Kyveli's birth story, Volume 2: At the Hospital

When we got to Kaiser, Mireille knew exactly where we had to go since she had assisted with deliveries there before. That was a very good thing because nobody was at the information desk and the halls were pretty much deserted. I started getting really emotional being wheeled through those halls, knowing the reason that I was there and that when I was wheeled back out, I would be holding our baby – my baby – in my arms. The led us into the triage room where our Labor & Delivery nurse, Marcia, evaluated me. She took my temperature and hooked me up to the external fetal monitor to listen to the baby’s heartbeat. Both were elevated enough to make them worry that I was either dehydrated or that I had an infection, though an infection was not likely because my water hadn’t broken yet. She said she wanted to start me on an IV and right then, Mireille pulled out our birth plan and let her know that we were really hoping to avoid one. Mireille asked the nurse if there was anything else we could try before the IV, and after consulting with the OB on call, Marcia told me I could try drinking a whole lot of water and after 45 minutes if the situation hadn’t improved, I’d be getting an IV. Fortunately, the water lowered both my temperature and the baby’s heartbeat! No IV needed – woot! The OB, Dr. Bender, came in and checked me and said I was 5cm, 90% effaced, and at -2 station. We were definitely staying, and I was definitely in active labor! We were all thrilled because this was exactly what we had been shooting for but up to then, we had no idea how far I had progressed aside from Mireille’s assessment of my labor progress, which ended up being spot on.

Around 7pm we were led into the delivery room and got settled in. I lost all track of time at this point. My contractions were getting much stronger, longer and closer together and at some point I entered transition. I vomited during one really strong transition contraction, which was no fun since it caused me to tense my up my muscles. At 9:30 I felt a pop and a gush…my water broke! I felt an uncontrollable urge to push after that, and Mireille had to call Marcia back in to let her know that my water had broken and I was pushing. The room filled with people and in walked the OB who would be delivering me, Dr. Nichole Mahnert. Mireille said “oh hi Nichole, are you staying for the delivery?” and there was a grand reunion. Apparently they had done deliveries together before and knew eachother on a first name basis. Mireille told us later that there was nobody else she could have chosen for our delivery, even if she could have had her pick of anyone, and that Dr. Mahnert probably heard that we were going natural and wanted to be a part of it. Sweet! Dr. Mahnert ended up being fantastic.

I started pushing in a semi-reclined position, but that quickly became really uncomfortable and I decided needed to be upright. A squat bar materialized out of nowhere and I pulled myself up on it in sort of a kneeling position. With each contraction the urge to push was unimaginable. I could not have held myself back if my life depended on it, and I had absolutely no control over what I was doing. I just had to take a back seat and let my body do what it needed to do. This part was incredibly intense and to be honest, incredibly painful. I’ve heard so many mothers say that they pushed for two or more hours, especially with their first babies, and I remember thinking that there was no way I would survive if I had to do that for even one hour. It felt like I was being ripped apart. But looking back, I think it was as intense as it was because the baby was coming so quickly. All the while, Dr. Mahnert was literally kneeling on the floor at the foot of the bed and looking up at the action. I have so much respect for her for letting me be in whatever position was most effective and comfortable for me, regardless of her own personal comfort or convenience. After 20 minutes or so, Dr. Mahnert told me to reach down and feel my baby’s head beginning to emerge. It was all wrinkly, warm and incredibly soft. What a strange sensation! A couple of contractions later out she slid – head, shoulders, body and all - in one big gush. I had done it! I had given birth to a beautiful, perfect baby girl after pushing for all of 27 minutes!

They lifted the baby onto my belly and I began getting to know our daughter. She was crying and healthy, and held onto my finger with her little hand. I didn’t even realize it at the time, but the nurses did her APGARs while she was still on my belly, and she scored 9s on both the 1-minute and 5-minute evaluations. Kailen cut the umbilical cord about 20 minutes after the baby was born, when it had nearly stopped pulsing. Then it was time for him to have a turn holding her. It was important to Kailen that his first contact with his daughter be skin-to-skin, so he ripped off his shirt as the nurses handed her to him. He got some funny looks from the nurses, but it was really sweet. While Kailen held the baby, Dr. Mahnert began “inspecting the damage,” which wasn’t bad considering how quickly she came out – just a 1st degree lateral tear (they later upgraded it to 2nd degree, but still not bad). We had asked the nurses to delay all newborn procedures for at least the first hour to allow time to bond with the baby, so we didn’t even know now much she weighed until she was over an hour old. I was on the phone with my mom when they finally did weigh her, and we all took turns guessing, which was fun. Turns out she was 7lbs, 2.3oz and 19” long. I don’t even remember who won the bet!

Mireille stayed long enough to help us get breastfeeding established, which went very well and still is. Finally, she left us in the good hands of the Kaiser staff after being with us for nearly 20 hours and making such a wonderful contribution to our labor and delivery experience.

Introducing Kyveli Jade Irene Wright!

She's here! Kyveli was born on Sunday, March 8 (International Women's Day!) at 9:56pm. She weighed 7lbs, 2.3oz and is 19" long. She's just precious if we do say so ourselves, though we admit that we may be a tad bit biased. We got home from the hospital yesterday afternoon and I'm just now getting a chance to get online for a minute. I'll post her completely natural and med-free birth story soon.

