This is a recap of April 22, 2010 which is the story of Lucy's birth. Since I had a blog then and didn't write about this big event, I feel like I should go back and document it. Here goes.
Having a baby is such an exciting time! Sometimes I just wanna keep having babies as long as I can just because of all the wonderful things you get to experience because of it. Since that's not realistic, I think we'll probably have one more and be done after that. ANYWAY...
Getting ready for and having Lucy was so exciting! The pregnancy went by SO fast, that when I got to full-term, I couldn't believe it! It wasn't a super easy pregnancy because I had a lot of sciatic nerve pain and chasing around a 4 and 1 year old was difficult. However, it seemed quick despite the pain and for that I am thankful!
A couple weeks before Lucy's birthday, my midwife and I discussed my feelings on another induction. I was induced with Emmy and Addy, so she wanted to know if that was something I wanted to do with that pregnancy. I would love to have an exciting, spur of the moment birth experience, but that just wasn't sounding too fun considering it was my third baby, so things could go much fast than the other time and I would need to find childcare for the big girls quick if that happened! Another "con" to waiting until I went into labor was the fact that I have bigger babies. Emmy was 8lbs 13oz and Addy was 8lbs 1 oz.
That day we looked at the calendar and my midwife swept her finger across the whole week after I hit 39 weeks. I looked at her and said, "Well, my birthday is on the 22nd. Could we induce then?" She smiled and said probably. We ended up waiting until the following appointment to schedule it.
12 AM was the time we were to arrive at the hospital to begin the induction. I wasn't really that nervous about having her. I was honestly more nervous about making sure I had a vaginal birth and about what it was gonna be like when we got home and had 3 young children to care for.
The night nurses who got me all hooked up were so sweet! They just wanted to make me feel comfortable and were there any time I needed them. I barely slept a wink, so I just got on Facebook off and on, watched the TV, and just laid there thinking about what the next several hours would hold.
At around 5 or 6 am, I got a new nurse and she was absolutely precious. (I actually saw her when my BFF had her baby a month ago and gave her a hug for being so sweet back in April!) My midwife got there probably around 10 AM, and was ready to sit with me until our baby girl was born. (Yep...my midwife has sat with me through each labor and delivery of all 3 daughters. She rarely left my side and if she did it was just for a few minutes.)
When I was around 5 cm, she suggested we break my water. I had not yet had an epidural and was a little on the fence about it, but when I started feeling those sharp cramps and remembering what it felt like the previous 2 labors, I decided to ask for the epidural BEFORE she broke my water. Best decision ever!
The next few hours consisted of me eating popsicles, me and Tim talking, me playing on FB, calling and checking on the big girls at home, and just hanging out. It was almost like a date except I was wearing an ugly hospital gown, with an iv stuck in my arm, and random people were popping in every so often to do a pelvic exam. LOL (Sorry, I know that's TMI. Oh well. It is what it is!)
During the wait, I asked my midwife, Donna, if the new midwife in the practice was going to come for the birth. She asked if I would like her to and I didn't mind. Then she asked if she could deliver the baby. I was hesitant, but since Donna promised to stay by my side, I ended up agreeing. (I didn't realize that since another midwife was delivery the baby, Donna was going to be our photographer! Several of these were taken by her!)
Within an hour or 2 I felt pressure and sure enough, it was time to push! Everyone got all ready and within a minute or 2 (Yes, I pushed maybe twice!) Lucy Charlotte was born! She was a whopping 9.1 oz! We couldn't believe it! I was so relieved that we decided to induce. If I had gone another week or two, we could have ended up with a 10 lb baby! Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Believe it or not, Lucy was not named until 30 minutes or an hour after she was born. We just couldn't make up our minds...Here's the story real quick.
From the beginning of my pregnancy, we had been leaning towards the name Molly. We never really had a middle name, but still thought her name would be Molly. When I was around 34 weeks, we were at Chick-fil-a in the playground area and heard another mommy calling for her daughter, Caroline. I looked at Tim and said, "I love the name Caroline!" At that point, we decided on Molly Caroline. A few days later, I talked to a friend about the name situation. Since we still weren't 100% sure, I just mentioned what we were thinking about. She looked at me and said, "I love the name Lucy! My friend just had a baby and named her Lucy Charlotte!" Little did she know, Tim had wanted to name our baby Charlotte and call her "Lotty", from about halfway through the pregnancy. I was not a fan. The name I liked all along, however, was Lucy, but TIM was not a fan of that name! When he got home that night, I looked at him and said, "Lucy Charlotte". He looked at me and said, "DEAL!" I wouldn't say that at that moment that was definitely her name, but we were both really liking it! Anyway, since we were still up in the air, Molly Caroline was still in the running. A few days before I had Lucy, a friend of mine brought over some baby name books. I thought that would help us a little! I prayed before I opened them and asked the Lord to tell me what my baby's name was supposed to be. I looked at Molly, Reese (which was a possiblity for a middle name for Molly), Lucy, and then I looked at the name Charlotte. The definition was something like "another name for Caroline". It gave me chills. To some of you that might sound silly, but to me-that was my answer! I immediately texted Tim and he was on board. We still wanted to keep Molly Caroline an option, but we were totally leaning toward Lucy Charlotte. When she was born-we just knew that was her name!
Anyway, by the time we got all cleaned up, Hannah and the girls had made it to the hospital. They got to watch Lucy have her first bath. They weren't too sure about their baby sister screaming her head off because another person was messing with her, but by the time they brought her to our room, they were fine. They were SO happy to see me and their new sister. Addy was a little confused, but when she warmed up, she just wanted to love and kiss on her sister. Emmy seemed SO big! She was now an experienced big sister and was a great example for Addy! Such precious moments!
By the way, we didn't have family and friends waiting at the hospital while I was in labor and delivery. We decided after we had Emmy that we felt more comfortable with it just being us while I went through that. I am a pretty modest person and I also just wanted Tim and I to have some time with our new baby before everyone else got there. I do not regret my decision at all and actually recommend it to all of my friends who have babies! Giving birth is a very personal and intimate thing. I know that the family/close friends are excited and want to meet the new baby, but I also think it's very important to give the new parents some space and only come if they are invited or the new parents know about it and have said ok before hand (that goes for when people come and visit you at the hospital, too.) I guess you didn't know you were gonna get a lesson on Proper etiquette when a loved one gives birth!
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April 22, 2010, is a birthday I will NEVER forget! We had a wonderful experience. I am so thankful for God's provision that day and every time I've given birth, for that matter!
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