Afton Elizabeth has arrived

So I went in for my 37 week appointment on Wednesday the 8th of December. When the nurse/midwife checked me I was dilated to a 4-5 and about 80% effaced and Afton was sitting very low, so she said it was time to go to the hospital. I was a little surprised considering I really wasn't having any contractions and didn't feel like I was in "labor". But she said I should go to hospital because it really wasn't normal for a first time mom to be that far along and not be in labor...or something along those lines. So I called Chad and an hour or so later we were at the hospital.
They started me on pitocin to get some regular contractions going. They weren't really sure what else to do since I wasn't having them on my own. They had me on pitocin from about 5 pm Wednesday until 9 am Thursday morning. I was having some contractions but they weren't very strong or at regular intervals. I was falling asleep through them. It was a long night to say the least. I dilated maybe another cm through all this but Afton still wouldn't drop low enough for them to feel comfortable breaking my water.
But finally at about 9 am my doctor came in and checked me and she was finally low enough to break my water. After this I finally felt like I was in "labor." That's when it got fun :-) From about 9 am to 11 am I had very strong contractions. I was going on almost 30 hours of no sleep and 24 hours of not eating anything and I was getting tired fast from the contractions. I was trying to go through labor without an epidural but I was having a hard time at this point. They tried giving me some pain meds through the IV and that would help for about 30 minutes but then they would come back strong. So finally about 1 o'clock I opted for the epidural and it was a good decision. I rested for about 2 hours and then decided it was time to push. I was ready. Although I didn't want to get an epidural it ended up being a really good thing because I was more rested and ready to push. I definitely would not have had as much strength to push if I had had to endure the contractions for another 2 hours. I started pushing about 3 pm and Afton was born at 3:58 pm on Thursday December 9th, 2010.

She weighed 6 lbs 6 oz. and was 19 inches long. Although she was 3 weeks early she had no health complications. Holding my baby girl right after she was born was one of the best moments of my life. After all your body goes through it's such a sigh of relief to have it be over and see the reason you went through all of that.

Happy family

Proud Dad

We had a really amazing delivery nurse. The pushing went so well and so quickly that the Dr actually missed the birth so our nurse delivered her. But we couldn't have asked for a better experience. She helped me through it step by step and made me feel as comfortable as possible.

Although the delivery didn't quite go as planned it still was a really good experience. Looking back on it now I wished I hadn't been "induced." I didn't realize at the time that was what was happening but it was. I don't think Afton was quite ready to come but she was healthy and that's what matters. Next time I will be more prepared to deal with the hard decisions and I will know better what my body is telling me. but for my first labor it was good and Afton is healthy.

1 Day old

2 days old

Our hospital stay was ok but we were ready to get home and be more comfortable. Here is Afton in her going home outfit riding in her carseat for the first time.

Her first few minutes at Home.

3 days old: She LOVES this blanket my grandma made. She loves to curl her fingers and toes in it and sleep.

Oliver has adjusted very well to having a new little sister... yes our dog was our first child in a sense and we still love him! He sits outside her door when it's closed and wines to get in. He doesn't like it when he can't see her. :-)

4 days old- She wasn't a fan of her first sponge bath.

5 days old- Unfortunately we had to go back to the hospital on Tuesday the 14th because Afton became very jaundice. They wanted to put her under lights for about 24 hours in order to get rid of the jaundice. It may seem like she was uncomfortable and unhappy but just the opposite was true. She actually like the lights a lot and was quite warm and toasty. She has to wear the little mask to protect her eyes from the lights and that's the only part that she started to not like after a while.
Luckily we only had to stay 24 hours and our stay was a very positive experience. We went to the Kaiser hospital this time instead of Doctors. Afton was looking much less like a carrot after we left and was eating much better too. The two days before we went to the hospital were very hard as far as breastfeeding went so it was nice to have some help in the hospital and to be feeling more comfortable after we left.

8 days old- Happy to be home and sleeping in her own bed. She really is our little angel!

9 days old- Oliver likes to sneak in the pictures as often as he can...

10 days old- She liked her first real bath much better. She still loves to have her hands by her face.

Mommy and Afton (She if often still a little cross eyed but it is very endearing.)

She loves laying in her bouncer. She sleeps there a lot during the day...

11 days old- Chad loves to rock her at night before bed sometimes. He is such a good dad already and helps me in whatever way he can!

We feel so blessed to have Afton in our lives. She is so beautiful and sweet and precious...and I could go on and on. She is a great sleeper and eater already. She hardly ever fusses except during diaper and clothing changes. She is not a fan of those. It's hard to believe that she will be two weeks old tomorrow. The time is just flying by. I am enjoying my time home with her and am loving every minute of being a mom! We love you Afton!