If you're wondering about the origins of her name, check out this link. She was named after a very strong goddess figure from ancient Greek mythology, also known as Cybele. It's pronounced kee-VEL-ee and she'll go by Kyva (KEE-va) for short.

Here are a few pics - more are online here!

Happy due date to me! Could this be it?

It's 3am, and I'm having trouble sleeping. I tried for a few hours, but it was a no go. Why? Because I've been having some pesky contractions ever since this afternoon, and it's hard to drift off to sleep when you're jolted back awake every 10 minutes. So I figured I'd get up, make myself a cup of tea, time contractions and try to distract myself a bit.

UPDATE: Since I got up they've been 5 minutes apart...eek!

For the past few days I've been reflecting a lot on what this pregnancy has been like for me and I feel the need to thank baby Zokay for giving me a remarkably easy (and dare I say, even fun) time of it. I really don't have a single major complaint besides some pretty bad hip pain early in the 3rd trimester which, thanks to 2 chiropractor visits, didn't stick around very long. Even the past few weeks have been surprisingly comfortable, which I hear is not exactly the norm. I've been making an effort to imprint on my memory all of the various sensations so that I don't forget them when this is all a big blur behind me. I hope never to forget what it feels like to feel this baby moving inside me. It's simply amazing feeling her little kicks and twists up near the top of my tummy, and once in awhile a little punch or head-butt down low. And I can't forget the hiccups, which she still gets at least once every day or two, including tonight between contractions! At first, her movements felt like muscle spasms and little taps. Then came the rapid-fire ones, like she was having a dance party in there. Then for the past several weeks it's been slower jabs, stretches and twists since she started running out of space.

There are certain things I won't miss quite as much, like having to make SOOOO many trips to the restroom, hobbling around like an old woman, etc. and I should try to remember these as well so I don't look back on this whole experience as nothing but positive. But these are minor complaints, and I've tried not to dwell on them.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Mireille (our doula) is here now and just made me some oatmeal. She's helping me get through some pretty tough contractions, which are now around 3-5 minutes apart.

Here is quite possibly my last belly photo, taken last Sunday at 39 weeks even. I'll try to take another one before we head to the hospital, but no guarantees!



And according to babycenter.com:

It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. Her skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

38 weeks and the way has been blessed

On Sunday, Sage and Heather co-hosted my Blessingway at our place. If you're not familiar with Blessingways, they're traditional ceremonies intended to celebrate becoming a mother. Mine was a very intimate gathering with the most important women in my life (minus my mom, other sisters, and other best friends who are out of the area of course). The night before, Sage came over and made a cast of my belly:



We did a few rituals including a very luxurious foot-washing using warm water and essential oils. It felt wonderful, and we used the baby tub which was adorable. At the end, Heather decorated my belly with henna. As you can see, she's really talented!



Now, 4 days later, I'm still rocking it:



It felt so special to be honored that way, and it got me thinking. Making the transition to motherhood is really the biggest change in a woman's life and I am thankful to have had this rite of passage. I know it's going to be the biggest transition in my own life, by far. I've been through lots of changes through the years but none quite like this. I guess the difference is that through all previous changes I've remained pretty much the same person. But I know that motherhood will change everything. This pregnancy has given me a headstart to some extent and I am thankful that I've had 9 months to prepare myself...though in some ways I still feel ridiculously unprepared. Everyone assures me that caring for their newborn is more or less intiutive, and that you just do what you have to do until it starts to come naturally. I really hope that's true!

According to babycenter.com:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Maternity Photo Shoot with Kelly M!

Last weekend we had a maternity photo session with the very talented Kelly M. She chose a gorgeous natural setting for us and I'm SO THRILLED with how the photos turned out. She even added us to her blog! I hope you enjoy these photos as much as we do:



Also, I'm 37 weeks! That means baby Zokay is now full-term, and should be just fine if she is born at this point. According to babycenter.com:

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Refinishing Popi's cradle

Before I was born, my dad (Popi) built me a beautiful wooden cradle with his own hands. My mom brought it down to us from Oregon when she came for Thanksgiving. It's always been a part of my life, and now it will be a part of our daughter's life too. After 31 years it was still in pretty good shape, but needed a bit of refinishing. Kailen and I sanded it down and added a couple of coats of new varnish this weekend. My mom made a new mattress and bumper out of pink flannel. I don't have a photo of the finished product, but trust me...it's lovely! Here are some photos we took while refinishing it:

Baby shower pics and 36 week update

I feel like such a slacker just now getting a chance to post about this! We had a great time at our California shower. Sarah was an awesome hostess (no surprise there - she's an awesome EVERYTHING!), and the onesie-painting station was a big hit. Yet again, we were really touched by the love and generosity everyone showed toward our little one. We now feel much more prepared for baby Zokay's arrival and are getting very excited to meet her! Here are some photos:

Here I am as of Thursday morning (36 weeks). Whoa belly!



And according to babycenter.com:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

Wondering what a crenshaw melon looks like? Well wonder no more: