(Linda weighing Damian.)
Thank you so much for all your beautiful comments! I have a few minutes so I decided to drop by blog land for a bit and let you all know how everything is going.
Damian Michael Stewart was born on June 6th at 10:15pm and as you know, he is 8lbs8oz and 21 inches long. He is sooo perfect (I am sure every new mother says that) and came out screaming! (And has hardly screamed since, hehe!)
He was my first and labor was like nothing I expecting (I am sure that new mothers say that too…) Labor lasted 18.5 hours. We were at the birth center with my midwife for 7.5 of them. We ended up artificially breaking my water almost exactly an hour before Damian was born. I went through transition and pushed him out all in that time, it was very intense.
Michael was sooo wonderful, he was basically pushing on my back the whole time, when I was in bed, on the birthing ball, in the tub, when I was pushing… I didn’t know he had that kind of stamina (he told me that he was telling himself “if she can keep doing it, then I can keep doing this.”) I am amazed my body could do it all naturally, there was a couple times I thought I couldn’t do it but they were brief. I don’t think I couldn’t have done it without Michael’s constant support and encouragment, and Kim’s too! (My mother-in-law attended the birth, I somehow managed not to crush her hand.)
I tore a little (no stitches) so peeing really sucks right now. Breastfeeding is getting a little easier, I have to use nipple shields (I think that is what they are called) because I have flat nipples. I got a hickey on my nipple the first time we tried though (OW!)
We came home a couple hours after he was born (we are only 20 minutes from the birth center.) The midwife is coming over to check me and the baby tomorrow. I going to write a more detailed birth story sometime soon but for now I need some more naptime (and I think the baby needs some boobtime!)
(More photos here. None with me, I am not ready for my post-pregnancy photo debut quite yet.)
I keep getting struck by awe, we have a baby boy!
If you have any breastfeeding questions, email me with your phone number and a good time to call and I will call you. I had to use a nipple shield at first too, for the same reason that you are.