Ariana was born two weeks before her due date. For about a week before her birth, I had had high blood pressure. They had been monitoring it and even sent me in for blood work (which came back normal), but it was consistently high. I had a doctor's appointment on the 5th, and they measured my blood pressure three times, hoping that it would go down. It didn't, so my doctor said that she wanted to induce me the following morning. I felt so overwhelmed! I wasn't ready! I was still planning to teach for another week and a half, I hadn't washed any clothes for the baby, I hadn't packed my hospital bag yet -- I wasn't ready!
I drove home still in a daze, then spent the evening getting as ready as I could. I frantically wrote sub plans and got the essential things together. Tim and his brother gave me a priesthood blessing, and I felt so peaceful about the whole situation. We were also able to Skype with Tim's parents (who are in Tonga) to let them know that our baby was coming.
The morning of the 6th, we headed to the hospital. The doctor broke my water about 10:30 am. She allowed me to see if I could progress naturally, but after two hours nothing had really happened, so we started pitocin. Fortunately, I didn't need very much to get the contractions going. I was able to handle the pain using relaxation techniques for about 5 1/2 hours. I feel very proud of what my body was able to do. I requested an epidural when I couldn't rest in between contractions due to nausea and back labor that wouldn't subside. After the epidural, I progressed quite rapidly. My doctor told me to rest for an hour to allow the baby to descend a bit more. Then, it was time to push! I pushed for 3 or 4 contractions, then we called the doctor in. Once she arrived, I pushed through 2 contractions, and our sweet Ariana was born!
The labor and delivery process was a very special and spiritual experience for me. I had felt the miracle of life throughout my pregnancy, and this took it to a higher level. It is beautiful to me how a woman's body is designed to carry and deliver babies. I feel so blessed to have been able to experience the entire process.
Our beautiful baby girl is now a month old! I thought time passed quickly while I was teaching, but it flies now. Ariana is a very good baby. She rarely cries unless she's hungry, messy, or cold. She loves to wiggle and stretch! She has been known to stretch for a half hour as she is waking up from naps. She loves to stick her legs out straight and lock her knees. She did this in the womb as well, kicking me in the ribs. She loves tummy time and could lift her head and turn it from side to side at one week. Since then, some days she turns her head easily; other days, it's a bit of a struggle. She will get frustrated as she tries new things with her body, but she gets REALLY mad if I pick her up before she's done trying.
We are so grateful that our Heavenly Father sent this beautiful angel to our family!
3 days old
1 week old
2 weeks old
6 comments:
YAY!!! Congratulations!!! I'm so happy for you guys.
You have a beautiful little girl. She looks like she belongs to you. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Congrats Annalise!! You are a pro at giving birth. She is adorable and already growing and learning a ton. Enjoy every minute!
I love seeing all these pictures and hearing about her sweet self! She's beautiful!
Congratulation again. She is a cutie. It is such a miracle to have babies and know that Heavenly Father has entrusted you with his choice spirits. Wish i could have a chance to hold her. Love you.
Jeana aka sister Hobbs
She is so beautiful. I wish I could run my fingers through all that dark hair! I'm so glad she is such a sweet, happy baby too. She takes after her mommy!
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