Delia's Story

Many of you have already been able to hear the details of Delia's birth. We're so thankful for technology like cell phones, internet and email! For those who have not yet heard, here is how our little Delia entered the world after making us wait what felt like a million years for her.

On Thursday night Dave and I were moving all the furniture and stuff around and out of our house. We had an appointment to have our carpets cleaned first thing the next morning. Around 7:30 I started feeling some mild contractions...no big deal since I'd been "enjoying" these false alarms for about 3 weeks. These seemed somewhat regular, though, so we decided to time them. Around 11:00 pm they were still noticeable, but had not changed in intensity or time apart, so we just went to bed thinking that once again it was nothing. This was actually fine with me since I'm very excited to get my carpets cleaned and my house was in complete disarray!

When I woke up around 6:00 am, I was annoyed that once again we were teased. I figured that if it was real labor, I would have woken up in the night and we would have had to leave. So I got up, ate breakfast and realized the contractions had started again-- this time more intense and only 3 minutes apart. I waited awhile, woke up Dave (still not sure this was anything) and we got ready. Around 7:15 we called the hospital and explained the situation and they said, "You better get over here!" I think because the contractions we still not very painful to me and I was so used to not getting my hopes up, we still felt confused if this was the real thing! We got Ella up and dressed and ready to go to her friend Jared's house.

When we got to the hospital, it was about 8:30 am. My doctor was just making his rounds, so they admitted me, broke my water and things started immediately! Delia's labor was much more intense and painful than I remember Ella's being. Many people have told me that your second pregnancy's labor goes about twice as fast, though, so I imagined that with each contraction my body was making twice as much progress. The thought that it could be done soon motivated me and once again I didn't need an epidural. Around 11:30 I told Dave to get a nurse because I needed to push. The nurses and doctor came rushing in and sure enough we were ready to go! They hustled to get all their stuff set up. It only took 2 good pushes before Delia arrived. It was amazingly fast and, though painful, a huge blessing to have lasted only about 3 hours (the bad part, at least).

My recovery is going great too, much better and quicker than Ella's. I felt good almost right away and took only an occasional Tylenol for pain while in the hospital. I was moving around soon after and feel pretty energized still (even though I'm averaging about 3 hours of sleep a night). We had to wait much longer than we thought we would for our dear daughter, but once she decided to make her entrance, we couldn't have scripted her birth any better! What a blessing and testimony that God really does answer prayer and have the best plans in place for us!

Today was coming home day and, though my house is a complete mess and the carpet guy has to be rescheduled (good thing I "nested" so carefully and compulsively for all those weeks and weeks!), things are going okay. Delia is doing great. She sleeps most of the time (except night, of course) and is a fantastic eater. Ella is having a hard time today, but we expected she'd need the most time to adjust. We'll continue to keep you updated on our new and exciting lives. We expect this week to be a fun one, but to also have its challenges.