Evelyn was born at 12:22pm on Sunday morning. She weighed 8.4 pounds , was 20 ¾ inches long, and was absolutely beautiful.
When we got to the hospital thy checked me out and were a little nervous about Evie’s heart rate and the fact that I wanted a VBAC (vaginal birth after C-section). They hooked me up to an IV right away which was kind of disappointing because it made it hard to walk around. And I definitely could have used the distraction of being able to walk around.
By 8am I was 7cm dilated and totally ready for the epidural. Evie’s heart rate was fine as long as I stayed on my side so the VBAC was still on. The epidural made things so much better. It made sense to do it just in case I needed another emergency C... but in fact it made the whole experience so much better. I could think and talk and understand instructions again. I had been worried that the drugs would put in the same state I was in during Ian’s labor but it didn’t. I was lucid and aware the whole time. It was amazing.
Okay it was gross and painful… but still amazing! By the end of Ian’s labor I was completely out of it. I could barely see, could barely think – couldn’t even write my own name. My reaction to Ian’s first cries was some thing along the lines of “Ah, that’s nice.” By the end of Evie’s labor I was still me. I could talk and laugh and cry. I could see the tears in JD’s eyes.It was amazing.
Hearing Evie’s first cry made me realize just how badly Ian’s labor and delivery had gone. Ian’s first cry was weak and sad. Evie’s was loud. Loud and MAD. The NICU team was there because there had been some miconium in the amniotic fluid when my water broke, indicated potential complications. Her first scream made them all laugh and exclaim in relief. They didn’t even have to suction her out because her first cry pushed all the fluid out of her lungs.
The first thing someone said about my daughter was “She is fierce!” The second thing someone said was “She bit me!” 1 minute out of the womb and she had no problem latching on to anything that came near her mouth. As I got sewed up (ouch) the NICU team did their thing and pronounced her healthy and perfect. JD was able to pick her up and bring her over to me. She was beautiful. Plump and smooth and quite disgruntled.
After the doctor was through with the cord blood stuff and getting me all cleaned up I got to hold her. She watched me with dark eyes and a serious expression. Since I wasn’t going anywhere until the epidural wore off I decided to nurse her. She was a natural – latching on strongly right away. She nursed for about an hour before drifting off to sleep.
It was one of my life’s most perfect moments. I remembered holding her brother for the first time. Watching him breath as he slept in my arms. And being completely, perfectly happy. How lucky I am to have that twice. How wonderful my life has turned out to be.
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