Our beautiful daughter, Vivian, was born August 2nd!
As we got closer to the due date (August 1st), I of course got more anxious to meet our little sunshine. I wanted the show to get on the road. So, Sunday I went to get a pedicure, hoping that a massage on the right nerves might start things off. I felt no change. Monday morning I started with my regular breakfast shake but I added in some papaya. I was told that papaya has awesome enzymes that start labor. For lunch I had some very spicy Thai food. Which I was also told that spicy food irritates the GI Tract which induces labor. Once again, I felt no change. As usual, Derrick flew home Monday night but his plane was delayed and he did not get in until 2:00 Tuesday morning. After only a few hours of sleep, I went to work Tuesday morning, still feeling great and no signs of surges or labor. We had a doctor's appointment at 11:00. At the check-up, Renee informed us that we were at 3 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. To me that sounded like we hadn't gotten very far. 4 weeks ago I was at 1 centimeter. That wasn't a huge change in my mind, however she said I was progressing perfectly and that we will probably have a baby in the next week. After our appointment, we went to lunch. Nothing special, just some bar-b-q. Then we did some light walking around IKEA and I got a manicure. We made it home around 2:00pm. I noticed my appetite had decreased slightly but I just figured it was because we had a really big lunch. Well...around 5:00pm I started to feel a little out of sorts so I went to the bedroom to lay down for a nap. I put my birthing affirmations on and began my relaxed breathing. Sure enough, my surges were beginning. They were about every 10 minutes and lasted about a minute. Here we go, I thought. Now how long was this going to last. Well, the surges started to get more intense and frequent very quickly. Derrick came in to help me control my breathing and relax. Around 7:30pm he called Renee to let her know that the surges were at 2-3 minutes apart and were lasting for about 2 minutes each. We were off to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital at 8:00pm. Derrick and I went straight up to labor and delivery. I don't really remember too many specifics after that until the pushing part. I had my eyes closed most of the time focusing on my breathing and Derrick was really making sure I was focusing on relaxing and trusting that my body knew what it was supposed to do. It was really hard to find a comfortable laboring position. I was on all fours on the bed, leaning on Derrick and on my side. The nurse that we had, Jill, was wonderful. While Derrick was talking me through each surge, Jill was helping me with my long, deep breaths. Around 10:00pm Renee showed up, right on time! She even brought me a Lucky Duck Dahlia from her garden for good luck. The feeling to bare-down or push began. Renee took me to the laboring chair that has a hole so I wouldn't feel as much pressure on my bottom. I did a few pushes there but we were stuck at 9.5 centimeters. So Renee got me into a warm shower. Holy cow did that work! I immediately felt a change! I called for Renee and I got onto the bed on my side. I pushed through about 4 surges and then our baby was on my chest and belly. All in about 6 hours. I looked over at Derrick with a smile, like, 'we did it!'. He was smiling back with tears in his eyes. But wait! We still didn't know if the baby was a boy or girl. After a quick look and some discussion, it was girl! The umbilical cord was cut and I pulled her closer to my chest where she took her time making her way to my breast for her first meal. She needed only a little assistance but eventually found her way. Don't let anybody fool you, the first time you breast feed HURTS. We asked for some privacy so we could have a family moment and discuss what we wanted to name our new bundle. We decided on Vivian. Everyone asks where we came up with her name. It came from nowhere and has no ties to any family. We just thought of it and it sounded perfect. After she ate, Grandma Dot came in to give Vivian her first bath. Everyone did great, not too much fussing. Shortly after, we got settled in our room. That was it. We did it! I made it 9 months. We made it through an unmedicated birth. We have a beautiful baby girl! YAY!!!
A special thank you to my dear Husband. You are truly amazing. Your support through all of my non-traditional ideas was amazing. Thank you for letting me have control of my body and trusting that I knew what was best for me and Vivian. Thank you for loving me completely and helping me bring this new life into the World. Thank you for being strong and positive when I was scared or unsure. I love you!
