Lyric Elizabeth Vines

{photography by Richard Suter}

Meet Lyric Elizabeth Vines.  

The newest addition to our family.  Born January 23rd at 5:01 in the evening.  She weighs a whooping 8 lb 8 oz and is 20 inches long. I can not even begin to tell you how grateful I am to have her here, healthy and beautiful.   Bishop has been taken with her too.  He gives her lots of kisses and says "cute baby" and "have that baby"  when he wants to hold her which is all the time!  I'm so relieved that he not only likes her but doesn't seem jealous so far at all.  

Lyric's delivery went really well.  It was not the labor and delivery that I had envisioned or prepared for but the end result was my beautiful baby girl and that is truly all that matters to me.  My birth plan was altered by being induced at 2 weeks past due so I didn't have the natural childbirth like I thought I would.  The morning of my induction I talked to my midwife about having my water broken versus pitocin but after her checking me she did not recommend it because of the possibility of the cord dropping so I got a light amount of pitocin starting at about 10 a.m.  After bearing through the contractions for about two hours I caved and asked for a "light" epidural.  I felt somewhat defeated and I really had to ask myself what I was trying to prove. Did I originally want to go natural because I wanted to or because I was pushing myself into believing that I wanted that? Whatever reason it was I was a point where my body's oxytocin had kicked in with the pitocin and I wanted out.  

The epidural was like a God send and I was able to relax, take a nap and refocus my energy.  About 3 hours later when my midwife checked me my water broke during the exam.  I was still at a 5 which was only 1 cm. more then what I had been that morning but half an hour later I felt a ton of pressure and the need to push so I called her back in to check me.  I was at a 10 and Lyric was ready to come!  Well, I shouldn't say she was ready it still took over an hour to push her out.  The little stinker was a bit sideways and much bigger then I had anticipated.  Thankfully I had the best support team ever of my husband, mom and sister to help me make it through a lot of hard pushing not to mention my amazing nurse and midwife at Vanderbilt.  My "light" epidural had worn off and I could feel it all which is something I am now thankful for because I hadn't known that feeling with my son and with Lyric completing our family I won't have a chance to know it again. 

So I guess at the end I got a little glimpse of natural childbirth.  Looking back now I wish I hadn't put so much pressure on myself.  Yes I still believe that natural childbirth is the ideal way to go but I don't feel like less of a mother because I decided to have intervention either. 

{breathing baby out & other tidbits of info}

{my precious first born, Bishop}

Sorry I haven't been great about updating you all on my Hypnobabies home study.  I know several of you were really interested in hearing about it and let me tell you friends I have thoroughly enjoyed the whole study....the calmness I get from the CDs and the great information I've learned from the workbook.  I'm so glad to have chosen this birthing method.

 Here are a couple of things that I hadn't thought of until I read about them in the workbook but they have since been added to my birth plan....

{breathing baby out}

This means that when it comes time to push you instead relax, open your mouth and say "Ahhh" as the pressure waves (contractions) begin.  When you open your mouth you open up all the way down and allow a relaxed path for your baby to naturally come down.  Your facial expression mimics what your bottom does.  I loved this idea.  With my son I pushed like a champ! So hard in fact that my contacts got lodged back in my eyeballs and I couldn't see him after he was born until I fished them out and regained my vision. It is also suggested to get into positions like squatting or lying on your side instead of laying flat on your back.  That only makes sense because of gravity but for some reason it is not practiced routinely during deliveries.

{delayed cord clamping}

For several minutes after baby is born they continue to get oxygen,  lots white blood cells, antibodies and even his or her own stem cells through the umbilical cord.  Delayed clamping can also help with iron and prevention of infant anemia.  The World Health Organization recommends waiting 3 minutes or until pulsating stops to clamp.

{delayed bathing}

Did you know the white stuff called vernix that your baby comes out with on their skin actually serves a purpose?  It's super moisturizing and antimicrobial.  It can protect against  E. coli and group B. strep.  Interestingly the less time your baby spends in the womb the more vernix they will have to help them stay healthy when they are more vulnerable to infection.  It's really quite genius and amazing when you think about how every little detail of their existence and survival was thought out and planned.  Skin care companies have even researched and tried to mimic this natural cold cream.  To ensure that your baby gets all the benefits of the vernix first dry them off and then simply rub it into their skin.  Save their first bath for several days or even a week or two after their birth.  You be the judge of when you think they need it!

{Bishop prior to a bath, one of my favorite pictures}