Labor and Delivery: Additional Details & Behind the Scenes

I wanted to do a post letting you all in on some of the things that went on “behind the scenes” after I delivered Ilah. Just as some of you were/are curious about how my labor and delivery went, some of you may also be curious as to what happened after the fact! So here’s some details…

Let me talk about my c-section first.

• Even though I ended up having to have a c-section, I didn’t feel cheated. No, I didn’t have the vaginal delivery that I had hoped for but I got to experience everything leading up to it {getting dilated to a 10 and pushing for 45 minutes}. As I said before, Ilah’s safety was most important and I have no regrets about following the Dr.’s recommendation to go the route of a c-section rather than continuing to push in hopes that I could have the kind of “experience” that I wanted. I was fortunate that my epidural took on the first attempt and that my c-section went perfectly. We have a beautiful baby girl to love for the rest of our lives and at times I wonder if my heart is going to explode because I’m not sure if the amount of love that I have for her can be contained in it.
  
  The entire caesarean procedure took about 30 minutes. Two incisions were made: one through my abdominal wall and another into my uterus. It only takes about 5 to10 minutes for the Dr. to transition the baby out – the rest of the time is spent repairing the regional incision site. In my case, staples were used and were {painlessly} removed the day that I was discharged.

• The only two side effects {from pain medication} that I felt following surgery was that I itched like crazy, and my feet swelled quite a bit {they didn’t go down for about 7 days. I just had to keep them elevated in order for the swelling to go down. I wasn’t really a good “bed rest” patient – if I had been, the swelling probably would have gone down earlier}.

• So far, I’ve recovered very well from the c-section. After about a week, I was fully off of my pain meds {high MG's of Oxycodone and Ibuprofen}. I didn’t want to get hooked on them as being a pain reliever so from the moment that I got home, I lowered my dosage of Oxycodone from two pills to just one, and instead of taking them every 4-6 hours, I took just one in the morning and one at night, and eventually digressed to not taking any within a matter of days. {Sidenote: I’ve been told that having a bowel movement following a c-section hurts like heck…but that didn’t cause any discomfort for me. But coughing…and sneezing? Ouchy-ga-wah!}.

• Let’s talk mesh. Undies that is. Back when I was preparing my list of what to pack in my hospital bag, I noted underwear {both regular underwear and high wasted underwear - just in case I ended up having a c-section, so that it would comfortably rest above my incision}. My readers left me feedback that I really wouldn’t need to worry about bringing my own underwear because the hospital supplies you with mesh underwear that were supposed to be awesome. I brought the underwear just in case, but I gotta say…those mesh undies that the hospital DID supply…let me tell you…they ARE great!! The nurse who discharged me made sure that I left with at least a month supply of mesh undies!!...{for those curious, this is what they look like}....

The nurse also sent me home with the best sanitary pads that a woman can have post delivery....{this is my drawer at home!}....

• Speaking of things that I left the hospital with. I took the advice of a reader and packed an empty bag - such good advice that I followed! Because it was absolutely true…you leave the hospital loaded up on things for you and the baby!!
  
  Here’s a picture of the first cap that Ilah wore right after delivery – along with a second hat and shirt that she wore while in the hospital…now all a special keepsake.

• Attached to Ilah’s left leg was a hospital security tag. If anyone attempts to take a baby outside of a certain perimeter of the hospital floor, the baby’s security tag registers an alarm that sounds and all elevators are shut down and doors to the staircases are locked. Additionally, attached to Ilah’s wrist was a paper bracelet that had numbers on it. I also had one, and my husband had one. The numbers on our paper bracelet matched Ilah’s. Anytime she went into the nursery for routine tests and we got her back, we had to read the numbers on our wrist off to the nurse, who crosschecked them with the numbers on Ilah’s wrist, to ensure that we were getting the right baby!

Here’s a picture of Ilah getting some nighttime love with her daddy….

• The hospital had these cute buttons that parents could take and pass out to applicable family members - we all wore them proudly!….

• Surprisingly, just three doors down from my room, was a couple from our church who had just welcomed their second daughter into the world!! Here’s a picture of the two daddy’s with their girls….

• Let me tell you…we ate GOOD while in the hospital. One evening my mom brought us PF Changs for dinner. Yumm!! While watching The Real Housewives of Orange County, and eating round two of my leftovers, I cracked open two fortune cookies that revealed messages that seemingly go hand in hand in becoming a new mommy....

