She decided she'd been in long enough and wanted out early! But once labor started she must have changed her mind because it took her 36 hours to come out! My labor was long and the first 12 hours were just uncomfortable, not painful. The next 8 hours were PAINFUL. The remaining 16 were numb from an epidural but also painful when the epidural started to wear off. I had wanted to go without an epidural because I had some serious back issues after Caden but those contractions...man, getting an epidural is nice :) there's no reward for having a baby without meds. Either way, the outcome is the same: you end up with a beautiful baby.
Aside from being incredibly long, my labor and delivery was amazing. Caden's delivery was not amazing. It was scary. I was getting yelled at by the doctor that I wasn't trying. She kept threatening me with a c-section. She also got Caden stuck sideways in the birth canal. Another doctor came in and used the suction because three hours of me pushing wasn't working. The closer to the end of my pregnancy with Isla I got the more afraid I became. I expressed my fears but no one seemed to understand why I was so afraid. I mean, I'd already had one child, I knew what to expect. Why was I so scared? But I was terrified. Isla's birth ended up being wonderful. A midwife delivered her and she was so gentle, so sweet, soft spoken, she coached me through every contraction, she told me I was doing a great job. After not even 20 minutes of pushing I held my little girl for the first time.
After the first few pushes I started crying. Nathaniel asked me if it hurt too much but I wasn't crying from pain (even though it freaking hurt--but not nearly as bad as Caden's delivery). I was crying because I wasn't getting yelled at or made to feel like I was doing something wrong. I was crying because they were all so nice, the nurse (the older lady in the picture) was so sweet, the midwife was so so sweet. That's how birth should be. Not a scary experience. A wonderful experience.
Caden had spent the night at a good and trusted friend's house while we were on the hospital. My grandparents, who live in Clovis, were out of town and my parents hadn't made it here yet. They drove here from Tucson, about 9/10 hours away. Somehow my dad made it here in just 8 hours...I didn't ask how fast he was driving! haha
My parents picked him up in the morning and hung out with him until Isla arrived. Then they all headed up the hospital to meet her :)
We had a few visitors and that was so nice! After Caden was born a few good friends and Nathaniel's family stopped by but no one from Nathaniel's squadron, no one from my work, and no one from church. I think it's pretty awesome that the people we just met here are such wonderful people who really, truly care about others. They've even been bringing us meals! People I hardly know are using their time, money, and effort to make things easier and more comfortable for me. I can't express how much it means to me.
We got to come after staying one night. I was very happy to be back in my own bed :) my mom has been staying with is to help and I am so thankful for her!!! She's the best mommy ever :) Caden has been very sweet to Isla. He has been acting up a little bit though. He's still adjusting to his entire world being turned upside down so I'm trying my very best to remember that when he starts behaving like a wild animal. I've been spending some time in serious prayer that he transitions well and goes back to being my easy going, sweet little boy. My mom says he's doing really good for such a big change but she's Caden's Mimi, she has to say that! haha he also just turned two so maybe this is the dreaded "terrible twos". But don't think he's a rotten kid, he really is a good boy! And I love him so :)
Isla is doing wonderfully. She hasn't lost any weight and her height got adjusted. She was 21 and a quarter inches at her first appointment. She was all squished up inside of me and measured over an inch smaller at birth! She is an awesome eater too. I'm breastfeeding her and she just jumps right on and eats until she's milk drunk. Caden never did latch on but he did get breast milk in a bottle until ten months old. We bought a pump and by golly, I was going to use that pump! haha pumping just became normal after a while but once I really started pushing solids (around nine months) my supply began to dip and I gladly packed up the pump. But Isla has a good latch and she just eats to her hearts content. Now, just to make things clear, I have absolutely zero issues with feeding your child formula. I fed Caden formula once I stopped pumping. I also have zero issues with breastfeeding. However, I do have issues with mothers who become aggressive when you don't do things their way. Just because you breastfeed and see it as some kind of privilege doesn't make the formula feeding mom a bad mom. It doesn't make her selfish either. Just because you don't like breastfeeding and have chosen to use formula doesn't make the breastfeeding mom gross. The way I see it is that babies need to eat. So feed them. End of story. Anyways, I'll get off my soapbox and get back to pictures of my adorable kids...
Caden: happy! Isla: not so happy haha
Obviously I love my babies. They are such a huge part of my life and I don't know what I would do without them. Isla's only been here ten days and I can't believe that there was a time without her. I can't believe how much I love her. I didn't know that I could love another child the way that I love Caden. But my heart just burst when I held her and I knew that I loved them both. I'm so glad my girl is here.
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