New Baby Days!!

Esther Kathleen Simmons came into our world six weeks ago. She is beautiful, and perfect and her sisters are in love with her. Since August 14th, I haven’t done much of anything except hold her and smell her head. Because I know how fast the new baby days go by and there a lot hours in the day when our schedules demand I do other things in this now BIG family. So when it’s just us during the day, and the other three are in school –  I just sit, hold, smell, love and then wonder how the day went by so fast. 

She was born Friday, the first week the girls went back to school. The end of summer was tough, getting everyone ready for the new school year, nesting for the whole family’s sake trying to make all of this a smooth transition, and hoping Esther Kate came right when I wanted her to come. She was due Monday, August 17th. I was hoping for at least a few days to get “ready” after the girls went back to school. And enough time to recover after her birth, for after school activities to begin the third week of school.

On Wednesday I realized my sewing projects probably were not going to get accomplished for her room and I went to Homegoods to buy a few things instead. That night we hung freshly painted shelves in the nursery (which is really a second family room designed just to snuggle with baby). And about 11:30P.M I sat there in silence thinking, “OK baby you can come now.” The day before that we decided on her name and I think my husband and I both recognized, yes – this is really happening! I woke up Thursday morning having contractions and told my husband to be on call incase I needed him that day. Contractions came and went all day. I picked the girls up from school and my water broke as soon as I walked in the door. I made dinner plans for the girls, called a sitter to spend the night and packed a bag for the birth center. Because with the fourth you wait until your water breaks to pack a bag! Then everything slowed down and I went to bed wondering if I was wrong about my water breaking. But surely I know how this works by now. Right?

The next morning I dropped the girls off at school (because it’s the fourth) and then drove myself to the birth center to see if my water broke. Yes it did. Darn. Now my labor is on the clock. After holistic attempts with midwives, my uterus still refused to go into action. So long story short, Esther Kate was born in the hospital. She is my first baby not born in the water and not into the hands of midwives. My first was born in a hospital with a midwife. My second and third were born at the birth center. All of them were water births.

This time I had to have pitocin and finally, after several hours of that with no epidural, Miss Esther Kathleen made her way into our arms.  At the hospital I had a fabulous midwife loving (and friend of the birth center) labor nurse, plus my best friend who is a labor and delivery nurse at the birth center, and my husband who is an old pro at this birth thing. Together we created as natural of a birth as I could have had in the hospital, on pitocin, sneaking snacks and Mementoes candies into the labor and delivery room while I camped out on sitting my yoga bolster.

Esther Kate was born 32 hours after my water broke therefore we had to stay in the hospital for 36 hours to make sure there was no risk of infection. She was 9 pounds and 21 inches long!

We were welcomed home by a gaggle of girls yelling Esther’s name, with a cake, a party waiting and dinner on the counter for us delivered by a friend and her girls. 

I feel incredibly blessed. I don’t take a moment for granted. And sometimes I still can’t believe she is finally here. We finally have another baby in our arms.