Just
over a week ago - Sunday, January 25th - I went about the day as
usual. We had a lazy morning, went to church and came home to a
delicious new recipe I had tried. The day was pretty perfect other than
being hugely pregnant. :) After getting our kids in bed, Devin and I sat
down to enjoy Downton Abbey together.
I had an
appointment scheduled for the next afternoon with my OB, Dr. Froerer. I
was curious what he would say. I hadn't had much in way of
contractions and I would be one day from my due date. I did not want to
be induced and having had a previous C-section was really hoping to
avoid another one of those.
Around midnight, before
even falling asleep, I began to have fairly regular contractions. I
began to panic because I was planning to do multiple loads of laundry
the next day and I needed some clean clothes before heading to the
hospital - if this was really labor...which I was still unsure of.
Rather than try to sleep through the contractions, which I couldn't seem
to do, I sneaked into each child's room to retrieve their laundry
basket and proceeded to sort it all and start the first batch. I then
stood in a hot shower for as long as the water would allow. By the time
I was out my contractions were intensifying and I knew the baby was on
his/her way. Next I phoned my friend Mayka who answered excitedly right
away and said she would be at my house asap. She lives 30 minutes away
and arrived around 3am. I did a few more things around the house
before we got in the car to head to the hospital.
It
was 4:00am when we arrived and I was unfortunately only dilated to a 4.
I was hoping for a bit more. I labored until my doctor came in at 7:30
but I was still only a 6. He broke my water and that did intensify the
experience. I was hoping to do a completely unmedicated birth and
thankfully the labor and delivery nurse showed Devin some
counter-pressure things he could do to help me through a contraction.
It was difficult but I knew I would recover faster and feel better after
if I could avoid an epidural. Devin was so helpful and by close to
10am I was ready to push. It was an amazing and euphoric experience as
the final part of this delivery took place. The baby's face was
sideways which made for a more uncomfortable experience than I had with
Nell, but still so wonderful!
The
next thing I knew, at 10:03am, Devin was letting me know we had a baby
girl. I immediately knew I wanted to name her Freya. It was a name I
fell in love with while living in England although I seldom hear it here
in the US. It is pronounced "fray-ah" and is originally known as
"Freja" a Nordic goddess of love and beauty.
This
particular pregnancy was hard. Labor and delivery were difficult. But
having my new baby placed immediately on my chest and feeling her body
and spirit so connected to my own is a feeling I hope to never forget.
For me, it is by far one of the best experiences in this life.
I
loved feeling her soft, wet skin against mine and happily agreed to put
off weighing her for as long as possible. I wanted to savor this
feeling. She nursed easily and then went to be weighed and measured.
She was 7 lb 3.3 oz and 20 inches long. She has very long fingers, toes
and feet.
Devin
had patiently waited and finally got to have his own turn holding her.
It was at this point that we talked about her name and "officially"
agreed on Freya. We gave her a middle name of Agnes after Devin's
grandma Agnes Roberts who he is named after.
We spent the rest of the day staring at and cuddling with Freya.
Here are a few pictures we took throughout her first day...
Because
it is flu season, our children were not allowed to come visit. I spent
the remainder of Monday, January 26th holding and enjoying Freya.
Devin went home to get the kids ready for bed and came back with a Cafe
Rio salad which we enjoyed together before trying to get to sleep.
Freya was up for a good portion of the night which was exhausting
considering I hadn't slept at all the night before. Between vitals for
me, vitals for Freya, blood work at 4:30, etc. I was ready to go home
the next day. After talking with Dr. Froerer and the pediatrician, we
all agreed we could be discharged Tuesday. I was so excited to get
Freya home and introduce her to her eager brother and sisters. Nell
especially talked non-stop about the new baby and I couldn't wait to see
her reaction.
Bringing Freya home was amazing. Mayka
had put together a pink party for the kids the day before. She was
making dinner and dessert and created such a happy environment to come
home to.
Nell was the only one home so she was able to have Freya all to herself. She also enjoyed learning about how the baby eats. :)
Here's a picture of Freya's door that Nell had excitedly decorated.
We were also able to enjoy a visit from Uncle Jeff.
Then Clara came home and had about 20 minutes alone with Freya before Jonas would be home. Her smile says it all.
Jonas
was so excited to get off the bus and come in. Thankfully he didn't
care if it was a brother or sister and was thrilled to meet her.
This
week has been perfect. Devin has been home from work and we have just
enjoyed snuggling this brand new baby. I want time to stop! As I look
at Clara, I realize that time goes too quickly and I am happy if things
could stay just this way for now. I love my family and our crazy
dynamic. I know it would drive many people crazy - it often drives me
and Devin crazy - but I love it.
 |
| Freya getting her first fireside bath |
Freya
is the perfect addition to our family. I'm so grateful for her health
which I do not take for granted! We are all in love with her and I
couldn't be happier.