As we got closer to the due date (August 1st), I of course got more anxious to meet our little sunshine. I wanted the show to get on the road. So, Sunday I went to get a pedicure, hoping that a massage on the right nerves might start things off. I felt no change. Monday morning I started with my regular breakfast shake but I added in some papaya. I was told that papaya has awesome enzymes that start labor. For lunch I had some very spicy Thai food. Which I was also told that spicy food irritates the GI Tract which induces labor. Once again, I felt no change. As usual, Derrick flew home Monday night but his plane was delayed and he did not get in until 2:00 Tuesday morning. After only a few hours of sleep, I went to work Tuesday morning, still feeling great and no signs of surges or labor. We had a doctor's appointment at 11:00. At the check-up, Renee informed us that we were at 3 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. To me that sounded like we hadn't gotten very far. 4 weeks ago I was at 1 centimeter. That wasn't a huge change in my mind, however she said I was progressing perfectly and that we will probably have a baby in the next week. After our appointment, we went to lunch. Nothing special, just some bar-b-q. Then we did some light walking around IKEA and I got a manicure. We made it home around 2:00pm. I noticed my appetite had decreased slightly but I just figured it was because we had a really big lunch. Well...around 5:00pm I started to feel a little out of sorts so I went to the bedroom to lay down for a nap. I put my birthing affirmations on and began my relaxed breathing. Sure enough, my surges were beginning. They were about every 10 minutes and lasted about a minute. Here we go, I thought. Now how long was this going to last. Well, the surges started to get more intense and frequent very quickly. Derrick came in to help me control my breathing and relax. Around 7:30pm he called Renee to let her know that the surges were at 2-3 minutes apart and were lasting for about 2 minutes each. We were off to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital at 8:00pm. Derrick and I went straight up to labor and delivery. I don't really remember too many specifics after that until the pushing part. I had my eyes closed most of the time focusing on my breathing and Derrick was really making sure I was focusing on relaxing and trusting that my body knew what it was supposed to do. It was really hard to find a comfortable laboring position. I was on all fours on the bed, leaning on Derrick and on my side. The nurse that we had, Jill, was wonderful. While Derrick was talking me through each surge, Jill was helping me with my long, deep breaths. Around 10:00pm Renee showed up, right on time! She even brought me a Lucky Duck Dahlia from her garden for good luck. The feeling to bare-down or push began. Renee took me to the laboring chair that has a hole so I wouldn't feel as much pressure on my bottom. I did a few pushes there but we were stuck at 9.5 centimeters. So Renee got me into a warm shower. Holy cow did that work! I immediately felt a change! I called for Renee and I got onto the bed on my side. I pushed through about 4 surges and then our baby was on my chest and belly. All in about 6 hours. I looked over at Derrick with a smile, like, 'we did it!'. He was smiling back with tears in his eyes. But wait! We still didn't know if the baby was a boy or girl. After a quick look and some discussion, it was girl! The umbilical cord was cut and I pulled her closer to my chest where she took her time making her way to my breast for her first meal. She needed only a little assistance but eventually found her way. Don't let anybody fool you, the first time you breast feed HURTS. We asked for some privacy so we could have a family moment and discuss what we wanted to name our new bundle. We decided on Vivian. Everyone asks where we came up with her name. It came from nowhere and has no ties to any family. We just thought of it and it sounded perfect. After she ate, Grandma Dot came in to give Vivian her first bath. Everyone did great, not too much fussing. Shortly after, we got settled in our room. That was it. We did it! I made it 9 months. We made it through an unmedicated birth. We have a beautiful baby girl! YAY!!!
A special thank you to my dear Husband. You are truly amazing. Your support through all of my non-traditional ideas was amazing. Thank you for letting me have control of my body and trusting that I knew what was best for me and Vivian. Thank you for loving me completely and helping me bring this new life into the World. Thank you for being strong and positive when I was scared or unsure. I love you!
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