She's here!! Piper Brie arrived at 3:44 pm on June 7th, 8 lbs 1 oz, and 19" long, with no cleft palate!!!
The last 2 weeks have been a whirlwind, but I'll give you the highlights:
June 6 (my due date) we went to the hospital in the morning and I was given prostaglandin to see if we could get things started. Went back that afternoon for another dose. Felt crampy almost immediately, like period cramps. I was super uncomfortable by 9 pm so I called L&D and they told me to come in, turns out I was definitely having contractions. They gave me some drugs so I could sleep, they'd move my labour along in the morning with pitocin.
The morning of the 7th, I got up and took a nice hot shower. It had to have been in my top 5 showers in life. I got out, put on my underwear, and immediately my water broke all over the place. my favourite anesthesiologist was on call, and he came to do my epidural. It took him 4 tries to get it, but once it was in place, immediate relief. 10/10 would recommend.
By 11:50 am I was ready to push, and push I did. For hours. By 3, my OB was starting to talk options: vacuum assisted delivery or c-section. With the information I had at the time, we opted for the vacuum, and with 2 solid pulls (from him) and pushes (from me), Piper arrrived at 3:44. The nurses took her across the room to clean her up, assess her, etc. They told us it was a girl, then shoved a finger in her mouth and told us that there was no cleft. I cried, Josh cried, my mom out in the hallway cried, apparently our nurse cried. Once they gave her to me, I just wanted to hold her skin to skin on my chest forever.
We celebrated with sushi for dinner. I'd been craving it my whole pregnancy, so Josh went out and got me spicy salmon sushi and I basically inhaled it.
Blah blah blah I won't recount every detail, but Piper's bilirubin levels were high. It was likely due to my pushing so long, then using the vacuum. They sent us home Thursday morning, but after another blood test Friday afternoon, readmitted her for phototherapy. We were back in hospital Friday evening to Monday afternoon. It was rough. I knew objectively that she would be fine, and that tons of babies have to hang out under the lights, and that there were many many worse things that we could be dealing with (remember that cleft palate we were convinced she had?) but it was hard not being able to touch and hold her, not to mention that I was a few days postpartum and hormonal and exhausted. It was a tough few days, basically just hanging out, killing time until we could pull her out of the isolette and feed her every few hours. My milk came in and I looked like I'd had a bad Mexican boob job, I was leaking everywhere, and all I could do was try to nap and hang out with Josh or my mom.
I was so happy to get home with my little yellow munchkin last Monday. We have had follow ups with our family practitioner, and with the hospital's lactation consultant, to make sure/reassure me that Piper is making appropriate gains. She was back up above her birth weight by day 9, so I've learned to trust her (and myself), obviously she's eating just fine after her weekend in the light box (it can be dehydrating).
This week, we are settling into our new normal. Joshua is back at work, I'm home with Piper, my mom has stopped in for snuggles. A routine is still a work in progress, but we will get there. We try to do one "adventure" every day, be it a walk with the dog, or a trip to the store or doctor.
We had her newborn photos done on Saturday. I cannot wait to get them all back, but the sneak peeks I've seen are so great.
And now for the best part: pictures!
[First moments of skin to skin]
[Coming home from the hospital - 2 days old and so tiny!]
[The Tiny Texan onesie Katie sent from Dallas. These pics were a week apart, she is growing so much already]
[Sneak peeks from Piper's newborn shoot]
[Sleeping is such serious business!]
[That pucker just absolutely kills me!]
[today]
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