I relive my labor and delivery day so often in my head. It was such a beautiful, spiritual, and fulfilling day. A part of me wishes that I could go back to the day that Ilah was born and do it all over again - in slow motion. That's what a great memory does - it makes you want to relive it. We look at Ilah with so much love and amazement. We are looking forward to all that is to come in our lives...with her in it.

Ilah's Birth Story, Part 4: The Conclusion

I’m not sure if the operating rooms are prepped in advance for c-sections but things went really fast once the blue curtain went up in front of me. The room itself, and the “scene inside” {numerous staff and equipment} looked just like I imagined. The Dr. said, “In about five minutes you’re going to meet your little girl!” - and from beginning to end, it felt more like seconds than minutes. I assume the reasoning of the blue curtain going up in front of the mother is so that she isn’t traumatized by all that’s happening on the other side of that curtain! I’m actually glad that I tuned into TLC’s “A Baby Story” now and again and witnessed how c-sections were performed because I was pretty at ease knowing in advance the stages of the procedure and how the Dr. would transition the baby out.

The only time that I got a wee bit nervous lying on the table was when I heard one of the nurses call up to the NICU to be on standby. I later found out that this was a standard routine done for all c-sections but I started to wonder if maybe they were already noticing something that would require Ilah to be transferred to the NICU immediately following her delivery. From that point on I remember just wanting the moment to come that I would hear her little cry.

As the Dr. began to make my incision, I turned my head over to Dele and asked him, “Do you want to see her come out?” I knew that the entire process would happen so fast and if he wanted to actually see his daughter born than he only had seconds to decide. I could tell that my husband was torn between wanting to hold my hand and stay by my side, or shift his attention over the curtain to witness Ilah’s first precious breaths and see her face to face for the first time. I encouraged him by saying, “Its ok honey. I’m fine. You can go look”. He said, “Are you sure?” and I said, “Yes, I’m fine” {and I was}. And so he got up, looked over the curtain, and took a few steps forward {so he could get a good view}. The next thing I recall was the anesthesiologist, who was above my head, saying, “You’re gonna feel some pressure now; a bit of a tug”. I remember taking a deep breath and saying, “Come on baby, let me hear you cry” – because I knew that’s what should be next. And then…out she came! With a good set of lungs! {ha!}. Her cry filled the room…it’s all I heard from that moment forward. Ilah’s first cries were music to my ears. I was moved to tears at the first sound of my little one. I remember thinking to myself, “She has such a cute cry!” Is there even such a thing?! I guess it’s better to say that it wasn’t as boisterous as I expected it to be!

I was so happy my husband saw his little girl born. It was just as much his moment as much as it was mine. Dele peered back at me, and with watery eyes said, “She’s gorgeous!”. I said, “really?!” I couldn’t wait to see her. You spend so much time imagining what your baby will look like and then when you actually birth your precious gift from God, they are more beautiful than you could have ever dreamed. Looking at my husband in that moment, I saw his heart melt in such a life changing way. I am so, so glad that he witnessed Ilah coming out into the world. Inevitably, it was a beautiful and overwhelming experience that he will always remember.

After Ilah was born and transferred to the nurses to be weighed, and to have her footprints taken, etc. I heard Dele asking if he could go and take pictures, but everyone was still caught up in tending to me and no one answered him {I don’t even think they heard him}. So I turned to the only person that was in my sight {the anesthesiologist}, and asked him if my husband could go and take some photos. They told him just to watch out for cords and things, and that he was fine to make his way over to the baby.

When Dele returned to me, he came back with our newborn daughter bundled in his arms! When he leaned down to show her to me, I remember the tears falling down my face. There she was…our baby girl. Another dream come true.

When I kissed her little cheek, I remember feeling how warm she was. She was sooo warm!!

After admiring her for a few minutes, dad and baby were escorted to the recovery room where I would meet up with them. I felt too weak to hold Ilah right after I came out of surgery but I delighted in seeing her and her daddy bond in her first hours of life and captured those moments in some pictures....

About an hour later I was wheeled to my room, where my mom and Dele’s mom and sister, met up with us.

