thoughts on post-partum sleep

• My post-partum body is celebrating the fact that I once again have the option to sleep on my back! or my stomach! How liberating!
• A newborn eats every two to three hours. Ours is hungry. She eats every two hours. Even at night. And I'm the only one with the goods. You do the math.
• Despite the fact that I'm living in a state of interrupted sleep, the second time around isn't so bad. This time I knew what was coming. And I had made a few changes to my perspective on sleep. Instead of thinking that I'd be awakened every two hours, I actually started thinking about sleep as measured in smaller chunks of time. As in, two whole hours of sleep until I have to get up again, instead of thinking about an entire night of sleep. If I can get enough of those two hour chunks within 24 hours, who cares when they happen, right? This has made a world of difference. Instead of dreading the lonely and sleep deprived nights of when Miles was a newborn, this time I'm smarter about sleep, and staying positive about getting (or not getting) some rest.

moving up to pre-school

{pool attire chosen by Mr. Miles himself}

In June, our boy moved from the toddler classroom to the pre-school classroom at his school. The teachers said his transition was one of the smoothest they've seen. Along with the physical transition (to a new room with new friends and new teachers) came an explosion in his language/vocabulary, an increase in his activity (this little guy is MOVING constantly), a newfound sense of compassion for others, and his desire to show his independence. As part of the summer pre-school program, the children go on weekly walking field trips and bus field trips. Miles has taken "a big, huge, school bus" to a handful of the city parks, two theater productions, and an historic museum along the Mississippi River all as part of class field trips. I was a proud mama the day I saw a photo of Miles sitting on the school bus for the first time, lunch box on his lap and a big cheesy grin on his face. He has really blossomed in the new room. We can't wait to see how he continues to grow in that environment.

lydia's birth story

Here is Lydia's birth story.

{No worries, no overly graphic details included here}

The Birth of Lydia Wynne Martinez

Monday August 16, 2010

5:08 in the evening

6 lbs. 15 ounces 19 ½ inches

St. Joseph’s Hospital

St. Paul, Minnesota

Labor support: David and Mom

Saturday August 14th

Another hot day of a long, hot summer. My last day at work had been that Thursday and I was ready to be done with the pregnancy, ready to meet our baby girl. That day we took Miles to a train museum close to home. I started feeling contractions earlier in the day and noticed that they started increasing in frequency as the evening approached. I told David that I thought the baby would be coming soon. We sat out on the front steps that evening, watched Miles play in the front yard and chatted with neighbors. Contractions continued into the night.

Sunday August 15th

The heat finally breaks. Restless throughout the night, with more contractions. They seem stronger and more frequent in the morning so we make arrangements for Miles and Felix and head to the hospital thinking we’ll be checking-in for our stay. I remember the contractions slowing down a bit in the car ride over to the hospital. At check-in I feel good enough to carry on a conversation with the nurses on the way up to the maternity care center. If only I knew that I’d be making this same trip again the next day, but that it would be quite a different experience. We get into a room and midwife Melissa checks my cervix. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Not much happening. We go home. On the way we swing by Yasmin’s to pick up Miles and visit with family. Once we get home, we do some things around the house to prepare. We grill out for dinner. I am uncomfortable. I remember thinking that I’m just one of those unlucky people that has really long early labors. Things seem to be moving along slowly, just like they did when I was in labor with Miles.

Monday August 16th

It’s a beautiful day. Cooler, sunny and breezy. Perfect weather. David stays home from work. David and Miles go with me to my weekly prenatal appointment in the morning. Progress! 3 cm dilated, but contractions are still (although plenty painful) inconsistent and over 5 minutes apart. Midwife Melissa suggests taking a walk to kick things into gear. We drop Miles off at his school and go home to “enjoy” the day. We take a walk up to a nearby garden. It’s absolutely gorgeous outside. I stop every 5-10 minutes with each contraction. The 30 minute walk takes us over an hour. We sit down in the garden and watch the water flowing from the water sculpture. Felix lies down in the grass. The butterfly weed is in bloom and butterflies are everywhere. I remember feeling very peaceful.

Around 2:00pm things start to pick-up. Contractions are stronger, more frequent. I’m in pain. It’s a lot of work to get through them. I take a hot shower and call the midwife. We decide it’s time to go to the hospital (again). We meet Yasmin at Miles’ school on the way to the hospital to give her his things. How different this car ride is. I don’t remember much except how incredibly hot I felt, and how strongly I had to grip the car door during contractions. I think my eyes were closed for most of the ride. I was definitely entering “laborland”. At one point in between contractions, David asked if I was sleeping. I was trying to rest and relax between the intensity of the pain.

