Those lazy, hazy, newborn days.. there’s nothing like them.

Knowing that this is my last time in the newborn phase, has me feeling a bit more nostalgic.  The snuggles feel sweeter, the night time feeds don’t feel as daunting… it all feels much more precious.

It doesn’t hurt that so far Nora Mae has been a dreamboat of a baby.

I’m writing this a week in and laughing about just how sweet she is.  Not that our other kids weren’t (hi, all my babies were), but they were nowhere near as chill as this gal is.  She eats, she sleeps, and really only fusses when she’s getting changed and cold.  Nora is the ultimate definition of a trick baby!

I wanted to catalogue a few thoughts in these early days before life gets busy to celebrate our last little babe… and answer the questions we get asked about this gal!

Nora Mae Swann was born at exactly 6am on March 17th.  She was 8lbs 6ozs & 21 1/4” long.  As our friend pointed out, she’s our lucky fourth clover leaf ;)

Because all of my children are almost exactly the same size when they’re born, I guessed her weight and was only off by an ounce.  The nurse who asked me was shocked! Haha.

This is where my intuition stopped however, because it was Morgan who guessed her birthday correctly.  (Much to my dismay!  It’s a cardinal sin to wish your wife would be LATE to deliver on her fourth kid.  Don’t worry, I made sure to let him know about that.)

He keeps a note in his phone of the kids birthdays for quick access at doctor’s appointments, etc.  When he went to put Nora’s in, he didn’t even have to change it, because he’d already logged it based off his guess.  How rude! ;)

How are the big kids adjusting?

So far they are just the perfect little loves to her.  The bigs want to hold Nora and give her a kiss before bed.  They’ve all been so gentle.  Their excitement about Nora joining our family feels pretty special.  Morgan and I have always talked about having four kids in our family, and we keep reminding each other that this is a dream we had.

It’s one that is coming to life right before our eyes.

Mom of four — postpartum / newborn essentials?

A husband who will tend to the big kids and make you egg sandwiches in the morning so you can sleep in ;)

Really, just take whatever they give you at the hospital and the rest you’ll figure out!  My philosophy is always less is more.  You basically just need diapers (lots!), a haaka, a swaddle, and a sound machine.

How was this pregnancy compared to your others?

This one was definitely the least comfortable for me.  I end up getting a weird condition that causes some constant pelvis pain that is further exasperated by certain movements.  I did some PT to help this time which was so nice and gave me more time without the pain, but still pretty uncomfortable when it finally arrived.  I also had some prodromal labor with Nora for about a week on and off that messed with my head a bit.  11/10 do not recommend!

Any pregnancy cravings this go around?

• a very specific bagel sandwich from Panera that was doctored to my specifications, lol
• black and white cookies
• Vanilla donuts from Weis market sans sprinkles ;)

How was the birth?

I’m mostly writing this down for me before I forget.. because it was honestly a wild one.  Please skip on past if this stuff is not your thing. 

However, Morgan has currently given Nora the nickname “Storm,” if that gives you any indication of things went, lol.

As I mentioned, I had prodromal labor for almost a week before Nora arrived.  The Wednesday beforehand, I had painful contractions that were 6-8 minutes apart for about 3 hours… and then they just stopped.  I’d get a few bouts of painful contractions every day after that, too, so I was getting pretty frustrated.  I felt out of touch with my body and like I didn’t know what was happening.

(Which, hello, I’ve done this three times already, shouldn’t I know!? <— the thought that kept repeating in my brain while I waited for actual labor to kick in).

Then March 16th rolled around, which included some crazy weather.  Meteorologists were calling for extreme storms and potential tornados.  It was about that time when I felt a pop, and thought my water might have broken.  I wasn’t positive because of said pelvis issue, lol, and again, felt all out of sorts with my body this point.

At any rate, we went to the hospital just to be on the safe side and when we got checked out it hadn’t broken, but, I was having consistent contractions every 2-3 minutes, they just hadn’t picked up in intensity yet. I also was most of the way effaced but not really dilating.

If I haven’t made it clear, I was mad at this point. Mad at my body, mad that I was leaving without having a baby, etc. But the midwife at triage encouraged us to go for a walk to see how things progressed versus driving all the way home. In two hours, she wanted to see if things were getting any more intense.

So, she handed me a map of the hospital that had a “labor walk” and in my frustration I crumpled it and grumped.  Instead we walked the Towson Town mall and decided to get some cake from the Cheesecake Factory.  As we did, my contractions did start to kick up intensity wise, so I decided we should also eat some “real” food lol.

Obviously, we ordered apps to-go on our way back to the hospital.

(My friend Jess told me that I win a labor award merely for the amount of time I spent of it at the Cheesecake Factory during its duration, lol.)

At any rate, we went back and got checked by another midwife.  She again confirmed the timing of my contractions and that the intensity was picking up for sure. I was also fully effaced and dilating more, but not enough to actually be considered active labor.  If they decided to admit me they’d probably give me some pitocin and help induce.

Well, in my very practical headspace, I told her that, no, I’d probably just head home, try and sleep in my own bed, and come back in the morning.

It was at that point that she got veryyyy nervous.

She was calculating the time it takes to get home & back, that this is my fourth child, and the timing of my contractions.  The midwife asked if we would consider getting a hotel nearby just in case, lol.

At this point, it was 8:30pm and we decided to just walk around a bit longer to see what happened.  I was nervous that the contractions were just going to stop again, but considering the weather and all the other factors, we figured staying close by would be a wise choice.

.. so I was forced to ask for the dumb labor walk map again, since I had disregarded the one I was given earlier, lol.  (Clearly, I wasn’t feeling at all dramatic about this whole experience.)

We walked the hospital until about 10pm and when we got checked again, I was finally in active labor and they were admitting me! Thank goodness.

Morgan was a champ through all of this.  He was so supportive of all my feelings and it was an inadvertent last little date night before Nora arrived.  That night gave a pretty strong case for life being way more fun when you’re married to your best friend.

Alas, I labored on my own until about 2am and then asked for an epidural.  I was entering transition and had a serious case of the shakes.  It’s a fun little challenge when you’re supposed to stay still, haha.  As it did with Quinn, the epidural took some time and adjusting to work completely.

Around 3am, I  was finally comfortable enough to get a little bit of sleep.  I rested until about 4:30 when the nurse let me know that I needed to shift positions, since Nora was having some slight heart deceleration with the contractions.  So I shifted.  Then again at 5.  Then right before 6, the plan was to come break my water and check my dilation.

At this point, I was super tired and resting after a long night.  When the nurse came in, I was feeling some pressure, but was a bit groggy and out of it.

The midwife went to check me and all of a sudden I heard “You better wake him!!!” talking about Morgan.  He woke up to Nora’s head already out and then my body just did it all on its own, because she was here with me barely even knowing it.  Apparently there’s a reflex where your body will just take over during labor, and mine had done just that.

After all that trickery, she came into the world by storm, that’s for sure.

Perhaps her calm persona is making up for her entrance!? Only time will tell.

 

In case you can’t tell, we’re all pretty smitten with our latest addition.  Nora Mae, welcome to the world.  We cannot wait to see who you become!! xx