but she still looks so tiny! As she examined her more and noted things like her hands and feet still being really really purple, her labia being "swollen and closed", the amount of vernix and languo still on her, etc. she estimated her to be about 38 weeks gestation, not 41 weeks like my dates said. This actually makes sense because Brandon was gone for training for 3 weeks right around the time I got pregnant. We weren't clear from the beginning on whether I got pregnant before or after that...I guess it was after! But of course the Army Hospital went by my LMP and the u/s was not far off from that (it showed Feb 27, about a week later) so we just stuck with it. Labor was 14 hours and 20 minutes from my water breaking but only probably 3.5 hours of real HARD labor. We're both happy, healthy, and she had an amazing birth!
After everyone left, I talked to Nici about when we'd get the girls back and all three of us took a nap for a bit. Amanda and Nici ended up bringing them back at about 6:45 and they were super excited to see their new little sister. Emilie wanted to hold her right away but Hannah did not because "she might pull my hair." lol! She loves Leah and is fascinated, just doesn't want to hold her right now. Amanda and Nici fed them a snack and stayed at the house with me while Brandon ran to the store for a few things. They put the girls to bed and then hung out until Brandon got home. I had completely forgotten to pick up lanolin, so they were kind enough to go out for that as well as stocking our pantry with some yummy snacks. :D Brandon decided to move the couch into the dining room, next to the air bed where Leah and I were going to be sleeping, so he could hear us/help me through the night. By 10 I think we were all settling in to go to sleep. I'm not even sure how much sleep either of us got...couldn't have been more than an hour at a time...but he was super helpful and we took turns with Leah, stayed in pleasant moods, etc. Overall it was a great first night! This morning he took the big girls to school. I got a shower finally (hadn't felt like dealing with the stairs last night) and Leah got her first bath. Now that it's all clean, we can see that her hair is brown with lighter brown highlights. :D I'm sure it'll all fall out, though...she's already losing some.
Donna and Dawn came by this afternoon and did my 24 hour home visit. There was not much to report because everything is going so well! Leah is having lots of wet and dirty diapers (already some regular poop mixed in with the meconium this morning!), nursing about every 2 hours, etc. I feel pretty good, too. My biggest complaints are the cramping when she nurses (taking Motrin for that) and the muscles in my back being sore...probably from labor/pushing yesterday and then sleeping on the air bed. lol. They'll be back Friday for another home visit and then maybe one on Tuesday, I think? Idk. Leah has not worn clothes yet and neither have I....we've been doing a lot of skin to skin. Brandon has been taking care of EVERYTHING. I haven't had to get up or do anything except to go to the bathroom. He's a rock star. He's also totally in love with Miss Leah and it's going to kill him to have to go back. :(
But...ending on a happy note...pictures! Dawn took these with my camera during the birth and then some are what Brandon took after. I'm not resizing them but I'm also not going to put up anything with excessive nudity. :P May not be quite SFW is all I'm sayin'.
Monday afternoon Donna called to see if I'd like her to check me/sweep my membranes since I was at 40w 6d. I said sure and headed in for the exam. I was dilated barely to 2cm and only 10% effaced so she could hardly do the sweep. She did try to agitate things a little, though & I went home and took a nap. I had no real symptoms from the exam...no bloody show, no mucous, no cramps or real contractions. We had dinner and after the girls were in bed, got started on painting our bedroom. I did the cutting in, which involves a lot of climbing up and down on a chair to reach the high parts. By the time I was almost done I was feeling pretty crampy but I really wanted to finish it and not have to go back the next day. Before heading to bed I decided to take the blue and black cohosh Donna had given me, along with taking one evening primrose oil pill orally and inserting one vaginally. I dropped 30 drops of each herb into a shot glass, mixed with just a bit of water, and took it. Donna said it would taste like dirt and she was right...rotten dirt. Brandon didn't think it could be that bad so he squirted some of each and took it as well. lol We finally got settled into bed at almost midnight and as I was laying down I felt a small gush of some kind of fluid. I thought it was maybe the EPO coming out and when I went to check, of course that is what it smelled like, so I put on a pad and went back to bed. At 1:30 I woke up again and had completely filled that pad so I knew either I peed or my water was broken. I put on another pad and two hours later at 3:30 that was full as well so I called Donna. I was also having some uncomfortable contractions that were about 20 minutes apart. She had me empty my bladder then hold a piece of tissue paper under me (while sitting on the