The Greiner Family: June 2010

As I'm sure you all know by now, Lila Grace Greiner defied the doctor's orders and made her appearance two weeks ago yesterday, on June 8th, at 9:44 pm. She was three weeks and one day ahead of her due date, and two weeks before my scheduled C-Section. After having her with us for two wonderful weeks, I can tell you that SO FAR she is the sweetest, easiest, most loving cuddlebug of a baby ever! I know that she is technically "pre-term," which is supposed to make her a little sleepier than full term babies, but we are hoping that she stays sweet and simple like she is now! For those of you that are interested, I thought I would share the details of her surprise birthday adventure!

On Monday June 7th I started having the same Braxton-Hicks contractions I had been having off and on throughout the last several months. They seemed to be a little more uncomfortable than usual, but since I wasn't in any real pain I assumed it was more of the same "normal pregnancy discomfort" my OB told me I could look forward to right up until the bitter end. Then I started getting out of breath, and feeling cramping in my legs. I remembered that my mom had said that she felt her labor pains in her legs, so of course I called her to get her opinion. And OF COURSE she didn't answer. After Andy got home the pains were still irregular, but were getting more intense. They didn't match any description of labor pains I had ever heard of, and weren't coming at regular times, so I decided to wait and talk to my doctor at my next OB appointment (the next morning).

At Dr. Neal's office, he checked and said I was starting to dilate and he expected me to go into labor in the next 3 days, and probably that day. His parting words were, "Go home, pack your bag, and get on the elliptical machine." Apparently walking on the elliptical was supposed to help get the baby in the right position for me to push--if she didn't get stuck like Maddie did! Armed with the knowledge that there was a good chance I was going to have a baby really soon, I called my two best girlfriends down here and ordered that they meet me at Chili's for a big lunch. After all, I had no idea when I was going to get to eat solids again! I managed to eat through my contractions, get my stuff together, and decide by 3pm that I should probably call Andy and tell him to get his booty home. My friend Kensley (part of the Chili's date from earlier) offered to come over and spend the night with Maddie if we got admitted to the hospital. So off we went, not sure if we were coming home with a baby or not!

I was admitted between 6 and 7, and after spending an hour or so hooked up to machines and watching "America's Got Talent," the nurses determined I was indeed in labor (my contractions were actually 3 minutes apart, when I thought they were more like 10-12 minutes apart). At 9:15 I was texting some friends to see how Girl's Night Out was going (I was obviously not going to make it), and by 9:44 I was hearing Lila Grace's first cries!

I did a repeat C because my doctor saw no point in having me labor for another 10 hours when Lila was in the exact same position that Maddie was stuck in the first time. I was inclined to agree...my labor was starting to HURT and I just wanted my baby! The C-section was both better and worse this time...it was better because I wasn't as physically exhausted from laboring and pushing, and I knew what to expect. It was worse for the exact same reasons! I was much more aware of what was happening and what was going to happen. The recovery has been a little harder too, but since I have a brand new, perfect baby, I can't complain!

So far things are going really well at home. Lila is nursing like a champ, so I won't have to deal with another year of pumping (hallelujia!) and bottles. She is feeding every 3.5-4 hours, even at night, so I'm getting more rest than with Maddie (who ate every two hours for weeks)! Maddie loves to kiss and hold her little sister, and doesn't seem to get jealous. We are trying our best to make sure Maddie gets enough attention and that we don't completely abandon her routine. It's been a struggle but my Mom will be here until Sunday, then Andy is taking a week off from work. Luckily Lila will be almost 3 weeks old before I have to handle both the kids by myself!

Thank you to everyone who has called or visited with their congratulations, and for all the wonderful gifts and meals we have recieved. Andy and I are blessed to have some fabulous friends and family, whether in Tennessee, Texas or Timbuktu...and we are so excited to share all that love with little Lila Grace!

First Family Photo