Grace Elise Olson is Here!
August 20, 2009
12:15 am
8 lb 15 oz
19.5 inches long
Grace didn't make me wait until September! Yeah, Grace! And I am so glad after finding out how big she was at birth. I would not have been able to guess that!
For those of you interested in a labor story, here it is. For the rest, skip down the Hannah and Grace video clip.
Labor started around 3:15 in the afternoon and I called Daryl around 3:45 to ask him to come home from work a little early. Contractions were happening about every 3 to 5 minutes, but only for 30 to 40 seconds at a time. When I called the midwife, I asked if these could possibly be from dehydration (Hannah and I had gone to the beach that morning to beat the heat) and she said definitely could be, especially since they weren't lasting very long. She said to drink several big glasses of water, put my feet up and call her in an hour. Contractions really didn't change much and when I called back, the nurse on call said that I could come in for a labor check if I wanted. I decided not to (since they couldn't guarantee a bed and I was during fine laboring at home).
Daryl made dinner for Hannah and we just hung out together for a while. It is VERY different being in labor with a toddler. Hannah kept asking "what's mommy doing?" while I was breathing through the contractions. At one time Daryl told her "Mommy's breathing." Hannah answered, "What's mommy believing?" I had to laugh right in the middle of a contraction.
We debated whether or not to call Derek and Jessica about taking Hannah, but I was afraid it would be for nothing because the contractions would go away. So we decided to do her bedtime routine and put her to bed. Daryl handled most of this while I was out in the kitchen taking a few bites of dinner and browsing the internet. All the sudden the contractions started coming one after the other... I barely had a minute in between to recover! Daryl came out from Hannah's bedroom and wisely suggested I call the midwife again. Her comment to me "Honey, I think it is time to come in." At which point, I burst into tears (not sure exactly what they were about). I'm glad we had most things packed because I could not think about what was needed.
We dropped Hannah off at the Boggs' and headed to the hospital. The contractions were continuing to come one after the other with the bonus being BACK LABOR (again)!!! We made it to the hospital without a roadside delivery and I started walking a wheelchair to labor and delivery while Daryl parked the car. A very nice doctor waved my need to stopped at registration and took me straight to my room.
I needed an IV and antibiotics (since I tested positive for strep), but it took 3 nurses and over an hour to start this (my arms bare the battle wounds, but the IV nurse finally won!). At this point I was 4 cm dilated (really... that's it!?!?!?) and decided to take a walk around the floor. I made it one lap before my back was stabbing pain from the back labor. I went straight back to the room and requested an epidural.
It took over an hour and a half for the epidural to take effect. There was a lingering stabbing pain in my right side. During this time I was checked again... 7-8 cm!!! Wow! My water broke with signs of meconium, so the midwife needed to get special care and a pediatrician involved at the point of delivery. At 11:30-11:45, the L/D nurse said I was fully dilated and just needed to wait for the midwife and the special care people to arrive before I could push.
It was just after midnight, 2 or 3 contractions (with about 3 pushes each) that Grace Elise made her appearance. She is beautiful, but very different from Hannah's newborn pictures. Mom and dad are delighted with their second little girl.
Here is a short clip of Hannah with her new little sister.
August 20, 2009
12:15 am
8 lb 15 oz
19.5 inches long
Grace didn't make me wait until September! Yeah, Grace! And I am so glad after finding out how big she was at birth. I would not have been able to guess that!
For those of you interested in a labor story, here it is. For the rest, skip down the Hannah and Grace video clip.
Labor started around 3:15 in the afternoon and I called Daryl around 3:45 to ask him to come home from work a little early. Contractions were happening about every 3 to 5 minutes, but only for 30 to 40 seconds at a time. When I called the midwife, I asked if these could possibly be from dehydration (Hannah and I had gone to the beach that morning to beat the heat) and she said definitely could be, especially since they weren't lasting very long. She said to drink several big glasses of water, put my feet up and call her in an hour. Contractions really didn't change much and when I called back, the nurse on call said that I could come in for a labor check if I wanted. I decided not to (since they couldn't guarantee a bed and I was during fine laboring at home).
Daryl made dinner for Hannah and we just hung out together for a while. It is VERY different being in labor with a toddler. Hannah kept asking "what's mommy doing?" while I was breathing through the contractions. At one time Daryl told her "Mommy's breathing." Hannah answered, "What's mommy believing?" I had to laugh right in the middle of a contraction.
We debated whether or not to call Derek and Jessica about taking Hannah, but I was afraid it would be for nothing because the contractions would go away. So we decided to do her bedtime routine and put her to bed. Daryl handled most of this while I was out in the kitchen taking a few bites of dinner and browsing the internet. All the sudden the contractions started coming one after the other... I barely had a minute in between to recover! Daryl came out from Hannah's bedroom and wisely suggested I call the midwife again. Her comment to me "Honey, I think it is time to come in." At which point, I burst into tears (not sure exactly what they were about). I'm glad we had most things packed because I could not think about what was needed.
We dropped Hannah off at the Boggs' and headed to the hospital. The contractions were continuing to come one after the other with the bonus being BACK LABOR (again)!!! We made it to the hospital without a roadside delivery and I started walking a wheelchair to labor and delivery while Daryl parked the car. A very nice doctor waved my need to stopped at registration and took me straight to my room.
I needed an IV and antibiotics (since I tested positive for strep), but it took 3 nurses and over an hour to start this (my arms bare the battle wounds, but the IV nurse finally won!). At this point I was 4 cm dilated (really... that's it!?!?!?) and decided to take a walk around the floor. I made it one lap before my back was stabbing pain from the back labor. I went straight back to the room and requested an epidural.
It took over an hour and a half for the epidural to take effect. There was a lingering stabbing pain in my right side. During this time I was checked again... 7-8 cm!!! Wow! My water broke with signs of meconium, so the midwife needed to get special care and a pediatrician involved at the point of delivery. At 11:30-11:45, the L/D nurse said I was fully dilated and just needed to wait for the midwife and the special care people to arrive before I could push.
It was just after midnight, 2 or 3 contractions (with about 3 pushes each) that Grace Elise made her appearance. She is beautiful, but very different from Hannah's newborn pictures. Mom and dad are delighted with their second little girl.
Here is a short clip of Hannah with her new little sister.
8 comments:
Congratulations!!!
Dana & Daryl and Hannah. Hannah, I can tell you're going to be a very helpful big sister. I'm so glad I saw this cute video before I go to sleep.
Nana Joyce
Congratulations! Laura called me this morning and left a message that she had arrived. I'm so glad you have her and everything went OK. Sandra dingfelder
She's beautiful! And it sounds like you did wonderfully through a hard labor. Congrats!
Congratulations Dana, Daryl, Hannah, and now Grace! Thanks for sharing about your new bundle of joy.
-David and Zenny
hey, if you write her bday european style it is 20.09.2009... kinda cool.
Yay! Isn't it amazing how different and unique every birth story is?! Loved reading about Baby Grace's arrival. So glad she's healthy and you all are able to enjoy your sweet bundle at last!
Congratulations Dana, Daryl and Hannah! So glad the labor went well and Grace is finally here - we can't wait to meet her. Hannah's going to be a great big sister.
Love,
Mo and Jon
Wonderful story, Dana. Grace is beautiful. Congratulations! We both have two little girls ;-).
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