My Five...: Lucy's Birth Story and Newborn Pictures

Lucy Anne. How we waited for you.

Grandma Marilyn came about a week before your due date. Having been very surprised at your brother's early arrival two weeks before his due date, I was prepared to go into labor two weeks before yours. Your due date was August 23rd.

Grandma came and we waited. And waited. And waited. I swam. I walked. I ate pineapple and spicy food. I told myself that it was okay if you weren't born ON your due date. But you needed to come the next day. No later. Grandma had to go back to Valentine on the 26th because she started school with her in-services on the 27th, and I wasn't sure how we would do the whole "have a baby" thing without her.

The 24th and 25th came and went. I had woken up with contractions several times at night in the two weeks before your due date, and nothing came of them, so I wasn't too excited when I woke up with contractions around 1AM on the 26th. I went to the couch where I dozed for a while until I started getting cold. Me. Cold in August. In Oklahoma. Something was different.

Contractions with Zélie had started at 2am. She was born a little before 10am, so I was mentally preparing to have this baby around 9am. That seemed so far away. IF we were having a baby. I still wasn't convinced we were.

Blaise got up to go to the bathroom sometime around 4am and freaked out when he went into our room afterwards, "WHERE is Mom!?" I heard Aaron put Blaise back in bed and then come down the hallway to look for me. "Are we having a baby?" he asked. "Maybe," I answered. He stayed with me and timed contractions for a little while until I decided I wanted to get into the shower. Aaron will tell you that he knew that this point we were having a baby that night. I was still in denial.

I'm not sure how long I was in the shower, but while I relaxed there, Aaron packed up his things for the hospital. He timed contractions in between packing and got ready to send out the email asking for prayers from our family and friends. I asked him to wait to send it until we got to the hospital because I was still unsure if we would be staying. (I had been having regular contractions for at least four hours at this point. I don't know why I have such a hard time admitting I'm really in labor, ESPECIALLY after waiting so long for it!)

Aaron woke my mom up around 6:30am and told her we were leaving. We got into the car, and I just zoned out on the drive to St. Francis South. I don't remember any hard contractions or really any contractions at all while we drove, again driving the "we're not really having a baby" mentality.

We walked into the hospital and the greeter kindly said, "I think someone is going to have a birthday today." We made our way up to the maternity floor. I had a clock with me, one that actually ticked, because I liked to hear the sound of the ticking. (For some reason, the ticking helps me get through contractions. I did it with Zelie, too.) The clock was an hour behind. Yep, we hadn't changed it with the time change. What sweet relief it was when I looked up at the clock in the hospital and saw that it was almost 7am rather than 6! In my mind, though, I still had two hours to go. I was getting discouraged, doubting I could go much longer. Although the contractions were manageable, I was getting tired.

The secretary on the maternity floor asked a nurse if we should go to triage to be evaluated. I was shaking uncontrollably at this point, a sign that transition is near, and the nurse recognized tit. "She's not going anywhere," was her answer and a few minutes later I was in a room.

The head nurse helped me get settled in and checked me. I was at a seven, which was discouraging to me. There were only three centimeters left! But when I got to the hospital with Zélie, I was fully dilated, so having three more centimeters felt like f-o-r-e-v-e-r. The contractions were hard, but not overwhelming, so I was dwelling on the fact that the worst was yet to come. Pessimistic Roni here. :)

Dr. Sanders came in and talked to us. I guess just by my demeanor she knew I wasn't in hard labor, and she told me so. Aaron said that I looked like I wanted to punch her in the face when she said that. I was really just thinking, "Can I really do this?" We had given the nurse our birth plan, which stated that we wanted a natural birth, if possible. She didn't even offer an epidural. Thank goodness for birth plans. If she would've asked if I wanted an epidural, I think I would've said yes.

We talked about breaking my water. I'm a horrible decision maker in the first place. Add labor to that and we probably would've waited all day for me to figure out my answer if it wasn't for my husband. "Breaking the water will speed up contractions and that's more efficient," thought the engineer, so Dr. Sanders did.

In my world, it was only three or four more contractions (and only a few swear words) until I felt ready to push; Aaron said it was more like twenty contractions and truly only a few swear words. When Dr. Sanders had last checked me I was at 9 1/2. When the nurse asked if she was going to check me again, she said something to the affect of, "No. I don't want her to get mad." She knows laboring women very well.

