Nova was born at 7:54 pm on Saturday, January 26, 2013. She weighed 7 lbs, 14.4 oz and was 19.5 inches long. I got to hold her right away and she didn't even have to leave my room until over 24 hours later (and even that was just for routine newborn testing :-)
Birth Story:
I was induced on January 26th due to history of pregnancy-induced-hypertension. At 32 weeks gestation, my blood pressure went from normal to in the 160/90 region, so the doctor ran some blood work and we started weekly non-stress tests. Nova and I passed all of our tests...some by better margins than others.... I had a high level of protein in my urine, which is consistent with pre-eclampsia, but the level wasn't quite high enough to earn me that label, so the doctors just continued to watch me closely for the high blood pressure and signs of developing pre-eclampsia. At 35 weeks, my blood pressure dropped back down to the "acceptable" range, and at some appointments was even normal. This gave the doctor the confidence to wait until at least 39 weeks to induce me.
So, at 39 weeks, 2 days gestation (according to the doctor...I still think it was 38 weeks, 2 days) Jake and I went to the hospital for a scheduled induction. I was already having contractions about 3 minutes apart and had been for the last 4 days, so as soon as they broke my water (8:30am), I was in active labor. The first couple of hours I just paced around my hospital room, so when they checked me for dilation I hadn't made enough progress (only 0.5cm in 3ish hours, I think). The doctor wanted to start me on pitocen, but the nurse, having heard me talk about my fears of pitocen, talked the doctor into giving me just a couple more hours to progress faster. The doctor reluctantly agreed and I started walking the halls. Two hours of that and I progressed 1 more cm! No pitocen needed :-) I made it to about 6cm before I decided that an epidural would be a good idea. I was by no means in unbearable pain, but the pain was bad enough that I decided I didn't want to go into "transition" (7-10cm) without the medication. Once they started the epidural I, of course, had to stay in bed, and my contractions slowed down to one every 5 minutes. At that point, they started me on pitocen. I didn't mind as much at that point, since my two primary concerns were the pain it causes and the fact that I would have had to stay in bed if they gave me it. I was already numb and bed-ridden, though, so it didn't really matter.
One odd thing I remember about the epidural...I got SO cold! My blood pressure also dropped lower than I had ever seen it before and I got really tired at one point. Once my blood pressure stabilized though, I just remember being cold - like, shivering uncontrollably. I think it was a combination of the epidural, the IV fluids, and the Popsicle I had just eaten, but I didn't stop shivering for at least 20 minutes - and I only did then because they brought me a heated blanket.
At around 7pm the epidural started wearing off and I was having to breath through the contractions again. At 7:15 they checked me for dilation - at which point I was 8.5cm and 100% effaced. Shortly after that I started feeling the urge to push, but the nurse told me I wasn't ready yet. A new nurse came in at that point (shift change), and she told me that she wanted to wait until 8pm to check me again. Well...Nova had other plans. The contractions got stronger and stronger and more and more painful, and the urge to push was getting harder and harder to ignore. At around 7:45 the nurse noticed how much pain I was in and agreed to check me. Of course, I was 10 cm and ready to push! They told me as soon as I got into position that they could already see Nova's head :-) They called up to the doctor who started on her way down and told the nurses to have me do a "practice" push. One-half of a practice push later, the nurses started looking VERY nervous! They told me to stop pushing and one looked like she was getting into position to catch! One nurse called the doctor again and told her to hurry up while the other looked very much like she was holding the baby in. Despite me not pushing, Nova was making her way a little farther out with every contraction. Finally the doctor got there. While she was putting on her gown and gloves she told me to push whenever I needed. I thought: "really? I don't think so!" By that point they had dropped the end of the bed, so if Nova came out without anybody there to catch her, she would fall on the floor. I waited through another half of a contraction and when the doctor was by me ready to catch, I gave one maybe 10-second push and Nova was out! I still remember the doctor's reaction: as soon as Nova's head came out she said "oh, it looks like we have a nuchal" (which, I think means the cord being wrapped around the baby...because the cord was wrapped around Nova 3 times) then, I think she expected me to stop pushing so she could unwrap her neck, but again...Nova had other plans. She just came all the way out and the doctor said "oh! well, it looks like you're just going to be born, then!"
Nova was beautiful. She was covered in vernix and pale from head to toe, but she was mine and I loved her instantly. Earlier in the day I requested that the doctor delay clamping the umbilical cord for a minute or two. After Nova came out and was unwrapped from the cord, the doctor wasn't putting her on my chest. It was only maybe 5 seconds before she saw the look on my face...that momma-bear look. That you-have-my-baby-and-why-aren't-you-giving-her-to-me look. She explained that she had to hold her below the table if she was going to delay clamping the cord. Ah! that made sense. But despite the health benefits I've read about...despite the fact that it would be good for her in the long run, I just couldn't take it. There she was, crying and cold and purple and just having gone through the most intense experience of her existence. And the doctor was holding her so impersonally - with just one hand behind her neck and one hand supporting her weight on her butt. She was all alone and I simply couldn't take it. I had to have her. Health benefits aside - she needed me and I needed her. Without pausing to even think about it, I told the doctor through my tears of joy "never mind...I need her"
They put her on my chest and wiped her down. At first, she was too high up on my chest to see her face, so after a couple of minutes of cuddling, I shifted her down so we could see each-others' faces. She looked just like Addelyn! I talked to her - I told her I loved her and when I told her she was beautiful, she gave me her first smile. Not a social smile, of course, but a smile of contentment. She heard mommy's voice and she felt safe and happy.
About 15 or 20 minutes after she was born, she started rooting around, so I nursed her for the first time. She didn't latch on right away - it took us a good 5 or 10 minutes to get a good latch, but once she did, she nursed for an hour on and off. After the first 15 or 20 minutes of nursing, I was finally willing to let someone else hold her :-) the nurses took her and weighed, measured, and diapered her, then returned her to me for more nursing. Then after another 15 or 20 minutes, Daddy finally got to hold her. With the experience of one child already under his belt, he was a natural.
The rest of our hospital stay was pretty uneventful. Nova went a while between feedings that first night which is normal, then we got onto a pretty good 3-hour schedule by the time we got home. Since then, Nova has moved to more of a 2-hour schedule with the occasional 3-hour stretch. Now, 3.5 weeks later, she is gaining weight well, is no longer jaundiced, and I'm hoping that someday she'll let me sleep!
Nova's personality at 3.5 weeks is pretty similar to Addelyn's. She likes to be held, and cries if she's awake and alone for too long (i.e. for more than a few seconds). When she is awake, she tends to be very alert - looking around, making eye-contact, and making all kinds of cute baby faces. When Nova is falling asleep, she often smiles. My favorite is when both of her eyes go in opposite directions (sort-of like un-crossing them) and they roll back in her head a little and she gives a cute little half-smile. I also love it when she giggles in her sleep :-) She goes to sleep much better than Addelyn did. I can put Nova down awake and if she's tired, she'll just fall asleep by herself. She is currently eating 2-3 ounces every 2-3 hours. Much to my dismay, though, the 3-hour stretches seem to be during the day more often than the night. We're working on nursing, still. We get better every time, but aren't quite to nursing full-time yet as I have an over-supply issue. Until we get that all worked out, Nova is taking pumped milk from a bottle most of the time, and nursing 2-3 times per day.
