Sweet Little Soraya

Oh what a sweet little thing she is! I cannot even find the words to describe how much I love this little bundle of joy; she is SUCH a good baby...we are so very very blessed!

How Miss Soraya Grace entered the world (for those who care to know)...

I was fortunate (or not-so-fortunate) to be one of those people who "labors" for weeks on end. Yes, I had Braxton-Hicks contractions for probably the last 2-3 months of my pregnancy. And in the last 2.5-3 weeks I had regular, but not too strong practice contractions...regular as in every 10-15 minutes with increasing to every 5 minutes with activity (but with no change in intensity).

At 37 weeks I was dilated to 1 and 60-70% effaced. Five days later I was dilated to 2 and 80-90% effaced. The doctor was convinced "the end was near." I prayed the end was near!

There was also a lot of talking about induction because according to the sonogram computer my sweet "little" baby was measuring around 9 lbs and my doctor was afraid she'd have to end up coming via C-section if we waited until my due date. I prayed and prayed and prayed for wisdom, for God's divine intervention, etc...I did NOT want to be induced and even more I did NOT want a C-section.

And God is so good! On June 21st at 4 o'clock in the morning, I was greeted by a "gush of fluid." And I knew God had answered my prayers and my baby was going to come His way! Contractions "started" 15 minutes after my water broke...stronger than before and regular at every 10 minutes but still not what I was expecting for labor. I showered around 5ish and we headed for the States around 6...just to be sure we'd be close. We helped some friends unload a few things at the CVE storage unit, went out for breakfast and gradually made our way to the doctor's office. We arrived a little after 10 and upon hearing my water had already broken they sent me straight to the hospital.

We were checked in and whisked away to labor and delivery around 10:11am. My contractions although "strong and regular" were not strong enough or regular enough for my doctor's liking. So I was started on Pitocin and let me tell you, my body got down to business! I was doing fine through the contractions...really I was...I was already to 7. And then my doctor came and checked me...in the PEAK of a contraction. Needless to say, I never got a hold on my pain or emotions after that moment and opted for an epidural (and I'm thankful I did). I'd say that was around 4:30 or 5. At 6:30 the nurse came in to check my progress yet again. And in her words, "Oh my goodness! Don't you dare cough or that baby is going to just pop right out!"

So the doctor was quickly called. I pushed through 3 consecutive contractions. Then baby girl's heart rate started to drop. 80s-90s are apparently normal during pushing...50s-60s apparently are NOT. ;D So the decision was made to "cut and suck" ...aka an episiotomy and vacuum suction...yay for me! And with a few final pushes our little princess made her appearance in our world!

Welcome to the planet, Sweet One!

I wanted her SO BAD. I cried and cried and cried...almost as much as she did lying there under the radiant warmer. :'(

But we were soon united...and oh what a blessed reunion it was!

So although labor was lengthy by some standards, I cannot complain. I would do it all again. I feel so blessed. It's another (much needed) reminder how much God loves us and cares for every detail of our lives. I stressed and stressed about having a 9 lb baby, about being induced, about the possibility of a C-section...and my baby was 7lbs 7oz and oh-so-perfect in every way! Praise the Lord for His merciful kindness!

And especially for you, Dad (since Mom is here and you're holding the fort down at home)...more recent pictures from this morning...

Such a beautiful baby girl!

This mama is sooooo in love!

Hello, World!

Thank you for your patience with me (and this lovely Mexico internet) as it took me so long to post pictures! Some things just take a while!

Blessings!