Hailey is four months old today, she is nursing perfectly and seems to be working on her first tooth. She really is the perfect baby, she only fusses when she is tired or hungry. She smiles a lot and is very alert, sometimes it seems like you can see the wheels turning in her little mind. She is such a joy! If all babies were like her Id have a dozen. She is about 13 pounds and 25 inches long. She does not like tummy time, she tolerates it for a few minutes and then starts to squeel and let me know she is mad. She has been rolling for a few weeks which has made for the demise of tummy time. When she is done she just rolls over onto her back where she finds her toes. Her toes are her best friends- she loves to hold them and suck on them. She has brought so much joy into our home, I had no idea babies could be so pleasant and sweet. My boys both screamed basically non-stop from the time they were born until they were 6 months old. Hailey wakes once during the night, around 3am and then again at 6am and then gets up for the day around 7 with a few naps here and there. I had no idea babies could sleep so well!
Im two days post partum and my milk is beginning to come in! My baby is nursing like a champ. She is my third so my lurning curve isnt so bad this time. But we are still learning to nurse, its definatly teamwork. My nipples are very different in shape and she is having a hard time latching onto my right side. I have to make sure she isnt overly hungry or needing to suck to get her to latch onto it. I know it will just take time for her to learn how to do it. I just have to keep offering and making sure she gets equal time on each side during these crucial first days. I have been monitoring her weight on my digital postal scale. I have a large shallow box that I lined with a soft blanket, I first tare my scale with it on and then place her in it. She has been losing wieght but it is fine for a new baby to lose 10% of their weight in the first few days, once my milk is in and she gets a few good meals in her belly she will be doing absolutley awesome! She has a great latch on my left side so I am not concerned. Until now she has been getting colostrum, which is the greatest food for a human baby on this earth. Im thrilled that nursing is going so well. I hope to continue for at least a year. I weaned my youngest son just before his second birthday, we will see how long Hailey nurses.
My daughter was born yesterday, 7lbs 20.5″ long with lots of long black hair. She has stunning blue eyes, just like my boys. She has my eyes. Im so happy to see those baby blues again. My daughter was born at home with the expert assistance of a wonderful midwife. Due to the great care I recieved I did not tear, and my midwife does not do episiotomies. She is a smart woman, sizzors do not belong near a vagina. I tend to agree. I feel really great today, I am sore and tired but I dont feel like Ive been hit by a mack truck as I did with my other births. My chest is a little sore, from pushing and my back feels ‘wonky’ and keeps clicking because of the hormone relaxin but it will tighten up in the coming days. These are minor issues, and I have no major issues. My oldest son, who is four is absolutly smitten with his baby sister. He held her when she was five hours old. She was here when he woke up. He came into the master bedroom and I was sitting semi upright and told him to come over, his baby sister had been born during the night. He was very excited and completly in love with his baby. My younger son who is 3 has been a bit more reserved, he isnt so hot on not being the baby anymore. He will come around, he is very loving and cuddley, it will just take a little time for him to get used to being the BIG brother.
