Clara Lillian

Saturday, January 2, 2010 Braeden had a hockey game at home. My parents were in attendance and after they left. I told Brad that I needed to go to bed as I wasn't feeling so hot. I, also, told him that I'd be surprised if we made it to our scheduled Dr. appt. on Monday the 4th. I woke up at about 12:30 am and decided to go to downstairs to see if the contractions I was having were the real deal. At about 1 am I decided to hop in the bathtub. This activity woke up Brad who immediately started timing my contractions. The were already 5 min. apart. We called our neigbor Mike over to stay with the kids and headed out to the hospital. The temp. gauge on the car themometer read -24 degrees. On the way there I told Brad I didn't why I was thinking I could give birth naturally. My contractions were coming fast and furious.

When I arrived around between 2:30 and 3:00 am I was dilated 4 cm. They tried called my Dr. only to discover she was in cities and would not make the birth. We then had them called in the boys' family Doctor, Dr. Jason. It was an entire long hour before the anesthesiologist and Dr. arrived. I opted to go with an interthecial for pain and was an 8 when I got that sometime between 4 and 5. My labor, as always, stalled out once I was fully dilated. The entire staff in the room couldn't believe it would happen this time, but it did. So, pitocin was given.

I, then, pushed for a really long hour only to break many blood vessels in my face and eyes. I was faced with the option of vacuum or c-section, as baby's heart rate was too high for too long. We opted for the vacuum. Dr. Jason said he would put the vacuum on baby's head 3 times and if it popped off I would need a c-section. It took one try and some very painful pushing (due to the vacuum).
Everyone in the room exclaimed, "That's why!" She was sunny side up.

Dr. Jason said, "What is it Dad? (I was clueless)" Brad said, "It's a girl!" She was born at 6:31 am on January 3, 2010.

Clara, moments after being born.

Clara weighed 7 lbs 2 ounces. Everyone in the room figured she would be bigger than that.

Notice the vial of fluid they sucked out of her lungs. Because of this they had to wisk her away to the nursery to do a chest x-ray and place her on oxygen.

Me kissing her goodbye before they took her to the nursery.

Clara in the isolette with oxygen and humidity.

Me holding her for the first time. We still didn't have her named at this point. We decided we would go with a family name for her. Clara...named after great-grandma's and Lillian my Granny Hinckley's middle name.

Once she was able to come out of oxygen they finished her measurements. She was 20 inches long.

Clara gets her first sponge bath in the nursery.