hey friends. i just wanted to take a quick moment here while i (think) i have a snug sleeping baby down the hall to thank you all so much for all the kind words on my last post!!! you are all really something.
i appreciate so much that you were thinking of us and wishing the best. i loved reading each one of your comments so much.
to answer a few questions:
dorothy bird weighed in at 8lbs, 11oz. she was kind of a hefty little thing. i guess that’s what happens when they hang out in the womb for all that extra time. i had heard that girls were typically smaller than boys, but not this time. henry was a lovely 7 pounder. i think when the nurse called her weight out after the birth, i turned to matt and said something like, "that is ridiculous".
the night she was born was a whirlwind. she arrived at 3:09 on sunday morning, but contractions actually began for me sometime on friday. nothing painful, nothing worth timing, but enough that i remember it as being different, and i was certainly hoping it would amount to something. on saturday, we ended up keeping ourselves really busy around the house (i was doing nutty stuff like wiping down/dusting baseboards and radiators and spraying pollen off the windows of our house while matt and henry did yard work and such). throughout the day, i was having something like a contraction that lasted 20-30 seconds every 20 minutes or so, but by the time 6 pm rolled around, my mom arrived and we started to seriously time them. my mom is amazing with this stuff. she was an absolute miracle person during henry’s birth, counting + coaching me through every contraction- i have told her that she would make an amazing birthing coach. so basically, i drank a ton of water with fresh lime squeezed in it and paced laps around my house while matt and mom sat at the dining room table and made notes on the frequency/length/peak of my contractions.
we finally phoned the hospital around 7:30 and asked if we should head in. the nurse that i spoke to said to just keep doing what we were doing till we were ready to come in, i think we had decided on heading over when the contractions were pretty close- i did not want to labor much at the hospital, staying home where i could walk was much more appealing.
by the time we arrived at the hospital, it was 9:30 and my contractions were pretty much one on top of another. there was a team of like 5 nurses in there just trying to get an iv started for me- which was an absolutely miserable experience. i am an iv wimp, and have only had one in my life before this experience, and i passed out. imagine having screaming contractions and being stabbed like 10 times because your veins keep blowing. nightmare.
i’ll spare the rest of the nitty gritty, but i will say these few things to those of you who are pregnant for the first time, or hoping to be one day:
* move as much as possible through your laboring, and for the love of god, do not let them lay you in bed on your back! it might be a real easy position for the doctor, but gravity is not on your side when you are laying down. if you can work your way through most of it by walking, rocking in the chair, using the yoga ball or the tub, that is ideal.
* having your wits about you is really your best tool for pain management. if you allow yourself to go down the road of "omg, i can’t do this!" and you start to panic, it is hard to get through 2 minutes of a contraction. just try your best to breath (and not hyperventilate) and stay calm. mind over matter!!!
* make sure you know what you want ahead of time- in terms of pain management, drugs, etc- and have someone in there to really speak for you when you can’t quite speak for yourself. otherwise, you might have a real medical event on your hands as opposed to a natural thing that women have been doing for a zillion years. watch the business of being born, and you will get a better idea of what i am talking about here. and i will say this in the same breath- it is also important to remember that you don’t have anything to prove, and you don’t have to go in there dead-set on one thing. it is ok for it to all be too much and to ask for help. don’t feel badly about yourself if this is the case. the most important thing is that you get through it ok and that you give birth to a happy, healthy little pooper dooper.
* having a great nurse means everything. i was very fortunate to receive some amazing, loving care from a nurse who was with us through the entire birth and also the following day. and as fate would have it, her grandparents names were henry and dorothy. i mean, really- what are the chances!? this woman was everything that weekend- and she probably doesn’t even really know it. i told her a few times how amazing she was, and hugged her the following morning after like 1 hour of sleep, but i do plan of fully thanking her with a special letter and gift. i really do feel like i will remember her forever.
* if you are breastfeeding, do not get discouraged!!! don’t be afraid to consult the lactation consultant, and know that for every day you stick with it through that first week or two, you are that much closer to it all being super easy. babies can really latch on with an amazing Super Grip that you feel like might just kill you. but it won’t. and the breast is best, as the saying goes, so do what you can do stick with it- you will be glad you did. you and baby will find a groove, i promise. and the icing on the cake is that you will burn up to 500 calories a day just breastfeeding alone!
