I don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll start with last Sunday night (December 2) at the hospital. They inserted Cervidil into my cervix at about 8 pm. James hung out with me and slept in the hospital room with me overnight. At first, I was going to send him home and ask him to just come in the morning, but the nurses were like, well, there IS a possibility she could go into labor tonight. So, he wound up staying. I was hooked up to the machine to monitor my contractions. I saw that I was having some but couldn't feel any. We both couldn't sleep very well at all, though the nurse gave me an Ambien to help me try as it was going to be a long day. I managed to get about 3 hours sleep. I woke up around 6 am needing to go to the bathroom. I thought I peed my hospital gown. Then when I got up, I was like, ohhh, I think my water just broke as I saw a puddle on the floor. That was very good news that it broke on its own. My contractions started to come on stronger. Real strong. They checked me and I was only 3 cm dilated, but IT WAS KILLING ME! I was gripping the side of my bed for dear life....I thought I was being such a wimp, but I really could not handle them. The thought of not knowing how long this would last, and seeing that I had to somehow make it to 10 cm, was really driving me mad, so I decided to get the epidural. That was the best decision I ever made. The angel with the drugs floated into my hospital room around 9 am. James had just left to get some coffee and I was a bit bummed as I wanted him there for moral support. But it actually turned out to be fine. The injection and catheter into my spine was uncomfortable but I kept thinking about the prize in the long run. The next thing I knew, my legs and butt were going a bit numb, but I could still feel them and move them around on my own. At this point on, life in the hospital was grand. I was starving, but unfortunately couldn't eat or drink anything until after delivery. My cousin came by and all 3 of us just hung out and waited. I was in very good spirits, and very relaxed. They decided to administer Pitocin to speed up the process as I was stuck at 5 cm for quite some time. They checked up on my again around 2 and I was 8 cm. They were predicting I was going to be at 10 cm around 4 so I called my mom and her and a friend showed up to the hospital at 4 pm, on the dot. So now, we're all hanging out in my room and the nurse kept checking on my. My contractions were very strong, though I still could not feel any of them. It was blissful. She said to call her if I start feeling pressure down there. I sort of started to, but not consistently. I let the nurse know this. Then Dr. Rosenn (Dr. B was not on call but was floating around the hospital. I really like Dr. Rosenn, too, so was very happy he would be delivering me.) came into my room at 4:30, checked me, and said, well, are you ready to have this baby? I was like, are you serious? He said, yes, you're 10 cm. Everyone but James quickly left the room. My bed quickly transformed into a bed with an end table. He asked if I had taken any labor courses and I said no. So he instructed me to take a deep breath and push as hard as I can, but not from my lungs, from my gut. It took me about 6 pushes from 4:30 and Lily Rose Nobuyo Townsend was born at 4:42 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 1 oz and was 21 inches long. I couldn't believe how easy it was. And Dr. Rosenn was really impressed. I felt very proud of myself. When she popped out, I was bawling. I was so overwhelmed when I saw her. That was the best moment of my life. I couldn't believe she was finally out! And boy was she tall! They asked if I wanted her on my chest and I said yes. Lily was bawling, I was bawling....And I started to soothe her and she stopped crying. It was an amazing moment for me. Soon thereafter, I put her on my boob to start nursing. She latched on right away. It was such an incredible experience. Words cannot really describe it. I feel really lucky that she's healthy and I'm healthy, and everything worked out wonderfully.
Lily came home on Wednesday. She feeds pretty sporadically. I had my first all-nighter the other night. But I'm slowly but surely getting more and more comfortable with handling Lily and I'm gaining more confidence with her. I'm looking forward to the challenges in the near future. It's great having the support of friends and family who offer advice, too. I'm always open to them!
James has been such a wonderful partner, making sure I'm fed and well-rested. Breastfeeding was quite a challenge in the beginning when my milk had not come in yet, but now, I feel very comfortable with it. She's a hungry little girl and needs to put on some weight! Check out the link to the photo albums James has created. We'll keep putting more pictures up as time goes by and Lily grows.