toilet) and cough to see if anything came out. I did and got some clear odorless fluid. She said to go back to bed and call her if things picked up or got more intense, otherwise to call her at 7 with an update. I woke Brandon up to tell him my water had broken and I was contracting....then I took a shower (my hair was dirty!) and shaved my legs (some things are important, okay?) before going back to bed and continued to wake up about every 20 minutes with a contraction. Around 6:30 I got up for the day, they were coming 15-20 minutes apart by then. I texted Nicole to update her that today was most likely Baby Day (she, Todd, and Amanda were going to be handling the girls for us.) Brandon made me some eggs, toast, and OJ for breakfast and I continued having contractions, now having to stop to breathe through them. Around 7 I called my mom, MiL, and Donna to let them know what was up. Todd came by and took the girls to he & Nici's house (we decided it'd be easier if Emilie just missed school.) After they were gone, Brandon ran around the house doing this and that and I just stayed mainly on the couch, timing and breathing through contractions. About 9, I called Donna again to tell her they were coming about 6 minutes apart and I felt like things were getting more intense...she said they would head over. Also around that time, the Sears delivery guy called to say he was on his way with our mattress and would be about 35 minutes. I think I said, "Will you REALLY be 35 minutes, because I'm in labor and we're kind of busy." lol, poor guy. He said yes and got directions from me just to be sure. About 9:30 they got here and I have never seen guys move so fast. They RAN in with the mattress, RAN in with the box spring, and RAN out, saying, "Good luck!" Shortly after they left I called Bre, my friend doing the birth photography, to give her a heads up and let her know where I was in my labor. I remember being annoyed because Brandon was running around the house worrying about setting up the bed upstairs in the guest room and being sick, I suppose from the herbs the night before. lol I eventually made him sit down in the living room with me and write the times of my contractions. I stayed perched on the couch pretty much the whole time, closing my eyes and breathing through each contraction.
I guess it was about 10 when everyone got here...Donna (midwife), Dawn (RN/assistant/monitrice), Cher (midwife's apprentice/doula), and Bre. I was still breathing through my contractions which were coming now 4-6 minutes apart. I laid down on the couch and Donna checked on Leah's heart tones and checked my cervix (OW) which was now 3cm and 50% effaced. I was discouraged that I was "only" 3 but tried to remind myself that it doesn't mean anything...I could go to complete from 3 in an hour or I could have been at 7 cm and still been at it for a long time. Donna said they were going to make me move...walk around the block, squat through contractions, go up and down the stairs...but that I could go upstairs and try to rest some more if I felt like I would be able to. I chose to do that because I felt so tired, and Brandon and I headed up. I really just wanted to lay with him and soak up our last few moments of relative calm before everything happened. However, as soon as I got into bed and laid down, the contractions started coming much more intense and right on top of one another. Now I wasn't breathing through them but instead moaning/humming through them. After only about 20 minutes I knew resting wasn't going to happen so we went back downstairs. The birth pool was set up in the kitchen and our queen air mattress next to it in the dining room. I sat on the edge of the air bed and asked if I could get into the pool. Donna said no, that the water could relax me so much it could stall out my labor...much like getting an epidural too early. She suggested we take a walk around the block. Let me tell you...the LAST thing I wanted to do at that point was walk...but we went. We walked down the end of our street/the cul de sac and I stopped probably 5 times for contractions, leaning on Brandon for each one and humming. The whole time I was just concentrating on my feet and rubbing my lower back, where most of the contraction pain was...keeping my eyes open just enough to see where I was going. It was windy outside and SO ANNOYINGLY SUNNY and as soon as we'd made it back around to our house I high tailed it inside and went to the bathroom where I sat through a few contractions on the toilet. The contractions started in my lower back and moved around across my abdomen. I started out with low moans that got louder and louder until each contraction peaked, then softer until finally it was gone. Donna reminded me to take a deep breath at the end of each one to cleanse and let it go. Cher and Dawn had rigged a scarf over a door and said that I should try hanging onto it and squatting through the next contractions if I could. I had been squatting though some painless BH contractions the night before and it was not fun then so I couldn't imagine how this would feel, but I did it anyway. Anything to bring the baby down and speed this up. It actually wasn't that bad. It made for more pressure through my pelvis and butt, but I