Skip to main content

2017, August: Oh Ophelia

Ophelia Rose arrived at 1.43pm on August 23 weighing 7lb 2oz! Her birth story could not be more different than Declan's. At exactly 39 weeks, my alarm woke me for work at 6.15am. I hit the snooze. When it went again at 6.24am, I hit the snooze, rolled over, and felt my water break. I hadn't felt a single contraction, so it was completely surreal to be telling Christian that I was in labor. I popped downstairs to tell my visiting parents that we were off to the hospital so they could get Declan up and get him to school, and we headed out. At the hospital, they confirmed I had indeed "grossly ruptured" and put me on a pitocin drip since I hadn't yet felt a contraction. I was undecided about an epidural this time, since part of me feared that the epidural was to blame for Declan's long delivery and the fluid in his lungs that sent him to the NICU. By 5cm, however, I was at an 8 on the pain scale and all doubts went out the window - the epidural man was called. After that took effect, we waited for me to start "feeling pressure" which didn't take long. The delivery cart arrived, the doctor was called, and I started getting extremely nervous. I started pushing and ... seven minutes and three contractions later ... she popped out! It was ridiculous! What was even more ridiculous is that they placed her on my chest and within minutes, I had her latched and breastfeeding! After the trauma (there really isn't any better word for it) of Declan's arrival and our major struggles with breastfeeding, it was a miracle.
Two days later I'm sat in the hospital room, eating a brownie while Ophelia sleeps, and waiting for Christian to arrive so we can be discharged. The first night was simply awful. She fed and cried nonstop from 10.45pm until 4.30am. I finally called a nurse in tears after the bazillionth feeding to have them take her to the nursery so I could pass out for a couple of hours. The next day and night were much better. Nurses gave me tips to help make sure she has enough at each feed so that she shouldn't want another one immediately. The lactation lady helped make sure we were getting the right latch. I took full advantage of the nursery overnight and got quite a bit of sleep. I know damn well there are many sleepless nights, zombie days, and emotional breakdowns to come in the weeks (months, years!) ahead of me, but goodness. I could not be more thankful for a quick delivery, NO NICU (yayyyyyy!), and the ability to breastfeed. Here's to home, Netflix, and a proper cup of tea. Welcome to our crazy family, Ophelia!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2016, March: Survival tips from the first year

Declan is now one year and a bit. He's a ton of fun most of the time (some of the time he's whiny and annoying and picky about food, but the fun times make up for all of that). He still only sleeps through the night occasionally and we're definitely dealing with a nighttime-pacifier-addiction, but whatever. It's handle-able (see #3 below). I received a lot of advice while pregnant and during Declan's first few months. Some advice was annoying, some might have been helpful but I wouldn't know since I wasn't in a place that I could hear it. However, a few tidbits were very valuable and will stick with me if I ever decide to be brave and have another baby, so I wanted to put them down on (virtual) paper and share them with you. So listen up (or don't, see #6 below) - especially if you have not yet had a kid and think that you might in the future. Nothing will ever prepare you adequately for the chaos, but these tips might help. And thank you to the wonde...
Post a Comment
Read more

2013, December: 22 Days

My last day at the Smithsonian American Art Museum will be Friday, January 24. With the holidays, this means I have only 22 more days in the office. This makes me sad, so it's time to ponder some of the things I will miss after ten years here. In no particular order... Team Luce : Jenni, Katie, Lindsay, Bridget, Ed, Tierney, Mary, and Erin - you have been the best thing about working here. You helped make the Luce Foundation Center and the museum great, you made my job easy and fun, and you rock. A lot. Maria: Coffee & Clyde's, beer & bitching. I buy the same piece of clothing in more than one color just to annoy you. Come with me!! :( My bosses: Eleanor, Claire, Rachel, & Betsy - you let me play in the Luce Center, you trusted me with The Art of Video Games , you gave me the freedom to experiment and do crazy things. Thank you! The rest of you: social media groups at American Art and SI, public affairs & programs people, the video & IT teams, and...
Post a Comment
Read more

2018, August: Idaho Falls Mom's Blog!

I'm incredibly proud to be a contributor for the new Idaho Falls Mom's Blog , which launched today! I'm hopeful it will be a great motivator for my writing, but also a way to meet local moms. I'm useless at meeting new people and this group should force me to be social - it already has once when we took our headshots (which look amazing, btw). Writing a post or two each month for the mom's blog means I will definitely be neglecting this site - so check out my posts over there. I plan to write about ARTitorium stuff, crafting with a toddler, and general parenting topics (next post - potty training!).
Post a Comment
Read more