Welcome to our family!!!!
We are so blessed to have Brighton finally here! He is amazing and we are all 'over the moon for him'! I just can't stop kissing his perfect little face and smelling his wonderful new baby smell!!
Here is his birth story:
I woke up Saturday morning sometime after 2:00 a.m. feeling those Braxton Hicks (or so I thought) again. Since I had experienced this for 3 weeks running, I didn't think much about them except that they were quite close together and getting a little more painful. I decided to get up and get into a warm bath which always helps. It didn't so I thought, well, I will call the midwife just in case. She was already at the hospital assisting in a C-section and suggested I come up. I fully expected to be sent home and since Phil couldn't leave until someone arrived to watch the children, I drove myself. This was very amusing to the nurses! (I am only 2 miles away!) I drove up and waited in a "overflow" waiting room until the midwife was able to check things out and admit me. A nurse checked the dialation and I was at 3-4 cm. Not much change since I had was at a 3 on Monday. She hooked me up to one of those machines that measure heartbeat and time contractions. It was 3:00 in the morning at this point. They were getting painful now so I called Phil and said that I wasn't admitted yet but the nurse didn't think I would be leaving. I hung out alone for most of time for about an hour until the midwife came in. She checked me and I was at 7 cm!!!! I got into an actual room at this point. Now, it was a little after 4:oo. I got settled and continued to go through the transition part of labor. Phil wasn't there (although the midwife was now helping me through the contractions) and I was in intense pain, begging for relief. I got a "walking epidural" which is basically a short lived shot in the back. It was heavenly!! Somewhere in all that, I called Phil and told him he had about 45 minutes to get there before we had a baby! My Dad had arrived by then so he hurried up. He arrived just as the medication started kicking in. This was at 4:40. I was fully dialated by 4:45 but needed a few contractions to recover from the intensity of the last hour and a half. I started pushing around 5:00 and Brighton was born at 5:25. Start to finish was probably around 3 hours long. Wowsers!
Grandma Tracy came down to stay with the children. Phil was back and forth from the hospital to home helping with our other 3 and spending time with Brighton and me!! It was so quiet and peaceful and I just sat there with my new baby staring at him, sometimes with Phil by my side, sometimes just the two of us. It was incredible!!
We came home the following day and have been transitioning to a new life together as a family ever since. This has not necessarily been easy!! It is hard for me to be "out of comission". I like caring for our children and our household and I like things done a certain way! It is hard for me to sit down and relax. There is a big recovery that comes from giving birth and it is painful. You add lack of sleep to all that and it can make you feel downright loopy and emotional!
Breastfeeding update! Some of you may know my history with breastfeeding. My milk comes in late and there is usually not enough for the baby. I nurse and pump around the clock and I have always had trouble getting babies to latch on correctly and this causes a lot of pain! The whole experience with each child has been very emotional and stressful. Well, Brighton is a champion latcher and nurser!! This has been such a huge blessing. My milk came in about 24 hours after he needed it. I nursed round the clock but he was getting very hungry. I had a lactation appointment with Janet, my favorite nurse, who has helped me out with the past 3 babies. Brighton had lost close to his 10% but she said, keep nursing and don't worry about the pump until after the milk has come in. She suggested that I try nursing lying down. I have never been able to do this until baby was 3 months old. I tried it and it worked!! He nursed off and on all night long! My milk did come in and within 48 hours, he had gained 5 1/2 ounces. WOW! I attribute it to his great latching and nursing, the constant night time co-sleeping nursing and rest that that allows me, and mother's milk lactation pills (I take a triple dose). And of course, all glory to God because I prayed for a miracle!! We aren't out of the woods yet, but we are off to a great start!
Here is his birth story:
I woke up Saturday morning sometime after 2:00 a.m. feeling those Braxton Hicks (or so I thought) again. Since I had experienced this for 3 weeks running, I didn't think much about them except that they were quite close together and getting a little more painful. I decided to get up and get into a warm bath which always helps. It didn't so I thought, well, I will call the midwife just in case. She was already at the hospital assisting in a C-section and suggested I come up. I fully expected to be sent home and since Phil couldn't leave until someone arrived to watch the children, I drove myself. This was very amusing to the nurses! (I am only 2 miles away!) I drove up and waited in a "overflow" waiting room until the midwife was able to check things out and admit me. A nurse checked the dialation and I was at 3-4 cm. Not much change since I had was at a 3 on Monday. She hooked me up to one of those machines that measure heartbeat and time contractions. It was 3:00 in the morning at this point. They were getting painful now so I called Phil and said that I wasn't admitted yet but the nurse didn't think I would be leaving. I hung out alone for most of time for about an hour until the midwife came in. She checked me and I was at 7 cm!!!! I got into an actual room at this point. Now, it was a little after 4:oo. I got settled and continued to go through the transition part of labor. Phil wasn't there (although the midwife was now helping me through the contractions) and I was in intense pain, begging for relief. I got a "walking epidural" which is basically a short lived shot in the back. It was heavenly!! Somewhere in all that, I called Phil and told him he had about 45 minutes to get there before we had a baby! My Dad had arrived by then so he hurried up. He arrived just as the medication started kicking in. This was at 4:40. I was fully dialated by 4:45 but needed a few contractions to recover from the intensity of the last hour and a half. I started pushing around 5:00 and Brighton was born at 5:25. Start to finish was probably around 3 hours long. Wowsers!
Grandma Tracy came down to stay with the children. Phil was back and forth from the hospital to home helping with our other 3 and spending time with Brighton and me!! It was so quiet and peaceful and I just sat there with my new baby staring at him, sometimes with Phil by my side, sometimes just the two of us. It was incredible!!
We came home the following day and have been transitioning to a new life together as a family ever since. This has not necessarily been easy!! It is hard for me to be "out of comission". I like caring for our children and our household and I like things done a certain way! It is hard for me to sit down and relax. There is a big recovery that comes from giving birth and it is painful. You add lack of sleep to all that and it can make you feel downright loopy and emotional!
Breastfeeding update! Some of you may know my history with breastfeeding. My milk comes in late and there is usually not enough for the baby. I nurse and pump around the clock and I have always had trouble getting babies to latch on correctly and this causes a lot of pain! The whole experience with each child has been very emotional and stressful. Well, Brighton is a champion latcher and nurser!! This has been such a huge blessing. My milk came in about 24 hours after he needed it. I nursed round the clock but he was getting very hungry. I had a lactation appointment with Janet, my favorite nurse, who has helped me out with the past 3 babies. Brighton had lost close to his 10% but she said, keep nursing and don't worry about the pump until after the milk has come in. She suggested that I try nursing lying down. I have never been able to do this until baby was 3 months old. I tried it and it worked!! He nursed off and on all night long! My milk did come in and within 48 hours, he had gained 5 1/2 ounces. WOW! I attribute it to his great latching and nursing, the constant night time co-sleeping nursing and rest that that allows me, and mother's milk lactation pills (I take a triple dose). And of course, all glory to God because I prayed for a miracle!! We aren't out of the woods yet, but we are off to a great start!
Wow!!! What a terrific birth, Emily! And FAST! I had a three hour birth with Hannah and though it was quick, it was also INTENSE! So glad things got to happen on their own and no induction was needed. And I am THRILLED to hear that nursing is going as well as it is! Yes, all glory be to God for His miracle! Thank you so much for sharing all those details I've been dying to hear:). Kiss that sweet little head for me, please!
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