Today our little Daniel is one week old! We had been anxiously awaiting his arrival
and we were so happy and thankful to finally hold him in our arms. He truly is our little bundle of joy!
My pregnancy with Daniel was different than the other two in
that he was very active in the womb!
Also, I had lower back and hip pain this time around which didn’t happen
as much the first two times. Another
difference was that I had two kids who were very aware of my growing belly and
that a little one would be joining our family.
That was pretty fun(except that Lydia was upset about getting another
brother my WHOLE pregnancy and did not share in our excitement). I saw two midwives throughout the duration of
this pregnancy, which was also a difference.
I enjoyed seeing the same women at each appointment. It was more personal.
Labor(warning: if you
don’t want to know the nitty gritty details, skip to the next section!!)
Due to having a very fast labor with Lydia, I had some
anxiety about going into labor. I was
nervous I wouldn’t know if I was in labor, or that if my water broke, I’d be
giving birth on the side of the highway, or in my house! I also had some anxiety (and excitement) because this was the
first time I was going to attempt a natural delivery (no epidural). I went past my due date with both Lydia and
Joe and up until my 39 week appointment, I thought I’d go earlier than my due date. But as my due date (April 15) got closer I
became doubtful that I would ever have a baby, lol!
Well, Monday morning(4.14.14) at 1 am, I had to go to the
bathroom. I had some bleeding, which is
one of the only signs I had when in labor with Lydia. This was exciting for me of course but it was
the middle of the night and I didn’t want to unnecessarily wake anyone up so I
went back to bed. The contractions
started soon after that. And they very
quickly became close. In the course of
the next hour they went from 12 min apart to 5 min apart. I called my doula first a little after 2 am,
and then I called my midwife. The
midwife thought it would be best if we got going to the hospital. I was relieved to hear this as the
contractions were moving closer together very quickly. Thankfully my mom was already at our house,
and we didn’t need to wait for someone to come be with the kids. We finished packing our bags and headed to
the hospital. It was all very surreal
and exciting. We got to the hospital
around 3 am. The nurse checked me, and I
was 5 cm dilated, and my bag of waters was still fully intact. I was very relieved that I was truly in labor
and wouldn’t be going back home without a baby.
They got me settled in our labor and delivery room (which was
HUGE!!). By 5:30 am, I was 7 cm, and we
were all anticipating a baby to come very fast.
If my water broke, it would be even faster. Well, the next few hours went by and I did a
lot of walking, and sitting on the birth ball, but my contractions were getting
further apart. When the midwife checked
me, I was 8 cm and she found that Daniel was crooked in my cervix, which was
what was causing labor to slow down. She
had me lie on my right side and breathe through 5 or so contractions and then
get on all fours and breathe through a few contractions. At this point the contractions started
getting really intense and painful. I
found it much easier to lie on my side rather than be on all fours, so that’s
what I did. And somewhere around 10:30,
the urge to push came. I was afraid I
wouldn’t feel it. I needn’t have been
afraid! J The pushing was the hardest part for me. It was a little awkward pushing while lying on
my side, but I think my midwife didn’t want him to come out too fast and cause
bad tearing. I think the hardest part
about pushing was not knowing how long I would have to push. When I
felt his head come out and heard his cry, I was overcome with relief and
thankfulness. The midwife let him stay
connected to me via the umbilical cord for a few minutes, and then Marc cut the
cord. Then we had some precious skin to
skin time where I was able to nurse him and hold him. Unfortunately my body was still in a little
bit of shock, so I felt very weak. But
as I reflect back on that hour, it was beautiful.
Hospital Stay
The rest of our stay went without any hiccups. For that I am very thankful. Marc and I enjoyed our time bonding with Daniel
in the hospital. We were home by
mid-morning Wednesday. The kids were the
first ones to meet him Monday afternoon.
Lydia, after months of telling me she did NOT want another brother, was
in love with him from the time she laid eyes on him. This was such a relief and joy to me, as I
was sad she wasn’t excited at all during my pregnancy with him.
First week
So far, Daniel is a pretty easy baby. He just loves to eat and sleep! He’s already outgrown his newborn clothes and
is even experiencing his first growth spurt.
He ate on the hour every hour between 1-5 am this morning. He’s still got his days and nights mixed up,
but we’re working on that! I’m very
tired, and hoping this growth spurt doesn’t last too long as I’d like to catch
some more zzzz’s. The kids just love
him, and we are really just enjoying him as the gift from God that he is. We are so happy he’s here!
Psalm 139:13-14
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my
mother’s womb. I praise you because I am
fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full
well.”
Mommy & Daniel are both a little tired!
Kids meeting Daniel for the first time!
Daddy getting some bonding time :)
Day 2 Visit from kids.......kisses!
This picture pretty much sums up how Lydia feels about Daniel.
Going home!
Lots of snuggles and love from big brother and sister those first few days!
The kids have been taking a ton of pictures of him! Here's one Lydia took.
Easter 2014 as a family of five!
Already getting big!
