Friday December 19 2008

Well, little Alexandra (or Alex) is now 3 days old. It is hard to believe that it was just 3 days ago! Being home is very nice :)

Many have asked how the labor/delivery went for us. I have to say it could not have gone any better and I have to give Steve a TON of credit, praise, and admiration for how it went. Monday started out with a trip to the doctor who confirmed via a litmus like test that the water had broken. No gush, but it was broken/leaking, which meant by Tuesday we would have our little girl. Since the contractions were still pretty far apart and fairly mild, the doctor had us go get lunch, finish packing/getting ready and then if things did not pick up on their own, we would give her a little "nudge".

We arrived at the hospital around 3:00 Monday afternoon (they were all ready for us, had our room ready, all the paperwork was done) and got settled in. An in room ultrasound was done to just confirm she was head down and ready to go. Around 6:45 they started me on the potosin IV and we waited to see if that would be enough of a nudge. While the contractions were more regualr, they were not overly painful, but also were not really moving things along at a pace that the doctor would have liked.

At about 10:45 (after the monologue and during Headlines on Jay Leno) Dr Thompson finished breaking the water membrane. I remember the interview with Kate Winslet and Conan O Brien starting....then the rest is all a blur.

Back labor is probably something that one can not describe...but we made it through it calmly with a lot of pressure on my back by Steve (3+hours!) 2 soaks in the hot whirlpool tub, the birthing ball, and a fantastic nurse named Sarah. Through it all I was able to stay calm and mostly relaxed, breathe through the contractions, and work with the contractions instead of fighting them. I could not have done it without Steve. He never left my side, was postive and encouraging, and he remainded so calm so I could as well.

They said we could start pushing around 3:50 and while this was the hardest part (I kept asking "how much longer" and "how many more pushes?") Sarah got a mirror so that on the next big push I was able to see Alex's head coming down...this was the last bit of motivation I needed to keep it going and just work to get her all the way down and out. Steve was able to watch the whole process while still helping me work through each contraction. He would just help me count through it, encouraged me to try one more with each contraction, and kept reminding me that I was strong and we would soon have our daughter.

Then at 5:11 on December 16 2008 she made her arrival into the world. It was the most amazing experience for both of us, and I was able to do it with out the assistance of any pain medication, which had been our goal and one we really wanted to make happen. While I may have carried her for 9 months and pushed her out, this whole process was a team effort for Steve and I. He is the most amazing husband and partner and I feel very lucky. And is amazing to share this love with something we created between the two of us.

So, that is our story. While we may have hoped to have done more of the labor at home, it really worked out all for the best. We knew we were there in time, we had a very supportive nursing staff and doctors right there (our primary doctor/Alex's doctor was there for delivery as well as the resident who did the actually "delivery part" but that is really misnomer, as all they really do is "catch her". Most of the "pushing time" was done with assitance of Steve and our nurse Sarah) and it went almost like clockwork really. Who is going to complain about a true/active labor and delivery that was essentially less than 6 hours long?

Now we have our beautiful little princess. She is just so much fun to watch and snuggle and get to know. It is hard for us to put her down! We are so excited to share her with everyone!!!

We have tons of pictures and will get more up soon (once Steve gets them off the camera and laptop we took to the hospital).

And we got home before the monster of a snow storm hit (almost 12 inches today!!!). Our neighbors were wonderful from watching our cats to making sure our walkway was cleared of snow after the snow Tuesday as well as the first run today. Steve got some pictures which I will post later :) We will have White Christmas!

Genny, Steve, and Alexandra