Lucy's Story - final thoughts

As soon as I found out I was expecting a baby girl, I became very nervous about accepting the idea. I had this fear of something bad happening, like with the twins, fate's way of telling me I wasn't meant to have a daughter. In those final moments before Lucy was born, I was just so anxious to know she was safe and healthy and alive.

That last hour of pushing was super intense. I kept getting reassuring feedback from everyone at their different angle telling me that she was coming, that her head was appearing, then that her head was out, and then just one more push to get the shoulders out. Dr. Crabtree, a marathon runner herself, and without knowing I've run marathons, kept making references to running a marathon. "Okay, you're at mile 25... just one more mile left..." Just one more thing to love about her.

And, with the final push, Lucy was placed on my chest. There aren't words to describe the feeling of being able to kiss her head and tell her how much I loved her. We did it. We did it together. A natural birth. A successful VBAC. A nine and a half pound baby. Under the care of the most incredible doctor.

The last couple of times I've seen Dr. Crabtree we've both ended up in tears, unable to express to each other what we both experienced in our different roles that day. I couldn't have done it without her. I also couldn't have done it without Marc and my sister. I was surrounded by the best team of support and love.

Within minutes of being born Lucy pooped all over my belly, and because she still hadn't let out a good cry, a nurse took her over to a bassinet to get her cleaned up and try to suction her lungs a little bit more. When they weighed her, everyone was so shocked at how big she was.

In the meantime, Dr. Crabtree was working on assessing my wounds. Turns out that pushing out a big baby can cause some damage. I ended up with a second degree episiotomy and a hematoma - basically a broken blood vessel that forms into a clot and can get worse over time if it doesn't drain on its own. So, I've been bed-ridden since coming home, only getting up when I absolutely have to (bathroom, shower, to sneak some kisses from my boys, etc...). So far it appears that things are healing on their own, but we'll see how things are at my appointment next week.

I was amazed at how perfectly Lucy came out, considering all my bruising and swelling. From the first moment, her coloring, her head shape, everything about her looked absolutely perfect. And, so far, she is the perfect little baby - sleeping 3-4 hour stretches at night, sleeping lots during the day, and eating like a champ. At her one week appointment this week she was already up to 9 pounds 11 ounces. She's outgrown everything newborn - diapers and clothing. Look at my little chunk of love:

Our little Lucy has added a new light to our lives and we love her so much. The boys come in to my bedroom throughout the day to give us both kisses and are constantly concerned with her having her blanket or her pacifier. They are adjusting so well to having a new baby sister. It's so funny how right away you forget what life was like before she arrived. It feels like she's always been apart of our family. We truly have been so blessed.