Baby Love
Our baby is born! She wriggled out at 4:44 PM on Sunday, after a mere fourteen hours or so of labor (nothing compared to the 24 it took me to get O. out). The birth went really well, overall. I'll undoubtedly tell the whole story some time, but basic highlights: I spent the morning laboring at home with my Old Man and my amazing doula, Rae, while O. played with his matchbox cars and went to the park with my mom. At around 1 PM I walked a block and a half over to the home of Kristy, the miracle-working midwife who delivered O. She checked my cervix and said "Let's get you to the hospital!" Then she proceeded to drop her kids off at a neighbors so that she could go to the hospital on her day off and deliver our daughter. It was a water birth, which was very cool. Overall, it was much easier this second time around. Afterward my placenta wouldn't come out and I nearly had to go to the OR to be intubated, put under general anesthetic, and have the placenta "instrumentally removed." Nothing like enduring the work and pain of natural childbirth only to be separated from your baby and put under a more intense form of anethetic than an epidural. But luckily Kristy called on an OB who came in and essentially punched me in the stomach until the placenta came loose and slid out. I never could have imagined being so grateful to anyone for wailing on my recently-laboring belly, but I wanted to kiss this woman. By that time, my mom had brought O. and I was happy to be reunited with my whole family, including our new little baby girl.
Her name is Ruby, and she is beautiful and so very sweet. We brought her home from the hosptial on Wednesday, and life has been lovely. She's crying to be fed at the moment, so I must go and more later!
Her name is Ruby, and she is beautiful and so very sweet. We brought her home from the hosptial on Wednesday, and life has been lovely. She's crying to be fed at the moment, so I must go and more later!
posted by E. | 10:41 AM
9 Comments:
Yay for beautiful water birth producing beautiful Ruby and beautiful OB punching beautiful Mama in her beautiful belly to dislodge placenta without ugly instrumental action!
Warmest congrats to the entire Oral Hygiene family!
Congratulations! Sounds like a great birth. I love the name Ruby, it was my grandmother's name.
Woo hoo! I'm so excited for y'all. And very glad to hear the labor was easier this time. Hopefully I'll get to meet lovely little Ruby someday...
Congratulations! I'm sure Ruby is a gorgeous gem! (Love that name, by the way.) Very best wishes to you, the Old Man, and to O in his new role as Big Brother.
Oh hurray!!! Hurray!! Totally tearing up over here. So happy for you all. Glad to hear the labor was shorter (my first one was 24 hours too, oy) and that you did not have to go into the OR. Much love!!
YAY! Thanks for sharing the birth story as well. I would have loved to have done a water birth!
Great name, too. Glad to hear you are all doing well. Your previous blog brought a huge smile to my face on Sunday and I thought about you and wondered what kind of baby you were gettin'. Get in lots of snuggles.
What fantastic news! I can't wait to see pictures and meet Ruby in person. Congratulations, and glad you didn't have to be separated from your new baby immediately. Props to the tummy puncher, and love to the Oral Hygiene family!
That is fantabulous news. I LOOOOOVE the name Ruby. So glad you had it a little easier the second time around.
Congrats to you all!
That's so cool that you had a water birth. I've never personally met (or known of) anyone else doing that besides me.
When I was expecting my 1st, I was using the university midwives and asked them about water birth. they'd heard of it but never had one before, so I ended up being their first.
Being first was definitely a hassle...kind of had to pioneer the whole thing with all the hospital red tape (getting it cleared with engineering, unwilling administration etc.) but when the moment finally arrived, it was so amazing. No intervention...not even a heploc in my wrist. I just got in the water and everyone sat around the (rented, portable) birthing pool with the goose neck lamp shining in on it while I waited each contraction out. the rubber ducky floated around and around.
my dear friend was with us and kept the music going and took all the photos. pushed the baby out, picked her up and laid her on my chest. it was so peaceful and amazing.
I know it's been a year (almost), but congrats on #2. Hope she has a rockin 1st birthday party! ♥
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