Sloan Verity

I'm writing this as I gaze at my 11 day old beauty who is cuddled up beside me on the couch.  I'm in love and we're all doing good.  The midwife came a few days ago and baby is back up to her birth weight already....just reminded me that these days of a wee tiny newborn are so quick and fleeting....

So, while it is still mostly fresh in my memory, I will write Sloan's birth story...

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SLOAN VERITY- our little warrior for truth

Sloan ~ warrior

(a name I fell in love with in high school when I met a dear friend and her precious little daughter Sloan....this friend has been one of the hugest blessings and encouragement in my life)

Verity ~ truth

(also a name I fell in love with the minute I heard it and also a name I totally stole...with permission of course ;)

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July 5th -

The kidlets got me up early so we were cuddling on the couch waiting for Daddy to wake up.  I had been having some serious braxton hicks over the last couple days and throughout the night had cramps and indigestion-like stomach ache off and on.   As we were lying there I decided to see if I could time the (painless) contractions - sure enough, they were every 5 minutes, lasting 30-40 seconds.  I kept an eye on them throughout the morning and they stayed pretty consistent, getting a bit longer and started to feel more crampy.  Brian was working an afternoon shift, so when he was getting ready to leave I told him that he might only be able to get one load in (he was driving locally that week and on a regular day they do 2 - 4 1/2 hr round trips).  

Nesting turned into high gear so I plopped the kids down in front of a movie and got to work ;)  

Early afternoon I lost my mucous plug and by the way things were progressing I was pretty sure this was the 'real deal'. So, I texted Brian and my s-i-l (who was on stand by for taking our kids) and gave them the heads up.  I finished packing the last minute things in our bags and kissed the kids goodbye as Auntie came and picked them up.

Brian got home around 3, so after he showered we decided instead of sitting around at home thinking about labor, we would go out for one last date :)  There was no self control or guilt with this ice cream!

After our ice cream stopped we headed to a pretty park close to the hospital and walked around trying to keep labor progressing.  

(We came across a broken water line, and couldn't resist the photo-op.  Thankfully my water didn't break until we were at the hospital ;)

Getting my workout in :)

My awesome sidekick:

I wasn't ready to go to the hospital yet, but since I was group B strep and needed antibiotics, I called my midwife to see if I needed to come in early or what she recommended.  At this point, my contractions were getting painful (not able to walk through some), lasting 40-60 seconds, every 3-5 minutes.  My midwife said to come to the hospital for my first dose of antibiotics, she would check me and we would go from there.

We got to the hospital around 6:30, had my first dose of antibiotics and found out I was 3-4 cm.  My midwife gave us the option of going home or staying.  I told her at this point in my other labors it only took another 3-4 hours so we wouldn't go home, but would maybe go find Brian something to eat before the chaos ensued.  So, we went to Subway....I thought the contractions would ease off a bit since I would be sitting and resting, but that was not the case.  Nothing like sitting outside of a restaurant trying to act natural throughout a serious contraction when people are walking by...!

At 8 pm we got back to the hospital where we picked our room (it's a brand spanking new hospital with huge private rooms & bathrooms) and settled in for the long haul.  Contractions were 60 seconds long every 3-4 min.  For the next hour or so I labored on the birth ball and we walked the halls.  Baby was lying more on my left side so I moved into some positions to help 'her' move into a straighter position.  I started having to breathe through some contractions and after one long trip up and down the hall of back to back contractions and feeling a bit of pressure we decided to stay in the room before Brian had to carry me back...

At 9pm, my midwife said she would check me again if I was feeling rectal pressure, so after a couple more hard contractions I managed to climb on the bed where she said I was 8-9 cm.  I had planned on finishing laboring and birthing in the tub, but at this point it was a little late.  I decided I wanted to try squatting, but because I knew I NEEDED something to grip onto (or should I say 'hang on for dear life') they put the head of the bed up so I could hang on. The next few contractions that I had in this position were 'nice' because for some reason the break in between was almost pain-free and I was able to rest and gear up for the end. 
At about 9:30, my nice breaks were over and things got intense!  I felt baby move down a bit and the first feelings of being 'pushy'.  Things seemed to stall for a bit at this point (in comparison to my other deliveries) but thinking back now, my water hadn't broke yet so that was probably the reason.  (She had offered to break my water when she checked me but I decided against it since I had never experienced it breaking on it's own.)
9:45 - I started to slowly push and then my water broke.  After a few more contractions I really felt the urge to push.  Baby didn't come as quickly as I was expecting (or hoping) but finally I pushed her (very distinctly yellow-blonde haired) head out, and while my midwife told me not to push as baby rotated, 'she' let out her first cry!  2 huge pushes later our 8 lbs 2 oz. girl was born!!!

Her cord stopped pulsating after a few minutes so my (loving & supportive) husband (and proud Daddy!) did the honors of cutting it.  (Why didn't I think of grabbing the camera in between contractions or pushes so I could include a picture of my awesome support and labor coach?!!)

Sloan had some grunty/sighing respirations which my midwife was a bit concerned about, and since I had only had one dose of antibiotics (they like 2) they thought it was best to keep her in the nursery overnight.  I was a bit bummed about that but knew it was safer to have them keep a close eye on her.  We cuddled her for a couple hours then decided we should at least try to get some sleep - something I'm not good at in hospitals.

My night was rough.  Or should I say my after birth pains were rough.  I think I did manage to get a couple hours of sleep in between feeds, popping Tylenol & Ibuprofen, bathroom breaks (they had me hooked up to an IV of oxytocin since my uterus wasn't behaving very well), and just plain old 'I can't sleep' syndrome.  Finally, morning came and some extra adrenaline kicked in!

We we hoping and planning on leaving just after breakfast, but my midwife was paged to another birth just as she was leaving from mine so she didn't come see us until early afternoon (she hadn't gone to sleep yet!)  And unfortunately, Sloan's breathing wasn't better so between my midwife and the paediatrician on call they decided to have me stay for 48 hours to make sure she didn't get an infection.  Again we were bummed but knew it was best.  Brian went home to get me a few things, then picked up the kids and went home for the night.
Fast forward to the next afternoon, my midwife came in to check us again and Sloan was much improved so we got to go home!!

(So thankful for these people...)

We are thrilled and so blessed by this new little girl, and she is settling in quite nicely here at home. My Mom came for 5 days to help out and Brian's parents are coming this weekend.  Today was my first solo day and it was better than expected.  I am, however, ready for bed!