I had heard time and time again from so many people that once I held my baby in my arms that I would forget all about the negative aspects that I endured during my pregnancy. They were absolutely right.

When my mom looked at Ilah for the first time, she leaned over me and said, “Oh Jess, she’s beautiful. Wasn’t she worth it?”. We both just cried…now one mother to another. In that moment, we understood the rest of each others unspoken words as we gazed at the new beauty that had just been born...

All content in her cute crochet hat...

Mama wanted to make her feel pretty during her hospital stay, so day 2 I put this darling bow on her head!....

Our precious, very alert, newborn....

Ilah is now just a little over two weeks old. It's amazing how in just a short time she has evolved in so many ways. We are so blessed. So thankful. And so in love with her...

I Interupt Ilah's Birth Story to Present You with this Sweet Photo...

I am such a bath person. Love 'em. Can't get enough of 'em. I used to take so many baths while I was pregnant with Ilah. The warm water relaxed me and also helped alleviate my back pain. Ilah would move a lot in my tummy when we had "tubby time" together. Until Ilah's umbilical cord falls off, and the area heals, we have to wait before we can give her her first real bath; in the meantime we give her sponge baths with a lukewarm, moistened washcloth. This was her first one...

She loved it! She didn't cry. She didn't fuss. She didn't even wiggle much. I'd say this girl is like her Mama and finds warm water to be pretty soothing!

Ilah's Birth Story, Part 3

Sorry to break a part Ilah’s birth experience in several separate posts – there’s a lot of details to recount - which means, there’s a lot to write about and I’ve been doing it in pieces as I get the time. I wanted to give many details of Ilah’s birth experience for those who may be curious, but also to document the day {while it was still fresh in my mind} to put it in Ilah’s baby book.

On another note: I should have prefaced my birth story by saying that the experience was not in the least scary. I should also say that the experience leading up to pushing was much more serene than I had anticipated and I wasn’t nervous in the least. It’s absolutely true that no two women have the exact same labor and delivery experience – so all the googling that I did, and stories that I read from other woman {about their outcomes of being induced} were pretty pointless. I had read many stories online from women who spent 24 + hours waiting to get dilated to a 10 after being induced {if any of you watched the show “Kendra” of her birth episode, than you saw that she was in labor for 24 + hours before the Dr. finally decided that she needed to go the route of a c-section}. I had assumed that I would be among the women who would have the same slow progression. Things transpired for me far better than any story that I had come across so in essence, I allowed myself to be anxious for nothing really.

Back to delivery day…

My mom arrived back at the hospital around 12 noon on Tuesday, January 12. I spent the hours leading up to 3 o’clock sleeping, while my husband and mom watched television. As I relayed in my previous post, I was astonished with the Dr. came in at 3 p.m. and told me that I was fully dilated and it was time to push. Pushing wasn’t agonizing in the least bit. I remember being really surprised by that. I assumed that it was because I had gotten an epidural. My nurse was monitoring my contractions and when they hit she told me how to prepare to push {bring my head and chin down towards my throat and push through my bottom as if I was using the restroom}. She informed me that because of the epidural I wouldn’t really feel the result of my pushing. I was wondering if I was even making progress because she was right – I wasn’t feeling the result of my pushing. About twenty minutes into pushing she checked me and told me that she could see hair!!!

If you’ve been following my pregnancy from the beginning than perhaps you recall that we didn’t take birthing classes. I think if I wanted to go the way of a natural birth then I probably would have taken the courses since they teach you many calming techniques {and so much more}. However, even knowing in advance that I wanted an epidural, I didn’t want to go into labor and delivery blindly so we watched some online courses {but honestly, we weren’t that consistent}. The benefit of watching them, however, was becoming familiar with the terminology that would be used by the Dr. and my various nurses throughout my labor and delivery process. Understanding their lingo on the day-of was good to know.

