Amelie's Birth Story

Dear Amelie,

You were born on Friday June 28, 2013 at 4:52am. It started the day before with a visit to the doctor’s for my 38 week appointment, where they decided that you were no longer thriving in the womb and it was time to get you out.  You were small for your age, and getting slightly smaller as the weeks went on compared to where you should have been on the growth curve.  I was not happy about the induction. I was pretty sure I just had small babies.  Logan was small too.  Plus, I had read all sorts of natural birth books that make you think any doctor’s intervention is trouble. But of course I did not want you to be in any danger, so I left the doctor’s office that afternoon with plans to return to the hospital that evening for an induction, and a prediction from the doctor that you would arrive by noon the next day.

I went home and had a few hours to get things in order.   First, I played with Logan.  We played in the tree house, and on the slack line, and in the hammock, and in the swing.  We played some baseball.  I felt a little sad for him that his days as an only child were ending and we might never have as much time for him again.   I was worried about the induction.  But in the end, I was excited to meet you.  I wrapped up some final work things, packed my hospital bag, and we set off, dropping Logan at Tammy’s house on the way to the hospital.

Our entrance to the hospital was a lot different than it was with Logan.  I was not stopping in the parking lot and on the stairs doubled over with contractions.  Instead, we strolled in as if we were checking into a hotel.  I got set up in bed and around 9:30pm was given medicine to thin my cervix.  The nurse said we might have to repeat that a few times, and this process could take as much as two days.  But Dr. Schoen assured us this would not take that long, and in the end you were much quicker.  Contractions started without any further medication and around midnight my water broke.  Having checked natural birth off the bucket list with Logan, this time around I got the epidural (a good choice- I am now a believer in  modern medicine). We dozed off until the doctor came in to wake us around 4:45am.  It was time to push.  Your head came out on the first push (you do not have the giant Peterson head), and your body on the second.  You were covered in white vernix.  You were tiny—5 lbs 8.8 oz, 18.75 inches—but healthy and perfect. You nursed right away. We were so happy to finally meet you.