She's here!

Saturday, December 20th at 12:26PM, Jane Claire Whittle entered our family. And she's beautiful and healthy. Here's how it happened.

Five days before my scheduled induction date and Luke and I come down with the flu. Not fun. But it made the week go by more quickly because we were sick for the first few days and had to recover and fix the house the next few days. My mom came in on Thursday and my Dad flew in on Friday. Friday night we left Luke and Jacob with my parents in a house they rented. Shortly after we left, Luke threw up.

Being the mom, I was naturally worried about not being with him. Compound that with the worry of him having another flu and passing it around when we have a new baby. I got a little stressed out. Not to mention the fact that I was getting induced the next morning and worried about that. But thanks to a wonderful husband, we got out and went to Burger King and Wendy's for those cheesy things and frosties so I could calm down. Cheese and chocolate usually do the trick! Yum!

The next morning Adam and I got to the hospital around 7:30AM and everything looked good for getting induced. At first they thought maybe she had gone breach because they couldn't find her head but it turns out it was just really far down. She is the first of my babies that has dropped so I was surprised. They started me on pitocin around 8:30 and broke my water around 9. I got an epidural shortly thereafter which worked great. My last epidurals made my legs feel like dead weights but I could still wiggle my toes and turn from side to side. I told the nurse I was going to have a baby by lunch so to prepare for it. Around 12:00, my doctor came and checked me and I was at a 7. I was prepared for another few hours when I thought I could feel her moving downward. I told the nurse and my doctor changed and came in. Sure enough, I was at a 10. Our baby was backward (face up) so the doctor told me not to push. She told me just to breath out and I'm not sure quite what happend because I can't see but it seemed to me like the doctor just pulled our baby out. I didn't even have to push. The doctor's assistant said it was one of the most amazing births he has seen because my uterus did all the work. I thought so to. It seemed like she just fell out. She cried a little and they handed her to me and I held her while they busied about the room like they do.

She came out weighing 7lbs, 5oz. I was expecting her to be around 8lbs so I think that's another reason the labor was so easy. She has dark brown hair with blond roots (just like my other kids did). So I bet in the next month, her dark hair will fall out and will come in blond. I love my blond haired kids! Her eyes are dark blue/grey. I think that's normal. Adam and I think she looks more like Luke than like Jacob but I think she has a chin like Jacob and her hair will be more blond, like Jacob's. She can also cry which Luke never knew how to do until he was about 2 months old. But she doesn't cry much at all. I keep expecting my colicky child but she isn't it. She just whimpers when it's time to eat. And the rest of the time she mostly sleeps. Although her nights and days are a little mixed up but we're working on that.

After having her, I didn't shake uncontrollably like I have with my other kids and I didn't have to get a catheter (like with my other kids). I think that's in large part to my nurse who I convinced to give my as little liquid as possible. And also because she was smaller. I'm not quite sure but I am sure it makes recovery so much faster without a catheter. I also didn't have to have an episiotomy. Makes sitting so much easier! So overall, I was feeling great and so we left the hospital on Sunday night. After we picked a name.

Name picking was super difficult. I was going for Lucy, most of the family was going for Kate, which I also liked, but we couldn't agree on anything so we went with another name on our list that we never talked about much but I love. Her name is Jane Claire Whittle. I love that it's a short, beautiful, and strong name. And Claire is my sister's middle name and she's a good role model and it flows. And I think it's beautiful.

We left the hospital and went to our house because it turns out, Luke passed some sort of flu to the family. Something very contagious apparently. Luke passed it to my mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law, sister, and adam. Only Jacob, my other brother, I and Jane have not had it yet. And the flu shot isn't protecting against it. I hope no one else gets it. Especially Jane. So we say our prayers and wash our hands. It's working so far.

And I feel pretty well. I'm almost past the excruciating pain of breastfeeding and I'm not exausted. But something I can't understand. Maybe someone can. Why is it that when milk comes in, it doesn't just come in to feed one baby? Why is it that I have enough milk to feel 10 babies. Why so much. Why can't it be gradual. Thank goodness for my pump.

Anyway, here she is. We love her!