Birthing The Babes

Well, we are officially parents, and are officially loving it!!!  :)  We were blessed with the best little lady ever.  She is so much fun and such a sweetheart!  Getting her here was quite an adventure though.  And so, we review the birthing story, which means two things:  #1 lengthy-ness , and #2 details you may not want to hear about... thus I have devised the 3 version system (OK actually I borrowed this idea, but I thought it to be handy).  Choose which version you want and happy reading!

Version 1: Short and Simple

Brinlee was born!  Everyone is home, mama and baby are doing great, and she is quite possibly the most beautiful and best/easiest baby ever!  Her parents are happy about that.

Version 2: A Few Nitty Gritty's

Little miss Brinlee Kay was born on Friday, May 4th at 11:48 am.  She weighed in at 7lbs 7 oz, was 18in long, has a full head of beautiful blonde hair, and is absolutely adored by her mommy and daddy.  She came a little bit by surprise but she made it nice and quick (read: maybe two hours start to finish) and came "au naturel", meaning no pain meds at all for mom.  But everything was smooth, so no complaining here  :)  Right at first she had a little trouble breathing and spent some time away from us to get some extra oxygen.  But she was back within an hour and has done great since then.  As of her first doctor's appointment at 4 days old, she's down to 6lbs, 15oz, but measures well and seems to be on a good track.  She's already an awesome sleeper, good eater, and hardly makes any noise!  She has her daddy's mouth and a pair of big blue eyes, but otherwise seems to be a good mix and is by far the cutest and sweetest baby to ever come along.

Version 3: All the FUN Details

The Tuesday before she came (May 1st) was officially my 38 week mark.  She wasn't due to be here until the 15th, so I had originally been scheduled to work, but took off early instead.  And it was a good thing I did!  At my 38 week appointment the very next Monday (the 30th), I was dilated to a 4 and 80% effaced!  Huge surprise!!  I went home a little in shock, a little more cautious, and a little bit scared (read: practically having a mini breakdown).  But I managed to keep it together, and actually didn't see any noticeable progress for the next few days.

Thursday the 3rd was my birthday!  Aside from not really being able to believe I'm 24, I felt fine all day.  That night we journeyed down to Idaho Falls and Tim treated me to Olive Garden and ice cream at Orange Leaf, and then home for some cuddling (read: me propped up with several pillows and a heating pad with Tim somewhat nearby) and a movie.  Friday morning I woke up around 5:00 in the morning with an upset stomach.  It really felt a lot like I had eaten something disturbing the night before, but it was uncomfortable enough to keep me awake.  Just a little bit before 6:00 the pain had moved to an ache in my lower back, so I got up to soak in a hot tub for a while.  It didn't really help though and by 8:30 or so I started to recognize the pain as contractions.  They were really mild though and mostly in my back, and were only coming at 3 or 4 an hour.  The doctor had said to come into the hospital when A: my water broke, or B: I was having noticeable contractions at 3 to 5 minutes apart.  I knew my water hadn't broken... and the contractions didn't seem "bad" to me yet, so I figured it was nothing to worry too much about.  Still, just to be safe, Tim called the hospital and talked to a nurse who basically verbalized what I had already been thinking.  So, we waited.

Around 9:00 I was uncomfortable and told Tim he may need to stay home from classes, which he willingly agreed to, as he was still in his pajamas and seemed quite content.  Things had become a little more regular: much more back pain and definite contractions at about 8 to 11 minutes apart.  But yet again, not severe by any means and nothing I thought needed too much worry.  Just after 10:00 my contractions were what I recognized as more like what the doctor had described, so we started counting with that "3-5 minutes for an hour" goal in mind and were on edge for my water to break.  After about 45 minutes they were more regular at 5-8ish minutes apart, but bothersome enough that Tim decided he'd better call into the doctor's office.  They told him to bring me in there, and by the time he had clothes on, I was throwing up in the bathroom and afraid I wasn't going to make it.  I managed to make it to the car, but at the doctor's office the nurse had to come see me, due to the fact that I couldn't walk/talk/breathe through the contractions that were now very regular at a couple minutes apart.  She sent us to the hospital, two nurses met me at the car with a wheelchair, they got me to a room and in the bed, and about 20 minutes later baby girl was here!

The doctor did make it in time, thankfully!!  But only barely.  Thanks to the rapid pace of the events, I did tear down into some muscle (ouch!) and now have a few stitches.  My water never did break though, they did that for me.  And there wasn't time to even think about any kind of pain medication... so this little lady came "au naturel"!  I always pictured myself handling labor and delivery real smooth-like, but unfortunately I think I did a bit more hollering than I had hoped.  No profanities though, success!  Brinlee came out weighing 7lbs, 7oz and 18in long.  It took a while to get a cry from her, and they took her for a little while to put some oxygen on her.  But she was back within the hour and has done great ever since!  She has beautiful blue eyes, a head full of blonde hair, and just the prettiest little face I have ever seen!

We've had lots of eager baby holders, which has been so fun!  We were only in the hospital for one night, but I really felt like I could go home right after delivery.  It was instant relief!!  Daddy stayed with us, and of course didn't get much sleep.  But he is already wrapped around her little finger so, I don't think he minded much.  At her first doctor's appointment at 4 days old she had dropped down to 6lbs 15oz but looks great!  She is in the 25th percentile in height and head circumference, the 50th percentile for weight, and is, in a word, perfect!  She already sleeps for several hours at a time during the night, eats like a champion, and hardly ever cries!  Needless to say we are spoiled and very thankful for an awesome baby!  She is certainly one loved little peanut!!  :)

And now, of course, a picture montage!  Go ahead and tilt your head to one side in preparation of the inevitable "awe, how cute!" pose that you will soon be making

Sporting that adorable blonde hair!

Happy Family ready to go home!

Personal Favorite!