I was taken off of my IV drip so that I could begin to feel my contractions and know when to push on my own – and actually feel myself pushing. The contractions that I were begin to feel were very, very, very mild in comparison to full blown contractions and I remember thinking that it was neat that I could be taken off of the IV drip to feel what I was doing! After a few more pushes on my back, the nurse told me to turn over on my side and push in that position. Then she told me to flip all the way over, with my elbows and knees facing into the bed, and give some good pushes in that position. I remember thinking, “Uhhh…I didn’t know about women pushing in these positions but ok”. Then she said, “Let’s get back into the side position; the baby seems to like that position better”. I remember pausing and being still for a moment. What did she mean by that – that the baby liked that position better?? So I asked. She said that the baby’s heart rate was going up but it seemed to stabilize when I was pushing on my side. She asked if I would be opposed to having assistance with bringing the baby out {by using either forceps or a vacuum}. I told her I didn’t oppose. She called the Dr. in and encouraged me to push really well in his presence. When he looked at the monitor, and checked to see how far down the baby was, he verbalized two things to me:

1.) That I had developed a fever of 100.4 and that as a result, the baby’s heart rate was going up - combining all the pushing that I was doing, this was causing stress on the baby.
2.) That my pelvic bone was more arched than the average woman’s and that the baby seems to have a hard time getting under it.

For the reasons above, the Dr. looked at me and recommended that I delivery Ilah by a c-section. And I’m not gonna lie – I looked at him and cried. Through my tears I sadly said aloud, “I really didn’t want a c-section”. Because of how great things were going up to that point I thought for sure that I was going to have a vaginal delivery {like I wanted}. And I was thisclose to having one. I couldn’t believe how fast things changed. The Dr. said that he couldn’t force me to have a c-section but that it was his professional recommendation. He went on to say that it would likely take another 3 hours for the baby to drop to where she needed to be for a successful vaginal delivery to happen but that even with that prediction, nothing was certain. Take also into consideration that I now had several risk factors to consider: I had a fever, Ilah’s heart rate was going up, she was already under stress, and my pelvic pone was out of whack.

Naturally, I did what was best for our baby and we got ready to deliver Ilah by caesarean.

Which brings me to talk about my birth plan. For those curious if I ended up comprising a Birth Plan – yes. It was short and sweet and my husband and I went over it a few times before the big day arrived so that both of us were on the same page with my/our wishes. We printed it off and placed it in my hospital bag but never had to refer to it because, as expected, if I wanted/needed/had a question about something, I just verbalized it. And my husband did wonderfully on the day-of with remembering everything on the list {even getting a separate set of inked footprints to put in Ilah’s baby book}. With the end result being what it was {a c-section}, I think it’s important for women to let their labor and delivery experience go as it may. There are just some things that you can’t control, and ultimately you will do whatever is in the best interest of your child and you, and the birth plan goes to the wayside.

While I was being prepped to be wheeled into the operating room, I was still vomiting. Can you believe that? The vomiting was the worst part of the entire days events – and even then, I was so used to it that I was like, “Whatever. It’s nothing that I haven’t had to cope with for hours on end before” {Ha!}. The nurse was so attentive and she placed a cold cloth on my forehead and had me drink two liquid solutions of anti-nausea medication that she thought would instantaneously help me - which I immediately threw up. The anesthesiologist then administered Zofran into me intravenously and then the nurse gave me an oxygen mask to breathe into. I remember Dele being handed his blue scrubs and laying in the bed getting wheeled down the halls into the operating room…with a throw up bin next to my mouth. Dele, with his camera around his neck, waited for a few short minutes in the hall until everything was set up and the team was good to go. When he came in, he sat down by my side and seeing that I was a bit nervous, told me that everything would be just fine. Our mothers were out in the visitor lounge anxiously awaiting the announcement that Ilah had been born and that mommy and baby were doing great. I remember the blue curtain going up in front of me and the Dr. saying that in about five minutes, we would meet our little girl. Ilah wasn’t even out yet and I was already crying out of happiness….

Ilah's Birth Story, Part 2

To quickly recap:

Tuesday, January 11:

• 7:30 p.m. - Checked into the hospital. Got attached to fetal heart rate monitor and got hooked up to an IV.
• 9:30 p.m. - induction drug was administered vaginally to further thin out my cervix {was at 80% when I checked into the hospital} along with helping the cervix to dilate and contract.

Wednesday, January 12:

• 5:00 a.m. – Given an enema {I had previously posted that I was offered a pill. Correction: It was given in the rectum {how could I forget that!? I guess because I didn’t find it to be uncomfortable}. You can go here to read how an enema is given if you’re curious.
• 6:00 a.m. – My Dr. came to my room and checked my cervix, which was now fully thinned to 100%, but I was still just a half a centimeter dilated. The Dr. proceeded to break my water to help promote the onset of labor.
  
