My due date was May 24th, and when that had come and gone I was definitely getting impatient and anxious. For the entire month I had been trying different means of bringing on labour such as bouncing on exercise balls, only taking the stairs, taking Hugo to the off leash park everyday, and doing lunges on a regular basis haha. However, Brooklyn was on her own time schedule and everything worked out for the best.On the 22nd I was having a really hard time feeling her move, and so decided to go into the hospital for a stress test. When we got there, her heart rate was dropping down significantly and so they kept me there for a few more hours to monitor her and to try and determine what was causing the sudden drops. But after a few hours they let me go home but made an appointment for me to return the next morning for a follow up. At the follow up they determined all was well and I was good to go. I was really glad I had that experience because when it came time to deliver her I knew exactly how to check in, where I was going and what was going to happen. It made everything a lot easier and I was more calm about the prospect of going into labour for real.
So Saturday night (the 25th) came and at about 7pm I started feeling strong contractions that were about ten minutes apart. I was in my apartment by myself, and decided that if these were real contractions then I had better clean my apartment and get things ready, just in case. Then they started going down to 8 minutes apart, and then 5 minutes apart. So I called my sister in law (I didn't want to get my mom all excited if I was having false labour, so I decided Crystal would be the most calm about it) to ask if what was happening was real or not. I didn't know if I should call Alex yet and tell him to come home from work or if I should just wait it out for a few hours till he got home, or what I was to do. I was trying my best to appear calm but my mind was racing! After talking to Crystal I went next door to ask Michelle Forsyth what I should do and she suggested that I stay at her apartment and wait things out for a bit. So I did, but they kept getting more painful So I called Crystal back and she told me to call Alex. So I did and he decided to come home, that we should probably go to the hospital and if they sent me home, then that was okay. So that's exactly what we did! He got to the apartments about half an hour later and we left! We got to the hospital with my contractions 4 mins apart but I was only 2 cm dilated. So we waited at the hospital for a few hours to see how fast I was dilating and made it to 3 cm but was progressing slowly. So they gave me the option of staying or going home. We decided to go home. Back at the apartments I tried to sleep but was in too much pain, so I tried reading a book, sat in the bathtub for a long time, ate some food and by 5 am decided that I couldn't handle it anymore and that we needed to go back (ps. Alex thought I had slept the whole time...ya right!). So we checked back in and I was 6cm dilated. So they kept me :) We were in there for a couple hours and then I got moved into the delivery room where I got my epidural. The epidural was great by the way! I could still move my legs yet I couldn't feel the pain of the contractions. Oh, Mom, Dad and Emily were also at the hospital with us by this time. So we were all hanging out, having a good time. I felt great. I was pretty nervous and my whole body was shaking pretty hard, but I wasn't cold, it must have been from the adrenaline? So it seemed pretty quick from when I had the epidural to when the nurse said we were to start pushing. That was a scary thing to hear her say haha I had no idea what I was supposed to do or what was about to happen. Dad and Emily left the room and Mom sat patiently on the bench in the corner.
Then before I knew it we were being escorted up to our postpartum room, which was super nice. It had a queen sized bed and a menu to choose what we wanted to eat from, with benches for family and lots of room for visitors. All of my siblings were there to welcome Brooklyn into the family. It was really nice to have everyone there and to have their support.
Then our nurses switched and I got a nurse that I did not have patience for. I had brought a soother to the hospital just in case. Well it turns out Brooklyn loves to suck and it calms her down very quickly. So I was using it, and the nurse walks in and says in a not so tactful tone, "oh I see your using a soother... we don't recommend that you use soothers" and goes on to say all the negative outcomes. I just want to emphasize that I had just had Brooklyn, and that she was speaking to me in a very condescending tone. Well I snapped back of course, defending my choices as a new mother and from then on I couldn't accept anything she said as being of any help haha But anyways, soon after, everyone left and Alex and I had time to ourselves to just be together with our baby girl for the first time. It was amazing to say the least. Then the following morning, Brooklyn had all her blood work taken and they told us that she was jaundice. So she spent that whole next day under the lights. I missed her soo much that day. The only time we were aloud to take her out was to feed her, and that wasn't the most pleasant of times haha But she loved it under those lights and slept the whole time, so Alex and I got our rest. Alex was a huge help and such a good Dad. He loves her so much and it definitely showed :)
so we got to finally go home on the morning of the 28th and we were definitely excited to be back in our own element. And when we got back Michelle had decorated our apartment with posters and balloons :) It was really cute and super sweet of her. Oh and a huge thanks to Eleni and Tim, and Jeisson for taking care of Hugo for us while we were gone... It was a HUGE help and made our lives a lot easier.
So now Brooklyn is 8 weeks and is so alert that it makes things really fun :) She is on a pretty good schedule and is honestly a pretty easy and calm baby so far. At only 6 days old we went to Emily's Grad, she had her first fathers day and went to her first rodeo! She had the cutest baby shower thanks to Crystal and Kelly for doing that for us :) And just this past week we went camping! She is very versatile, will go anywhere and to anyone (unless its nap time, then I think she calms down quicker with me), and smiles in response to people now! Its great! She was blessed on June 30th by her father. It was a beautiful blessing and she was beautiful in her dress and afghan made by my Nana :) We were lucky enough to have her Grandma Cindy there to witness it. Cindy was able to come for 8 days and get to know her newest granddaughter :) It was also the week I got my wisdom teeth out so I was more than grateful for her company and help while I was recovering from that. I am so lucky to have such loving in-laws who are so willing to help where they can. Brooklyn is very lucky.
I keep thinking that I am going to become immune to how cute she is, but I don't think it will ever happen. I can not get enough of her and feel so blessed to be her Mom. It still seems so weird that I am a Mom... so far it hasn't been as hard as I imagined it would be. I am really surprised at how comfortable I am in this role. I thought the lack of sleep would kill me, but I honestly feel as though I am more happy now than I have ever been in my life. Of course some nights at 3 am I get impatient but then as she calms down, that overwhelming feeling of love comes over me and I cant help but laugh at how stupid I'm being. I love being a mom, and I love my little girl and my husband. Alex is an amazing father, and I am so glad to have started this journey with him. There honestly is nothing else I would rather do than be here with my little family. And I am so grateful for my mom and the love she has for me. My parents have shown amazing amounts of service for my family and I cannot thank them enough for all they do.
