The Story of Elizabeth Claire's Birth

I made a scrapbook for Claire about my pregnancy ... for her to read when she gets older. Some things not mentioned in the scrapbook include: the persistent nausea I felt for the first 14 weeks and beyond, the internal change I went through to decide to leave my job as a therapist to stay home with her, and the intense sciatic and pelvic pain I felt during the last 3 weeks of the pregnancy. On the positive side, John stuck by me every step of the way, patiently enduring my suffering, irritability, and mood swings. During the pregnancy, I came to trust him even more than I ever had before. Also, I changed markedly from a person who believed almost all people were selfish and untrustworthy to a person who was moved by the constant caring and generosity of family, friends, and strangers.

Claire's due date, according to the books, was May 9th. By then, I was so ready for her to be born, I could have screamed. But, I did not go to the hospital until May 11th. John and my Aunt Libby were there to support me and coach me through the process, which, like so many things in life, did not go as planned. No matter how much I contracted, I would not dilate. Even after they induced labor, I would not dilate. Finally, my doctor said it was time for a C-section. At 12:44 on May 12, 2009, Claire was born. She weighed 6 pounds and 15 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. When I heard her cry for the first time, my whole life changed, and I cried with joy. John was the first to see her as they lifted her up. He was so amazed and excited! Claire was a strong baby from the moment she was born, kicking her legs from side to side and crying lustily. She scored an 8 on her Apgar, and a 9 five minutes later.

They put her into my arms for the first time, and she was still crying. Then, John said, "Hey Claire!" and she immediately became silent and turned her eyes toward the sound of his voice. She recognized it! John was already in the recovery room by the time they wheeled me there. My mother arrived at the hospital at the perfect time and joined my sister and aunt in the recovery room, where they saw Claire getting her first bath. She looked just like a little Cupie doll with her hair combed up along the middle. John was so proud, taking videos of every little thing and emailing out pictures of her. Claire was exquisite. She looked exactly like John and had a focused, calm, sweet demeanor from the outset.

We stayed in the hospital for three days. Most of our nurses were very nice and helpful, but a couple were problematic. The last two days went better than the first night, although I had a lot of incisional pain, which continued for the first two weeks. My mother stayed with us for three weeks, helping with housework, driving us to appointments, and taking the first night shift with Claire every night. She would hold Claire, talk to her, and make funny faces at her. She would read Babar books to Claire and me. It was so hard for her to leave her new granddaughter to go back to Illinois, and she cried and said goodbye to Claire numerous times, before finally driving away.