I have no idea how many pushes it was - it felt like 3 or 4 - but again it could've been more. All I remember is how awful it felt. Horrible. Excruciating, I-never-want-to-do-this-again pain. I had my eyes squeezed shut and was shaking my head back and forth saying who knows what when Dr. Sanders said gently, but excitedly, "Look at your baby!" The baby wasn't completely out yet, so I didn't want to look; I just wanted it to be over. Somehow I managed to open my eyes and look down. All the pain vanished in that instant. Gone. Just like that when I saw our baby. I've never had pain disappear like that before. In a few more seconds, she was out and on my stomach, and I was adoring our new person.

No one had even looked to see what she was, so lifted the blanket and smiled, "It's a girl."

Lucy.

I think I kissed my husband then, but I don't really remember. Everything is a blur after that except for the fact that I knew I had fallen in love all over again. Babies do that.

Lucy weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces just like her big brother. She was 20 1/2 inches long and was born at 8:03am. Her labor was just slightly shorter than Zélie's, which was slightly shorter than Blaise's. I like this pattern. :)

I cannot say enough how much I love watching my husband in the hospital with our newborns. He's so gentle with them in such a strong, masculine way.

We hadn't picked out a middle name yet. We tossed some around in the weeks before, but nothing settled in. Aaron was laying on the couch while I nursed Lucy. When he spoke, I heard, "How about Lucy Anne?"

"Let me think about it," I said. I mulled it over in my head and whispered it out loud several times.

"I like it," I said after about five minutes.

"Alright," Aaron answered. His hands were resting behind his head. He closed his eyes and said, "It's settled, then. Lucy Erin."

"Wait. What did you say?" I asked.

"Lucy Erin."

"Ohh...I thought you said Lucy Anne."

Aaron paused for a minute. "Okay, Lucy Anne."

And that's why her middle name is Anne. :) I have to wonder if St. Anne has special plans for her or something!

So relieved labor was over.

Holding our Lucy Anne was worth every second.

Grandma, Blaise, and Zélie came up to visit just a few hours later. My mom had been trying and trying to get a hold of her superintendent to ask if she could miss the first two days of inservices. He didn't answer his phone, so it was up in the air as to what was going to happen. That afternoon she emailed him, saying she made the executive decision to stay until we got home from the hospital. It's always easier to ask forgiveness than permission, right? ;) He responded later saying he completely understood and to take as much time as she needed.

Blaise and Zélie's awe and wonder filled the room the minute they walked through the door. Blaise immediately asked to hold the baby. It lasted for a short time, but he still had his priorities straight. :) Zélie held her forever. Once we got home, she didn't want to share Lucy and was so mad when Grandma got a turn!

Lucy, you are loved.

Pure delight. She's such a little mama.

Aaron took the kids to McDonald's, a special treat for a special day, and then over to the splash pad while my mom stayed at the hospital with Lucy and me for a good part of the afternoon.

Later that night, Aaron came back to the hospital. I LOVE staying at the hospital - I love the food, I love not having to cook, I love not having to clean, I love just being able to be with my husband and our new baby. There is just one tiny part that I always forget about. The sleepless nights. Between taking my vitals, nursing a baby, and the 5am blood draw, there isn't a lot of sleeping. That's hard. But I still think the no cleaning, no cooking, and getting newborn snuggles is worth it. :)

The next morning we were getting ready to go home when our pediatrician came in followed by a nurse with a huge cart. My heart lurched in my chest. What is wrong with our baby?

Just high billiruben counts. Our pediatrician leans more toward the homeopathic, all natural side, so I figured that if he thought we needed to stay for her to be under the lights, it was true. So, we spent the day keeping our angry Lucy in her tanning bed.

She hated it.

I did, too.

It was a good thing that we needed to stay, though, because Blaise had thrown up that night. My poor mom! Just a few days before I told her that we hadn't had to deal with puking kids yet. Blaise had thrown up one time when he was about a year old, but that's all. Just once. And then here we were, supposed to bring a newborn home, and it happened. Aye. Blaise seemed to be doing better that afternoon, and we were really anxious to get home, so home we went around 8pm that night.

I forgot to get a family picture in the hospital with the kids! So one with just Mom, Dad, and Lucy will have to do.

Let's go home!

We took the family picture at home.

Bob couldn't stand still.a

For the next week, I was constantly worried about my baby. I had forgotten how paranoid I get with a newborn. My husband hadn't. :) I drove us both crazy with worries about her breathing and especially her color. Our doctor told us to come back if she looked more orange. She went from orange to red to aquamarine from my perspective. Aaron assured me she was just fine. She was.