4.26.13 Louisa is Born!

Our little Louisa Elaine was born on Friday at 3:58 in the morning.

I wasn't expecting her until the end of next week at the earliest.  At my doctor appointment Thursday morning I had been able to talk my OB into scheduling an inducement date for May 8 instead of May 2 as I really was hoping to let her come on her own and was sure she would be just as late as Ezra was.  I guess I got my wish even if I was wrong about the timing.

On Thursday I just so happened to be wearing the same maternity shirt I wore in the photos I took of myself when I was 40 weeks pregnant with Ezra.  I was thinking I should have Marc take my picture when he got home so we could compare the two because I was so much bigger with Ezra.  That didn't happen, so when we got to the hospital I had Marc take a final pregnancy picture.

This labor and delivery went so much better than the first.  We arrived at the hospital just before midnight. I got an epidural by 2 AM.  By 3:30 she was ready to come out to the surprise of my nurse.  Thankfully my water had not broken, which gave my doctor time to arrive.  Four or five short rounds of pushing and she was born at 3:58 AM wide awake and without so much of a cry.  When I delivered Ezra the delivery room was hectic and full of people and I was completely out of it.  This time it was calm and comparatively quiet and I was actually a part of the moment physically and mentally.

Our little girl weighed 6 lbs 5 oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long.  When she was first born we thought she looked so much like Ezra did as a newborn, but since the swelling has gone down we've discovered she definitely has a look all her own.

 We were able to spend the first two hours together, just the 3 of us, in the delivery room.  After we transfered to the recovery floor, they took her to the nursery, and unlike UVRMC, they don't allow the parents to go with the baby for their bath and immunizations.  So I sent Marc home to get some sleep and tried to get some rest myself.

Louisa had some trouble keeping her oxygen up at first, so they had to keep her in the nursery on an oxygen mask until 5 pm.  I should have just slept that whole morning and afternoon, but I was anxious to be with my little girl and so spent the day going between the nursery and my room.

Marc came back to the hospital with Ezra just before Louisa was ready to leave the nursery.  We introduced her to Ezra through the nursery windows.  He kept pointing and saying "baby" and "sister".  Back in our room Ezra was much more interested in his new surroundings than his baby sister, but at least he didn't act jealous or mad at her.

Louisa is doing very well now and is as healthy as can be.  She is a tiny little girl but she has big hands and feet just like Ezra did.

And so we are a family of four.  It wil take some adjusting but she is so worth it all! I can't wait for everyone to meet her!