Fallen in Love

Thank you to everyone for welcoming our little Cashew into the world! I was so touched to look at my last post and see over 40 comments!

So to catch up...It's been a crazy week! The joy over having this little person in our world has been something I never could have anticipated. It is truly thrilling.


Here she is wearing her Baby's First Tattoo sweater. Gee, Hotty Hubby isn't convinced that he's the father. HA!


I promised my birth story so if that's your thing, keep reading. If not, here is the latest photo of Falling Leaves. I was 2 rows away from finishing and I jokingly said to Hotty Hubby, "I bet I'll finish these, wash and block and leave for the hospital!" As you can see from the fact that I ditched these mid row, the contractions simply got too intense and the socks had to wait!

So Wednesday, March 14, I started feeling contractions. They weren't too painful, but they clearly weren't Braxton Hicks. They started coming regularly and we could time them. A call to our doula to tell her what's going on and then...they just disappeared. Well, a good night's rest would be nice, and maybe they will start up again.

Thursday I woke up in disbelief. Nothing. I had an appointment with my holistic chiropractor so hotty hubby accompanied me and she worked on some accupressure points and checked my body's alignment. Everything looked good so I went home and sent hubby back to work. Around 1pm I started getting contractions again, but about an hour apart. As they started getting closer together, more calls to the doula. And then...nothing. Good grief, I was having False Labor. There's nothing really false about it, it's more like labor with training wheels. A little bit of labor followed by a break. The break is nice, but geez, after awhile you just want things to get going!

Around midnight I tried to go to sleep, but I kept thinking I should take a bath to help me relax. I woke hubby up and asked him to help me. (Hugely pregnant and a tub full of water is tricky and quite honestly, quite comical!) Tried to sleep... 2am I woke up to a strong contraction. 2:15 another one. I got up and waited. Another one but this was the first one that truly made me catch my breath. I woke up hubby and the contractions kept coming. A call to the doula, more contractions, more calls to the doula...we stayed up all night timing. They were 5 minutes apart, sometimes 10 minutes, sometimes even as long as 30.

Our doula encouraged us to eat and rest, and we tried. I had an appointment with my OB to check my blood pressure in the afternoon. I called to let the doctor know what was going on and they said to definitely come in. And then about 20 minutes before my appointment something changed. A searing contraction. ANOTHER call to the doula but this time she finally said "I'm on my way!" Hubby and I grabbed our coats and made our way outside. Of course it was freezing cold and sleet and slush and ugh. I live 9 measly blocks from the hospital and no cabs. Searing contractions. Should we walk? Thankfully a cab pulled up and we grabbed it!

Into the doctors office we go - imagine a waiting room full of couples in various stages of pregnancy and here comes the hugely pregnant woman gripped with searing contractions. I probably terrified all those people! It wasn't like I was screaming my head off, but I could tell I was the freak show in the room. Anyway, my doctor examined me and I was 4-5 centimeters dialated! He told us to head on up to labor and delivery! Our doula met us in the hallway and by 3:30pm I was dealing with full on labor. I wanted as natural a childbirth as possible and even though the pains of contractions are no joke, I had the support of my excellent doctor, my doula, the nurse and my husband. (Of course having the mouth of a sailor and swearing with gusto helped me deal, too.) Soon I felt the urge to go to the bathroom and announced to everyone that I HAD to go. The nurse said "WAIT!" and grabbed the doctor for another exam. 9 centimeters! The doc let me start some pushing for relief and to hopefully break my water. It worked, my water broke! After pushing in a sort of kneeling position for awhile, I was getting frustrated and wanted to see my baby. It was suggested that I switch my position so I tried laying on my side. I never thought this would work but all of the sudden there I was in the final push! Amazing how simply changing position can put everything in place. I could hear the baby's heart beating strong on the monitor and one more push... there she was being placed on my chest! I looked down and saw these little eyes looking at me and her little nose and fingers and felt the weight of her body. We just stared at each other and then she looked back at her Daddy. The most euphoric moment of our lives!