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I originally started this entry back on Feb 2. It is now Feb 9. Right now, both kids are sleeping, but I can hear them stirring. Of course. I have a few minutes and hopefully I can get this finished and published. First of all, thank you to everyone who has sent the nice comments and e-mails. They were very nice to read and gave me the warm fuzzies. Then I was going to tell the birth story and what happened after. So if you don't want to hear about it, I suggest you skip this post. Emma's birth story. As my loyal readers will know, I had all this false labor. Well, it turned out that it wasn't so much false labor as it was prodromal labor. The first night I had it, I got all excited and could hardly sleep. I managed to sleep throughout the subsequent nights of it quite well. The labor pains were there, but very minimal, like really bad menstrual cramps. On Friday, Jan 20, I was finally stirred enough to go to the store and buy the last few things I needed for my postpartum recovery, as I was planning to give birth in the birthing center, and not the hospital. I needed lots of pads, pain relief, stool softeners, cool pads, cotton balls, etc. I managed to eat dinner that night, although my appetite had really gone by now, then went to bed. More labor pains, but I managed to sleep through them. At around 5am, sat morning I woke up to a very intense labor pain. I lay in bed for another hour or so, then they got uncomfortable, so I got up out of bed. They felt better if I was standing or walking around, so we did that. Martin was especially clingy that morning. I was able to eat a piece of dry toast and some tea. My contractions got stronger and more regular, so by 8am I finally called the midwives and they told me to come in. I took a long shower and we slowly made our way to the birthing center, we got there at 10am. We arrived there, unloaded our stuff, then I walked around the center for a bit. My contractions were getting quite strong by this point, and it was very uncomfortable for me to lay down, but I did need to sit down or lean against something for these. About an hour later I was back in the room, and the contractions started doubling up. This is a classic indicator of transition, but I was in denial. For my first, I was in labor for 25 hours, so I was really not expecting things to happen so quickly. Although at my appointment earlier that week I was already dilated to 3cm, and when I arrived at the birthing center I was at 6cm. I was uncomfortable enough at this point, I decided to get into the hot tub. It was heavenly. My contractions eased up a bit, and I was able to nap in between them. Then I woke up to a different type of contraction, I needed to PUSH! So I got out of the tub, back to the room. The midwife wanted to check me again, she said I was probably around 8cm, but everything was so soft and squishy I could be opening p during each contraction. I had more agonizing contractions that were basically on top of each other. I never did get back off the bed. I also lost track of time, but I reckon it was around 11:30-12:00 when I got out of the hot tub. I started pushing, and pushing. Emma was born at 1:01pm. Wow, was that quick or what! Her shoulder was in a weird position and she tore me a it on her way out, but I didn't need stitches for it so that was good. She was the easiest birth ever. It was quite painful, but it was so fast it wasn't that bad. So easy was the birth, in fact, I just knew that something was going to happen. She wouldn't breastfeed, or something... We hung out at the birthing center for the rest of the day, and we left around 10pm to go home. Everything was going well. She is the most perfect little thing ever created. You know, words can't even describe my feelings at that moment. It was very overwhelming. I had so much energy due to my short labor, all I wanted to do was get home. We eventually were released. What happened after. She had her first pediatrician visit on Monday. My milk was just coming in so she was a bit dehydrated, and a bit jaundiced. Due to some lack of communicator between us, our pediatrician, and Johns Hopkins Home Healthcare (for the Biliblanket), her bilirubin levels had shot up by Wednesday. We got a call from the doctor on wed night, saying we needed to take her to get admitted to the hospital. I cried and cried. I felt like it was all my fault. She was nursing well and she still had jaundice. I was exceptionally tired that day. All the running around to various appts was finally beginning (Emma woke up, now in my one arm, I still hope to finish this) to wear me out. I had a very long day on Tuesday, I wanted nothing more than some rest. (is now day three, third time is the charm?) So on Wednesday, I managed to get into the shower, then I knew we had to go to the lab to get Emma's levels tested, so we went there. I was exhausted so I just put on my pajamas, then the doctor called. Emma's bilirubin levels were very high so she needed to be admitted to the hospital so they could put her under the super lights. I was a bit freaked out. Would I be able to stay with her? I was as it turned out, and Jason also spent much of the night there as well. Well, we got to the emergency room. They immediately set about torturing my small daughter. (Awake again, she must hate this blog or something). So she needed an IV put in, poor thing. So they did that, and she was screaming her little head off. Ugh, so we go into her room, and she is under the lights. There is an very uncomfortable bed-contraption and a uncomfortable chair in the room. Jason and I pass a uncomfortable night. I am up every two hours nursing Emma, trying not to get entangled in her IV lines. The good news is that by mid-morning her levels have come down she she was released home with the Bili-blanket. What followed next was another week and a half of us wrapping her in the bili-blanket (which gave her horrible heat rash), and running to the lab every third day or so to get her levels re-tested. Of course they went back up, but not high enough for a trip back to the hospital. Even now as I type this, she is still pretty yellow. We had went back to the lab on Tuesday though, and her levels are now low enough we don't need to use the bili-blanket anymore. The end of the Jaundice saga. Sorry, but I would love to write more but she is starting to get fussy. Thanks again for the lovely comments.