Thursday, July 31, 2008

ITS A GIRL! *warning this post may contain TMI for some readers*















Name: Brigitte Jane Beal
Birthday : Sunday July 27th 2008
Time: 3:25 pm
Weight: 7 pounds 3 ounces
Length: 19 1/2 inches





The delivery:
Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and made our way to St. Lukes Hospital for our 7 am induction. We took a final photo of my pregnant belly and were on our way. Once we got there they signed us in and put us in a waiting room for a whole hour. It was super annoying after we were so anxious to be on time and get things going! Anyway, at 8 they set us up in delivery and started my IV antibiotics and Pitocin. The penicillian was double strength and burned like the dickens! They turned it down, diluted it with another IV, and put ice on it. I swear to you, this was the worst most painful part of the whole delivery! Finally after an hour it was done. They unplugged me and checked to see if I was dilated at all and I was a 3. The nurse told me to let her know when I wanted the epidural because apparently my Dr in his infinite wisdom had given the ok for it anytime. I figured why wait for the contractions to get bad? I already knew I would end up having one because I was strapped to the bed with drugs and monitors anyway, so I went ahead and told her I would take it anytime! Within 10 minutes the anesthesiologist came in and very quickly placed what I now shall call the tube of fire up my spine. The numbing medicine he injected before threading in the catheter hadn't travelled all the way up yet, so I felt the last couple inches of him placing the tube in. It was almost as bad as the IV antibiotics! After that, at 9:50 exactly my water spontaneously broke! This was awesome because it meant things were moving right along and I was responding really well to the pitocin. Mom and Dad made it to the hospital right about then. We hung out reading magazines and talking for a while. It was all so relaxed and calm that I almost forgot what we were all doing there!
The nurse came and checked me around noon and I was a 5. Gabe and Dad ran to get some lunch, and after they got back my parents decided to go hang out for a couple hours so I could rest. After resting for a while I got checked (at 2:00) and was dilated to an 8-9! The nurse told me she would come back in 20 minutes or so and check me again. We were shocked to say the least! We called my parents and told them they better hurry back. I then remember clearly feeling that 'pressure' that you hear about on baby story...and realized that the babys head was well on its way! I buzzed the nurse and she announced I was complete and had me start pushing. I pushed with her for about 20 minutes ( in a variety of slightly humiliating positions!) and then my Doctor came in. It was all very surreal to me, and at one point I remember saying to my mom who was camcording off to the side that "THIS IS SO WEIRD!" My poor father couldnt stand to be in the room while I was pushing so he left (actually the nurse kicked him out after he threw out a couple 'oh my goshs, and what the...? And made me laugh during my contractions!) But he made it back to the delivery room just in time to see the actual birth.

So we had an agreement with our Dr that Gabe wanted to catch the baby, which he was fine with. After the head was out Gabe started to worry about his white J crew t shirt getting all bloody and gross, so I jokingly told him to take it off. Well, leave it to Gabe to take advantage of ANY opportunity to be in the near nude...so off it came! Everyone was cracking up, and the nurses were saying things like...in all my 15 years, Ive never seen anything like this! So yes, Gabe delivered our baby, half nude. He grabbed the baby under her arms and lifted her out - and we all cried out in shock when we realized IT WAS A GIRL and not the boy we all expected!




































So our poor baby had the most GINORMOUS cone head! Considering she was head down my entire pregnancy, and I pushed for 4o minutes to deliver just her noggin, I guess its normal. Thankfully it has slowly taken on a more natural shape, although it still has a little way to go! It is no secret that I gave birth to Gabe Jr! No need for paternity testing here...

Her chin, nose, ears, and hair line are ALL GABE. All she got from me is my eyes, and you can only see the resemblance when they are open. And she never opens them for pictures!








Ok, so from start to finish our delivery took 6 1/2 hours! I couldnt believe how fast and uncomplicated everything was. After she was out and I delivered the placenta, we saw that it was abnormally small. My Dr worried that maybe everything hadnt come out, or that a piece of it had torn off, so he had to reach up (ALL the way up) and make sure nothing was left behind. Now let me tell ya - THAT was fun. Also my uterus apparently wasnt contracting back down, so I was bleeding quite a bit. They gave me a big shot of Methergine in my leg and 'massaged' my uterus profusely for 20 minutes. By this time my epidural was practically useless and I was writhing in pain. Still with everything considered I feel like I had the easiest labor and delivery and I would do it every day of the week over being pregnant again ANY DAY!