  Onto more details…
  
  As I previously relayed, once my water broke, I began to feel contractions. They came about every two and a half minutes a part. Whoah – “What happened to five minutes apart?!” I thought to myself. But I was rollin’ with it – doing my best to maintain. I knew there was pain that existed that was much more excruciating than what I was experiencing so I kept things in perspective and just kept my eyes on the prize! It also helped knowing that soon enough I could get an epidural{which I always knew I wanted; I had determined ahead of time that I wasn’t going to try and brave a natural delivery}, but I had to wait until I was dilated to a 3. While in the restroom I finally saw that I was beginning to pass my mucus plug and bloody show was present. Because of how close together my contractions were I had asked my nurse if the Dr. could return check to see if I was any further dilated {my nurse was actually the one who checked my cervix and she said, “Yep, you’re at a 3!”. To which I replied, “Thank God”. It was epidural time!!
  
  Let me break into the story for just a minute to talk about my nurses. From the time that I checked in, to the time that I delivered, I had 3 different nurses. All were great. But the one that was the most wonderful was the one who was assigned to me at 5:00 a.m., the morning that my labor truly got underway, and stayed with me up until Ilah was born just before 5:00 p.m. Her name was Heather, and she was an exceptional nurse! My husband I prayed on the way to the hospital that every medical staff personal that we came in contact with would be people that would be exceptional - and they all were!
  
  At 11 a.m., I got an epidural. I didn’t look at the needle. The anesthesiologist also told my husband that maybe he shouldn’t look at it either because people had been known to pass out at the sight of it! Yowzers! The anesthesiologist walked me through the different stages of what I would feel – I was calm and relaxed since I knew that in a few minutes relief would hit. I recall telling him jokingly, “Please get it right the first time – and make sure it goes deep”! ha! Thankfully, it did work the first time. I feel so bad hearing stories of women who had to get stuck time and time again before it would successfully take.
  
  So what did it feel like to get the epidural? The nurse had me sit up on the side of my bed and had me round out my back {which was exposed} to prep for the anesthesiologist to come in. When the anesthesiologist arrived, he cleaned my spine and in went the needle. I felt just a tiny bit of pressure when the needle was pushed into my spine and there was a strange popping feeling. I also felt a cold chill run through my entire body as if water was dripping down my back. The entire process was pretty painless and it didn’t take long to begin feeling numb. From that point on, I was connected to a catheter. I thought that would be totally uncomfortable, but again, I didn’t even feel it and didn’t bother me in the least.
  
  When the Dr returned at 3:00 p.m he said, “Do you want the good news, or do you want the good news?”. I was dilated to a 10 and it was time to start pushing!! I remember saying, “Whhhat?!?!? Are you serious?!?!?”. It was ALREADY that time? Where was the long, drawn out, emotionally and physically exhausting experience that I thought I would have? This was too much of a breeze! From the time that my water broke, up until it was time to push, it had only been 9 hours!....

Ilah's Birth Story, Part 1

On January 12, 2010, our lives were enriched beyond measured when God blessed us with our daughter, Ilah LeAnn Eniola.

My pregnancy was quite a rough one {as many of you know, I had Hyperemesis gravidarum - extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy}. Rarely could I get through one day without having to take a Zofran pill to get the vomiting and nausea to subside. It was horrible, exhausting, and emotionally draining. Thankfully I was fortunate to stay at home throughout my entire pregnancy which allowed me and the bed to bond greatly.

As I approached the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I was eager to begin feeling the onset of labor…but I wasn’t having any contractions, I wasn’t feeling much abdominal pressure, I hadn’t lost my mucus plug, no sign of the bloody show, and at every visit towards the end of my pregnancy, even days before my due date, I was barely a half a centimeter dilated. I had wanted my body to progress naturally, but it just wasn’t. Because of the reasons I posted here, and here, the Dr. sent me to the hospital on Monday, January 11th to begin the process of being induced {I left my 12:00 noon appointment with instructions to give my labor and delivery nurse upon check-in and was advised that someone from the hospital would be calling me between 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. when my room was prepared for my arrival. We were so excited! We had actually hoped that at that appointment, the Dr. would say it was “the day” to begin to get things rollin’! After my husband and I left my Dr. appt we picked up lunch and headed to my mom’s house. After we ate, my husband and I snuggled up in bed and watched a movie. In true fashion, I fell asleep 30 minutes into it! I woke up when my phone rang at 6:00 p.m. – it was the hospital informing me of my check-in time: 7:30 p.m. I hung up and then looked over at my husband and smiled BIG! This is it – here we go!!!

