The Aquila Homestead: 1 Week

Hard to believe that exactly 1 week ago, February 10th at 9:10am, this little lady made her way into this world. We arrived at the hospital at 4:30am as contractions were about 5 minutes apart lasting approximately a minute to a minute and a half. My water hadn't broken yet and after being checked we found out I was already 8cm dilated. Little Miss Violet had decided that she would head down towards the birth canal with the boney back of her head against my spine. This meant the next four hours of labor were quite painful as she moved lower and lower into my pelvis.

By 8am I was fully dilated and the decision was made to break my water to get the pushing started. My water was broken at 8:30 and 40 minutes later we had our baby girl. Thinking back I am still completely amazed how uncontrollable the urge to push was and just how much relief there was when she finally made her way into this world. I am impressed by the midwife and student midwife who attended our birth - they were compassionate, knowledgeable and great instructors in coaching the labor. I am also so grateful that I was able to deliver at a Birthing Center where I had a lot of say and choice in how the labor would go. I attribute Violet's alertness from the beginning to the fact that we had a successful natural birth.

This man was my hero. He provided reverse pressure on my back and watched as the area that needed attention slowly moved down my spine - following the movement of the baby. When I would shout "not there, here!" and indicate that his fingers were a mere 1/4 of an inch off - he adjusted. When I politely shouted "would you please stop sniffling in my ear and go blow your nose!" he walked to the bathroom and blew his nose. When he would tell me I was doing "Good" and I responded with, "Nothing about this is good!" he started telling me I was doing amazing. And from the second Violet was born he has been the best Dad to our little girl.

We could not have made it through the last week without the support of my parents. My mom was here for the entire labor and delivery. My Dad arrived Sunday evening. Thanks to the two of them Marc, Violet and myself have been able to focus on sleeping, eating and figuring out a routine for our family of three. My parents have cleaned the house, made sure laundry is getting done, grocery shopped, made sure meals are on the table three times a day and so much more. Marc and I are so appreciative that they've been here during this transition.

Marc and I were very happy to be home on Tuesday afternoon. It's still a little strange to look over and see this little human that is ours but we are both loving being parents. So far Violet seems to be settling well into being at home. Just like any infant she spends lots of time eating, pooping and sleeping. The difference between the beginning of this week and now is that Marc and I are beginning to understand her needs. Not to jinx it but so far we have been really lucky with the amount that she sleeps at night. Marc and I are clocking about 5-8 hours of sleep per night and then napping a little during the day. It continues to amaze me how each day is better then the one before.