.jpg)
that's how long it took amelia to bake in my oven, as my hubby lovingly refers to pregnancy & my uterus. i mostly agree that it's a great explanation of why i was so blazing hot during pregnancy (& i'm not talking 'sexy hot' here folks). she was in for 37 weeks & 2 days & tonight at 3 a.m. she will be out for that long.
& how different she is, thankfully. i couldn't handle a wee 6.7 pound baby for much longer than the 2 weeks she stayed that small! i remember being totally shocked that she was in the 6 pound range (but it makes sense b/c i was nauseous &/or vomiting most of the pregnancy) & a wee bit shorter than average. BUT she has more than made up for it. i don't know exactly what she weighs; my guess is around 20 pounds. & my anti-car seat regulation brain is already thinking of ways around the 1 year mark so we can turn that stupid car seat around. & we keep putting off buying her a new convertible car seat b/c we really despise going into stores like babies r us (is it just me or do the workers flock around you with questions of what we're looking for, then just annoy you the rest of the time? & so far i've found that 'buy buy baby' isn't much better). poor millie has her legs hanging over the car seat so much that she's fairly scrunched up. somehow that doesn't seem to impair her sleeping abilities in the car. thankfully.
what i find interesting to mull over is that my water broke 5, maybe 6 days before i was sent to the hospital during a routine midwife appointment...so if i had actually gone to be checked by the midwife (yes, i must point out that my mom was here & she nearly forced me to go, as she seemed to believe i was in labor already, & i was apparently) but if i had gone at that time...amelia would've been only 36 weeks & wouldn't she have been considered premature? would they have tried to keep her in me longer? put me on bed rest or something of that sort (which i would have firmly said a big N-O to, i'm sure). how was it that my water broke at the top of my uterus & i didn't really realize it & then i also didn't realize i was having 'real' contractions. that hypnobirthing stuff is for real, i guess! even in the hospital, i didn't know when i was having a contraction half the time...
anyway, i often think back to the two births & how different they were. i was talking to some ladies the other day about births & birthing options (such as hospital, home, birthing center, c-section, epidural, hypnobirthing lamaze, etc). there are so many options out there for women right now. i mean, my goodness, could you imagine being conked out with ether & having your baby pulled out with forceps & then wake up hours later hardly remembering any of it??!!! ya know, that was the norm just even 50 or 60 years ago...
the feeling i get when i think of adeline's birth is sort of this hazy glow of joy & calm & peace. even though my parents/sister/in-laws were 2 thousand miles away, wes & i were so calm & ready, although a bit sad that our families weren't there to witness their first grand child being born. but the birthing center was amazing, my midwife was there the entire time & the nurses were there when we needed them, knew what to suggest in the kindest tones. it was so peaceful, really. i was EXHAUSTED, let's not be fooled, after two hours of pushing adeline out (yea, big head & big baby! & after a few hours of pitocin, i didn't fully dilate, yet they still found a way to get her through a 9 cm dilated cervix without pain meds, slow & steady...yea, that's an amazing thing to let happen, but adeline's birth hurt me much less than amelia's.). then adeline was out & WOW was she loud...there was no tiny newborn cry. she went straight to that ear piercing baby cry & then proceeded to cry for the next 15 hours, unless she was nursing, of course. so there goes that theory that a totally calm atmosphere will birth a more calm baby, lol! i think now we know that's just addy's personality (not crying, but the 'here i am' kind of kid).
the feeling i get about amelia's birth isn't so glowy & warm, but still filled with joy, but also some confusion & frustration. the nurses didn't seem to 'get' hypnobirthing & didn't care that i was refusing pain meds but they still wouldn't let me eat or drink anything but ice chips... i feel like i told them over & over again that pitocin didn't really help me with my last birth, but they still thought it was the way to go. which is fine, but then with pitocin i couldn't be in the tub or walking around like i wanted to. then there was my wonderful hubby trying to sneak apple juice into me & then he ends up spilling it all over the floor. good times, listening to the *stick stick, stick stick* of feet walking across the floor on an apple juice sticky floor. then there was me trying to explain to the nurses that i didn't fully dilate before & i really felt the need to push & they just looked at me like i was crazy, that i had no clue about anything & they were so UN-helpful. until angel nurse amy entered the picture...she was amazing, but all the other nurses i give a big ole "poo-poo" to them. i'm glad now that i told that one off! but then amelia was so calm & quiet & tiny-itty-bitty. i didn't have my glasses on, so she was a bit blurry at first, but i was getting nervous that there was something wrong b/c she was so quiet compared to adeline. & everyone just sort of looked at me like i was crazy, then wes said, 'yea, she's so quiet' & nurse amy & my mom were like 'dears, this is what newborns sound like!' OH! thus enter our little snuggle bum, who is much quieter than her sister, but not the least bit less curious & cute.
