Todd, Britt, and the Girls: Lydia June

I am no longer pregnant! Hooray!!! And we are all so in love with this little 7 pounder we brought home from the hospital.

Here's Lydia's birth story.

I decided to induce at 39 weeks. It's not something I would have ever imagined myself doing, I'm all for nature taking it's course. However... I was so over it. I was so tired and hot and depressed and cranky and miserable. Just ask poor Todd. My doctor offered to induce me since she was going to be out of town when I was due, so I scheduled it with the intention of backing out at the last minute if I felt in any way that it wasn't right for me. The very moment it was scheduled I felt such tremendous relief that I realized I wanted to go through with it!

I arrived at the hospital at 7:45 a.m. June 17th and after checking in, changing, and having an IV placed, was started on pitocin around 9. After a couple hours of contractions they became strong enough to warrant an epidural so we requested the anesthesiologist. He came in and numbed me, then proceeded to shove a large needle through my back, and dug it along the left side of my spine for several minutes while I writhed in the bed and hollered in horrific pain. I guess the numbing didn't work!! The rest of the birth experience was pain free, so I feel that it was worth it. But boy did it hurt!

Then I had several hours of peaceful labor awaiting the inevitable. Todd and I watched a movie, I took a nap and drifted in and out of dreams of my second child, and the nurses waited on me hand and foot. It was awesome.

Finally at 4:45 it was time to push, but we had to wait for the doctor to arrive. She made it in at 5:15 and at 5:21 a little purple baby was lifted from my body! It took 2.5 pushes and was a piece of cake! I was so anxious to just look at my child and the instant I saw her I felt a burst of happiness and love and couldn't wait to get my hands on her to drink her in. Once she was born she let out 2 small cries and then remained mostly silent. She had inhaled amniotic fluid on her way out and the hospital staff kept trying to get her to cry it out, but she simply wouldn't do it. She made some little grunts and groans but mostly sat in what seemed to be mystified silence looking around at the world she'd just entered. It was surprisingly quiet and very peaceful.

Then the blissful "sacred hour" of skin to skin. She went right on my chest and there she sat for 2 or 3 hours with Todd and I falling deeper and deeper in love with her. She never cried and started nursing on her own after 30 minutes or so.

Aaahhhh, the love.

Love LOVE L.O.V.E. :)

I felt so content and fulfilled and complete holding this tiny person. I felt sure I would die happy having experienced even just a sliver of time with her. Complete bliss!!

Avery came to visit that night and instantly fell in love with Lydia too. She walked gingerly up to the baby and looked thrilled when we told her it was her baby sister. She held Lydia and kept saying, "Oh, oh, oh... It's OK, it's OK, it's OK. Oh, oh, oh..." and gently petting and kissing Lydia's face. It was the cutest thing.

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I stayed in the hospital for 48 hours, picked up Avery, then we went home to start our new normal life. Lydia does cry now, but mostly sits quietly or gives little grunts of complaint before spitting up or pooping. She is calm, sweet, content, and easy going. Life is just wonderful with her. I'll be honest and say that not sleeping is taking a heck of a lot out of me. But at least I'm not sleeping because I have a new baby. :)