Welcome Emmaline!

8 days ago my life changed forever when little Emmaline came into the world. If I had known how much I would love her or how happy she would make me, I might have appreciated pregnancy a little more!

Her birth was incredible. Last Tuesday, Chris and I woke up at 6:15 to schedule the induction. The hospital was very busy (lots of 4th of July babies!), and they said to come in at 12:00. So we showed up at noon, with tons of stuff for the next few days. It felt kind of like we were leaving the house for vacation, but not like any vacation I've ever been on!

It was 1:30 before I got my first dose of cyto-something (cytotac?), which was supposed to help my cervix open. We hung out ... and waited ... and waited. A few times Emmaline's heart rate dropped and so I had to stay on my side to make sure she was stable. The nurse and midwife were worried that she wouldn't respond well to labor and contractions. There was a bit of a negative atmosphere brewing as things like 'it could take up to 2 days to induce' or 'we might have to just take her out' were mentioned. We waited on the next dose of cytowhatver to see how she was responding.

At 6:30 Terry, my midwife, checked my cervix and it was only 1.5 cm dilated. Fail. Chris and I were feeling kind of down. We sent an email to family asking for prayers. Then around 7:00 I started having some bad cramps. The monitor I was hooked up to wasn't registering any contractions. I was upset - first the uncertainty of how Emmaline & my body would respond to induction, and now I was feeling like crap for no reason! (This proves that I would not have known labor if it hit me like a mack truck.)

Pretty soon it became apparent that these were contractions, and they were coming fast & furious. They were only 2 minutes apart, and lasting 30-90 seconds. We were very relieved that I was in labor! The contractions steadily got more intense, and at 8:30 Terry rechecked my cervix. I was at 6.5 cm. I decided then it was time for the epidural. Things were moving so quickly, I didn't want to miss my chance. It seems like as soon as I made that decision, things got more painful in a hurry. I didn't regret the decision at all!!

By a little after 9 the epidural was in and I was fully dilated. Holy crap, that was fast!! Terry told me to rest and I 'labored down', which just means my body gradually moved the baby down through the contractions while I relaxed as much as possible. About 1-1/2 hours later, we decided it was time to push. It didn't take too long before little Emmaline was just about ready to come out. Apparently at this point, her heart rate decelled again, and Terry was worried about her. She wanted to vacuum her out, which didn't sound all that appealing to me. So we pushed a few more times, and this time I put everything I had into it ... and out she came!!

Brand new baby!

It was an incredible moment. Chris was totally blown away and completely amazed. I was very very happy but also pretty dazed. She was tiny and precious! It was great holding her for the first time. She is beautiful :), and it didn't take long for Chris and I to be completely in love with her (I think it took me a little longer because I was a little overwhelmed from the whole delivery process).

Chris really enjoys holding her, they had some great father-daughter bonding while we were still at the hospital.

The downfall of staying at the hospital was people were constantly coming in and out to check on Emmaline and I. One visit was for her hearing ... she looks like a little alien!

She was born at 11:08 PM, weighing 6lb 12oz and 19.5 inches long. She lost about 6 oz. the first day but we had a doctor's appointment on Monday and she has gained it all back. A little surprising given that she likes to fall asleep while eating. She definitely did not inherit her mom's appetite! Everything looks good though and she seems perfectly healthy. :) Yay!

Ready to go home! She looks so little here. We came home on Thursday, it was nice to be somewhere familiar and peaceful.
Our friends Matt & Beth were waiting for us at home with some tacos & took this picture. We don't know who put up this cute sign, was it you??

At her first doctor's appointment, back at her birth weight.