2009 Labor Odyssey

I wish I could link music because then I would link that song from 2001 Space Odyssey. "tannnn, tan, tan, tin,tan,tin,tan" Anyway you get the point.

I've waited to write about the labor because I had issues to work out with it. But I feel like I'm at a good place so it's time to share. Plus I finally figured out how to make it a little more concise.

Sunday: Slight contractions begin. They're nothing to write home about, I teach Sunday school through them. At night contractions are pretty strong coming about 4 mins apart. Go into Birth Center. Only at a 1. Go home. Painful and sleepless night.

Monday: Contractions kept coming through the night so I didn't sleep. During the day they space out. We go to an acupuncturist appointment to get the show on the road. Doesn't work. Walk on the beach. Another painful and sleepless night.

Tuesday: Go back to Birth Center, I'm at a 2. Get membranes stripped (which hurt like hell). Go home. Walk so more. Cry a little bit out of exhaustion and frustration. Another painful and sleepless night.

Wednesday: Go into Birth Center get checked, I'm at a 2. Decide we're going to try all natural remedies to get baby here. First, castor oil. Doesn't do much. Next, pumping, just hurt my boobs. Lastly, water broken. That kicked this off, but VERY slowly. After 4 hours I'm at a 4/5. Labor in the tub for a few hours. Still at a 4/5, can't handle the fact that progress is going so slow and I'm exhausted. Transfer to UCSD. Get epidural. No progress. Get pitocin. Very little progress. Get more pitocin. Some progress. Finally some sleep.

Thursday: Slept a little and 10 hours after getting to hospital it's time to push. Pushed for 2 hours. Suddenly 12 people rush into the room. Baby out, Brandon cuts cord, baby whisked to NICU because of meconium covering her whole body and she's not crying. Suddenly, I'm all alone, grateful I finally get to eat.

And that's it folks. SO not what I had planned, but Ellie got here safely and that's what matters. I'm grateful I went through all that because it taught me so much about so many things. I'm a better person for it.

Lastly I want to throw in a shout out to Brandon who was AMAZING as a coach. Seriously, he should become a doula and charge for his services. I'm pretty sure I would have shriveled up and died without him. And another one to my mom, she took so much pressure off with taking care of Maggie and the house and just being generally helpful. Even if she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown the whole time.

Here's to having babies.

Playbaby: Playmate of the Month

This is Ellie, Playbaby of the Month- Miss November, if you will.
Sign: Libra
Turn on's: eating, snuggling, being sung to
Turn off's: being made to wait for a meal, dirty diapers
Perfect day includes: picnic in the park, about eight naps, listening to my mommy sing out of tune.

Enough talk, my popular demand, pictures! PS These are in chronological order.

I'm not going to lie. My kid is a freaking genius, she holds her own pacifier.


I forget why we're so upset. It's probably because we're on the floor.


Stretch!


Arguing with Dad.


Napping with Dad.


Intense moment with Maggie


I call this squirrel-face. It's the face Brandon gets when he tries to feed Ellie. I think it's because she doesn't understand how he's to feed her without boobs.


Intense moment with Dad.


Sigh.


Post-bath. Ellie LOVES the water and being clean. A true Jacobsen.


First Halloween. I think she should always be an insect from now on.

That's it for now. Now quit bugging. :)

Confessions...

Sigh. I'm a terrible person. For two reasons.

1. I saw a pregnant woman walking down the street and wanted to yell, "Don't do it!"
It's kind of late, she can't get unpregnant, but I still wanted to warn her of the complete consumption of your being that a child requires.

I don't feel that way anymore (well, the "don't do it" park) and have kind of figured out how to balance motherhood with the rest of my existence, but that doesn't take away the flurry of emotions that wash over you like a tsunami when you get home and think, "Holy Crap, this is for real. I'm not entirely sure we haven't made a mistake."

Thankfully those are just hormones talking and once they're back to normal life gets back to normal. But don't be fooled, until normality returns, it kind of sucks.

2. I now know I can kill a man.
That means you, Mr. I'm-17-and-in-a-band-drive-a-motorcycle. And you Mr. Bully-in-the-playground. I know who you are, and I know where you sleep.

For cute.

Just thought I'd post a picture of Ellie. She's getting so big so fast, it's weird. According to the ped (we have to call him this otherwise I keep calling him the vet), she's long, but I could have told you that, she practically wraps all the way around me when I feed her.
Also today was her first shower, which was successful and so much easier. From now on showers only.

Help.

I'm being held hostage by a tiny criminal.

Height: 1'10.5"
Weight: between 9 and 10 lbs
Hair: Dark brown, in a mohawk
Eyes: Undetermined
Ethnicity: mixed
Wearing: footsie jammies with dragons

Here's an artist's rendering:

Ellie Anne Jacobsen

The newest member of our family came home today.
She arrived October 1st at 4:57 am weighing 8lbs 3oz.

Eeeeekk!!!!