Lu's Birth and the First Week

Motherhood...starts with birth (obviously). I was so excited to get have a chance to give birth. As many of you know I do triathlons, so I felt like being pregnant was my nine months of training and the Labor and Delivery was my big race. So here is my "race" story.
It was back to school night...I was not there!!! Megan and Danique & Chris and their little girl Evyn were over at the house. I had been feeling contractions since the day before but the started getting stronger. Megan started the timing, and Danique reassured me that what I was feeling was "real" labor. I was skeptical, I didn't want to be wrong and get my hopes up. But I wasn't wrong, the contractions where close enough to go to the hospital, so I called Aaron and told him to leave lesson plans. He got home, I took a shower, and we then arrived to hospital at 9:30pm. Shortly after Becky and Charla meet us there. I had only dilated 1/2 a centimeter and they were most likely going to send me home. I thought "no way, this is starting to hurt too bad, I can't go home." They check me again an hour later and only to a one, but the pain was worsening and now I was vomiting (somewhat violently...apparently my system didn't want anything in the way a delivering this baby...sorry is this too much information). Well vomiting seem to help get me to 3cm in 20 minutes. Yay, we were being admitted! To the delivery room we go, and on to my the best L&D nurse EVER, Vanessa. The room was perfect, quiet (sorry Becky, Charla, & Aaron...no talking allowed, I am sure this made for a very LONG night for them!!). The contractions kept getting stronger and stronger but I could handle the pain. I was more afraid of the side effects of an epidural then the pain so I just kept chugging along. It had been bout three hours and now I was at 6cm...I might add, progressing quickly make a drug free labor doable. About an hour later I was starting to feel the need to push so they check again but I was only at a 7, but heck, they were going to go ahead and break my water anyways. Another girl came into the room to do this, she thought I too was at a 7cm, but wait maybe a 9cn or or maybe a 7cm. Either way the water was broke and about 2 minutes later 10cm was confirmed (this is the number were looking for)! Yet, there was no doctor, so there was no pushing allowed...let's just say, not being allowed to push when pushing in necessary is not fun, and they even had to put the oxygen mask on me. This is were Aaron was awesome, up until this point he was allowed to only sit by me and sometimes offer his hands and fingers to I could wrench and mangle them during contractions. See everyone in the room knew what was going on except me. They all knew there was no doctor, I just thought I wasn't allowed to push for some natural reason. Aaron calmed me through the process until we got a doctor (not our doctor, but a doctor....at last). There were three rounds of pushing and then a pretty baby girl!

Thanks to Charla Blue we have the entire experience captured here!

The first week has been amazing. I never know I could love someone so much. I even have a whole new mom voice that me or Aaron never heard before. I like to call Luella "Pretty Girl," I guess I want to raise herself esteem early!! Aaron like to call her Lula-Bella, this make me laugh since he is Pa, I am Ma and she is now Lula-Bell. There is still of course Lu, Lulu, and Luella! Overall, the new little family is figuring out how to function with three and momma's crazy hormones regulating....yikes! What a great ride.

Here is of Luella at one week old!