Baby Halle

Nothing can describe how much Ryan and I love this little girl. I love watching her expressions. Motherhood has been the hardest thing I have ever done, but has been the greatest joy and blessing in my life. I am so thankful for a healthy little baby.

My birth story was pretty uneventful. I rolled out of bed at 9:30 am on February 2nd (a little over a week before my due date) and my water broke when my feet hit the floor. I called Ryan and told him he needed to come home from school. I called the doctor and they said to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. While Ryan was on his way home, I took a shower and while I was getting ready the contractions began. Ryan came home pretty quickly and we left for the hospital. By the time I got to the hospital, my contractions were coming about 3-5 minutes apart and were lasting for 30-45 seconds. Within an hour and a half or two hours I got my epidural. I am not sure how people go without them. The contractions were so painful that I immediately asked when I could get my epidural. After I got my epidural, labor and delivery were smooth sailing. I spent my time chatting with the nurses and just relaxing. When it came time to push I was already to a 10 and was only pushing every other contraction because the nurse was worried the baby would come before the doctor could get there. By 4:42 pm Halle was born. I hemorrhaged after delivery, but other than that, it was a wonderful experience. I wish every woman could have such a wonderful birth experience. The doctors and nurses at Riverside Hospital were wonderful!

Halle and I both had a much harder time the 2 1/2 weeks following labor and delivery. We had a hard time nursing at the beginning. My milk wouldn't come in and poor Halle started to get a little dehydrated. Her gums were dry and she was peeing urate crystals. We gave her some formula until my milk came in. Halle was terribly gassy and had a few days where she cried 5-7 hours. She was pretty gassy during the first two weeks and so my pediatrician recommended cutting milk/dairy out of my diet. I am now on a no milk diet which I think has helped with her gas. I never realized how many things have dairy products in them. It has been a new experience trying to find foods that I can eat that don't contain any dairy products. Then she developed a horrible yeast infection/rash and would scream every time she would pee or poop. She also has thrush on her tongue and is now taking medication to clear that up. The doctor also put me on a yeast infection medication so we don't pass it back and forth. It has been awful to watch her suffer. It is heart breaking to do everything you can to try to help her feel better and nothing works. On top of it all, I broke out in a horribly itchy rash covering my body. I itched that back of my legs so much that I have scabs covering them. I got a steroid from my doctor and am happy to say that it has cleared up. Now that the thrush and diaper rash have cleared up some and her gas is under control a little more, she is a much happier baby. The past week has been wonderful.

I am so thankful for my family and friends and most of all for prayer in my life. There have been so many times over the past few weeks where I hit rock bottom and prayed and felt comforted that things would be alright. More than anything, motherhood has taught me that things are out of my hands and helped me realize that I can't do this on my own. I am thankful for a Father in Heaven who loves my little girl and loves me. I am so grateful for the feeling of peace and love that I feel when I pray. Most of all motherhood has shown me the love that God must have for each of his children. I know I can't quite comprehend that love, but I have a much better understanding than I think I used to. It is amazing to see this little person that I love so much and would do anything for. I am so thankful for her in my life.