This blog has been a long time coming! Jimmy and I are proud to announce the arrival of our precious, "Baby Girl", Grace Louise.
Born: Sunday, November 1, 2009 @ 2:27am, Labor of Love Birthing Center (Lakeland)
Weight: 8 lbs
Length: 21 inches
And so the story goes...
Grace Louise started letting mom know that she was on her way during the Florida/Georgia football game on Halloween night. Actually, I started having contractions just before lunch. They were certainly a different kind of contraction than what I had been experiencing (for the past month!), but it was going to take more than that to convince me after all that waiting! Jimmy and I went to WalMart early that afternoon and did some shopping for Operation Christmas Child. I had a few contractions that made me sit down or stop walking... but I still wasn't entirely convinced! We went to BeBe and Pop's (Jimmy's parents) to watch the game and I was finally able to time consistent contractions around 6:00pm. They were 6-7 minutes apart for the rest of the evening. When I had Jimmy to myself for a minute, I told him, "I think this is it!" But just in case it wasn't "it", there was no need in getting anyone else's hopes up... so we kept the suspicion to ourselves. I was so excited inside, downright giddy...obviously still in early labor.
We fueled up the car on the way home, certain at this point that we would be having a baby soon, and I was tickled plum pink that my patience paid off and that I was experiencing naturally induced labor...finally! My friend, Amber, an OB nurse, came over around 8:00 to check my progress and by the time she left an hour later I had progressed and my contractions were about 2 minutes apart. I labored for another hour in the bathtub and then we left for the birthing center at 10pm. The car ride was exciting (yeah, maybe for Jimmy), but pretty intense, as I was certainly in active labor at this point. About 5 miles from the birthing center, I called my midwife to let her know that my contractions were coming every minute. Must have been the bumpy railroad tracks! (Daddy drove us quickly, but safely).
When we arrived at the birthing center I headed straight for the bathtub in need of some quick relief from the fast contractions. The water felt great! I got a much needed break as my contractions slowed down a bit and everyone settled in for the labor ahead. Jimmy and my doula, Megan, were amazing coaches, affirming me and providing encouragement and Gatorade...lots of Gatorade and water. Though, in retrospect, eating would have certainly been helpful in keeping my energy up, I was pretty nauseous and food was the last thing on my mind. I focused on relaxing through the contractions, feeling my cervix opening. My midwife didn't "check me" like you usually see in the typical hospital setting, but I knew that my body was progressing and that my cervix was opening up with each contraction. I was amazed at how internal my focus was and that I was keenly aware of everything that was happening in my body. This part of the experience was completely empowering.
Time was not something I kept track of during labor. I had no idea how much time had passed, but I do remember Jimmy coming in the bathroom and telling me that we were certainly not going to have a Halloween baby. Must have been after midnight. After being in the bathtub for a couple of hours (I think), I got out and labored for a bit on the birthing ball in the bedroom. Jimmy and Megan took turns squeezing my hips to provide relief to my aching back. That was a huge help! I only lasted about 4 or 5 contractions outside of the water before I was ready to get back in. This time I got in the large birthing tub, where Grace Louise would be delivered. The water wasn't quite as warm (I like my bathwater HOT!), but the tub was spacious and allowed me to really stretch out and get "comfortable". I don't think it was more than 15 minutes until I hit transition. And believe you me, nobody had to tell me I was in transition! Talk about some intense contractions that make you want to crawl out of your own skin! Thank God that part doesn't last long! I distinctly remember the first contraction after transition that told my little body, "Push!". It really was involuntary- this baby was coming out soon (but not soon enough if you would have asked me in the moment)! I pushed for about an hour and a half until Grace Louise made quite a triumphant entry into the world. And the first thing I said to her was "Baby Girl!" as I pulled her up out the water. She was beautiful! Our lives were instantly changed.
Because of the way that little Gracie Lou "exited" I have had a rough time of recovery (going on two weeks), but would absolutely do it all again for her in a heartbeat! She is such a perfect little person and so incredibly sweet without even trying. As I was rocking her today, I read the scriptures that are framed in her room (Psalm 139 "For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb... I am fearfully and wonderfully made") and was just overwhelmed with emotion knowing, now more than ever, that these words are so true. This little girl is special and God has great things in store for her!
First pics are posted below... I'll post more of her first two weeks soon! (It won't take so long this time... I promise!).
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