Check in was a breeze as I had already completed, and mailed in, all the pre-admission forms and paid my co-pay in advance. On the way to the hospital I had read the paper that the Dr. wanted me to give to my nurse and I noticed that he had written that I was to be induced using Cytotec. A former classmate of mine, who is now a midwife {and who follows my blog and knew how my pregnancy was coming along}, advised me that should I end up being induced to NOT be induced with Cytotec for several reasons {here is one article highlighting the severe negative side effects of the drug – which is not even approved by the FDA}. When I entered my labor room and met my nurse the very first thing that I requested was that I be induced with a different drug – and I was. The nurse was even in agreement. I ended up taking an induction drug that went in vaginally, that should the baby not react well to it, it could be removed {whereas with the Cytotec, it’s an oral pill that once swallowed its effects cannot be reversed}.

I checked into the hospital without a stitch of makeup on, with my hair in a high ponytail. I wanted a freshly clean face and wanted my hair out of it. I wasn’t concerned about looking good – I was concerned about feeling good. And makeup on a pillow is icky to me. While this meant that my pictures wouldn’t show me at my picturesque best, oh well.

I changed into my hospital gown, got comfy on my bed and chatted with my mom and husband. I was totally enjoying the process of getting the birth of Ilah started! I got connected to a fetal heart rate monitor to monitor the heart rate of our baby {which I frequently found myself glancing at all night} and the nurse started my IV drip. Once my induction drug was administered {around 9:30 p.m.}, I had to stay in bed for two hours, and lay on my side, until it was fully in effect. The nurse advised me that if I wanted to eat something, I had to do so by 12 midnight so at 11:30 p.m. {when I was able to sit up and be mobile again}, my husband went to the hospital’s 24 hour McDonalds and got me a Southwestern salad {and french fries!}. With as much back pain as I had been having throughout this pregnancy, I felt none during my entire labor and delivery process. Also under control was my blood pressure. Praise the Lord!

My nurses had switched shifts and around 1:00 a.m. in walked a bubbly, sweet, petite southern lady who had been a labor and delivery nurse for 37 years. The first thing she did when she walked in was greet me warmly, asked if I had any questions, fluffed my pillows and asked me what the dad-to-be would like. How nice of her to think of making sure that my husband was just as comfortable as I was! She stayed in the room for a short bit, just chatting with us, which I actually really liked because it allowed us to connect with her. Before she left, she asked me if I wanted an ambien to sleep through the night but I said no. I didn’t want to risk being drowsy the next day {when the morning rolled around I was in fact very well rested}. For the rest of the night, with lights out, my husband and I chatted, watched a few late night comedy shows on tv, tuned into CNN and then eventually {after I put earplugs in!} we fell asleep. As much of a sound sleeper as my husband is, he wasn’t while I was in the hospital. Every time I moved, even in the slightest bit, he would ask me if I needed something. And every time I had to get up and use the restroom, he would come and detached my monitor and wheel my IV behind me into the bathroom and then would help me back into bed and tuck me in. One time I called him over to get in bed with me – chancing that the bed might collapse! – but I just wanted to be snuggled up right next to him for a bit.

Very early in the morning {around 5 a.m.} I was given an enema to have a bowel movement – and {be prepared for a TMI here…} I loved the release! I had been so constipated throughout this entire pregnancy and having done research on the option to have an enema before labor really gets started, I knew that I wanted one. So when I was offered the pill, I was all about it!

Despite the nurse coming in and out to do routine checks throughout the night, I wasn’t bothered by it much. My doctor came in at 6:00 a.m. am {bright eyed and bushy tailed I might add – I even told him, “Wow, you are really a morning person!}. He checked my cervix – I was effaced 100% – but still just a half a centimeter dilated. He proceeded to break my water. Crykee!! It didn’t take long for the contractions to come…and when they came, they came fast and furious. I remember telling Dele that since I had never experienced a “real” contraction I was almost certain that they would be a doozy. Yep, I was right. I remember the nurse at my Dr.’s office telling me that contractions would feel like your uterus was being stabbed with an ice-pick. That analogy was pretty right on!

