Pictures of Lily

So when I started this blog a whopping month or so ago, the goal was to have each post named after a song. I'd like to keep this going but I'm going to temporarily suspend the practice after this post because: (1) I am really tired, (2) despite my first point, I am sleeping a lot and don't have that much free time, and (3) when I am not sleeping, I am either breast-feeding, eating or trying to get through the same issue of the Economist that I've been "reading" since the hospital last week.

I promised to share the story of Lily's birth but I'll post some pictures first. Those of you who don't want to hear the details can feel free to just stop reading after the photos. ;)

Lily and Mommy at the hospital on Monday, the 17th.

Lily and Snoopy - love a first sight!

Lily's first bath in the sink was yesterday before her cousins came over for a visit. She didn't cry at all, though she was a bit uncomfortable. Her chord stub fell off a few days ago so we only ended up having to give her one sponge bath.

Lily and Grandma reading and snuggling.

Lily's first walk outside was on Sunday, her one-week birthday. There are much better photos on my Mom's camera but I haven't been able to get them on my computer yet. Lily had an entourage of Mom, Dad, Grandpa Marc, Grandma Kathy, Grandma Judy, Andrea and Grant to take her for her first walk around the block.

Lily in her rocker that Great Grandma Rita & Great Grandpa Larry gave her, snuggling with her monkey blanket that Aunt Kim gave her. When I was registering for baby things, I didn't intend to pick so many green and brown things but it worked out nicely; her pack 'n play, rocker and monkey blanket all match!

Lily hasn't really sucked her thumb much but it looked so cute the one time I caught her doing it that I had to take a picture.

Mommy and Lily yesterday. Lily slept through her entire visit with her cousins!

I was looking at my last post before Lily was born and I'm really glad that I have one last pregnant photo of me from that Friday. It's so hard for me to believe that one moment she was still my Baby G and the next she was Lillian Marie.

Luckily, the process through which she went from one to the other was much much much easier and less painful than I thought it would be. I wasn't scared prior to going into labor but I was resigned to the fact that I would probably be in pain. Rarely have I been so happy to be so wrong!

I had bad back and uterine cramps all day on Thursday and Friday but I didn't make much of it. I figured that the last weeks of pregnancy are brutal and that I was feeling general cramps rather than pre-labor cramps. Saturday we were so busy that I didn't really have the chance to be too perceptive about things. We took a trip to Babies R Us in Niles, had lunch at Baja Fresh and then headed to Old Orchard mall for an after-lunch walk. I still felt crampy & achey but at this point I really had no idea that I was in early labor (as proved by the fact that I bought 2 new maternity blouses at the Gap). It was extremely hot and humid out so I chalked my discomfort up to the heat. I was having false contractions all day but didn't think much of it because I've had false contractions for months and they weren't coinciding with my cramps and back aches.

Once we got to Rita & Larry's and I sat down on the couch, I started to notice that I was having contractions that actually coincided with the waves of cramps and back aches I was feeling. It wasn't pleasant but it certainly wasn't any more painful than the worst menstrual cramps I've had so I assumed it couldn't be labor. As we were leaving Rita & Larry's, I told Vita, who was a labor and delivery nurse and delivered Matt at Evanston hospital, that I didn't think I could be in labor because the contractions weren't painful enough. Vita said "If it's labor, they'll get more painful."

She was right! On the way home, they got more intense and I started to wonder if it was the real deal. By the time we got into the apartment, I decided to take a shower and blow-dry my hair just in case. At around 10:30, we started a movie ("Role Models"- the reason that I had the fake Wings song Love Take Me Down to the Streets in my head the entire time I was in the hospital) and started timing the contractions. They were 5-10 minutes apart from the time we started tracking them and every 20 minutes or so I would get one that was extra-intense and warranted me grabbing Matt's hand to my belly.

After the second one of those, Matt made the executive decision that we should finish packing up our things for the hospital. Matt took a video of me packing up and declaring that I wasn't sure it was the real thing. I was nervous that we'd get there and be told that it was false labor so I wanted to wait until I was 100% certain. I still felt like I couldn't be in labor if I was able to wheel my suitcase to the car. Nonetheless we set off for the hospital and called our parents to let them know.

Once we got to the hospital at 2 AM and I was in the triage room, the nurse hooked me up to the machine, did the exam and told us that we were in labor. I know I shouldn't have been but I was really surprised. It felt so finite to know that all of those months of being pregnant and carrying the baby inside of me would come to such a definite end so soon. It was also so much more calm in the hospital than I imagined it to be that I felt like it couldn't really be labor.

But it was since at this point we also learned that the doctor on call (not my usual doctor) had already recommended an epidural, followed by pitocin and breaking my water. I was elated that I was getting an epidural so soon since the contractions were actually painful by now (like I said, Vita was right).

Once we were in the labor and delivery room, we met our first of two L&D nurses (both were wonderful and made me feel so comfortable and safe). She gave us the run down of how everything would work out and did her best to quell my fears about the pain of receiving epidural catheter (I had read on someone else's blog that it was incredibly painful). The nurse assured me that receiving the epidural would be less painful than the contractions I was having. I was going to call bullshit but she was so sincere and kind that I gave her the benefit of the doubt (so unlike me, I know). Luckily, she was absolutely right! While not pleasant, getting the epidural was actually less painful for me than having the IV put into my arm.

After the epidural (which I think I got at around 4 AM) but before she was born, there really isn't much to tell. I felt completely comfortable for the first time in about 2 months so I was able to rest and play solitaire on my iphone & give my parents a few more calls with updates. Matt was given a fresh set of sheets and got some shut-eye on the bench/bed in the room. I had one of those great doohickies that you see in movies where you press the button and instantly get more pain medication and got a re-dosage of my epidural at around 8:30 AM. By 9:40 we were ready to start pushing and at 10:18 AM Lily was born. It was an amazing moment when we saw her come into the world. I knew it would be special but there really aren't words to describe it.

Overall, I had such a great experience at the hospital. The L&D staff and the nurses that tended to us postpartum were all superb and took such great care of me and Lily. The new Prentice Women's Hospital at Northwestern is only about a year old and our room was very comfortable. We didn't get a lake view like I'd hoped we would but we did get a view of my old dorm from first year of law school.

Of course, the past week and a half from when we got back from the hospital to now have gone by in such a blur. I can't believe that she's been with us for that long already! Lily is still doing great- she has more bursts of wakefulness and really recognizes Matt's, my and my Mom's voice. She's having a fussy spell right now but we think it's just another bout of gas (that's really the only time she gets fussy).

Anyway, I'll post more photos as they come in but I doubt I'll have the chance to write much for a little while. My Dad and brother are coming into town tomorrow and Matt's sister gets in on Friday. :)