Miss Clara Grace

Clara Grace

8 lbs 1 oz, 20 inches long

Born July 6, 2013 at 10:34am

She is my smallest baby, but she did decide to make her grand entrance 9 days early.  I had a short labor with her, for which I am grateful.  I was only in active labor for about an hour before we got to the hospital, and she was born just two hours later.  

Remember how I had Madeline in the hospital and it was an awful experience, and how I had Benson in a birthing center and it was a wonderful experience?  And then, remember how I had a feeling that I needed to have this baby in the hospital?  Why, why why? - I wondered off and on throughout this pregnancy.  Aside from the usual horrible morning sickness, my pregnancy with her went without a hitch.  I felt great all the way to the end.  Well, that Saturday morning we found out why.

Baby was doing very well when we first got to the hospital, but as my labor progressed her heart rate began to drop lower and lower.  And not just with contractions.  By the time I was nearly fully dilated, she wasn't doing well at all.  We didn't know what the problem was, but we knew she needed to be out right away.  She was successfully and quickly vacuum assisted out.  I found out later that the OR staff had been notified that I would need a c-section, and one of my work friends had been called in from home to recover me.  I'm so, so grateful that I was able to avoid the c-section.  When she was delivered, we discovered that she had a true knot in her cord, as well as a loop around her neck.  As she descended down the birth canal, the knot was tightened and compressed so that she wasn't receiving enough blood and oxygen.  True knots only occur in 1:2000 pregnancies, and even then it rarely causes complications.  I am confident we made the right choice to give birth in the hospital, and that we chose the right practitioner who skillfully aided in her delivery, and who allowed me a chance to deliver her vaginally instead of just rushing me down the hall to the operating room.  

My poor baby girls and their umbilical cords - Madeline had a short cord.  While their deliveries were nearly identical in method, the experience was completely different this time.  The delivery room was peaceful and calm.  My nurse was attentive, respectful, and kind.  My postpartum stay was really nice.  My recovery was the smoothest and least painful of the three.  I've bonded quickly to this little baby.

Miss Clara looks nearly identical to her older sister, with the exception of having lots of dark hair and sadly, her mother's long, long toes.  She's been a good, good baby.  I'm enjoying every moment with her.