The first night with Brigitte in the hospital was a disaster. She had a really hard time latching on and I felt awful not being able to nurse her easily. We called her the "screamin eagle" and thought we were in for dealing with an inconsolable screaching baby. Luckily we found out (after finding puke on her blankets) that some stupid CNA had fed her a bottle of formula in the nursery and all her fussiness and refusal to nurse were a direct result. The hospital manager came in and apologized to us and gave me two movie passes - which really made me mad. Apparently she thought we could be bought for $16.00. I didnt make a big deal out of it, but it did tick me off that they fed her without asking us.



Nursing has been the most painful unnatural experience of my life!!! I never dreamed it would be so hard and uncomfortable. I am so paranoid about whether or not she is getting enough to eat. She wasnt peeing enough after we brought her home so we had to take her in to the pediatrician yesterday. Her weight was down to 6 lbs 11 oz (which was ok, considering she left the hospital at 6 lbs 12 oz) . The Dr wasnt worried, but just said to watch for signs of dehydration and to supplement with formula if I wanted to (which i didnt, due to the hospital experience!) I figured if worse came to worse, I could call my sister and demand some of Lilas runoff cream! Thankfully, my milk finally came in today which has made things a lot better, but its still a huge source of anxiety. I went and bought an electric pump so I could supplement her nursing and see how much she was getting. She tends to fall asleep mid meal and wake up hungry 10 minutes later. Anyway, being a milk cow is really not my thing. But I'm committed to sticking it out for a while and seeing if it gets any better.


Brigitte is a very sweet, calm, sleepy girl. She would probably sleep for a good 5 hours straight if I wasnt having to wake her up to feed her! She only cries when shes hungry or has an upset stomach, which sadly we have had to deal with due to the antibiotics they gave me. Other than that, shes perfectly content to be held by Gabe. She is a total daddys girl, and he is completely whipped! We are spoiling her rotten and I'm loving every minute of it! I have wanted her for so long and now that shes finally here I dont want to miss a single minute!






























23 comments:

Jana said...

Congratulations Christy, she is absolutely darling. And I love her name!

Alycia said...

She is absolutely beautiful! I am so happy for you two... Christy you look so happy... and I am so happy that the birth went to well for you :) I love the name too... is it pronounced like the normal American Bridget or is it the French way? And good choice on the middle name, I'm a Jane too! Anyways, she is just perfect and I'd love to send you something fun for her, and your clothes... so send me your address (via some personal way of course)...

amy said...

congrats beal family! brigitte is beautiful. I am jealous of your short labor!!!! how nice. as far as the breastfeeding thing, it gets TONS easier. just stick with it...if i you can. all the best to you guys. congrats again.

love,
aaron, amy & audra clark

Whitney said...

congrats!!! She is beautiful. Little girls are so much fun and they are really easy to spoil. I am glad everything went well.

Julia said...

Congrats~! I'm so happy to hear everything is going well! I love the name and she is adorable. Keep posting pictures so we can see how beautiful she keeps getting.

kkrich said...

congratulations gabe and christy!!

megan&steve said...

Baby Brigitte is so dang cute! I loved reading about everything!!! Keep us updated and cherish every minute of her being so sweet and little!

Shelley Beal said...

I'm telling you Christy, you should be a writer! Your accout of the birth was delightful. We are so happy for this miracle in your lives. You both will be the BEST parents!

Diana & CJ said...

I've checked your blog, Jay's & your moms everyday. Frist I am so happy you got drugs & had such a quick delivery. Second I totally hear you on the nursing thing. Your sis gave me some good advice but honestly you have to do what works best for you. Third, she is adorable! I should email some photos of Nessa's cone head because than you would really be freaked out. I swear she doesn't even look like the same kid. Oh well, glad all is well. Take care, Di

Sherry said...

