Happy Birth Day Baby Elena!

{You should know it's taken me 4 days to complete this post from beginning to end with pictures..I'm so busy now!}

So here's the scoop on the labor and delivery experience with baby Elena! Warning, it's pretty long and I began writing this last friday!

Last week I was technically due Tuesday the 9th, however, I was still in school and hoping that Elena would hold out until at least Wednesday night when I finished all my classes. I had no real signs that labor was coming and had an appointment for Thursday. When I went in doc asked if I wanted him to strip my membranes. I was nervous as to what that meant, and kind of had my own idea going that she would definitely be here by Sunday, so I told him we'd wait off on anything until Sunday and go from there if she still hadn't come.

After we walked to the bookstore we went to Porter Park and Mari took some pictures :)

40 weeks 3 days: about to explode! ;)

The whole weekend passed and nothing. I even walked from our place all the way uphill to the University's book store on campus, hoping something would happen. I got a whole lotta cramps but nothing else. I'd be sleeping, then wake with a few painful contractions, start timing them, and then they'd stop after I'd go to the bathroom. Talk about getting my hopes up. I had told people I didn't want to see them at Church on Sunday because I hoped I'd be in the hospital by then. Nope. Still pregnant and still went to Church despite how tired and uncomfortable I'd been. This whole time Jonathan would ask me every so often when I'd exhale due to boredom, "contractions?!" I'm pretty sure he was more anxious than I was. He has been for weeks haha.

Monday morning rolled around, bright and early at 445am. I was having contractions and they were strong, but they weren't getting closer together. I figured "today might be the day" so I showered, got my make up on, took a nap, and then when everyone else woke up I even curled my hair haha. I wanted to be prepared and ready (and cute not hideous)! ;) When I was at my appointment on that Thursday (the 11th) I had made one for this Thursday (the 18th) thinking she'd for sure be there by then so I wouldn't really need it. Well, Monday morning I promised Jonathan that if he went on a walk with me around the block, and still nothing had happened, I'd bump my appointment from Thursday to Monday. I got in at 3:15. When we got there we talked about stripping my membranes and if nothing, inducing on Wednesday. As he started the procedure, I started feeling warm and wet (haha sorry TMI) and doc and I both realized at the same time that he broke my water. He then said, "Well, you're definitely having a baby today." We laughed, checked out, went home to grab my hospital stuff and say goodbye to Lydia, then headed for the hospital. After my water broke contractions were way close together, stronger and longer. Boy, did those hurt, but I was able to continue doing things as we checked into the hospital.


Once set up in my room, the nurses came in, started an IV and asked me a zillion questions while I was having contractions. The nurse asking them kept complimenting me on how well I was breathing and managing the pain and asked if I had taken a class. I never have but I knew that the only way to get through them was to breathe and try to focus on something. After a while I just couldn't take it anymore. I began to cry silent tears. Jonathan came over and patted my hair and tried to console me. They were super painful. I never remembered Lydia's being so painful (then I realized later I had had an epidural put in and then they broke my water after so I couldn't feel a thing, nor could I feel the painful contractions afterward). After I REALLY couldn't take the pain anymore and was crying more, the nurse asked me how I was and I told her it just hurt a lot. Then she asked me if I wanted my epidural right then. I said yes. I would've requested it earlier but I thought I was waiting for something?? I shoulda got it earlier! Luckily it was put in in between contractions and started working right away. Oh boy do I love those! I can handle pain up to a certain point, but it's so much nicer being able to relax and enjoy the whole experience. Not to mention all that crying (which may have been a total of 2 minutes) made me extremely exhausted.

Bleh! Okay! Jonathan was taking pictures for "memories." This was before the epidural when I was miserable and I'm trying to shoo him away. I'm crying and laughing because it was ridiculous! I told him to delete this picture but he refuses. I'm only putting it up so you can see how miserable I was here...and then how comfortable I am below haha.
Now.. promptly delete this photo from your mind forever.

pictures taken in the hospital are always SO attractive!

Ohhh yesss..

After that everything sped up real fast. Jonathan went to the cafeteria and I tried resting. My eyes burned from crying and all I wanted to do was sleep, even though I had taken a nap earlier that day and had felt so energized; I was drained. However, I couldn't sleep because the positions I tried getting in kept making the fetal heart monitor turn off and wouldn't pick up a heartbeat which made me and the nurse uncomfortable. We eventually found it but I had to lay on my back. After a few hours the nurse came back in to check my cervix progress. She didn't even have to really check because she could see the head! That was around 8:35pm. She called the doctor and he came right away. They switched the bed up, and got us all prepped for delivery. It was a happy time. Everyone was in a light mood and Doc was making jokes. I was extremely tired and just wanted to sleep but I remember making the comment, "I don't really care.. lemme just pop out the baby and go to sleep." haha! Yeah I was sleepy! They kept telling me to take a breath and push..and then they'd start making a joke and I'd bust out laughing. I finally had to tell them that I couldn't concentrate when they're making me laugh! After a while I heard a little cry, looked down to make SURE it was a girl, felt so relieved, then they put Baby on me in which I said, 'hay there lil slimeball!' haha while they wiped her clean, then Jonathan cut the cord, they took her away to clean her and measure her. Then they gave her back to me and eventually weighed her.

Haha chubby little Asian ;)

First bath!

She was born April 15th at 8:52pm, 8lbs 20 1/2 inches and she is such a sweet baby! She just stared and looked around. So alert. I loved cuddling her. She has been so perfect from the start. She's even been a good eater. I've had no problems with latching or nursing and she eats a lot. She also sleeps really well and half the time I find myself staring at her while she is sleeping or awake just in awe that our bodies can create such beautiful living creatures. She has the funniest personality and makes the cutest faces. I just love it. Jonathan and I are always pausing to smile and laugh at the silly faces she pulls and absolutely adore her when she smiles. She is such a sweetheart.

I am so happy to be a mom all over again with this precious little newborn! I am only saddened that I know she will grow so fast. She is almost a week old. I just want to capture these moments in my heart forever.