Introducing Sofia

Sofia Marie Gill
January 6, 2011, 6:21pm
7lb 10oz, 21 inches

Sofia finished forming her wings Thursday January 6, six days after her due date of 12/31/2010.

For about two weeks leading up to her arrival, I had episodes of contractions, sometimes for hours on end building in intensity (though nothing like active labor.) But most days things were quiet. She was slowly working her way down. At my appointment on Monday January 3, I was almost 4cm dilated and 80% effaced.

The night before she was born, I slept relatively well. I had a dream about contractions and awoke to one around 5am. Things went on and off through the morning, but I felt this might be different so I had Chris and my mom be ready just in case.

Timeline:

At noon, I was eating a picnic with Lucas at his school. I was having some contractions but was able to talk through them pretty easily. When we got home, I noticed I had to pause doing things with Lucas to let them pass. So after I laid him down for a nap (around 1:30) I called my mom and asked her to come down. At this point I lied down and listened to part of a "birthing affirmations" cd lent to me by Tarcia, a friend and fellow mom at Lucas's school. One thing in particular stuck with me. "The stronger my pressure waves get, the more limp and loose my body becomes."

2:30ish Mom arrived and I decided rather than give in to the urge to sleep or take a bath, I'd walk to get them going more. I took my phone and, after a really good contraction struck at the bottom of Echo Hills Circle, I called Chris to come home.

3:00ish I walked into the house and got into the bath. Meanwhile Lucas woke up and my mom whisked him away to her house. Although the water felt good, the contractions continued about 3-4 minutes apart.

4:00 I was in bed and managing through the contractions with the affirmations cd and movement. (I was also eating an apple.) I decided it was time to do some official timing and when Chris came in I had 3 contractions, 2m45s apart, the third lasting 2 minutes. After a brief deliberation, I called my doctor's office and the nurse there told me to go to the hospital.

4:30 and driving in, we experienced mild traffic, but I was still above water, managing with breathing and relaxation. Thankfully, about 4 good songs played on the radio (when does that happen?) one being "Closer to Fine." All Indigo Girls songs remind me of my dear friend Rachael who we lost a couple of years ago so I had a good cry, which I think helped to open me up more.

5:00 I was checking in at the desk. I managed to carry on quick, minute-long conversations with the receptionist, even talking with her about yoga and Pilates when she read it off my chart. In between, I was squatting (thanks to the BEST, simple tip from Audrey's mom and Bradley Method teacher Cheryl) and dropping onto all fours rocking, and kneading the hard ground. I will have to show you this sometime. A concerned lady in the lobby asked if I was ok and I told her yes, it looks strange, but doing this keeps me "ok." I had read to make yourself at home in the hospital and this is what I set out to do. Any level of "keeping up appearances" instantly made things more intense so I abandoned it immediately. Dropping in front of the nurses station on the way to the room had people scampering and calling for a wheelchair (which I had no intention of getting into!)

5:20 Here time gets foggy. Because of the admission process I had to get into the hospital bed. They checked my cervix - a somewhat disappointing 5cm, but I did not yet feel defeated. Then I was strapped to the fetal monitor and attached to an IV. The questions began, the endless questions. (any history of anxiety? Diabetes? Syphilis?)

5:40ish Things were now considerably more intense. Within 10-20 minutes of questions (now turned over to Chris) I asked for an epidural. Chris told me he thought I was in transition (the final, very intense part of labor immediately before pushing) but I couldn't believe him. He had seen on the monitor the contractions had gotten considerably longer and more frequent. The brief valleys were at the same level as the peaks of the previous contractions.

5:50ish As soon as I could I detached the fetal monitor and we wheeled my IV pole into the bathroom. I felt some urge to go to the bathroom, which was in retrospect the beginning of the urge to push. I said to Chris "Bath, Hot" and he started filling it up. I vaguely heard the nurse in the background telling me that I needed to wait as I plopped myself in.

During this time I thought I was waiting for the epidural. I had no idea I was in transition and if transition was any more intense than this there was no way I was planning to experience it.

5:55 Two angels arrived, Nurse/Midwife Carol and Dr. Moore. I had gotten to know Carol during the last month of pregnancy appointments. Dr. Moore (the best!) delivered Lucas four years ago and was the OB I chose for this pregnancy.

I asked them (still in the bath) why with my labors do contractions come one immediately after another at only 5cm dilation?

Little did I know they were conspiring with Chris to keep my mind off the epidural a little while longer. In one of my "birthing wishes" I had asked for continued support of a natural birth, especially if I requested medicine during transition and this is where they suspected I was.

6:00ish I got out of the bath, thinking that in no time I'd have an epidural, when Carol asked if she could check me again. Miraculously, and I mean miraculously, I started to have some moments of clarity. This was the "lull" between transition and pushing. We grabbed a moment between contractions and she declared me "complete." I asked "what does that mean?" in case she had meant I was completely closed :) And she said, "You're doing this without and epidural. Once we break your water, she will be ready to come out."

I could not believe what was happening. We're estimating it was 30-40 minutes from 5cm to when it was time to push. They got some things ready, broke the water and she was out after five minutes of pushing.

6:21 Everything seemed dreamlike. Dr. Moore was ok with letting the umbilical cord pulse for a short while, a last minute request. She came out so quickly she had to be monitored in the transition nursery to see how she transitioned between womb and world (due to a little grunting sound.) I kept calm as I was assured this was nothing serious.

Chris was perfect throughout the process. He was supportive, involved and calm. He remembered a pressure point on my forehead at the exact moment I needed it and was very good at interceding for me.

Sofia and I felt good enough to come home the next evening.

I think Sofia resembles newborn Lucas a good deal. We decide on the middle name Marie to honor three of our grandmothers (Mary Gill, Maria Pauls and Maria Swetlowski) and as a toast to Mary because she was born on Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve. Marie wasn't exactly chosen with a coin toss, minutes before we left the hospital. But the action of the coin toss helped us to realize which name we truly liked best. It was a close call between Sofia Marie and Sofia Natalia (Natalia meaning Christmas Child.)

Over the last week, I felt increasingly faithful that God would be performing a miracle on the day Sofia would be born. I have been in awe looking back at the thoughts, emotions, people and prayers (a few of which I have mentioned) that led to her birth. It could only be the holy spirit who weaved it all together.

"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart..." Jeremiah 1:5