The Long Awaited Birth

Naomi Mei Tinling born April 14, 2009

8 lbs 4 oz 19 1/2 inche

I know that most of you just want to see pictures, so I put them in first. For those of you who want a synopsis of the labor and delivery, that is included at the end of the post.

This is what I look like moments before I have a baby. Not too bad, I would say (besides the gown).

This is what I look like after I have a baby. This picture doesn't show it very well, but I am super skinny! I lost like 20 lbs in 20 minutes!

I hope this picture is not too graphic for any of you. I just thought it would be fun to put on here.

This is my first moment holding baby Naomi. It is funny that the first time we get to see each other, we both have to look so bad.

She pretty much looks just like my other babies when they are newborns. I was fully expecting that complexion, that dark hair, and that same little face.

This is Morgan holding her little sister for the first time. I think it is great that our kids went to bed the night before and woke up to a new baby sister.

Here is Caleb holding his new sister for the first time. He loves to sit on the couch and just hold her while he watches a show.

The Labor and Delivery Story

I woke up around 1:45 am to a contraction I couldn't sleep through. I was too excited to try to sleep through any others, so I laid there until 2:00 watching to see if this was for real. The contractions were steady and coming about 7 minutes apart. I got up to get water, eat food, and clean the kitchen. I knew that this was it, and we didn't have much time to waste at home because the hospital was 45 minutes away. I woke Tyler at 2:2o, woke my mom, called the babysitter we had arranged to come in the middle of the night, and called my friend Tami (who was to be our doula and ride). We all left the house around 3:00, and after returning home for a few forgotten items, made it to the hospital at 4:00. Tami drove her 15 passenger van while I labored on the front bench with Tyler's help. When we arrived, I sat up to exit the van and was in some serious pain as everything finally had a chance to drop into place with the help of gravity. The nurse checked us in, I put on that beautiful gown, and a few contractions later she checked me. I was already 9 cm! I was secretly hoping I would be so we wouldn't have to spend all morning laboring in the hospital. After assessing that my water might break any moment, they rushed me up to a labor and delivery room. It was only another 15 minutes before the "overwhelming" pushing contractions began. Everyone rushed in, broke my water, and helped me push the baby out. I had her at 4:49 am on Tuesday April 14, 2009. She came right on her due date. She was 8 bls 4 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. She was perfect and beautiful!

I was planning from the begining to have this baby with no pain medication. It was truly an amazing experience! I am glad to have had my first two with epidurals, but I won't ever go back. For anyone who wants a more graphic or detailed version, please call me and we can chat. I do enjoy telling about my experience, and apparently it is therapidic to do so.