Welcome Rebekah Jane!

Jasmine has a baby sister! Rebekah Jane was born on February 5 at 9:02 p.m. She weighed 7 pounds even (well, 7 pounds, 0.7 ounces, if you want to be exact) and is 20.5 inches long. She’s absolutely perfect! Nursing beautifully, calm and peaceful and a great sleeper (and we’re praying that continues!!) and so beautiful. I feel fantastic…a bit tired but really good. We’ll likely come home from the hospital tomorrow morning, since she was born so late at night and needs bloodwork done at or after 24 hours…and in -25 degree windchill, we don’t want to have to make a trip back out here tomorrow. (So Josh is posting this for me, since there’s no internet connection at the hospital).

Birth Story

12:40 a.m. Water broke, 11 days early!

12:45 a.m. called mom and midwife to let them know what was happening. Tried to go back to sleep. (occasional contractions)

4:30 a.m. nursed Jasmine to sleep, contractions started more regularly but then stopped again.

9:00 a.m. everyone got up, called Josh’s parents to figure out when we’d bring Jasmine to them and how to plan things.

12:00 p.m. walked the mall, hoping to get contractions going. No luck.

1:00 p.m. met up with mom, went to the hospital together, were admitted after they verified that my water had, indeed, broken. 2 cm, 80% effaced, a couple contractions the monitor picked up but that I didn’t feel.

1:30 p.m. started a small amount of pitocin. Contractions started and were consistent, but I couldn’t feel them (nice problem!)

4:30 p.m. contractions were consistently 2:20 apart. Josh called the midwife, but since I wasn’t feeling any pressure she was going to see a few more patients before coming out. Mom wasn’t sure the midwife would make it in time, since she just figured I wasn’t going to feel anything!

5:00 p.m. upped pitocin. I could feel the contractions, but as long as I relaxed through them they didn’t hurt. Still about 2:20-2:30 apart. 3 cm, 90% effaced.

6:15 p.m. midwife arrived, upped pitocin again. 4 cm dilated.

8:30 p.m. nurse suggested having me lie on my side instead of sitting tailor-style, hoping it would move my tailbone and finish the dilation. 6 cm and “loose.”

8:45 p.m. transition hit…felt sick, knew the end had to be near because it was too intense to keep going on like that.

9:00 p.m. wanted to push; got the go-ahead.

9:02 p.m. 2 pushes and she was out!

APGAR score: 8 and 9