Welcome baby! Genevieve Jane arrived on her due date, April 30th. Do I keep an organized schedule or what? I assure you the joke was not lost on me! Many of you probably have heard some of the details already. I labored at home for about 6 hours. After a half-hour trip to the hospital, we learned I was 8cm dilated already, which was quite a pleasant surprise (I’m using the word “pleasant” liberally here). 3 1/2 hours later, she was born healthy and squealing. I was able to birth without drugs like I wanted, which left me feeling empowered and very worn out. I had the benefit of dilating quickly, which helped my confidence level tremendously.
It’s been 3 weeks since then, and I love her more every day. I’m amazed that what my parents always told me is true; once she had arrived, I instantly couldn’t imagine my life without her. Her personality shone through immediately. Daddy’s little girl loves to eat and is impatient with Mommy who (according to her) is too slow to whip out the breast. She began life very sleepy, but each day she is more awake and interactive. We swear she smiles already–must be an old wives’ tale about the gas, because she definitely is NOT smiling when she’s “windy” as they say here.
Breastfeeding started on a rocky note but has become smooth sailing–the best part is that she likes to hold my hand while eating (that’s enough to melt my heart), and the hardest part is the daunting thought that I’ll be her sole source of food for about 5 more months. As was expected, I’m very exhausted, and we’re both ready for the day where she can tell us what’s wrong, but I’m enjoying this time too since it will be gone forever soon. I can’t believe we’ll only be here for one more month!
My mom and Nate’s parents have both visited, and my dad arrives this weekend. They have been so helpful, as have the midwives. I am so thankful to have given birth the first time in the UK because the midwifery care is out of this world. When she was colicky and we couldn’t get her to eat at first, they came out to our house to check up nearly every day! Now I walk down the street to the local clinic for a weekly check-up. She was checked today and is back up to her birth weight. At this rate, she’ll be a fat little Buddha in no time.