Yea!!! You're finally blogging. I just had to clarify that you had Brigitte on Sunday, not Sat.... I know, you're a little out of it! Keep on pulling the wagon. You can't do it!

jayna said...

She is a precious little peanut, and I can't wait to see what she looks like a week, month, and year from now! There really is nothing like your own baby--and now you know! :)Congratulations little Beal fam!

Anonymous said...

Ms.Christy and Gabe and precious little Bridget! I am so proud of you! And we are so delightfully surprised the she is a SHE! Yeah! I can tell you and Gabe's love for this little one is beyond measure! Yes, it is such an awesome gift from God! Enjoy every minute, second you have with her! We love you three so much! Congratulations our friends!

Heather and Dave said...

What a gorgeous baby GIRL!!! I was so surprised to hear you had a girl...how fun to be surprised!! (Especially when it's what you wanted!) I can't wait to meet your tiny sweet pea! Have fun being a mom and take lots of pics so we can see her!! The feeding gets easier...my advice is to pump every 3 hours when you don't nurse and freeze what you don't use in those lanosh bags...I think they eat like 3-4 oz as a newborn? It will help keep your milk supply up and it's nice because you makes LOTS more in the beginning. Enjoy her while she's so sleepy and little!

Maren said...

OH MY GOODNESS!!! She is beyond cute. I'm so excited for you! I love her name and pretty much everything about her, including that precious pink bow in her hair. I have something to send to you so I need you to send my your address asap. Also, I know you probably have new baby dementia so if you don't I'll remind you again via email!

Jennifer said...

I am so happy for you! I'm glad you're sticking it out with the nursing. I hope it gets better. I want to kick that CNA in the face. That is the worst thing she could have done. Why the crap would she do that?! Idiot! Sorry about that rant. Enjoy your sweet baby girl!

Designing Woman said...

I must say this is the most dramatic blog post ever. I love that Gabe delivered the baby shirtless....Classic. And Brigitte, what a surprise (I remember Kennedy and Audrey). Thank you for the details too they weren't TMI at all. Those pictures of Gabe and Brigitte are just so precious!
Love you guys!

Amber said...

YAYAYAYAY!!! Congratulations!!! She is beautiful and had the cutest cone head I've ever seen! That's for sure!!! :) Being a Mom is the best and I'm so excited that you are joining the club! :) Good luck with everything and keep us updated!!!

Dallas and Brittney said...

Congrats!!!! She is so cute, great job guys.

Brittany said...

Oh, I am just so happy for you! Don't you love giving birth! Me too. She is so sweet. That is so cool that you are a mom. Can you believe it? Nursing will get better. Stick it out and it will be a breeze in a few weeks.

P.S. Would you please just tousle your hair or throw some water on your face next time you give birth so you don't make the rest of us look so bad. Jeez. You look too good. While you're at it, eat some Twinkies. And a pie.

Congrats!

The Cannons said...

Ditto on Brittney's comment, jeez I don't think there was ever a mom who looked so good after delivery. And of course you know how I feel about nursing but it won't necessarily get easier so don't feel bad if you don't nurse. I think it is the devil. Plus I think people make way too big a deal about nursing seriously your baby got the colustrom and that is the most important thing. Plus mom's happiness trumps nursing. Oh my gosh I could go off on this for DAYS! I feel so strongly about this obviously. Oh and little Brigitte is adorable and she does look like Corbin's baby pictures only because Corbin looks like Gabe. Oh and I love reading your blog posts you are so funny.
Mitzi

glory said...

Congrats guys! She is beautiful! Enjoy her now - before you know it she will be driving and dating!

Scott & Denise said...

Oh Christy! She is BEAUTIFUL! I can't wait to come see her! I love the name!

emily said...

hey christy--i found your blog through jayna's and it's so great to see that you're a new mom! glad you had a great labor. brigitte is absolutely darling!!!

i was going to tell you that my oldest daughter also had a conehead when she was born (way more than my son) and it ended up she had craniosynostosis--she had a surgery as a baby and is totally fine now.

anyway, it was so fun to see jayna when we were in boise a few weeks ago and i love catching up with the rest of the boiseans through blogs when i get a chance!