A Birth Story and Hospital Stay

Claire Lorren Thompson
 
10.23.2012
10:16pm
6 lbs 8 oz
20 inches
 
I started having contractions at about 3:30 am on Tuesday the 23rd of October. I thought it would a long labor like Bailey's was - 4 days. Contractions were 10-15 minutes apart all morning. In the afternoon Grandma Hadley, Bailey, and I went to WalMart and walked around to try to get things going, contractions started coming 7 minutes apart. I rested at home and tried to get some sleep, but at about 5:00pm they were 5 minutes apart and some were even 3 minutes. Mark and I went in to the hospital at 7:15pm and contractions were 2-3 minutes. I had to stop in the hallway throughout the hospital breathing through contractions, I wanted that epidural so bad! (yeah, I'm a wimp) Then at 8:15pm I got it! I felt warm all over and pain free (photo below). Mark and I just talked and practiced taking photos with the camera so Mark could be ready for action! About an hour later I called the nurse in because my epidural medicine was wearing off. They checked me and said it was time to push. 30 minutes later I sighed a huge sigh of relief, caught my breath, and rested as they wrapped our new little baby and gave her to me.
Welcome to the world Claire.
 
All photos by Mark and Debbie
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
The next day Bailey and Grandma Hadley came to visit. Bailey was excited to meet her new sister, she was startled when she first heard Claire cry, but soon got used to it. There were a lot of "Oh, hi baby!"s from big sister.
 
 
 
 
 
Grandma Hadley with grandchild #4
 
 
Claire gave Bailey a big sister present to open at the hospital, her dress up Mini Mouse.
 
 
 The next two days we tried to relax and catch up on sleep as the nurses took care of Claire at night. I love hospital stays for that reason, plus I actually really liked the food - at least I'm not making it and cleaning it up! Gritman Medical Center was also a great hospital to have a baby in. I liked it even more than American Fork in Utah. I had awesome nurses, they had a candle light dinner for Mark and I brought into our room while they watched Claire, and I got a post pregnancy massage from a masseuse. He said his job was to put me to sleep. I don't think I had been that comfortable and relaxed in months!
 
We sure do love our little Claire, it feels like she's been with us since the beginning.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photobucket

October 2012, Part 1

Well, I was due to have this little baby girl two days ago on the 20th of October, but she hasn't come yet! I've gotten everything done around the house, closed my Etsy shop, my mom is in town, and now we're just waiting. I decided to get completely caught up on here so all I have to do is write about our little one when we get home, oh and I'm sure there will be lots of photo of her as well! So let's start with the first half of October. I remember writing about last October and saying it was like one big photo shoot, the same goes for this year. I love the fall here in Moscow and all the colors and overcast days make for great photos!

Harvest Fest
Last year we discovered the WSU Organic Farms and all the fun things they have going on during the fall. The first event they have to kick off the season is the "Fall Harvest Celebration" where they have their pumpkin patch, hay rides, fresh produce to purchase, and their u-pick apple orchard opens to the public. We went this year and Bailey loved walking through the pumpkins showing us all the different colors and sizes and textures. We also did the hay ride with friends, took lots of photos, and then picked apples on our way out. So far I've made three apple pies with those apples...all delicious!



Perfect example of how Bailey loves anything small, she says "Look, it's small, oh cute! It's just little! Like a baby!" Then she usually proceeds to hug it and kiss it. This time is was tomatoes.










...............

Leaves
I had three things on my list for photography in the fall: at least one good photo of me pregnant, Bailey in the leaves, and Bailey in her costume. It's a good thing this baby is coming later than expected cause I got them all done! This day was a Sunday rainy/overcast day, perfect for photos! So after church I made Mark take photos of me and then I took Bailey's. I knew I wanted this particular street in Moscow, I found it last year and I was waiting for it change colors and for some more leaves to fall. I love how they turned out, the colors are very natural and I didn't do much editing to them.

Me at 39 Weeks


I sometimes can't believe this is my little girl, she's so grown up! I absolutely love these photos of her and it was so hard choosing which ones to post. Here's what she's been doing lately:

Loves to play pretend and will play in her crib before and after sleeping for about an hour or more talking to her stuffed animals Dumbo, Bunny, and her Lightening McQueen toy, and snuggles and blankie, all of which she can't sleep without. She'll also pretend to be a doggie or an elephant and will stay in character and will only respond to "doggie" or "elephant", loves to fetch things as a doggie. She loves to eat apples, yogurt, mini wheats, milk, cheese, and we bribe her with one Skittle at dinner time and she eats everything on her plate. She loves to hug and kiss "baby sister" (my tummy) and loves to talk about all the things we're going to do when she comes. Loves anything small or little, always asking what I'm doing and if she can help - especially making jewelry. Likes to have tea parties and eat snacks on her new table, also likes her Dr. kit set and to give checkups to Mark and I and her animals. Favorite movies right now are Dumbo, Ice Age, and Cars - I can't count how many times we've watch those three movies in the past two months, and of course, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She talks all the time and knows her ABC's and the sounds they make, shapes, colors, and numbers, and loves to sing songs these are her favorites: Twinkle Twinkle, The ABC Song, I Love to see the Temple, I am a Child of God, and Rainbows. She'll tell me "Shhh, be quiet" if I tell her to do something she doesn't want to do, or when she's going through my purse looking for a sucker.

Thanks dad for throwing the leaves!






...............

Pregnancy
Here are my last two official pregnancy photos with the sign, 38 weeks and 40 weeks! I've felt pretty good throughout the last trimester and never really slow down in the day time, but then I crash at night. Bailey and I still go out just about everyday and run errands, Mark started coming with us to the store though. I take a sleeping pill every night and if I skip it, I'm UP ALL NIGHT, but I still get up and go to the bathroom about 3-4 times at night with or without the pill. Maternity pants are getting tight! I pretty much live in pajamas if I don't go out. I'm seriously ready for this baby to come, any day now!
  


....................

Costume Photo Shoot
 This is another tradition for us! I take Bailey to the "Pumpkin Patch" which is really just all the pumpkins for sale at WalMart! Would you guess this is WalMart?!? There are so many pumpkins that you would never know. What a good little girl too, I told her if she was good and smiled for me she could have a Skittle. The next location was the Apple Orchard again. This day was also overcast, I couldn't ask for anything better, I love how these turned out too, not much editing.

I must write about the costume too. I asked Bailey in September what she wanted to be for Halloween, she said a Bee. I was kind of surprised by her answer, but went with it when I found the costume on sale at Old Navy. Later I realized that she wanted to be a bee because that's what Pluto was in a Halloween Mickey Mouse episode! She wanted to be like Pluto!













Hopefully the next post will be all about our new little girl!
Photobucket