it just seems odd that the smaller 2nd baby caused more pain & anxiety during the labor & delivery than the larger 1st baby. all i can think is that it has something to do with the location...i NEVER WANT TO BE PREGNANT AGAIN, don't get me wrong here, but if the sweet jesus above finds it in my plans to have another baby & i don't off myself before the baby is born b/c i hate pregnancy that much...i will not deliver in a hospital (unless i need a c-section, of course!).
***the only way i can think i will ever be pregnant again: wes' vasectomy doesn't take (so not only will i be in jail b/c i killed the urologist who didn't do the job properly, but i will also be a widow from murdering wesley :o) & my new baby will go to the next of kin...which could work out in my sister's favor b/c she doesn't want to be pregnant, esp after listening to my horror stories, so she gets the baby, then). the other option is that my sister can't carry her own baby, then i would force myself to be her surrogate, her baby-mama...but only if they promise to buy me lots of food & massages & listen to me complain every night b/c wes will have left me b/c he won't want to put up with me pregnant again, esp since it won't even be his own kid! if either of those options actually happen, then i will choose to not deliver in a hospital. *did that make any sense??*
so amelia, you have accomplished much in your 37 weeks & 2 days on this earth. not only have you tripled your birth weight, you have stolen the hearts of many, esp your mama's...all it takes is to see you flap your arms when i walk in the room & my heart melts a bit more. or when i see your wee little bottom wiggle as you are learning to crawl...or when you have grass hanging out of your mouth & dirt covering your face. or the look of victory when you scatter adeline's snack or puzzle or legos. or the belly laugh you do so well...you are just a heart melter & we love you beyond what you can imagine.
& how different she is, thankfully. i couldn't handle a wee 6.7 pound baby for much longer than the 2 weeks she stayed that small! i remember being totally shocked that she was in the 6 pound range (but it makes sense b/c i was nauseous &/or vomiting most of the pregnancy) & a wee bit shorter than average. BUT she has more than made up for it. i don't know exactly what she weighs; my guess is around 20 pounds. & my anti-car seat regulation brain is already thinking of ways around the 1 year mark so we can turn that stupid car seat around. & we keep putting off buying her a new convertible car seat b/c we really despise going into stores like babies r us (is it just me or do the workers flock around you with questions of what we're looking for, then just annoy you the rest of the time? & so far i've found that 'buy buy baby' isn't much better). poor millie has her legs hanging over the car seat so much that she's fairly scrunched up. somehow that doesn't seem to impair her sleeping abilities in the car. thankfully.
what i find interesting to mull over is that my water broke 5, maybe 6 days before i was sent to the hospital during a routine midwife appointment...so if i had actually gone to be checked by the midwife (yes, i must point out that my mom was here & she nearly forced me to go, as she seemed to believe i was in labor already, & i was apparently) but if i had gone at that time...amelia would've been only 36 weeks & wouldn't she have been considered premature? would they have tried to keep her in me longer? put me on bed rest or something of that sort (which i would have firmly said a big N-O to, i'm sure). how was it that my water broke at the top of my uterus & i didn't really realize it & then i also didn't realize i was having 'real' contractions. that hypnobirthing stuff is for real, i guess! even in the hospital, i didn't know when i was having a contraction half the time...
anyway, i often think back to the two births & how different they were. i was talking to some ladies the other day about births & birthing options (such as hospital, home, birthing center, c-section, epidural, hypnobirthing lamaze, etc). there are so many options out there for women right now. i mean, my goodness, could you imagine being conked out with ether & having your baby pulled out with forceps & then wake up hours later hardly remembering any of it??!!! ya know, that was the norm just even 50 or 60 years ago...
