Campbell's birth story

Hello world!  I feel like I'm back in the land of the living after a restful Memorial Day weekend.

Well, Miss Campbell Genevieve is 2 1/2 weeks old and the time has just flown by!  It must be all that lack of sleep the first two weeks!  She still has night and day confused, but I'm getting tons of good rest now that I'm going to stop trying to worry about putting her in the bassinet in the middle of the night just to be catapulted out of bed ten minutes later since she wants her Mama close...  I'm listening to my heart and what works for us.  Astrid slept with us for 7 weeks, and it looks like this one will do the same.

Now that I'm healing enough not to be using the jerry bottle every time I go to the bathroom, and my boobs aren't quite as traumatized, I can finally write what I've been wanting to tell you about.  Her birth story.

Campbell Genevieve took her ol' sweet time to come out, different from her sister who came two and a half weeks early.  Campbell came one day before her due date.

At about 3 am on Monday, May 14th (the day after Mother's Day) I got up to go to the bathroom for the umpteenth time and felt a familiar crampy twinge I hadn't felt in nearly four years...then Skagit came into our room and laid down next to my side of the bed staring at me with wide, perceptive eyes in the near dark room (starting her "labor" vigil, just as she had done with my labor with Astrid).  At that moment I knew that I would be having a baby that day.  I tried going back to sleep but I was too excited and nervous.  I wasn't sure if I had all my camera gear packed, so I whispered softly in Jeff's ear "today is the day" and I got up to get some things together, showered, and at the first hint that Astrid was waking I sneaked into her room and crawled into bed to snuggle with her warm little body, knowing that our world would soon shift and take another adventurous turn into the unknown.  A world with two children....  Her world adding a brother or a sister.

I was happy to labor at home, like last time, but this time things were a bit more tricky.  My Doc was worried if I waited too long (since the delivery was so swift with Astrid) I might have a baby in the hospital parking lot. We also had another child to worry about.  So, at around 9am I called my friend Kathy and she came over right away.  The contractions were getting close (6 min apart) but not exactly regular...sometimes there would be an odd 10 or 12 minute gap.  The intensity of the contractions was getting up there, but I still had my doubts that we should go in....I could converse and laugh in between contractions just fine.  What finally convinced me that we should go is that the intensity was enough that Jeff and Kathy had to try to explain to Astrid why I couldn't immediately respond to her questions while I was going through a toe curling contraction.  So off we headed.

Just before we left for the hospital I couldn't resist one last photo with my girl Astrid and the babe (still contained).  Contractions 6 minutes apart.

When we were admitted I was already 6cm dilated, and I was relieved to find out I was far enough along in the process to stay put.  It was around 10-10:30 am.  The labor was longer this time, but way less intense as a whole.  I don't remember being able to talk between contractions, in fact I don't remember opening my eyes much at all before once I got to the hospital.  Jeff and I had a great time talking and hanging out for nearly 5 hours in our room and walking the hall a few times.

A whole new chapter began when I reached 8 - 9 cm around 2:45pm.  The pain was off the charts and I was getting very nervous that the baby's head might crown before the Doc could make it over from his on campus office.  When I was a full 9 cm the delivery nurse broke my water and a whole new level of pain passed through me, and I vomited for what seemed like an eternity of water.  I had purposely fasted all day knowing this is exactly what had happened before (with Astrid's birth).  This moment and the next 15 minutes of my life were the most acutely painful ones of my life, but it was my intention to feel every ounce of that baby pushing out into this world (just as I did with Astrid).

At 3pm I was fully dilated and could finally push.  Strangely, just like last time, it was the last thing I felt like doing.  I sort of just thought if I close my eyes and stay very very still maybe this would all just melt away...  After I got used to the idea of pushing I think it was 5 painful pushes and the little one was out, and crying, and taking the first breaths of new life!  A few seconds after being pulled from my warm belly we discovered she was a girl!!  For nine months we'd been calling this little person growing inside me "Hogan" and it was a girl!  Second biggest surprise of my life, since I thought Astrid was a boy, too!  We were so unprepared for a girl in fact Campbell Genevieve Moore didn't get her name until almost 3 days after she was born.  Jeff and I were never able to come together on a girl's name in the nine months we had!  Alas, the name came at eleven o'clock at night two days after she was born.  It is perfect!  Campbell is Jeff's Mom's maiden name and is also big sister Astrid's middle name.  Genevieve is the perfect middle name for this daughter that I never thought we would be lucky enough to have.  We are complete.

Our newest love.  Campbell Genevieve Moore.

 

We had this plan that Astrid would be the third person (besides the hospital staff) who met and discovered (for herself) if she was a boy or a girl.  This is that very moment.  Jeff went home to get her and bring her in. Jeff captured this image.  Astrid literally checking out Campbell's "parts".

A closer look

As soon as Astrid arrived and discovered that she had a sister she wanted so badly to hold her and love and cuddle her.  She was on the phone with my brother (Uncle David) and he told me later that she said "This is what I've AAAAAAlways wanted."  I believe it.

In the days since Campbell's birth she has been the most helpful assistant, and most loving sister anyone could ever have...well except for maybe my sister....and that is why we chose the name Genevieve.