Mi pedacito de Cielo

I am FINALLY posting about Elia Noemi's birth.  Lets just say that February was an absolutely, hectic, crazy, tiring, eventful month.  So Baby was due Feb 28th, 2011 and with that in mind I was able to pretty much plan out the month (also knowing that she could be late or early).  Thursday, Feb 17th was my last day at work, then  that Friday and Saturday Danny and I were cleaning, painting the house we moved into (that will be another post) and packing our apartment with the plan to move into the house on Monday Feb 21, Presidents day.  Also that weekend I had family come into town.  My Tia and Primos from Argentina were visiting Utah for a month and also wanted to visit Vegas, Hollywood and then drive up to SAC where we live.  Malcolm was so willing to be the chauffeur and drove them from UT to Vegas to LA to SAC all in 5 days.  Once they got to SAC, Malcolm stayed with us at our apartment while the rest of the family stayed with a mutual friend from ARG.  Here is where it gets good, I promise.

Sunday Feb 20th we woke up and went to church, around 930-10am I start feeling funny so I step out of Sunday School and called my mom.  Not totally convinced that I'd be in labor that day I told my mom that I'd call her later in the day in case she had to change her flight.  Around 11am, during Sacrament meeting I started to feel contractions so for fun we started to time them, then at the close of the meeting from the pulpit the Pres. of our Branch asked me to say the closing prayer I was caught off guard but with a nod agreed.  So I waddled my way up and said the prayer contractions and all.  After church we did a couple visits, to keep me distracted.  At this point the contractions were not consistent time wise, but no more then 10 min passed between each one.  Around 6pm we decided to head out to the house and make dinner for my family so they can see the house and us of course.  We pretty much stayed out in Rancho Cordova, where the house is till about 10:30pm.  By that time the contractions intensified but I was still able to some what talk through it.

After church

After dinner, with my tia and primos 






We got back to Davis around 11pm and I decided to get in the tub to help me relax, well that helped for like 10 minutes until I started to feel excruciating pain  and started to cry, poor Danny didn't know what to do. He called the midwife and because my contractions were not set for exactly 3 min apart for 1 hour, she said to wait another hour before coming in, but I kept crying saying how bad it hurt, it was like a switch went off, from bearable pain to unbearable pain there was no progression at all.  So Danny then calls his brother and he could hear my crying in the background and told him to take me to the birthing center.  In between contractions I had to get dressed and Danny and Malcolm gave me a blessing.  We got to the birthing center around 12am.  The nice thing about the set up in Davis is that the birthing center is an attached wing off the hospital there so if anything were to happen that the midwives can't do they get the on call Doctor.  Anyway, so they got me in a room and had to check me in, which took what felt forever.  Once I changed into a robe I started throwing up, which to me was weird but the nurse said it's normal for some women who are in active labor.  They then monitored me and the baby for 20 minutes and during that time the nurses and midwife was talking to Danny and I asking and verifying information, but I was not in the state of mind to make any decisions or answer questions.  By this time I started asking for pain killers but there in the center they take pride in low intervention and are all about helping you get through it natural!  I don't think the nurses and midwife realized how fast I was progressing, they knew it was my first so I'm sure they thought I'd be laboring for 12 hours but that was not the case at all, but they still took their time with certain things.  I had requested a tub because I wanted to attempt a water birth.  After 30 minutes (the time it take to fill it up)  I was moved to another room and got in the tub.  It was super hot, but helped more then just laying on a bed.  They also suggested that I walk around, but once again I don't think they realized how quick I was going because I couldn't even walk.  When I got to the center I was at a 4, by the time I got in the tub I was a 7, which was about 1 hour later.  Danny got in the tub with me to help hold me up and of course be my coach, whispering sweet nothings into my ear!  Then all of a sudden I got the "bearing down" feeling or having to go to the bathroom feeling.  It was the most distinct, pain I had felt.  Let's just say I felt alot of different things that night.  The nurses and midwife checked me twice in the tub, then I asked to get out because it was too hot and started to get uncomfortable during a contraction, so I got out as fast as I could to get to the bed, but it wasn't fast enough because I had a contraction and fell to my hands and knees to help me get through it.  Once I was on the bed the midwife checked me again and said "wow, this baby will be here any min" She got her self ready for delivery and had me push for 15 minutes then pop, out came my beautiful baby at 2:40am Feb 21. After I delivered her head, which they call it the "ring of fire" and yes, it does feel like it's burning, baby's body came out super fast, and I felt that too, it was like swoosh- lets empty my stomach feeling.  Danny helped deliver the baby but the cord was wrapped around her neck so the midwife stepped in to get it undone and there the baby started to cry.  They immediately put her on my stomach/chest with out cleaning her off  and there she stayed, squirming and kicking the whole time, she was and still is an active and very alert baby. I delivered the placenta as they pushed down on my uterus, which kills!  Danny then cut the cord after it stopped pulsing. I tore to a level 2 so the midwife sowed me up. After about an hour they took the baby to weigh her and then moved me to the postpartum room.  Luckily I was the only one delivering that night because there were times where I was screaming like a crazy women, and after every scream I'd apologize, it was kind of funny. I read a lot of Hypno birthing books and listen to the cd's but all the affirmations I thought I'd use to help me relax went out the window. Once things settled down the nurses and midwife kept saying how my labor was one of the easiest they've had, although it sure didn't feel that way for me!But I am proud to say that I got through it "ALL Natural" with no meds!! but who knows if I'll do it a second time????  The recovery is a lot faster and better, which has been really nice.

At the birthing center- Danny wanted to take more pictures of me, but I only allowed this one!

Going home!










The excitement doesn't end there my friends.....After we got discharged on Wednesday I woke up Friday morning with some pain on my right side.  It was so painful that we called the midwife at the center and she talked me through some things then suggested I go see a midwife at the clinic.  The baby had her appointment that morning too, so I sat through that in pain until they were able to check me.  After determining that it wasn't pain from the labor they told me to go to the ER.  So off I went, my mom was with me and Danny was taking care of the baby.  They admitted me and gave me some pain meds that made it to where I couldn't breastfeed, so Danny went back to the clinic, spoke with our lactation specialist and she suggested things we should do for the next day or so.  I had to get a Cat-Scan to see if it was appendicitis or something else.  After a couple hours the Dr. came in and notified my that I was passing a Kidney stone,  yup, I pretty much labored twice in one week!  I was released from the ER around 5pm that day and went back to the apartment took some pain meds and slept pretty much the rest of the night.  We had planned to move that Saturday, but Danny wasn't sure what to do after my incident in the ER and was really stressed out. So he talked to his parents and next thing we know his parents showed up at our apt around 4 am Saturday to help us move.  And so we did, by Saturday night we were all sleeping in the new house.   It was a crazy week, yet a memorable one!  My poor baby had experienced going to stores, ER, and moving all within her 1st week of being born.
I am so thankful for our families support, for the strength Heavenly Father gave me to get through the pain and give birth to a healthy 8 lb 5 oz 20.5 in baby and for the blessing of being able to live in a home and not a small apt... most of all I'm thankful for Danny who got me through one of the hardest things I've experienced so far, and for all his dedication to help provide for us.

Danny Adores his little girl, and it's helps that she looks like him!