molly may weigand

As I'm sure you are aware by now, baby bug has arrived!  I'm going to take advantage of a very sleepy, very mellow baby's demeanor and attempt to write Miss Molly May's birth story today...

Cassidy came a week and a half early and everyone loves to tell you how your second comes earlier than your first.  So... we've been "ready" for awhile and when that date came and went, we approached each new day as "this could be the day!"  And when nothing happened, things got a bit depressing around here.  We were hoping Brian would have some time home with the baby before school started and when that didn't happen, we took my parents up on their offer to come up when he returned to work.  My father traveled back and forth, while my mom stayed the week and helped to take care of Cassidy.  This came in really handy because I went into operation "baby eviction".  I went for hour long walks through the neighborhood multiple times a day, my seating of choice was an exercise ball, and I drank more than my share of raspberry tea.

Wednesday afternoon I had a midwife appointment.  Although I wasn't contracting, the baby felt very low to me, so I had her check.  I was 3 cm dilated.  That evening I started noticing some contractions but nothing felt "real".  They weren't painful in the least and usually stopped if I sat down and relaxed.  BUT I knew I had made some progress so that was comforting.

Thursday came and went and nothing.  Not even the painless tightening.

Friday, my due date, my parents took Cassidy to Monkey Joe's and lunch and I went on a mission.  I decided to walk the neighborhood again, but this time, only hills.  When I returned I started feeling contractions again and although they were somewhat time-able, they were still not painful.  I put Cassidy down for her nap around 1:30 and took a shower.  Brian returned from work around 2:30 and after talking it over, we decided to go to the hospital.  I knew the chances were very high that they would tell me to go home, but I was really curious to see if anything had changed since Wednesday.

one last picture on our way out the door!

We drove to Pawtucket and walking into the hospital, my water broke!  I was delighted, I finally felt like we were on our way.  We went straight up to labor and delivery and they confirmed that that was what had occurred.  I was calm and relaxed and still didn't feel much, but after getting hooked up, they could tell that I was indeed having contractions.  I was still only 3 cm.

Once unhooked, Brian and I went into action.  We walked up and down the halls and things started progressing quickly.  At first the contractions started just feeling more noticeable, but they quickly became more frequent and painful.  They let me have dinner (chicken pot pie that I tasted through the entire delivery) and then we went walking again.  The next hour or two went very quickly.  It hurt. Super bad.  I was checked again, but still only 3 cm.  Discouraged, we went off to walk again but I had to cut the walk short.  We returned to my room and I got on the exercise ball with Brian sitting behind me, massaging my lower back.  The contractions were coming hard and fast.  I started to lose it and asked Brian if he thought it would be okay if I asked for an epidural.  I went into this labor without any expectations, knew that things don't always go as expected, and I was open to all possible scenarios.  At some point in here I was checked again and found out I was 4 cm, but completely effaced.

The anesthesiologist soon appeared, but it felt like forever until I actually got the epidural.  It was 9:45 until he finished and by that time I was absolutely miserable.  I laid down, they checked again and I was 10 cm!  The nurse said I went from 4 to 10 in a total of 10 minutes!  No wonder it hurt like CRAZY.

So, I got the go ahead to go and the epidural finally started working which allowed me to focus on the task at hand.  Baby bug was born at 10:25 pm with a whole lot of bending and pulling.  Poor thing definitely got a bit bruised on the way out.  She had some facial bruising and swelling but otherwise looked great, weighing in at 9 pounds, 5 3/4 ounces and measured 20 3/4 inches!

She latched immediately and nursed for almost 45 minutes right from the start.  Since she was so "big" the doctors wanted to check her glucose levels.  Even though I had tested negative for gestational diabetes, bug's sugar levels were low.  And even though she was demonstrating the ability to latch and nurse, my milk was not yet in.  Given a few options, we decided to get some formula into her system and then check her levels again in a half hour.

Overnight, she bunked in the room with us and we switched back and forth between nursing and formula, but her levels did not increase, instead they were dropping.  Around 6:00 am, we decided to hook her up to an IV with a sugar water drip and take it from there.

Now, with an IV, she had to stay in the nursery, which was disappointing but for the best.  I spent the morning visiting, eating in my room, and napping while Brian went home to visit with big sister.  Around noon Grammy, Grumpy, Grandy, Grandpop, and Cassidy arrived for the big introduction.

Because of her age, Cassidy was not allowed in the nursery.  A bit heartbreaking, but the grandparents did an amazing job making the experience a special one.  Brian and I took turns holding her up to the window and documenting the event.  Could Cassidy look any more excited????

After a few minutes I went out to greet my big girl and she decided that she would like to check out my room.  We played with the remote control bed and after only a few minutes, everyone entered, including bug!  The nurse made an exception for us and traveled down with the bassinet and IV.  We were soooooo thankful and we had the introduction we had hoped for!

a t-shirt for baby sister from Grammy and Grumpy, Cassidy was very excited to give it to her

Change of schedule and routine, excitement, and a delayed nap, started working on Cassidy, so the grandparents did some quick rotating through the nursery and everyone returned home, including Brian.  There was a certain Hurricane Irene to prepare for...

Around 2:30 pm, everyone left and bug and I spent the afternoon visiting, nursing, and checking glucose levels.  They began to steadily rise and maintain, so the sugar water was reduced in increments and we were IV free by 10:20 pm.  I got my little roommate back for the night which was good because she was hungry!

Sunday the hurricane arrived in full force.  There was some damage at home with fallen branches and although both the baby and I were "released" it was too dangerous to drive home.  So Brian stayed home with my parents and Cassidy and bug and I played photo shoot.  Well, I did.  She slept.  AND, because Brian and I had spent very little alone time together with the baby, we had yet to pick a name.

Around 2:30 pm I convinced Brian to come rescue us.  We got her dressed to go home, downloaded an iPhone coin toss app to decide her name, and packed up our stuff. 

Introducing...  Molly May Weigand!  A true delight with a flare for dramatic entrances.