could also use the scarf to rock/swing through them, which felt better. After 3 contractions doing that, I asked again to get in the pool and they said I could, so I hopped in and it felt WONDERFUL and relaxing, until I had a contraction. The contractions felt the same or better in the water as they did "on land", but they sucked either way. I wanted to stay in one position and just get through each one but they all said it'd be better if I squatted. I used the handles on the side of the pool to pull myself up to squatting during each contraction. They started picking up while I was in the water and Donna was constantly reminding me to let my mouth hang open, all my muscles relax, make deep sounds, and of course to take a big cleansing breath at the end of each one. Those last breaths were the best things ever...one less contraction I would ever have to feel! They were feeding me various things from grapes to peanut butter and making sure I took sips of gatorade in between. All I wanted in the world was to go to sleep but of course I couldn't. Brandon sat outside of the pool behind me so I could lean me head against him and relax between contractions. After maybe 30 minutes in the pool they said I needed to get out and keep moving, so I got out and again went to the bathroom. I had to have the bathroom dark because when the light in any of our bathrooms comes on, so does a very loud and very annoying fan. I sat on the toilet for bit and when I came out Cher or Donna suggested I get on my knees in front of the air mattress with my legs spread apart and lean forward onto a pillow. I think I stayed that way for about 45 minutes because not only could I manage to fall asleep for a minute or two between contractions, but Dawn and Donna took turns providing counter pressure on my lower back and also using their legs on either side of my hips to push in. I don't know why but it seemed to take the edge off. They kept feeding me this stuff called "Gu" which was just that....goo. It tasted somewhat like pudding but was a thicker texture. It was a quick way to load calories, I guess. I called for Brandon every now and then...saying to him, "Tell me good things." I don't remember what he said but I'm sure he tried his best to be encouraging. Donna asked if I wanted her to check me again. I said okay and it seriously was one of the worst things ever. She said she wanted to check during a contraction so she could feel how far Leah's head was coming down...OMFG PAIN! I know it wasn't her fault, she was gentle as possible, but it took everything in me not to kick her. But, good news! She said I was 7-9 cm, almost 100% effaced, and Leah was at +1. (I would later learn from Bre that Donna has her fair share of midwife tricks. She doesn't always tell the truth when she is checking you, as she knows dilation doesn't mean a whole lot in terms of how long labor will really last. Sometimes she'd check me and tell me I wasn't ask far along as I was if she needed me to keep moving to bring the baby down. Other times she might tell me I was a little farther than I actually was to give me that encouragement.) I was ready to get back into the pool, so I did and continued to (very loudly) work through contractions in there. I don't think I ever opened my eyes, even for a second. In between each contraction I would lean my head back on Brandon's shoulder, who was sitting behind me outside of the pool. I have no idea how long I was in there, but after a while my moans became really really deep and it sounded, even to me, like my body was starting to push. Donna checked me again and said I was complete and ready to push when I felt the urge. I have never, even with the other girls, felt that incredible urge to push that everyone describes. I did start to feel more vaginal pressure with the peak of each contraction, though...so i began to push. It was very very intense...I didn't want to keep going, buy lucky for everyone, there is no choice! I kept pushing and heard the doorbell ring...apparently they had ordered pizza for after the birth. lol! What that pizza delivery person must have been thinking of the noises coming out of my house. :D After a few pushes, I could see her head...lots of dark hair. Once her head was about 1/2 way out, Donna told me to stop pushing and instead blow like I was blowing out a candle. That was pretty much the hardest thing I've ever done...not to push when there was all that pressure there. But I was able to keep control, although it felt at the time like I was a crazy woman. :P She had the cord wrapped once around her neck and her right hand on the top/side of her head, so I had to wait while those things were corrected and allow my perineum to stretch so I wouldn't tear badly. After maybe a minute or two, I asked Donna if I could push. She said yes and then to reach down and grab my baby. I was able to pull her out of the water myself...it was a completely amazing experience! I held her and cuddled her and she pretty much started crying and opening her eyes right away. She was covered in a THICK coat of vernix all over (Donna said as much vernix as you usually see on a 37 weeker) and had a full head of super dark brown hair. She looked so tiny! Brandon and I both guessed just under 7lbs.