Nearly immediately after my water broke, I began throwing up. I had heard that many women vomit at the onset of labor so I wasn’t sure if that’s why I was or if I my “morning sickness” was kicking in as it normally does {yes, when I say that I was sick throughout my entire pregnancy, I literally meant up until the day of delivery}. There I was…vomiting…and having contractions...and having to go to the bathroom - all things happening at the same time. Yet in the midst of it all, I was sooo excited. Progression was happening – I was feeling it. This is the day we had been waiting for…for SO long!! And it was so astounding to actually be living out the moments that we had been envisioning for months and months!! The process of bringing our daughter into the world was well on its way…

Getting Acclimated

Last night was a doozy. My mom normally has the "night shift" with Ilah, but on the weekends we give it a go on our own. Our little one was up every 1 1/2 - 2 hours last night/this morning and our eyes were definitely heavy today from the lack of sleep. Ilah is starting to recognize when she's been transferred out of our arms and into in her bassinet to sleep...and let me tell ya, starting last night, it didn't take long before her arms start flailing and the crying wails began. She finds great comfort when mama holds her - this was immediate even from birth. She knows my touch and finds it oh-so-soothing. It's sweet and I love it, but we don't want her to get too used to being held in order for her to hit "deep sleep". She's been doing so good at home getting acclimated to her new environment - last night/early this morning was really our first rough night since she's been born. A sleep pattern will come in due time. But for now, especially as a newborn, and in her early months, adjustments remain in the works for all of us {as for me and the hubby, in the midst of having a newborn by our side, we still cuddle, find eachothers feet under the sheets, have engaging conversations, hold hands in bed, and he still plays with my hair, which sooths me}.

Today we did a whole lot of nothin'. And I expect that's how the upcoming days and weeks and the next few months with a newborn will go. While I'm antsy to get out of the house and hit up one of our favorite eateries, go to the mall for a stroll, and am looking forward to returning to church, I'm spastic about having our newborn baby out of the house, especially with it being winter, and especially since the Dr. advised us that Ilah should not be out until she's had her immunizations at her two month appointment. Seemingly, we will be remaining indoors until that's happened.

Every day I make it a point to capture some sweet moments of my day with Ilah; we just love this precious little one...

She almost always sleeps like this...with her hands up in the air. I call it her "Praise Jesus!" position.

"Please. No more camera's. I've had enough pictures for one day". {Ha!!}

Our wee one has been sleeping going on 3 1/2 now...PTL. Daddy just ordered pizza and a movie will accompany it. Nights in aren't all that bad.

Flowers for Two

Yesterday Mr. Wonderful walked in the door with flowers for me...

And one little white flower for baby Ilah....

We recently discovered a new Italian soda drink at Trader Joes - it's sooo good!! Initially we picked up just one bottle to see how we liked it and when that bottle went empty we both wished we had bought more! So another thing that Mr. Wonderful purchased, along with flowers yesterday, was more bottles of our new favorite drink....

Oh how I love my man!!

Follow Up To My Last Post

I just read a comment left on my below post entitled “Praying for the Single Mothers” and I felt it was important to further that entry with this follow up post - especially since my well intended, compassionate message was so misconstrued that it caused this person to do a post on their blog rebutting mine. I wish to respond openly to their comment, and their blog post, should anyone else share in this person’s same feelings.

Certainly children do not need to be raised in a two parent household to be loved, adored, and properly provided for. Many single parents raise children who are “well rounded, healthy and happy” – and do exceedingly well at meeting all of their child’s needs - and furthermore, their wants. I am one of those children. My father passed away when I was 14 years old – my mother chose to never remarry. Essentially, my mother continued to raise me as a single parent, with Christ still as the foundation of our home. I’m not sure if the woman who commented is a woman of faith or what her viewpoint is on religion, but for me, being raised in a home {and church} all my life where God’s presence was known, I had the assurance that when my father passed away, that God would bring peace in the midst of such a devastating time and that while even though I no longer had an earthly father to continue raising me, that God would fulfill that imperative role. My mother will attest that certain times were hard but she pressed through - and she fostered in me that I could fulfill any dream I had, do anything that I wanted to do, and be anything that I wanted to be – she became an exceptional single parent {not by choice, just like many other single mothers} who always made me her number one priority.

