I know, I know, this is old news for you facebookers, but I really couldn't leave Meadow's birth off my blog! Here is a more detailed account of her birth for those who are interested.

We got to the Tucson Medical Center at 8 AM on Monday, November 2nd. They put us in a Labor and Delivery room while a nurse performed an ultrasound (to make sure the baby was still breech) and then monitored the baby's heart rate for about an hour. They were running late, or course, and I got into the surgery room at around 10:30. I felt like I was in a meat locker - it was freezing! They gave me the epidural and layed me out on the surgical table with a big blue sheet between my face and belly.

It took less than 10 minutes for them to get Meadow out. One of them commented on her "chubby butt" as they were pulling her out of the incision. She started crying almost immediately, and we were so happy to hear the loud cry of a healthy baby! They held her up for us to see, with her umbilical cord still dangling. What a beautiful girl! They cleaned her off, wrapped her up, and handed her over to Jason.



I didn't get to hold her then, since they were stitching me up, but Jason put her face close to mine to say hello. The midwife commented on how she moved her face as close to mine as possible, that she already knew me from my voice and smell.



Since the operating room is so cold they like to take the babies out ASAP to a warmer room, so Jason left with Meadow while I finished getting stitched up. Meadow went to the nursery for a few hours, where they assessed her to be healthy. She weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and measured 18 inches long.

The first day after the surgery was not the most fun for me. Since the epidural was still wearing off, and I had an IV and a catheter, I was pretty much confined to bed. Probably the worst part was not being able to eat all day, either. Thankfully Jason kept me company, and I had access to the internet via a netbook generously loaned to me from friends. Probably most of the day was spent sleeping and practicing breastfeeding.

Since then, the pain from my surgery has been bearable (with medication), and I have been able to get up and move around slowly, eat, and take care of our darling baby girl. The nurses, doctors, midwives, and lactation consultants have all been wonderful! I do still look forward to going home tomorrow, though!

Meadow has been a real joy so far. Jason and I love her expressions, especially when she opens up her eyes for brief moments. She has a very passionate cry and generously expresses herself whenever anyone unwraps her or changes her diaper. She is extremely cuddly and does not like her bassinett one bit, preferring to be held all the time (which I don't mind one bit!). And of course we think she is a beautiful baby, and many have commented on her dark red hair.

So there you have it - Meadow's story so far!

As for the contests, I promise I did not rig them in any way, but it seems that both prizes go to sisters-in-law! Dawn got closest to Meadow's birth date/time - she guessed November 2 at 11:02 AM, and Meadow was born at 10:54 AM. Cali was within 1 ounce of Meadow's birth weight. Congratulations to you both :-)