Happy Birthday Ellie!

* This post details labor and delivery so skip if you don't want to read about childbirth.

The night before Elinor was born I made waffles for dinner with a homemade strawberry syrup that was delicious! Unfortunately, the syrup gave me the worst heartburn I have ever had in my life and I woke up multiple times that night choking on acid. It sucked. As John and I laid in bed that night we wondered when our baby would make her grand entrance. I said, "I don't know why, but I don't really like the date March 13. I hope she's not born tomorrow." Well, life is funny and I like March 13 now.

That morning I had cramps in my back. They weren't terrible. As I got out of the shower I thought my water had broken. I felt a small trickle come out of me and I was pretty sure it wasn't pee. John decided that he should work from home just in case. I always thought I would be afraid to go into labor, but I was really calm. I just sat around the house waiting for something to happen. I waited and waited. Nothing. By noon I figured that my water hadn't broken and I guessed that I just peed myself a little.

I was trying to nap since I was lacking in sleep from the previous night, but my back cramps were not letting up. Occasionally I would feel what I thought could be a contraction, but it was so weak I wasn't sure. At 1:30 I had to go to the bathroom really bad. While I was doing my business I started feeling contractions that were pretty strong and seemed to be coming pretty regularly. I told John to start timing them. They were 2 minutes apart. We didn't even have hospital bags packed because I figured I could do that during the hours I labored at home. I never expected that I wouldn't know I was in labor.

John ran around the house throwing things into bags and timing my contractions as we waited for our friends the Walls to come pick up Walter. When the Walls came my contractions were about 1 1/2 minutes apart. As they were leaving with Walter I threw up twice. We finally made it to the hospital at around 3:00, I think. The times are kind of fuzzy from this point on.

When we got to the hospital they had me in triage for what seemed an eternity. I had to lay down while they monitored the baby. It was so annoying because I was really uncomfortable and wanted to move around, but they wouldn't let me. A midwife checked me and told me I was only at a 5. Ugh, only halfway! At this point I didn't think I could make it without an epidural. John kept telling me I could, but it was getting really hard to breathe through the contractions. I had practiced hypnobirthing techniques, but I felt like everything I practiced got tossed out the window.

I got to the labor and delivery room around 5:00. The contractions were coming hard and fast and my back was killing me. I was also shaking really bad. It had been over an hour since someone had checked my progress so the doctor came and I was dilated to a 7. Yay progress! When the doctor came I wanted to try and pee. When I stood up my water broke. I labored on the toilet for a little bit and didn't end up peeing. At this point I felt a lot of rectal pressure and my body was trying to push.

When I got back to the bed the nurse had me get on my hands and knees because that position can help with back labor. When you're pregnant they tell you that you can't push before you're fully dilated. Well, I was trying really hard not to, but I decided to listen more to my body than to the doctor. I didn't actively push until they told me I could, but I stopped fighting the urge. My nurse's shift ended at 7:00 and around 6:00 she said that I was going to deliver before she left. That surprised John and I was thrilled! The nurse checked me again and I was fully dilated. She gave me the go ahead to push.

I gave a couple of pushes on my hands and knees, then they had me switch to my side. When the doctor came in she wanted me sitting up. When you're in labor you think contractions are bad, but when the baby is crowning... holy cow. I felt like the bottom half of me was going to explode there was so much pressure! After 20 minutes of pushing Elinor came out screaming at 6:26 pm. She weighed 7 lbs and was 19.5 inches long. They put her on my chest and it was the first time I've ever seen John tear up. It was a very fast delivery which I am so grateful for. I don't know how women make it through 8+ hours of labor. Elinor decided she wanted to come and didn't waste any time.

This is the first picture of Ellie

So how we picked her name... I've always liked the name Elinor and the nickname Ellie. When I married John I thought Elinor Chesley sounded so British and sophisticated. John liked it too. We disagreed about how to spell it for awhile. John wanted the more traditional spelling (Eleanor), but that way just made me think of Eleanor Roosevelt. I got the version we decided on from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Elinor's middle name is Eliza which is a family name on John's side. There you have it, Elinor Eliza Chesley.

It's still weird to think that I'm a parent and completely responsible for this little person, but I'm so glad she joined our family and I can't wait to see her personality develop.

We have no idea where all her hair came from, but we love it!