Headed Home

At like 4 am, after my nurse finally left my room after her third forty-five minute stay in our room I woke up Sam fuming mad and told him we were leaving the hospital today because if we don't, I may murder the crazy obsessive nurse. She seriously would not leave me alone about breast feeding. When my Doc came to check on me at like 6 am or so I asked him to discharge me and he was more than happy to oblige.

 She was hopping mad at the nurse too. She kept getting woken up, poked, and forced to eat.

 I got up, showered, and all settled back in when the hospital photographer started making her rounds. We let her come in to snap a few pics of Miko and like an hour and a half later she finally left. Her stay once again reiterated my strong desire to just go home. What is up with strangers just hanging out in my hospital room acting like its a party?

 Sam just pretended to work the majority of the time the crazy photographer lady was talking my ear off. At one point I tried to be subtle and told Sam I wasn't feeling good and asked him to go grab me some crackers to eat. Didn't work. She still kept talking. 

 Sam enjoying his Miko time. And of course he had to pretend to be Rafiki and hold up his baby Muffassa.

 After our nurse grabbed us a "gift bag" full diapers (like maybe 150) and Sam returned with the car seat we loaded up baby Miko and headed out of the hospital. When we almost got out the door swung shut and a big code pink started going off. It was then that we realized we never cut off Miko's ankle bracelet. The alarming part of the situation is we just barely missed the doors closing on us and I was walking like a snail. And we stood there and nobody even gave us a second look. In other words...the bracelet is not going to do a whole lot of someone in fact decides to steal a newborn from the nursery.

And the tiniest little thing in her car seat. Good riddance St. Marks. Now the real adventure begins.

First Bath

Miko got her first bath the day she was born and Sam made sure to document the whole thing...

 I'm not sure what soap they used, but it smelled so good. I just smelled her the entire rest of the day.

All Clean!

The Full Story...

Our Miko definitely made this entire pregnancy unique. I was shocked at my 36 week check up when my Doc told me I was dilated to a 2 and about 60% effaced. I was at a 0 with Bails until I arrived at the hospital with hours and hours (like 20) of labor under my belt and I was still only to a 3. Hazel...same story. Every check up after I continued to slowly progress. This scared Sam to death since he wanted our bundle of joy to arrive a day late (Friday, October 11) because that was the most convenient for his schedule. After a day full of contractions (October 4) Sam basically put me on bed rest and refused to let me get up for anything except to go to the bathroom. We joked about how her coming Monday or Tuesday would be the hardest. We made it through the weekend, but I told Sam come Monday morning I had to get up and take care of kids. He proceeded to hide bowls of snacks throughout the house and make sure the remote was near and told me to just let the kids watch TV all day and stay in bed as much as possible. I laughed as I rolled my eyes at him and then went to bed. Four hours later (1:15 am) my water broke. Another first; and might I add one of the nastiest things that has happened to me. Walking like a penguin with a towel in my pants to catch liquid leaking from my body was not the funnest way to enter the hospital. With the previous two my water had to be broken by the Dr. after my epidural was intact so I never had to lay in the hospital bed and feel wet...it was so uncomfortable. Not to mention the nurse basically told me I was probably going to have a C-section because baby Miko's heart rate plummeted during every contraction. They placed an amnioinfusion to help (and thankfully it did) so no c-section, just a lot more wetness.

Since my body refused to start laboring on its I got some pitocin and an epidural around 6 am and less than three hours later Dr. Sam was delivering our third little girl. He was so scared he was going to drop her. He said the umbilical wrapped around her leg and tummy was the traction that he needed to hold on to her tight. It was also the culprit for the plummeting heart rate and her smurf blue coloring when she first arrived into this world. As soon as it was unwrapped she pinked up and started letting out her little baby yelps as they plopped her on my chest. My Doc then relieved Sam of his med student duties and he became Dad as he picked up the camera and snapped some pictures.

 Everything post delivery was super easy compared to my last two as well. I didn't pass out, the Doctor's didn't have to go back in and stitch me up some more and I was in my recovery room in no time at all.

 After the heat lamps came on her she was ready to lounge back and hardly cried at all.

 We hung out for a few hours, ate lunch, and then Sam returned home to shower for the day and bring back my two little munchkins to meet their new sister.

 They immediately ran to this bench, climbed up, and peered over at the sleeping baby. There was also a lot of loud squealing during this process. It was so sudden and loud, like a tornado swooping through my room.

 

 Poor Miko. Her first experience with complete chaos.

 Bailey kept telling me how little she was, while Hazel was very interested in poking Miko's eyes and nose.

 That was her evil glare at Sam because she doesn't appreciate being told no, be soft.

 Miko is shrinking. She is now this big.

 She was so happy to be able to hold her. I think she would have sat there all day if we would have let her. Or maybe just until something better like a trip to the vending machine to pick out the sour candies.

 Hazel was happy to hold her and love her and kiss her for a few minutes...

 But was more than happy to give her up to Daddy so she could watch a show.

It was a perfect first afternoon in the hospital. And then the night nurse came onto shift and she felt the need to wake Miko and I up every 3 hours all night long to force her to eat. I was less than thrilled with her presence in my room and her intrusions into the baby feeding. And that is when I decided we would be leaving the hospital on Tuesday.

Introducing...

Emiko Jane Braden

Born 10/7/2013 at 8:54 am
Weight: 6 lbs 7 oz
Length: 19 3/4 in.

She decided to come Monday morning which also happened to be the most inconvenient time for Sam's schedule. She also came a whole 3 days early. They keep getting tinier and earlier for me. She is got her name at the last possible second when Sam finally relented and filled out the birth certificate paperwork. We love you already, Miko girl.