We arrive at the hospital and I look up only to see more butterflies near the flowers at the entrance of the hospital. I remember thinking about how beautiful they were and that maybe they were there on this significant day to welcome Lydia into the world. The trip up to the maternity care center was a whole different matter this time around. No talking, eyes closed, a few silent tears between contractions. We arrived at the hospital at 4:00 pm and within a few minutes we are in a room. I stand next to the bed, swaying, rocking and leaning on David with every contraction. My mom arrives. The midwife is in with another delivery. The nurse says I’m 5 cm dilated. It’s after 4pm. The pain is intense. Mom gets me a cold rag, offers cold water and David holds my hands through the contractions. I feel myself trying to relax, “to sleep”, in between pains. I don’t talk. It’s mostly quiet in the room. I can’t sit or lay down. I have to stand and move to make it through the pain. We had planned to have another water birth, so the nurse starts to fill the tub. The tub isn’t ready for me until about 4:45pm. Midwife Jess comes in around that time and I tell her that I have the urge to push. Jess says I’m 9 cm (just 30 minutes after the last check at 5 cm) and I remember feeling ecstatic! For me, the pushing is the easiest part, the most gratifying, and the least painful part of the process. I give a smile and ask if I can finally get in the tub. We leave my room and walk 5 feet down the hall to the birthing tub. Once we get there, there’s no stool for me to use to climb into the tub, so we make do with a small table. I make a deep lunge to get into the tub, but I’m energized, and ready to get in no matter how that happens. Maybe it was that acrobatic move on my part, but once I’m in the tub, I start my next contraction, only this time, my body tells me to push. The midwife and nurse returned to the other room to grab some things and by the time they get back, baby’s head is out! What a terrifying and exhilarating feeling to have birthed your own baby’s head without any medical people in the room.

I wish this was the part where I could say that I embraced this moment, that I was very brave and trusted completely in my body to do everything it needed to do, but I can’t honestly say that. There was part of me that was terrified that I was pushing this baby out without any control over what was happening and worried that the midwife wasn’t there to help. But my body knew what it was doing and in hindsight, I’m sure there is something I can take from feeling that way at that moment.

The midwife returned a few seconds later to help with the shoulders and deliver the rest of the baby, no trace of worry on her face. Two major pushes and just like that, baby was born. She arrived after about 5 minutes in the tub and just one hour after we arrived at the hospital. Baby needed a little bit of rubbing to get her going, but I soon had her in my arms and we stayed that way for the next hour or so.

Happy birth day, Lydia Wynne! It was a beautiful, natural birth and we couldn't be more excited to have you join our family.

she's here

Introducing

Lydia Wynne

Born August 16, 2010, 5:08 p.m.

6 lbs 15 oz

19.5 inches long

Happy baby girl!

{Working on the birth story and will share once it's done}

blessingway

A blessingway is a special ceremony designed to acknowledge, honor, and celebrate a woman’s journey into motherhood. Different from a baby shower, a blessingway’s main goal is to provide a loving place where an expectant mother can explore the challenges and joys that lie before her as she approaches childbirth and motherhood. Surrounded by the most important women in her life, she will gain a sense of power, confidence, and support through meaningful rituals that will help her before, during, and after the birth of her child.

Labor Necklace

Belly Henna

This past weekend was definitely mama-to-be focused! We held my blessingway, which was just lovely. So much positive energy from family and friends who brought blessings and stories to share. The food was so yummy - an array of salads and sandwiches with fresh vegatables and other local ingredients. My grandmother who lives in Virginia even flew in to Minnesota to surprise me! The highlight was the beading of the labor necklace, where everyone sat in a circle, and as they strung a bead onto the necklace, shared with me a blessing or wish that they had for me, the baby and our family. What an awesome way to start this new journey.

The next day, my mom and family friend Karen joined me as a henna artist painted a design on my belly. She did an amazing job, especially since it's all free hand. I love the little feet - such detail! This temporary "tattoo" will last 2-3 weeks, maybe even up until the birth. Adds a little beauty to what is starting to feel like a giant bowling ball of a belly.

Only a few weeks left (or less) until baby arrives. I am so ready to meet our new little one and start this new phase as a family of four.