Monday, November 15, 2010

Welcome Lily

I woke up around midnight on Monday, October 4th feeling regular surges so I woke up Chris and told him I thought my labor was starting. We called our doula, Suzie, and my mom around 2:00am. Suzie sat tight to wait for our next call and my mom got on the road. Chris made Annie's mac and cheese and some tea while we listened to quiet music in the darkness.

My mom arrived at the campground around 7:00am and mostly laid low while I moved about the camper during the surges. We called Suzie again and she arrived around 11:00am and began helping me move more. When it got more intense, with me feeling nauseous and having frequent stronger surges, Suzie suggested we head to the hospital around 1:00pm.

More nausea upon entering the maternity ward caused us to head straight to our private LDRP (Labor, Delivery, Recovery, Post-Partum) room. I was beginning to go further within and become less aware of my surroundings. Chris and Suzie were amazing; they worked together to help me through each surge. I was in the shower on the ball, in the jacuzzi, squatting at the foot of the bed, in bed sitting up, on my side, on all fours, etc. Our midwife, Barbara, checked me at 2 1/2 cm, 5cm, and again at 8 1/2. The nurses kept up on my blood pressure and the fetal monitor belt. They suggested IV fluids to combat dehydration which I agreed to and felt better having had.

At one point, I was on my side with Suzie rocking me during surges when I felt one start and a huge release of fluids! What a rush...things were really moving now! Eventually I was not willing to wait any more and needed to push. I had my mom holding my left leg, Suzie on the right, and Chris at my head...beautiful teamwork. Twenty minutes later, Chris caught Lily! He lifted her toward me and I saw she was  girl which I announced before he even thought of it. I remember saying "Hi Lily!" and feeling overwhelmed. He put her on my chest and we were overcome with awe. What a surreal experience. She really was inside of me!

We had some great meals, loving visitors, and I got to meet the nurses who watched over me during labor. We went home on Wednesday at 3:00pm after being bombarded with information and warnings about infant care. Our camp hosts greeted us with huge smiles and we settled into the camper for our first night as a family at home.

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