the feeling i get when i think of adeline's birth is sort of this hazy glow of joy & calm & peace. even though my parents/sister/in-laws were 2 thousand miles away, wes & i were so calm & ready, although a bit sad that our families weren't there to witness their first grand child being born. but the birthing center was amazing, my midwife was there the entire time & the nurses were there when we needed them, knew what to suggest in the kindest tones. it was so peaceful, really. i was EXHAUSTED, let's not be fooled, after two hours of pushing adeline out (yea, big head & big baby! & after a few hours of pitocin, i didn't fully dilate, yet they still found a way to get her through a 9 cm dilated cervix without pain meds, slow & steady...yea, that's an amazing thing to let happen, but adeline's birth hurt me much less than amelia's.). then adeline was out & WOW was she loud...there was no tiny newborn cry. she went straight to that ear piercing baby cry & then proceeded to cry for the next 15 hours, unless she was nursing, of course. so there goes that theory that a totally calm atmosphere will birth a more calm baby, lol! i think now we know that's just addy's personality (not crying, but the 'here i am' kind of kid).
the feeling i get about amelia's birth isn't so glowy & warm, but still filled with joy, but also some confusion & frustration. the nurses didn't seem to 'get' hypnobirthing & didn't care that i was refusing pain meds but they still wouldn't let me eat or drink anything but ice chips... i feel like i told them over & over again that pitocin didn't really help me with my last birth, but they still thought it was the way to go. which is fine, but then with pitocin i couldn't be in the tub or walking around like i wanted to. then there was my wonderful hubby trying to sneak apple juice into me & then he ends up spilling it all over the floor. good times, listening to the *stick stick, stick stick* of feet walking across the floor on an apple juice sticky floor. then there was me trying to explain to the nurses that i didn't fully dilate before & i really felt the need to push & they just looked at me like i was crazy, that i had no clue about anything & they were so UN-helpful. until angel nurse amy entered the picture...she was amazing, but all the other nurses i give a big ole "poo-poo" to them. i'm glad now that i told that one off! but then amelia was so calm & quiet & tiny-itty-bitty. i didn't have my glasses on, so she was a bit blurry at first, but i was getting nervous that there was something wrong b/c she was so quiet compared to adeline. & everyone just sort of looked at me like i was crazy, then wes said, 'yea, she's so quiet' & nurse amy & my mom were like 'dears, this is what newborns sound like!' OH! thus enter our little snuggle bum, who is much quieter than her sister, but not the least bit less curious & cute.
it just seems odd that the smaller 2nd baby caused more pain & anxiety during the labor & delivery than the larger 1st baby. all i can think is that it has something to do with the location...i NEVER WANT TO BE PREGNANT AGAIN, don't get me wrong here, but if the sweet jesus above finds it in my plans to have another baby & i don't off myself before the baby is born b/c i hate pregnancy that much...i will not deliver in a hospital (unless i need a c-section, of course!).
***the only way i can think i will ever be pregnant again: wes' vasectomy doesn't take (so not only will i be in jail b/c i killed the urologist who didn't do the job properly, but i will also be a widow from murdering wesley :o) & my new baby will go to the next of kin...which could work out in my sister's favor b/c she doesn't want to be pregnant, esp after listening to my horror stories, so she gets the baby, then). the other option is that my sister can't carry her own baby, then i would force myself to be her surrogate, her baby-mama...but only if they promise to buy me lots of food & massages & listen to me complain every night b/c wes will have left me b/c he won't want to put up with me pregnant again, esp since it won't even be his own kid! if either of those options actually happen, then i will choose to not deliver in a hospital. *did that make any sense??*
so amelia, you have accomplished much in your 37 weeks & 2 days on this earth. not only have you tripled your birth weight, you have stolen the hearts of many, esp your mama's...all it takes is to see you flap your arms when i walk in the room & my heart melts a bit more. or when i see your wee little bottom wiggle as you are learning to crawl...or when you have grass hanging out of your mouth & dirt covering your face. or the look of victory when you scatter adeline's snack or puzzle or legos. or the belly laugh you do so well...you are just a heart melter & we love you beyond what you can imagine.