The cord was left until it stopped pulsing, Donna helped the placenta to deliver fairly quickly because I had a gush of blood that came out right as it detached. Brandon cut the cord. While Cher was examining it I heard her call Donna over. Then Donna said, "Kate I think you might have a miracle baby..." and Cher commented that it was the strangest placenta she'd ever seen. It was large and flat & shaped like a bat (the animal.) Donna showed me where the cord was attached and said it was so close to the edge that it's really amazing that I didn't have any bleeding issues & that it functioned like it did. Also there were some blood vessels on the maternal side of it that I guess were supposed to have some covering but had none? Cher told me later that one of the three blood vessels of the cord itself was completely uncovered by the Wharton's jelly. They got me out of the pool, all dried off, and then set me up on the air mattress with Leah while Donna looked me over to see where my bleeding was coming from. She said I had a teeny tiny 1st degree tear, which she put a couple sutures in just to aid with faster healing. I tried nursing but she wouldn't latch so Dawn helped me get her on & she's been pretty great at it since. They all went into the other room for a while to give Brandon and I some quiet time with the baby, then they came in and started cleaning up....emptying the pool, throwing out trash, fixing me something to eat and drink, getting me to the bathroom, etc. Donna weighed and measured Leah, 20 1/2 inches long and 7lbs. 13oz. Bigger than we thought when we first saw her, but she still looks so tiny! As she examined her more and noted things like her hands and feet still being really really purple, her labia being "swollen and closed", the amount of vernix and languo still on her, etc. she estimated her to be about 38 weeks gestation, not 41 weeks like my dates said. This actually makes sense because Brandon was gone for training for 3 weeks right around the time I got pregnant. We weren't clear from the beginning on whether I got pregnant before or after that...I guess it was after! But of course the Army Hospital went by my LMP and the u/s was not far off from that (it showed Feb 27, about a week later) so we just stuck with it. Labor was 14 hours and 20 minutes from my water breaking but only probably 3.5 hours of real HARD labor. We're both happy, healthy, and she had an amazing birth!
After everyone left, I talked to Nici about when we'd get the girls back and all three of us took a nap for a bit. Amanda and Nici ended up bringing them back at about 6:45 and they were super excited to see their new little sister. Emilie wanted to hold her right away but Hannah did not because "she might pull my hair." lol! She loves Leah and is fascinated, just doesn't want to hold her right now. Amanda and Nici fed them a snack and stayed at the house with me while Brandon ran to the store for a few things. They put the girls to bed and then hung out until Brandon got home. I had completely forgotten to pick up lanolin, so they were kind enough to go out for that as well as stocking our pantry with some yummy snacks. :D Brandon decided to move the couch into the dining room, next to the air bed where Leah and I were going to be sleeping, so he could hear us/help me through the night. By 10 I think we were all settling in to go to sleep. I'm not even sure how much sleep either of us got...couldn't have been more than an hour at a time...but he was super helpful and we took turns with Leah, stayed in pleasant moods, etc. Overall it was a great first night! This morning he took the big girls to school. I got a shower finally (hadn't felt like dealing with the stairs last night) and Leah got her first bath. Now that it's all clean, we can see that her hair is brown with lighter brown highlights. :D I'm sure it'll all fall out, though...she's already losing some.
Donna and Dawn came by this afternoon and did my 24 hour home visit. There was not much to report because everything is going so well! Leah is having lots of wet and dirty diapers (already some regular poop mixed in with the meconium this morning!), nursing about every 2 hours, etc. I feel pretty good, too. My biggest complaints are the cramping when she nurses (taking Motrin for that) and the muscles in my back being sore...probably from labor/pushing yesterday and then sleeping on the air bed. lol. They'll be back Friday for another home visit and then maybe one on Tuesday, I think? Idk. Leah has not worn clothes yet and neither have I....we've been doing a lot of skin to skin. Brandon has been taking care of EVERYTHING. I haven't had to get up or do anything except to go to the bathroom. He's a rock star. He's also totally in love with Miss Leah and it's going to kill him to have to go back. :(
But...ending on a happy note...pictures! Dawn took these with my camera during the birth and then some are what Brandon took after. I'm not resizing them but I'm also not going to put up anything with excessive nudity. :P May not be quite SFW is all I'm sayin'.