Getting to know Lily

So Miss Lily has been with us for 3 weeks now, and I thought I'd share some of the things we are learning about her!

1. She likes to eat. A LOT. The girl literally ate for almost the first 2 hours of her life (with a half hour break or so while her daddy held her) and this verocity for food has continued so far. You can tell she's a Pope ;)

2. She's a spitter. This is a whole new world for Tom and I. Jemma rarely spit up and we never needed extra outfits or burp cloths. It's a necessity with Lily! I'm pretty sure she has reflux and have actually decided to cut out dairy products to see if that makes a difference.

3. She loves her tummy and hates her back. I think she'd sleep for hours on her tummy if I let her! I do when I'm awake and watching her, but at night she sleeps on her side for fear of her spitting up and choking when she's on her back or being unable to breathe on her tummy.



4. She loves a good cuddle, especially on Mommy. She likes to lay on Daddy too, but Mommy has better pillows ;)


5. She's a good sleeper. Yippee! Cross my fingers, knock on wood, this kiddo sleeps for 3-4 hours stretches at night and has since week 1. She had one night of eating every hour the first night my milk came in, but has so far continued with her 3 hour schedule, which isn't so bad.

I'm sure we'll have more to update as Lily is doing more, but mostly at this point, she's doing all those important newborn things - mostly growing! She's finally starting to fit in her clothes better. She's a sweet baby. And of course, here are some adorable pictures of the little princess!

Jemma dresses herself :)

So the other night, Jemma got to spend the night with Aunt Kari and her cousin Ella. She was so excited she packed her Dora backpack and dressed herself. She insisted on wearing her red Made in Ohio t-shirt, her leggings with stripes and hearts, and her winter boots. She is so stinkin' cute!

Lily's Birth Story

Lily Elisabeth Pope made her arrival at 6:36pm on April 1, 2011. She was 7 lbs, 10.8 oz and 21 inches long. She was born at Mercy Fairfield Hospital and delivered by Dr. Daniel Bowen. I wanted to share her birth story. It is a little long, but I wanted to preserve my thoughts and memories surrounding her delivery.
When I found out I was pregnant, I immediately started thinking about delivery. Jemma’s birth was not quite the experience I hoped for, and I really wanted things to go differently this time. With Jemma, I said I wanted to try to have a natural birth; with Lily, I said I AM going to have a natural birth. I switched to a different OB, Dr. Bowen, who was highly recommended to me. (His partner, Dr. Wall, was equally as good when I saw him, but Dr. Bowen ended up delivering Lily). Both doctors were very supportive throughout my pregnancy and helped me develop a birth plan to achieve my goal. I decided to deliver at Mercy Fairfield since it was closest to our home, and they have whirlpool tubs in all the labor and delivery rooms. I hired a doula (birth attendant) to help us with support during labor.

Lily’s birth story begins at 34 weeks when she first dropped. I remember thinking how nice it was to be able to breathe again! From that point on, I had inconsistent contractions until 36 weeks when they became more prevalent. At my 36 week appointment, I asked Dr. Bowen to check me and I was 2 cm dilated. Yeah for progress! Contractions continued off and on for the next few weeks. There were a few times I thought we might be heading to the hospital, but the contractions would fade. I was beginning to get a little frustrated. I wasn’t so much uncomfortable, just impatient and annoyed at the constant contractions. So, at my 39 week appointment, I asked Dr. Bowen to check me. I was 3 cm and fully effaced, so we decided to strip my membranes. That was at 4pm. By 6pm, I started having contractions, and they regulated to about 6 min apart throughout the evening and stayed that way overnight and into the next morning. They weren’t painful really, just present. I spent a lot of time walking, bouncing on my exercise ball, and lying on my left side. I called Dr. Bowen around 7am to let him know how things were going, and he said to check back in when contractions regulated to 5 min apart for an hour. I called our doula to put her on call and my mom came to pick Jemma up.

My contractions stayed about 6 min apart until about 11am and then they started increasing in frequency and intensity. I was starting to have to really focus to get through them. By 1pm, they’d been 5 min apart for an hour, so we called Dr. Bowen and said we’d like to head to the hospital. The contractions were strong but not unbearable. I could talk through them if needed, but they felt better if I focused on breathing and staying relaxed. We went to triage, I got checked, and was 6cm dilated! I was so happy to hear that. We were admitted to our room and our doula, Nicole, arrived shortly after. I think that was around 3pm or so. My nurse was wonderful. She encouraged me that I could have a natural labor and kept me on the monitors the shortest time she could. I truly appreciate her support. I was on the monitors for 20 minutes of every hour. The first hour I spent my 20 minutes of monitoring bouncing on a ball, and then got in the tub. The water felt so good and really eased my contractions. After 30 minutes in the water, I felt like I was getting overheated, so I opted to get out and sit in a rocking chair. I stayed there through the next 20 minutes of monitoring and rested between contractions. I was feeling tired and the contractions began to get fairly uncomfortable towards the end of the last monitoring session. Nicole gave counterpressure at my hips and pelvis during each contraction, and that helped ease them. As soon as I was off the monitors, I hopped back in the tub and had Tom add more hot water. At this point, I was really going into transition and the contractions were very strong and painful. I remember feeling overwhelmed and wondering whether I could really pull this off…maybe I was crazy for thinking I could go natural. Then I would realize that I was in transition, and remind myself that I could do it! Tom held my hand and Nicole massaged my back for the next 40 minutes while reminding me to stay relaxed. I suddenly felt the urge to get out of the tub and stand up, which ironically occurred at the same time I was due for another round of monitoring. It took 2 contractions to get across the room, during which Tom pretty much held me up. I couldn’t bear the thought of sitting, so my wonderful nurse said I could remain standing while she put the monitors on. At the next contraction, I felt the urge to push a little, and I couldn’t stop my body from doing it. During the next 3 contractions, I pushed more and more, and I think the nurse went to get Dr. Bowen and forgot about the monitors because I don’t remember them being put back on! On the last contraction, I felt a pop and my water broke – all over Tom’s pants and shoes I might add. I felt a burning sensation, which was apparently Lily crowning. They got me on the bed, Dr. Bowen came in, and I think about 3 pushes later Lily was out. I felt a little bit like superwoman.

They placed Lily on my chest and Dr. Bowen helped Tom and I feel where her cord was still pulsing. Tom got to cut the cord, and we rubbed Lily to warm her up and she stayed on my chest. Dr. Bowen helped me deliver the placenta and then showed us all the parts of it, which I thought was just amazing. I never saw Jemma’s placenta. I started nursing Lily while Dr. Bowen stitched me up (I had a second degree tear I think). I ended up having to have pitocin to help with the bleeding afterwards, but that was the only real intervention I had. I didn’t even get checked after my initial admission! I felt so good afterwards. It was such a different experience from Jemma’s birth, and I am so thankful for all the support from the amazing staff, Dr. Bowen, my doula, and most importantly, my loving and caring husband. I could not have asked for a more perfect delivery. It was amazing to be able to feel my daughter come into the world. Thank you for letting me share.