My post was not written from a perspective meant to imply that raising a child in a two parent household trumps raising a child as a single parent. If you read back through my post, you will see where I wrote, “There are so many women, for vast reasons [who are in this position] and my heart breaks for them”. One “vast reason” includes the loss of a parent.

I did not mean to imply in my post that single mothers raise children who are greatly deprived – emotionally, mentally, physically or financially. In fact, many news headlines reveal horror stories about children who are being “raised” by two parents and we hear how those precious babies have been intentionally strangled, sold for money, abandoned in a gutter – the awful stories go on and on. They break my heart. Now that I have a baby, I am especially sensitive to the little ones of the world who are mistreated on any level – by anyone.

I simply wanted to urge my readers to pray for the women who are single mothers {those who do feel inadequate, worried, and stressed...because those women do exist; not all have a great amount of internal strength and adequate financial means} – I never thought that a post on prayer would “trigger” another one of my readers negatively. There was no hidden down beating connotations that I was trying to imply in my post. There were no judgments that were being passed. Just compassion, support and encouragement. Offerings that all women need to do for each other.

Praying for the Single Mothers

As I was preparing to lay Ilah down to sleep tonight, a praise song - that I learned as a young child, hit my heart:

In my life Lord
Be glorified, be glorified
In my life, Lord
Be glorified today.

In Your church, Lord
Be glorified, be glorified
In Your church, Lord
Be glorified today.

In my heart, Lord
Be glorified, be glorified
In my heart, Lord
Be glorified today.

In my praise, Lord
Be glorified, be glorified
In my praise, Lord
Be glorified today.

My mom shared with me that while I was in the hospital, there was a time that she passed the baby nursery and looked at all of the wee babes and wondered what their future would hold. How many of them would be raised in a home with loving parents who will unconditionally love them, care for them, provide for them, and raise them to know the awesomeness of God? How many would be abused, neglected, emotionally mistreated, and won’t have the love of Jesus imparted into them? It broke my heart to think about the latter.

I recall telling my husband, just days before Ilah was born, that I couldn’t imagine going through the experience of pregnancy and childbirth alone. It's such a miraculous thing to share with the one you love. I am so blessed to have a wonderful man in my life that greatly anticipated the birth of his daughter - he delighted in every moment of my pregnancy and now that she is born, he marvels at every little thing she does. There are so many women, for vast reasons, who are not as fortunate as I am and my heart breaks for them. My spirit began to grieve and I felt the urgency to pray for single mothers. Would you please do the same?

Pray for the single mothers who feel overwhelmed and inadequate. For the one’s who can’t sleep in the night - who are worried, fearful and stressed. Pray that God’s peace consumes them and that they will be kept safe from harm. Pray that God’s favor will fall upon them and that their children will know that they have a Heavenly Father who will never leave them or forsake them. May they know that they are valuable and that they have a purpose. That God is sovereign - and that if they call upon Him, he will hear the desires of their heart.

May they meditate on the scripture found in Jeremiah 29:11...

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".

This is my prayer for them.

It's Been a Week Already?!

Time sure does fly. Yesterday our precious baby girl turned one week old. While I'm greatly looking forward to all of the stages that she will come into as she gets older, a part of me wants to freeze time so that I can draw out the days and make them longer so that I am sure to cherish all of the moments of her newborn stage.

{Baby Ilah, 1 week old}

Yesterday, on her one week birthday, Ilah's Great Aunt Janice sent a big package to her full of lots of pretty outfits - and yummy treats for mommy too!

Ilah even got a Valentine's Day present!...

And mommy got her favorite candy of all time...Sees!!....

Here are some of the outfits to be added to Ilah's ever expanding wardrobe {Great Aunt Janice thought ahead and bought sizes 18 and 24 months}....

A close up of what the shirts say...

Ilah even got her first bathing suit!! Isn't this just DARLING!!??!! I can't wait until summer rolls around and it's pool time!...

Everything that Ilah received on her one week birthday was so cute; I even loved the card...

Enclosed was also money for her savings account!

Thank you Aunt Janice - you went above and beyond!! We love you!!