hospital stay

So little Hudson was born Monday evening. It took a while to get a room - we were waiting until after 10pm. The nice thing is that we lucked out with a private room without the extra charge ($500 per night) as all the shared rooms were full. The room was small, but it was nice to have the privacy. Below are images of us holding Hudson on his first full day.

   

   

 

big foot

Hudson is living up to the Mother Goose nursery rhyme: 'Monday's child is full of face...'

He really is a beautiful little guy. The only thing that isn't little about him is his feet:

We are going to have to skip the footed pajamas and do separate socks because although he fits body-wise, his feet won't fit in the footed part.

it's a....

Hudson William was born at 6:21pm on Monday, November 15. He was 7 lbs 1 oz. and 21 inches long.

We are thankful that he is healthy and happy! We took the following picture on the ride home - our friends with a car and a car seat were generous enough to drive us home from the hospital this afternoon. Hudson is happy to be home where he is no longer poked and prodded twice a day by nurses and doctors.

And here he is asleep in his own crib...at last!

four days... and counting

The good news is that all pregnancies do end one way or another. Our little one will be here within the next four days. So even if nothing happens this weekend, I'll be induced bright and early Monday morning. Taking the day off tomorrow to enjoy the beautiful weather. Or perhaps this little one will decide to come before Monday...We'll keep you posted!

still pregnant

So our baby is perfectly happy in its warm dark cocoon (I know- it's a picture of a chrysalis, but it's much prettier than a picture of a cocoon).  The 'non-stress' test today showed a healthy baby under 7.5 lbs (yes, that makes me happy even though ultra-sounds are proven to be pretty inaccurate) that just isn't ready to come out yet. This baby is no dummy - it's cold outside and the baby is currently warm and hooked up to an on-demand food source. Once you are born, there is work involved! So no real contractions building to labor...yet.

Going to work tomorrow will not be fun with all the questions or exclamations: "You're still here??!?" "Have you tried...." Yes, I am still here and have tried just about everything legal and natural that is recommended to 'encourage labor.' Unfortunately, you cannot control labor, and this baby is going to come when it is ready.  It's pretty obvious that it is not ready yet.

Being overdue is no fun -  people expect you and your baby to hold to a schedule. I found this list of 'what not to say to an overdue woman' that everyone should  memorize.  In the meantime, I am going back to drinking my red raspberry leaf tea, taking my primrose oil, and eating spicy food while walking another 10 miles.

marathon baby?

The NYC marathon is quickly approaching and the question is, will this baby come before or after? The book I've been reading on birth, The Big Book of Birth, talks about the birthing process being like a marathon:  it requires physical, emotional and spiritual endurance it is much easier when you prepare and have people encouraging you. Thankfully, I have a very supportive husband and medical providers that I trust.

So the question remains as to whether we will be cheering the runners from the sidelines this Sunday, or whether Dave will be cheering me on in a different kind of marathon.

pin cushion

So the baby is two days late so far. On recommendation from our midwives, we decided to try acupuncture to 'help things along' naturally. After a quick check that our insurance does in fact cover acupuncture, we decided it couldn't hurt. Or could it? Our good friend Hannah, who is currently going to acupuncture school, recommended her favorite teacher, Patsy. So last night we went to the West Village after work to try it out.

We happened to pass by Murray's Cheese Shop on our way to the appointment and couldn't resist getting some Drunken Goat Cheese from Spain. It is delicious! It was fun to try Murray's out as they give free samples (no worries - all the samples we tried were pasteurized)!

The appointment was really relaxing. The needles weren't painful (they were really thin), it felt more like I had had a pressure point massage after the fact. Patsy was really great and showed Dave pressure points that he should work on and told me to keep my lower extremities warm. Not an easy task since I love going sock-less and it is cold outside!

No labor today yet, but I have been having more contractions which is good. And now I have an excuse for Dave to give me a foot massage every day!