* this is sort of minor, but, it helps to remember that HOSPITAL FOOD IS DISGUSTING. try to remember to pack some yummy cereal bars/fruit/good juice/nuts/something that you like to get you through those 2 days at the hospital. i felt bad every time a nurse would come in and collect my tray that still had the entire meal sitting on it. but the weird spongy eggs and mystery meat was just not working for me!!! you would think that a hospital would serve quality foods, but. no.
anyhow, that’s it for freckle’s tips and advice for birthing a child and being in a hospital. if anyone has any other questions (don’t hesitate to be more specific/personal) you can email me directly.
the short of it is, i left with this:
and i came home with this:
i mean! does it get any better than that?
34 Comments
hi there. i just stumbled across your blog a couple of days ago. your little dorothy is adorable. absolutely. congratulations. and thanks for those tips. i am not a mother yet. but hope to be sometime in the next couple of years. and it’s always nice to hear an honest view of things. and good advice. so, thank you.
i have that same suitcase. and she is just the cutest thing i’ve ever seen!
That last photo of you both together is absolutely gorgeous. That’s one picture to treasure. Hugs to you all.
I’ve been reading your blog ever since you were featured on fredflare.com a while ago now and just found it so much fun to read about your cute little family and look at all the great stuff in your store.
I was so eager to hear news of your new little bambini, and couldn’t wait to hear the name you’d picked (dorothy bird is just the sweetest name ever p.s!) and see the first pic, but this post today was just so gorgeous! It made me feel all teary eyed to read, like getting advice from a great friend when really you’re an e-stranger!
Thanks for your blogs, they are a little bright patch in my day xx
hi,
i have been reading and shopping frecklewonder for a while now, but always felt silly commenting — but i just have to say your little dorothy bird is adorable (and that bigger henry is too!).
you have truly been an inspiration to me — managing (successfully) to be wonderful mom, wife, crafter, cooker and collector (and much more)!
i dream of being able to do all you do one day, but for now, i just look forward to reading your blog, looking at your great photos, and shopping the fabulous frecklewonder
congrats on everything!
Oh, and as a mother of one (wild) little boy, I couldn’t agree more with your advice!
Oh boy, are you right about the hospital food! When I had my son (after a full day of labor!) I unfortunately had to get a c-section. They only allowed me to have certain foods after that because of the whole “major surgery” thing. It’s funny because they said “pretty much only white foods” but the only “white foods” they had were chicken strips, which were fried, french fries(again fried), and mashed potatoes. How is fried chicken good for your digestive system after surgery? I pretty much gave everything to Kevin and ate jello. My friends brought me some yummy contraband snacks, and I was just fine. I thought if fried food after surgery is my only option at a hospital, of all places, then it’s pretty much safe to eat anything natural that anyone else would bring me. Today I’m going out to pick up some things for my own little hospital picnic basket, and hope I go into labor. I hope to do it naturally this time, and I have a very supportive team of doctors that support vbacs 100%, but it was so nice to read everything you wrote about getting through labor. I’ll definitely be thinking about that in the deepest throws of it all…trying to keep my mind about me. Anyway, enjoy your lovely family, your children are beautiful. I can’t wait to be holding my daughter too! Wish me luck.
erin
Congratulations. Your little girl is so cute. I really enjoy reading your blog. Great photos and enjoy.
Again, what you write is really prescious! It’s interesting, real-life advice and written in such a warm way, you just have to feel good about it. Thank you for all your effort when really you have other, more imposrtant things to do.
That last picture is just beautiful, have a great time,
Anna
that last picture is truly gorgeous. congratulations!
Oh, Jenny! I just love her. Well, and your blog – thanks for being so candid and sharing all of the gore and the good stuff too!
Blessings!
wow. amazingly beautiful baby you have. thanks so much for your tips. i’m sorry you had such an awful IV experience. i’ve thought that i want to stay away from the hospital as long as possible for my first labor in november; thanks for affirming that feeling for me!
Oh my! I leave for vacation for 4 days and come back to so many goodies! She is absoloutely wonderful Jenny! I love the name Dorothy…that is my Grandmother’s name! Also love the new site…just sad I wasn’t around to scoop up some of the amazingness sooner! Have missed your little treats!
she is sooo beautiful. can i call her dottie b?
Thoughts:
1) My hospital food was disgusting too – they barely fed me and I was recovering from major surgery and trying to breastfeed. For one meal they gave me the nastiest looking roast beef and gravy and I haven’t eaten red meat in about 12 years. Even the nurse was grossed out.
2) I love the pictures of Dorothy Bird all swaddled with her little hand sticking out – it is amazing how fast they change b/c that was just what Moira was like 6 weeks ago. She hates having her arms under anything so swaddling didn’t last long. She also sticks her hand out of the sling too.
3) That last photo of you two is BEAUTIFUL. She looks like she has your red hair – how lovely!
Thanks for the tips! I’ll be needing them come September.
