Bryn was scheduled to arrive by c-section tomorrow, May 13, but she decided she wanted to be here for Mother's Day instead.
Thursday, May 9, started out normally with me teaching. The 10th was supposed to be my last day. We had our district math test which meant I had to be on my feet proctoring a 60-minute exam in the computer lab starting at 10:45. Being up that long got my contractions going and usually only laying down will slow them, which wasn't an option that day at school. I did teach sitting down most of the afternoon but I was having contractions all day. When I got home, I laid down hoping they would ease up but they really weren't so at about 6:30, I had Brandon take me to the hospital so they could check it out.
They hooked me up to the machines and found my contractions were still pretty irregular, but I was starting to dilate. They called my doctor who happened to already be at the hospital delivering another baby so he asked if I was ready to have her that night. Sure, why not! I'm pretty sure if he hadn't been here already, they would have just sent me home and told me to spend the weekend in bed.
After the decision was made, it all happened pretty quick. I was in the OR by a little after 8, received a spinal and Bryn was delivered by c-section at 8:50 p.m., weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches (same height as Breck but exactly one pound less). She was looking pretty purple when they first showed her to me within minutes of her birth, so I was not surprised to hear that they were putting her on oxygen in the nursery. She also had to have some formula because her blood sugar was low. But shortly after midnight, she was breathing on her own and her sugar regulated itself so I was able to visit her in the nursery at 1 a.m. to watch her first bath and then take her back to my room.
My first impressions were that she looked very much like Breck - same nose and mouth, but had more hair and dark hair. It was curly at first but once washed, it went straight so we'll see what type of hair she ends up with. She's a beautiful little girl as every baby is to their mom.
I'm not having much more luck getting my milk to come in than I had with Breck but we're continuing to try. Her mouth is too small to properly latch yet so I've been doing a lot of pumping. I'm hoping my milk comes in today as it's day 3. In the meantime, she's had the benefit of donor milk but that supply ends when we check out today so she'll have to do some formula until my milk comes in. She's been a good sleeper so far - having to wake her to feed. But that's typical in the early days so hard to say yet if she'll be a good sleeper or not.
She's going to spend her first night out of the hospital at the Grand Wyndham Mining Exchange hotel in downtown Colorado Springs as our house is currently uninhabitable since it sounds like Brandon has furniture piled everywhere to get the carpets cleaned Saturday night. I wanted to postpone it but he wanted it clean for his baby girl, so it's off to the hotel tonight (and Target for essentials that can't be got to in the house right now!). Hopefully Brandon found a few friends to put furniture back in place tonight once carpets are dry so we can be home tomorrow. Hotels are nice but I'm ready for my home and my own stuff.
Breck has been SUPER excited to meet his sister so he's been very wound up which is hard in a small hospital room, but it's cute to see how much he really loves being a big brother. I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon and jealousy and boredom will move in but for now he just really likes to look at her and hold her and he thinks everything she does is funny. He's been spending the nights with Grandma and is ready for mom to come home, too.