We are officially done having children now, I never understood people when they said they just ‘knew’ when their family was complete. I guess I just had to experience it to understand. We are a complete family of five. Mom, Dad, two boys and one girl (oh and a big white lab/pitbull baby)
My beautiful perfect daughter was born early this morning and this is her birth story:
I had had a midwife appointment earlier in the day and started contracting regularly around 6pm. Around 10:30pm I called my midwife and my friend and then I headed to the shower because I was starting to hurt. It was getting really intense and I was a little concerned- it had only been a few hours and this was not my usual ‘putt putt oh Im having a contraction…no biggy’ this was a ‘oh wow…WOW…WOW here it comes’ it felt like I was going to explode. After a really awesome pain relieving shower I got into bed for a little to check on the contrax- and talk about birth announcements on my favorite message board. Priorities, right? Soon it was too much for me- and really that is saying something. Aarons labour was 55 hrs and Chases was 17- and I was strapped into a hospital bed unable to move around. I tried several different positions and techniques to get through the contractions but they were seriously coming HARD and I was getting double peaks! I thought ‘nuh-uh’ there is NO way Im in transition already, there just cant be any way! I was only 2cms dialated at 6pm! I got in the bath tub and the hot water really was amazing for the intense contractions. My midwife arrived right around midnight and checked me and I was 9cms! Holy moly no way! I was shocked. I was hoping for a 6 but hey but Ill totally take 9! I got back in the bathtub and soon was filling it way up (its a huge tub) and my midwife and husband just sat around the bedroom and we all chit chatted between my contractions. Then came the scarey one….oh God! Everything in my body started saying PUSH PUSH PUSH!! I tried to fight it (ha!) and my midwife said ‘that sounded like a pushy one ‘ Ohhh it was! She asked if I wanted to deliver in the tub or out. I thought for a second and said out. She had everything already set up and ready to rock. I dried off and got into my own bed (SO NICE!) and just relaxed for a couple minutes….I had a moment where I thought ‘wth?! Did I totally screw up-why isnt that PUSH contraction coming again?’ Oh but it did…there was just a lull- I guess for me to get ready! It started building and I was terrified. it hurt-holy heck it was the most intense feeling! I HAD to push. I wasnt flat on my back but more of a semi upright position- it was VERY comfortable. I wish I had gotten a picture of it, seriously its a thousand times better than flat on your back!! My water was STILL intact! My midwife said it would probably burst on my first push and she was ready for it with an extra chux pad held up to me It did, it was a very odd but cool feeling- like a water balloon. I pushed through that contraction and I was just like ‘OMG…this just isnt cool it really hurts’ My midwife said the next push and she will be out. I said ‘Nu-uh!’ she put her hand up to me and she said ‘her head is right here’ and sure enough when she touched me I could feel that the head was already right at the opening!! I started laughing and told Hailey to help her Mommy out and to be gentle. My midwife couldnt believe I was laughing,but it was part nerves!! Then THE contraction came. Oh my God….yep…this baby was coming. I pushed and started seeing stars so I took a breath and refocused on pushing in the right area. Wow….during this my hands went down and I felt her head. Lots of black hair! OMG it hurt! I pushed more and more. That contraction was working for me and I was going to get this kid out on that push because there was NO way I was going to wait for another contraction with her head half out! Then I felt it- a little relief. Her head was out…this was so different than with the boys when I was torn or cut-I rested for a few moments while my midwife suctioned Hailey and then I pushed the rest of her body out. My eyes were closed as I was pushing and my midwife called for me to open my eyes and look down at my baby. There she was- beautiful and perfect face up, one arm up by her chin and then the other one popped out. Whoa that felt WIERD! And she was born. It was wonderful. She pooped AND peed on me within about 3 minutes of being born and Ive already been puked on we are all so in love, the boys are thrilled!
Still pregnant…I cannot be pregnant forever…I cannot be pregnant forever…this has become my mantra the past few weeks. I have never been overdue. My first pregnanct ended at 39 weeks 6 days and my second at 38 weeks. So I had my midwifes appt at 5:30 Las Vegas time today (6:30 AZ time) we arrived over half an hour early but she has a great waiting room with toys and a TV so we went in. Well luck had it her 5 oclock was late so we quickly did my appointment. She checked me and I was 3cms 80% effaced and a +1 station! Good progress! Things started to pick up on the way home, its a two hour drive back to Kingman. I timed my contractions haphazardley on the way home, they were about 5 mins apart, nothing SERIOUS. I didnt have a clock with a second hand so I just sort of eyeballed it on the clock in the van. The boys fell asleep on the way home so I had some peace after my husband went to bed, I started timing and they were 3 mins apart lasting 30-45 seconds. I timed for about 45 mins when I called my midwife and my friend. Both headed out the door, my friend coming from across town and my midwife 100 miles. This baby is finally coming!