Nola's Birthday

Labor & Delivery Summary...

I was induced for labor at 6:00 on Wednesday morning. Rudy was by my side and my mom was in the delivery room when Nola Mae Villines was born at 1:24 PM on January 27, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs, 12 ozs and measured 21 inches long. She had a head full of dark hair.

More of the story...

Originally, Mom said she absolutely did not want to be in the delivery room. She wasn't sure she could handle seeing me in so much pain and not being able to help me. As the morning went on, she began to change her mind about staying. After lunch, she decided that she thought she could handle it and wanted to be there when Nola was born. When it was all said and done, she was glad that she did. She didn't want to watch the actual delivery, but was there to support me and to hear Nola's first cries.

Jan arrived at the hospital as I was delivering Nola. She waited in the waiting room until the medical procedures were finished and we were ready for her to come in, and then she joined us in the delivery room. Mr. L. got there right after that and joined us as well.

Rudy did a great job taking pictures after delivery. We all laughed at ourselves as the next several minutes were spent sending texts and taking pictures on cameras and camera phones. Modern technology in the delivery room. Everybody had a phone in their hands - sharing the good news with someone who cares about our new addition to the family.

Just a little over 45 minutes after Nola was born, she was taken to the nursery for more procedures. There were some routine things to do and we were told that she needed to be checked out closely because her cries had a wet quality to them due to her quick delivery not giving her time to get the amniotic fluid out of her airways.

After Nola was taken to the nursery, I was moved to a postpartum room for the night. We got settled into the new room and waited for Nola to be brought back to us. It took what seemed like an eternity. She was gone for about 2 hours. I was told that it took so long because there were so many babies in the nursery and the nurses had a shift change while she was in there.

Caleb meets Nola for the first time...

Rudy and Mr. L. went to get Caleb from daycare at about 4:15. We decided that we wanted to video his first reaction to her, so when they got back, Mr. L. stayed in the hallway with him and Rudy came in the room to get the camera ready. Mom took pictures with her camera and Rudy shot video, so we got both mediums.

Caleb entered the room very cautiously, as he usually does in new situations. He smiled with excitement, but wasn't quite sure what to do. I encouraged him to come around to the bed to see me. He did and seemed a little worried about me being in the hospital bed. I still had an IV in my hand and that distracted him some. I assured him that it was okay - just for medicine. He gradually became more curious about Nola and finally got close enough to the bed to see her. I invited him to sit by me and he did. He didn't touch her until I told him it was okay. After a few minutes, he got down and stood behind Rudy's leg, peering around at Nola in my arms. He was quiet and reserved - a side we only see when Caleb is unsure of a situation. I knew it was time to entice him and let him know that it was all going to be okay. I told him that Nola had brought him a present. His eyes got big and he grinned ear to ear. I told him that she knew that lots of people would be taking pictures when she was born and she wanted him to be able to take pictures too. We gave Caleb his kid-tough digital camera "from Nola" and that's when he started to come out of his shell. I showed him how to hold it and take pictures. He took several pictures of Mr. L. and Rudy and then decided he would take some of Nola.

He took pictures of her face and her hands. I asked him if he would like to see how tiny her feet are and he giggled. I unwrapped her blanket and he touched and took pictures of her feet. He finally got comfortable with her and told me, "I like her knees." I'm not sure why he chose her knees as his favorite part, but I love that he was so sweet about it. He touched her so softly and looked at her and then decided that he liked her knees. That's my Caleb.

Mom and Mr. L. took Caleb out for pizza and then came back to the hospital to say goodnight. Caleb was much more at ease after dinner and took lots more pictures of Nola. I can't wait to get those on my computer to see just what they look like! We had to remind him several times not to take pictures so close to her because the flash would hurt her eyes.

After a while, it was time for Mom and Mr. L.. to Caleb home for the night. He gave Rudy and I a kiss and then gently kissed Nola on the forehead. He was a little worried about leaving us, but was fine once he realized that Rudy would be home later.

Our first visitors...

Rudy stayed at the hospital with Nola and me until Leslie got there and then he could hardly keep his eyes open, so he went home for a good night's sleep. Les was thrilled to get a chance to feed Nola a bottle. She and I visited for a while, then Stacy joined us and we all shared our labor stories - as moms do in situations like this. After Les headed home, Stacy stayed a while longer and kept me company until about 9:15. It was so sweet of my friends to come and share a little bit of our wonderful day with us.

Just me and my girl...

After Stacy left, I had some time to spend with Nola on my own for the first time. I talked to her and changed her diaper. I took some pictures of her as she slept and then turned the lights off in the room and just held her for about 30 minutes. Those peaceful moments alone with her were priceless.

The end of a very long day...

Shortly after 10:00, the infant nurse came in to check on us and I decided it was time to send Nola to the nursery for the night. I had the option of keeping her in the room, but decided against it since it is still so difficult for me to get in and out of bed to take care of her. Plus - I really needed to get some sleep. I had slept for 3 hours at the most the night before, then delivered a baby. I was nearly exhausted and my mind was racing. I kissed my girl goodnight and sent her off in capable hands to be cared for overnight. I put on my pajamas, brushed my teeth and got ready for bed. A few minutes later, my nurse came in to check on me and I asked for something to help me sleep. I knew I would need something to calm me down. She brought me an ambien and I had to take it in her presence. When she left, I tried to work on uploading pictures but quickly found myself waking up from sleep. I turned off the computer and called it a night.