Joy overflowing!

 On Sunday Kelsi called and told me that she was having more than braxton hicks. I took off around 9 pm - after Jeffrey came back from Andrew and Briona's place. He had a great scripture study with Andrew, Michael, and the Aarons, then gave Michael a blessing. Good Sabbath day.  I was lucky to have negligible traffic and arrived in Redding before midnight. 

Nate met me at the door and showed me where to sleep. He said Kelsi's contractions had slowed down and she was trying to sleep. But the next day around 2:30 pm they started in with vigor. By 3:30 we were on our way to the hospital. Kelsi had shaking in her hands and feet when the contractions would start. It looked to me like she was a little in shock - which can happen with pain.

Packed up and on the way

Kelsi was cold in her hands and feet but her body felt sweaty. Nate put his coat on her feet to help with the shivers. Once the epidural had been dripping for twenty minutes, she was fine.

Active Labor

Wow! What a miracle these drugs are. Kelsi looked calm and happy and only felt pressure but no pain.

Then came crunch time. She had to bear down and push that baby out. With Nate's help she did a great job. I felt very privileged that Kelsi let me be part of this miraculous birth. I had no idea all that was involved as I had always been on the other end.

The unnamed baby was born at 9:52 pm on November 28 weighing 7.9 lbs with a covered head of hair and was about 20 and a half inches long.

I was intrigued and amazed at how the procedures happen in the hospitals now.  The doctor taking the cord gently from the neck was not new, but the rest was. The baby is immediately put up on the mama's chest and a nurse for the baby comes over and suctions out her nose and mouth, while dropping a towel over the wet baby then wiping the baby down (and making her cry) until the baby turned pink. The baby nurse takes care of the cord and checks the hips, spine, toes and hands. The other nurse is checking vitals and fluids while the doctor is delivering the placenta and stitching up the rip. I have a vague impression of another woman but can't remember who she was or what she was doing.

We found out there were three babies arriving that night and Kelsi's baby was the first. The baby nurse had to rush to the next birth. Everyone else took their time making Kelsi comfortable and well.

Hello Baby Girl!

The staff left the new family to get acquainted and bond together before they even got the details of her birth. It was a good hour and a half before they weighed, measured and washed the baby. So different from the day where the baby was scooped away to another table and the mom watches from across the room while the doctors and nursed do their thing for both.

Approximately an hour after the baby was born, Nate held his little girl. There is a feeling of deep joy in my heart watching my child hold his new child.

Were you aware?

After I had gone home, Kelsi sent some other pictures. She sent her new baby's first bath picture - immersed! Maybe all babies first bath is immersed as the baby has been floating in water for so long, but it was a shock to see after all the cautions and advise I was given to "not get the cord wet." There is no nursery visit, all care is given in the mama's room, so maybe this is not a new thing.