Your due date was March 13th. I assumed you'd be late, like your sister Hattie was. I made such an effort to walk 2 miles at least twice a week to help my body prepare for labor. About three or four days before you were born I began to feel slight contractions; Which was so exciting! I remember calling your grandma Jensen and telling her to be ready to come, cause you'd be coming soon.
I was "nesting" even months before you were due and one thing I had decided to do was to paint our living room, which then turned into painting our entire downstairs. I began by washing all the walls and trimming the edges a little each day. Three days before you were born, on a Thursday, your (Jensen) Grandparents drove down and helped us complete the large task of painting. Friday we prepped the walls, purchased all the paint & tools, and moved all of our furniture to the middle of the room. Saturday we painted. I remember my contractions getting stronger throughout the day. By late afternoon, I was taking breaks from painting each time a contraction came. That night we were all wiped! I had given up painting much earlier than the rest due to the contractions. As I sat on the couch in the middle of the room and chatted while your grandma Jensen kept painting my contractions started coming on sooner and stronger. It was about 10pm. By 11 I was worried about how much longer I should wait.
Grandma Jensen had cleaned up and was about to head to bed when she suggested maybe we just wake up Chris and head over to the Hospital; so we did. We grabbed our hospital bag, some snacks, and off we went.
We got to the Maternity ward around 11:45pm Saturday night. We spoke with a doctor, had my vitals taken by the nurse and she suggested we take a walk around the halls to get things progressing. From 12:30am- 1:30am your dad and I walked the halls. As contractions came, I would stop and lean over a counter or hold onto a handrail on the wall, while dad rubbed my back, put pressure on my hips, gave me sips of water, and talked me through each one. It got to the point where my legs would be shaking and felt unstable, so we headed back to the triage room.
My nurse was on break so we had a new nurse. She checked my progress and said I hadn't changed from the first time (4cm). I couldn't believe it. I KNEW my body was progressing, I was showing and feeling every symptom of progressing labor.
I let my frustrations take control and unleash the pain that came to be unbearable at the time. I told your dad, through my clenched jaw to find the doctor immediately and to get me an epidural.
I had taken Bradley Birth classes with Hattie's pregnancy and had read through all the books and nutrition guides. I was coming into this labor expecting no epidural, but the pain this labor brought on was more than I could handle.
Chris came back with the doctor and he reassured me that I was doing better than I probably thought I was. But again, I had lost control of the pain. They took us back to a labor and delivery room & while we waited to be checked in and hooked up with all the preventative IV's I felt nauseous. I began repeating "I'm going not vomit, I'm going to vomit". I don't think they believed me. A nurse handed me a small kidney bean shaped bowl just in time... although it was too shallow to do anything but cause a splash
zone. I apologized repeatedly to both Chris and the nurse, who was plugging in information onto the computer beside the bed. She grabbed a towel, giggled as she wiped the equipment down & told me not to worry. She also took the sweetest photo of your dad and I leaning forward into one another as I tried to remain calm while waiting on that epidural. He was so calm and understanding of the messy situation we were all in. Those are the moments you find yourself falling in love with someone. The messy, stripped of all romance, times of need. It ironically turn into something sacred and full of love.
We both wonder how much sooner you would have been born if I were able to endure the contractions a bit more gracefully. haha. Vomit is a sure sign of the "transition stage" of labor which means delivery is right around the corner.
I finally got the epidural and called my sister Christine and Terry. Both who wanted to be there with us as we welcomed you into our arms. We still were anxiously waiting to know if you were a boy or a girl! Anyone and everyone with an opinion (the way I was carrying, the aura of my being, the pregnancy glow, etc) guessed that you were a boy & as much as I hate to admit it, I started to believe them.
I couldn't tell you the timing of things at this point, but I do know that we expected you a lot sooner than 6:25am, when you were born. The epidural worked a little too well to the point that I could not feel my legs. We all had a good laugh & then intermittently took naps through the few hours we waited for my body to be ready to deliver you.
I jokingly announced that this baby would be born before 6:30, and sure enough after about 7 minutes of pushing here you were. 6:25am. We held our breath to know who we were welcoming, and to all our surprise you were a GIRL! Our beautiful baby girl! We were all in awe about how big you were & so happy you were healthy. You were 9 pounds 13 ounces and 22.5 inches long.
We took some time naming you but kept coming back to the name Lilah. When your dad first wrote it on the hospital white board he spelled it "Lyla". I didn't love it. It didn't look the way it felt when said aloud. Lilah was much more fitting of the beauty of your name. Josie was another option, short for Josephine, which we decided would sound beautiful as your middle name.
I recently was told from someone from India that it translates to "The Loved One". It's so fitting with how much love you give to others by complimenting and hugging those that bring you joy. And in turn you are so loved by others <3
