Introducing Gracia Kathryn...
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| Brand new~ |
I can already tell that she is going to have to explain her name her whole life. It is pronounced Gray-sha...it's Spanish for grace. You can read more about her name here if you're curious.
She is doing great...and has stolen our hearts :)
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| In Daddy's Hands~ |
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| Wondering~ |
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| Beautiful baby and happy Mommy~ |
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| Two of my favorite people~ |
And now, the rest of the story~
It was a dark and stormy night...
Not really, it was a Tuesday night (May 24th) and everyone was asleep and I was getting ready to go to bed too. We had enjoyed a great day celebrating Sophia's 6th birthday! It was 10:45 and I realized that my water had probably broken. I woke Steve up and called my midwife...she said to come in. We got packed up, woke up the girls, called our dear friends who were "on call" for kid duty, dropped the girls off at their house, and headed to the Birth Center. We arrived just a bit after midnight. By now I was sure my water had broken and we moved into our room at the birth center.
I began a round of IV antibiotics because I was GBS positive and they hooked me up to the baby monitor to check on Gracia. Well, Gracia was doing well, but also had two low dips in her heart rate...low enough where they decided that I needed more continuous monitoring. They were not overly worried, but I also appreciate the extra care. I had to go to the hospital for the monitoring. The expected plan was that I would be monitored for an hour and then I would return to the birth center. The hospital is across the street and a block away, so Steve and I decided to walk over instead of drive...so at 2:30 in the morning, we took a walk :)
They hooked me up to a monitor and then we began the official check-in process. You know how that is...500 questions later. By the time we were done officially checking in, they had been monitoring Gracia for almost an hour and she was doing fine. They kept me another few minutes and then it was time to sign our discharge paperwork. So Steve and I took another walk back to the birth center...by now it was about 4am :)
It was time for another dose of meds around 5, but my IV had gone bad. The nurse had a really hard time finding a vein that would work. It's not her fault...I've had this problem before. The 5th attempt at an IV finally worked :) You should see my arms now...black and blue. Anyway, the meds finished around 6 and I could finally sleep...I was not having many contractions yet.
Steve and I slept until 9:30...still no regular contractions. We walked down a block to a bagel place for breakfast and I got another round of IV meds later that morning. Policy is that you have 24 hours to get into active labor after your water has broken in order to deliver at the birth center. If that doesn't happen, then you have to go to the hospital for an induction. Because my water had broken, the induction would be via pitocin...I cannot stress enough how much I did NOT want pitocin. It can be a very useful drug...but it is also relentless. I knew that I would probably need an epidural if I had to have pit...not the route I wanted to go.
Anyhoo...I now had less than 12 hours on my "clock" and barely any contractions to speak of...what to do, what to do? I had one option that everyone felt would probably do the trick, but the thought of it was quite distressing to me...castor oil. Most of you know what this does to your body...not exactly what I was hoping for. If you don't know what castor oil does, let's just say that it messes with your bowels in a very cleansing way. I really began to feel like I was running out of choices, though. I tried to pray about it...I do feel like God reminded me that He had brought us here to the birth center, he had chosen the midwife who was helping/counseling us, He saw it all and was with us. So, at 11:45 I drank a castor oil milkshake...thankfully, it wasn't that bad.
I was in active labor by 12:30! I will share that I did not suffer from the typical effects of castor oil until well after Baby Gracia was born...I was so very, very, very thankful for that! My labor came on fast and strong...and I was suddenly very worried because I was in a place where I knew I could not get an epidural...why had I chosen natural? I began remembering breathing techniques and also used my comb trick. The comb trick had helped me through my other labors as well...basically, you hold a comb in your hand and apply pressure through contractions. Something about being able to control the pressure of the comb's teeth in my own hands is very helpful...and was again.
As labor continued to intensify, I made my way to the bathroom. I wanted to get in the tub, but my midwife wanted me to wait just a bit because she didn't want it to be so relaxing that my labor stalled. So I sat on the potty to wait...and it turned out to be a fairly comfy place to labor...I guess it's a lot like a birthing stool. My labor kept intensifying...stronger, not much time between contractions...and then I had one that flat out scared me. It was so painful that I cried and told Steve I couldn't and didn't want to do this anymore...poor Steve, what was he supposed to do...kinda late now. Well, after that doosey, I realized that I couldn't panic like that through the rest of labor and simply begged Jesus to be with us, to help me, to keep me focused.
And, like He's done so many times before, He swooped in and made His presence very known. I wish I could adequately describe what the rest of my labor was like. It was still intense, but the pain was very manageable. Sometimes I still needed to use breathing techniques through contractions. But mostly, I simply sang through the next 1 1/2 hours of contractions and transitional labor. I sang a melody that I did not recognize...it was not words, just humming and vocals. It was simple and I repeated it through most contractions, but now cannot recall it. I also physically felt the Lord's presence. My skin tingled and I felt like I was layered in robes. It was like nothing I've ever experienced before. I kept my eyes closed through most of the rest of labor and refused the tub when I was told I could now use it...things were going fine right where I was. Steve was amazing and such a great helper too...he fanned me for hours...his arms probably felt like they were going to break off, but he never wavered :)
I began to feel like I was getting close to time to push, but did not want to leave my spot until I was sure. The last thing I wanted was to disrupt the experience to realize that I wasn't actually ready to push yet. So I prayed and waited as long as I thought I could or should. And very clearly the Lord gave me a sense that it was time for Gracia to be born. Steve helped me stand up and I quickly realized that I was definitely ready. I had an intense contraction and actually thought Gracia might be born right there in the bathroom. My midwife was in action getting ready in case that happened. Somehow Steve and the nurse were able to get me to the bed...just in time. Gracia was born with three, yes three, pushes...every now and then my wide hips come in handy :) Now, I will say that I made up for the calm and relatively quiet labor with the screaming that I did during those three pushes. I was even aware that I was crazy loud and that I had never screamed like that before...yet I felt like I couldn't control myself. I think I scared Steve...sorry, babe. Luckily, she was born very quickly and the screaming stopped :)
And there she was. I was very emotional...so thankful that she was finally here...so overwhelmed by the whole experience...so in love. Gracia was pretty quiet at first...it probably wasn't that long before she cried, but it seemed like it to me. I can't really remember much else from her first few moments of life.
She weighed in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long. She has dark hair that looks like it may have some wave or curl to it, but it's pretty short, so we'll see. Her eyes are currently dark blue/gray, but I see brown around her pupils and suspect that she'll be our second brown-eyed girl. I think she favors Sophia more in her looks...at least as a newborn. But she definitely has Steve's long eyelashes...they are so pretty :) Her fingers and toes are long too.
She is so sweet and so cute...of course, I could be a bit biased...just a wee bit :) See...
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| Cutie pie~ |
Mostly, we are just overjoyed! Bella and Sophia are doing great with her. I am so thankful for how well they have taken to her and responded to a new one in our home. They have been so helpful to me and so sweet to her.
Lord, thank you so much for Gracia...she is a beautiful blessing and we praise you, Father, for her!
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| Sweet slumber~ |
Have a great day!
Rach
So happy I got to hold her yesterday...she is even more beautiful in person. And Rachel, I got to hear your birth story in person & was blessed by it once again as I read it. God is so faithful as HE comforted you in your time of need!
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