Dorothy is such a doll and she looks like a mini you (with some Matt mixed in)!
Congrats on ur new baby Jenny!
The last picture is my fav! She looks like a doll…Absolutely beautiful! Her weight is perfect, the color on her skin is perfect! Her hair…she is what defines a beautiful baby girl…
I want a girl now..hehe..
Wow, what a beautiful girl. I love reading your blog and kept checking back to see when the little lady would get here.
I am going to be the odd man out and say that my hospital food really wasn’t too bad where I was and they let you bring in food too. My husband went out and got Macaroni Grill after my first along with cookies and champange.
Anyway, great advice. I always tell new mom’s who are interested in breast feeding to give it a good 6 weeks before giving up. I thought it would be so easy and Boy was I wrong. I just kept at it through all the pain and set backs and magically it got better after about 6 weeks. I am so glad I didn’t give up.
Anyway a long story to say, thanks for being so open, we women can learn a lot from each other.
Again
Congrats
So sweet and beautiful! Congrats Jenny and the rest of the freckle family….And no….it doesn’t get better than that.
Man, what a beautiful kid. Congratulations!
Oh she is absolutely amazing!!! You are a strong woman. I had a horrible first birth and should have been rushed to emergency C-section…instead the Doc put me thru hell and all the nurses in the room( all 6 of them) and the special team that was standing by (all 4 of them) had looks on their faces of utter and complete horror…that’s how I knew we were in trouble and the fact that nobody was telling us what was going on…she didn’t even tell me when she cut the cord or delivered the after birth….so this time around when we found out he was big and long we decided to do a planned C-section and when he came out all 15 people in the room immediately said…’Oh my god…you made the right choice.!’
I am soooo proud of you and totally agree with not laboring at the hospital and not laying in a bed. I made both those mistakes the first time and I paid.
Congrats to you and your fam…you look so blissful and I know just how you feel.
Thank you Jenny! Your tips are really precious, I’ll try to keep them well in mind when september comes and little Emma will be with us. A big hug to you all
)
ps you and Dorothy Bird look so absolutely fabulous and peaceful in the last pic that you really give me good thoughts about labor and birth
Again, just had to say she’s so gorgeous!!! Thanks for the updates.
oh – so gorgeous! as someone lingering just on the cusp of making this leap in my own life, this post was amazing to read. thanks so much for sharing your experience, and your pictures are just dreamy!
congratulations!!
What a sweet little bunny! Thanks for the birthing tips too.
Congrats! Nice birth story and good tips. Especially the ones to stay moving/upright during labor, either on a birthing ball or in a tub. And good nurses/midwives really can make a difference. I’ve always thought my hospital food was good, but it might just be from not having to fix it myself! Man, and if you ever have a C-section, beef bullion will never taste as good as it does when you can only have liquids (until you fart, will never feel as good either, yikes!).
Sitting here with a four-month-old on my lap I second everything you say about labour and particularly breastfeeding. It was terrible for me at first, and I’m so glad I stuck it out. You both look so adorable. A new baby is magic.
Wow, this post almost made me cry! Childbirth has always made me extremely nervous so these are very encouraging words that make me feel better about being able to get through it if the time ever comes. And that baby is gorgeous. Congratulations again
Hey there, I haven’t been reading long but I wanted to say hi! Good tips for first time mamas. I was scared out of my mind with #1, by #3 it was easy, it was painful! but I had my mind right, that really is the key to it all. Even the breastfeeding battle. I wanted you to know that I was just lovin your blog and I can’t wiat to see more!
xoxo,
Samantha
I want to thank you for this post. I am 38 weeks with our 4th child and for some reason…TERRIFIED for labor and delivery! I think because the last 3 were okay and I worry this one will be the really rough one I tell everyone about for decades. This post reminded me of the importance of being calm and controlled. Congratulations on your two beautiful children. I am the youngest of two and my older brother was about 6-7 years older than me. Your daughter will grow up thinking he’s the coolest thing around!
OMG Jenny Congratulations – she’s beautiful!! Haven’t been able to check my blogs in awhile and last I checked there wasn’t any news yet. YAY!!! You look radiant in that last picture.
congratulations, she’s lovely!
Oh my goodness, what a sweetie pie she is ~ so adorable.
Such a lovely lovely post.
Love Alison x
oh how exhilerating! and adorable! thanks for sharing all this valuableness with us…. it is so wonderful for my 5-month-along, nervously first time, pregnant self to take in. congrats again!
What a gorgeous picture of you two! Your family is too sweet! Love the name of your blog too!! Enjoy your new bundle. God Bless!Kristin