OUR LITTLE PERSON

Annabelle Lee Ellis

June 4, 2010

9:42 a.m.

7 lbs., 1 oz.

A week ago today, we welcomed our little person, Annabelle Lee to the world.  For seven days we have been keeping busy getting to know each other and have been in a constant state of amazement that we were able to create such a tiny, perfect little being. Everyone says you can't imagine how much you can love, until you have a child of your own, and now I know what they are talking about.   I can spend hours studying her little face, crinkly feet and tiny hands.  I treasure each little coo, sigh, stretch and funny face - so far she has mastered the poo-poo face, the barracuda, the drunken sailor and the pirate.  These looks are mixed with wide-eyed gazes, grimaces, and what looks like smiles.  We feel so lucky to have this perfectly healthy little gift from God in our lives.

Annabelle Lee is named after her Aunt Adrienne Lee, who she can't wait to meet.  Uncle Jamie actually thought of the name and Nate and I both loved it too.  Anabelle Lee also happens to be the name of a sad but beautiful love poem written by Edgar Allen Poe.

So how she came to be...
Following the long Memorial Day weekend, I spent Tuesday and Wednesday getting ready for the arrival of our girl as well as the arrival of the grandmas.  My mom arrived on Thursday night, and on Friday morning we kicked things off with a long walk down by the river.  It was on the walk that I felt some really strong cramping/contractions.  Nothing unbearable, but enough to slow me down to take deep breaths.  Following the walk we headed uptown for lunch in Bryant Park and my doctor's appointment.  At my appointment the doctor said that my cervix was soft and the head was far down, but there were no signs of dialation and to make another appointment for the following Thursday.  Not four hours later, I was about to run out to the Duane Reade to pick up a prescription when my water broke.  Oh wow...go time.  Not 10 minutes later Nathan walked in the door from work, and we received a text that Diane had landed and was headed over from JFK.  Perfect timing.  I called the doctor's office and was happy to hear that one of my favorite doctors in the practice was on call.  She said that most people go into labor on their own after their water breaks, but if I didn't, then to head to hospital by 3:00 am.

The four of us made a nice pasta dinner and turned on the Laker's to pass the time.  In about the second quarter of the game I was having some pretty intense contractions and retreated to the bedroom to focus and due the exercises we learned in labor and delivery class.  At about 1:30 when my contractions were 3 minutes apart, we decided it was time to get to the hospital.  We grabbed our hospital bag - packed with all the things they tell you to bring (of which we used almost zero), and hailed a cab.  Nate made sure the taxi drove safe and sound, while I tried to deal with my agonizing pain.  We entered the hospital through the ER and headed to the Labor and Delivery Triage.  At St. Luke's Roosevelt they send you to Triage first, to check out your vitals and see how far along you are before assigning you to a labor and delivery room.  Triage is composed of about 8 curtained off tiny rooms that are dark, feel dirty and really lack any privacy at all.  Unfortunately for us, the staff said it was the most busy night they had had in years and there were no labor and delivery rooms available.  Even the Triage waiting room was packed with very calm looking couples sitting pretty.  Me - I was not so pretty - I was doubled over in pain, leaning on anything possible to support myself, bracing as each contraction waved through my body.  That was when I felt a wave a nausea coming on.  "I am going to throw up!" They quickly ushered me to the back in search of pan for me to use.  Unfortunately they were not quick enough, I ended up loosing my cookies all over a clean pile of gowns, my own feet and the charge nurse's legs.  Yikes.  So sorry!  I guess that is one tactic that works if you want to get a bed, at least in Triage.  They put us in the way back corner where they hooked me up to the heart monitors and I continued to labor.  When they checked me, I was three centimeters dilated.  They asked me if I wanted the epidural, and going against my labor strategy - I DID!  This was at around 2:00 am.  The staff did not so much as come back and check on us again until 6:00 am.  I was furious - where were the nurses?  had they called my doctor? why couldn't I get a delivery room?  was I next in line for a room? where was the anesthesiologist?  I kept sending Nate out to check and to be the squeaky wheel while I dealt with the contractions tearing through my body.  At 6:00 am, the staff had a shift change and new charge nurse came in at Nate's insistence that we had been there since 1:00 am, with false promises of an epidural, a room, or even a nurse!  She checked me and reported that I was 7 cm and was next up for a room.  At last!  They wheeled me away to the nicely decorated labor rooms that we had seen on our hospital tour (mind you, they never show you Triage or tell you that you may be stuck there for the majority of your labor, with only your husband to look after you - mind you he was a great support and I am forever thankful for him).

Once in the Labor room we were greeted by not only daylight (to my surprise, the sun had risen) and a very nice nurse who assured me my epidural was on the way (I had heard that before!).  Sure enough, she was good to her word and not five minutes later the anesthesiologist arrived with his cart of feel-good meds.  As soon as he did what he needed to do, I went from Beast of Burden to what may have even been recognizable as the woman Nathan married.  I was able to talk again, breathe again, smile, even joke with the doctor.  Comparatively, I was in bliss.  Warm and tingly.  My doctor told me to rest and she would be back in an hour for us to have this baby girl. Nate and I both fell asleep until she returned in her full delivery gear.  She was so super supportive and coached me through each push with the help of Nathan and the nurse.  Just thirty minutes later, we witnessed the miracle of baby Annabelle's arrival, screaming and covered in green poo.  She was placed on my chest and we had our very first moments together as a family.  They cleaned her up, weighed her, and let us enjoy her fresh life on earth.

An hour later, my mom came in to meet little Annabelle.  She accompanied me to the recovery room (of which we had to wait in the hall for as well, until a patient was discharged because, yup, you guessed it, they were all full!)  Nate accompanied Annabelle to the nursery for her thorough cleaning and tests.  The grandmas and Nate hung out until the late evening hours when they had to leave.  Annabelle and I had a solo sleepover where we learned the basics: breast-feeding (way harder than I thought it would be), changing diapers and swaddling.  This repeated through out the night and has not stopped since:  feed, change, swaddle, repeat.  By 1:00 pm I had had enough of the hospital, my roommate (more on that later), and the recovery room facilities.  My doctor said if I did not want to stay another night I didn't have to, so we decided to book it out of there.  We packed our bags with our new essentials, and were discharged.

The week has flown by, as I am sure time will continue to do through out Annabelle's life.  My mom and Diane were such a tremendous help through the week; cooking delish healthy meals, doing the dishes, playing with Annabelle and just being there to offer their love and support.  We can't thank them enough and miss them already.

Looking back the whole birth experience seems surreal.  Did that really all happen to me? to us?!?  I am still amazed.  I am healing very quickly, though am incredibly emotional.  A song will come on the ipod, or I will see Nathan holding her and I start crying because I am so happy (or incredibly hormonal).  I have already had my first tear-filled call to the pediatrician, because I was worried our girl was sleeping too much and not eating enough, though I think she is okay now.  In general life is beautiful and I am so happy to be the mom of Annabelle.  Can't wait for everyone to meet the newest Ellis.