Introducing Lily Sophia!

This is Lily Getting her first bath. She loved it!!! She was submerged, except her face, and she was so calm and peaceful. She was born on the 9th of January, at 1:36 AM. She weighed eight pounds (so did both the boys!!), and she is 20 inches long. It was a really fast labor and delivery (4 hours) which I'm not convinced is preferable. Gilbert's was twice as long, and at least twice as easy. I had an appointment the morning of the eighth, and I was two centimeters dilated. The midwife, Cherie, swept my membranes, which put me into labor right away with Gilbert, but I didn't have high hopes since I wasn't quite due, and I was overdue with Gilbert. I was crampy all day, but nothing that was real labor, and I had been crampy for two weeks anyway. I went to work, and decided we would get donuts in the morning to celebrate Lily's due date, even though she wasn't here. After work (9pm), I came home and finished watching the Mavericks game till nearly ten, and decided to go to bed. As soon as I tried to go to sleep, I started having contractions. I got up, sure that they would go away. But they didn't, at least not all the way. They weren't very regular. At ten thirty I called my parents and told them not to go to bed, because I thought that maybe/probably I was in labor. I didn't call the birth center though, because it was getting late, and I didn't want to bother anyone if it was a false alarm. I would have a pretty light contraction, and then another one six minutes later, and then I wouldn't have one for twelve minutes, but it would be a really strong one. So I sat in the recliner, read a book, and waited for them to get more regular. They got slightly more regular, and weren't going away, so finally at 11:45, I called Cherie, since she had told me it could be fast, and not to labor at home much. I called my parents, but told them not to rush. However, at that point the contractions changed to 3-5 minutes apart, and pretty intense. We called back and told them to hurry. My Dad stayed with our sleeping boys, and Mom came to the birth center with us. It's a half an hour drive to the birth center, and I breathed very quietly through the contractions, because if I made any noise at all Clint slammed on the gas, which wasn't comfortable. When we got there (about 12:30) Cherie checked me, said I was dilated to a 6 (good thing I didn't wait longer to call). My water broke, and Cherie said to take a power walk, and I'd have a baby. Yeah, not so much. I wasn't that into power walking. It lasted about five minutes. Then I tried the shower, which was great with Gilbert, but this was going so fast!!! That only lasted five minutes as well. Then I just paced around the room. After a while Cherie checked and said I was a ten, but I didn't feel like pushing yet, so we waited. I read that a "resting period" between when you are fully dilated and when you are ready to push is normal, but I had never had it before. Finally I felt like pushing-but only a little bit. With the boys my body pushed whether I wanted it to or not, but with Lily, it was more like "oh, I think I'd like to push now." And it was hard work!!!! I didn't have to consciously push either of the boys. It still only took ten minutes and two contractions though. We found out why it was harder when she was born: she was posterior (face up), which is much harder to birth. We got to take her home about six hours after she was born, and it was so nice to rest at home. She was beautiful right away, not wrinkled or scrunched at all. She has a really round head, and chubby cheeks, and really blue eyes. Her hair is blondish, and of course, she has less than either of the boys. She doesn't sleep much at night, but we love her anyway!!! Her brothers like her, although Gilbert does occasionally try to hit her in the head or snatch my nursing pillow away.



Clint and Mom bathing Lily at the birth center.

Cherie giving lily her newborn exam. Thant's the bed I had her on!!! I wanted to take a picture of the room when I went back Friday, but someone was using it. I'll take one at my six week visit hopefully, and of Lily's footprints they put on the wall as well.

Lily pretty soon after she was born.

Lily and Daddy chillin'

The Birth Center from the outside. It is an old Victorian house in Dallas. It's really beautiful inside.

Lily and Daddy