Here She Comes

Carolyn Frances Thielen is finally here! She is so beautiful...but then again I'm very biased.

This all happened very differently than Luke. Luke came early, but very stubbornly. Which of course is his personality; always rushing, but under his own terms. Carolyn came two days after my due date through induction, but she came as smoothly as any birth could. This too, is her personality; calm and easy going, but not without making a statement first.

We dropped Luke off at Patti & Chris's house Monday night after spending a whole day together as our last day of a family of three. We did whatever Luke wanted to do and even took him to EnterTRAINment junction. I had never been away from Luke for more than a day so I felt sentimental. I tried to go to bed early, because we needed to leave for the hosiptal by 2:30a.m.. I laid awake thinking about how different we would be as a family and many questions entered my thoughts. How would Luke adjust to this new little girl? Would she be an easy baby, or more difficult than Luke? How long would this labor take? Will I need a C-Section? With all these thoughts running through my head I realized how calm I was about how I was about to add a NEW baby and I wasn't nervous a bit about how I would be with this new little girl. After doing it once already, I felt unreasonably calm and assured that I had this under control. After realizing, "I got this" I fell fast asleep...for about 2 hours.

We got up, called the hospital to make sure they were running on time, packed the car and left. That drive was much different than for Luke because I wasn't in pain at all. I was pretty excited because on Friday at my Dr. appointment they told me I was effaced and almost 2/3cm. Well, after we got checked in and they checked me, and then ANOTHER nurse comes in to check me because the first isn't sure, they tell me I'm very anterior, SOFT, but not completely thinned and just 1 cm. They said they needed to have an ultrasound to make sure the baby was actually head down because they couldn't tell she was so high. Geesh...not starting off too well.

So they decide to proceed after a positive ultrasound for said baby's head. They begin the Pitocin and I begin to feel contractions, but they are very bearable. I decide to get some rest. Rest for a bit, walk the halls for a bit, contractions are progressing and actually so is my cervix! Then they decide to break my water to see if it will make anything progress more. It's about 3 cm before I really begin to feel anything. They tell me I can have an epidural at any moment, I just need to ask for it. I decided I wanted to make sure I was good and on my way to active labor before getting one and deicde to wait it out till I can't bear it anymore.

They send in a lady whom is conducting a survey to see if baby's regulate their body temperature just as well sleeping on their mother as they do in a warming blanket/lamp. They call it the Kangaroo method. I decide to participate in the study since this is what I was preferring anyway and this was about 12 0'clock in the afternoon and Jess is also visiting. As I am answering questions about the survey I realize I am starting to rapidly feel very uncomfortable and am having a hard time talking through the contractions now. I decide to walk the halls more and then have the nurse check me again. So I walk and I have a hard time making it around the loop of the labor and delivery ward. I come back to the room, decide I have reached my pain threshold and ask for an epidural and to be checked. I am about 5 cm and the epidural is very fast coming. My body responds to the epidural very well again (as it did with Luke).

@12:45 the nurse checks me and I'm about 7 cm. A little later Emma shows up with lunch for Tim and I am STARVING!!!! I'm very comfortable now since the epidural and we are just talking away. I remember the nurse saying something like, "Well, if you begin to feel anything let me know." I realize as I'm talking to Emma about how hungry I am that I feel like I need to pass gas or use the bathroom. The the connections happen in the brain and I realize that MAYBE I should ask the nurse to check me. My nurse is of course busy, but I say I feel a lot of pressure and they send in another nurse. It's about 1:45 when she arrives she immediately says, "OKAY, so don't sneeze or breathe too hard because you are at 10 and the baby's head is right there.

@2:00 I began pushing with the nurses and the doctor makes it in. @2:16 Carolyn arrives! It was as smooth as could be and I had another fabulous epidural. My legs were mobile, but I couldn't feel any pain. AAAAAAWESOOOOME!!! The doctor states that this is one of her busiest days of her career with Carolyn's birth being the 7th of the day and it's only halfway over.

I get to hold Carolyn for 2 hours all to myself because of the Kangaroo study. She's been a cuddly baby ever since. That day was so exciting and A LOT less tiring than the first. She was just beautiful at 8lbs. 3 oz. and looked a lot like Luke. She had a full head of dark hair, that immediately turned blonde. I love my little Luke, but I also love this new little girl of mine.

All worries seemed to subside as I hold this beautiful baby. I am now a Mom of 2 before the age of 30 and I feel like nothing can stop me. I can remember Tim and I actually being bored in the hospital this time and with Luke I felt like every moment was consumed by something. It is so different this time!

Carolyn does so well in the hospital and also does very well nursing right from the get-go. She is so cuddly and did I mention beautiful?!?! What a precious gift God has given us! Here are some pics from her arrival.