Welcome Hana Rae

Dear Hana,
Your first name means "flower" in Japanese, and that is a name that both your dad and I knew you were going to be named since we found out you were going to be a girl. Something about it just clicked with us, and we knew that was your name. Your middle name is one that we both liked and thought flowed nicely with Hana.

We met you on Saturday, August 27th, 2011 at 1:26pm. I started feeling something that morning at about 5am, and actually thought it was just gas pains. The feeling was very low in my pelvis, and didn't feel like the waves (aka contractions) that I felt with Emi, so I figured this was something different. I started timing them, and they were anywhere from 15 minutes apart to 8 minutes apart, so nothing consistent. Emi actually came into our room a little after 5am (which is early for her to wake up), so maybe she had a feeling you were coming before I even knew! Your dad decided to take her back to her room, and since I was wide awake I decided to start packing a bag to head to the hospital since I figured you would come this weekend sometime.

I was still feeling the "gas pains" at 8am, so we decided to skip Emi's swim class that morning. I had a list of things to get at Costco, and your dad had a Men's Warehouse credit certificate that expired that day (I was not going to let a $100 free cash certificate expire!), so I told Scott and Emi to go out and run some errands and then check in on me to see how I was doing. Maybe that was not the best idea, but your dad got 4 very nice ties without spending any cash!

After they left, I decided to lie down on the couch and try to rest and watch some TV. I downloaded a contraction timer app for my phone, and was noticing that I was having irregular waves, anywhere from 8 minutes apart to 4 minutes apart, and that they were all about 45 seconds long. After about an hour on the couch and not being able to take a nap, I decided to take a shower. Once I stood up, I noticed that they got a bit stronger. Every time I had one, the most comfortable position for me to get into was to bend forward and lean on something (the bed, the sink, my knees, whatever there was to lean on) and gently rock side to side. I didn't think I needed to put in my Hypnobabies CDs yet, and each time I had one I just said "Relax" in my mind, and rode them out until it was done. I am guessing it was about 11am when Scott checked in, and I told him to come home right away, and that I was calling my parents to come over and watch Emi for us.

Your dad got home all stressed out because there was construction traffic and it took twice the amount of time that it usually takes. He called my parents to avoid that street, but they forgot the cell phone at home and got stuck in it too. In the meantime, I paged the doctor on call (Dr. Zaid, who also delivered your sister) and told her what was going on. I still didn't think I was in labor, and she said we should go to the hospital and they would call her if she needed to come in. Once my parents got here, we loaded up the car and left for the hospital.

I put my Hypnobabies CD in for the car ride there (with earphones), and closed my eyes and tried to listen and relax. With my eyes closed, I could still follow all the turns and pretty much knew where we were, but it seemed like a quick ride and was actually surprised when Scott said "we're here" and helped me out of the car. We walked into the L&D wing, and as soon as we walked through the doors, I had to lean on my knees and ride out another wave. A doctor came out of a room at that time, and was up at the registration desk when we got there. I gave them my name and told them that I was having waves about 3 minutes apart, and he looked at us and smiled and said "Sounds like it's coming soon!". Duh. We checked in at about 12:15pm.

They put us into a room, and found that I was about 8cm dilated and that the baby was very low. They called the doctor to come in. I told them that I was starting to feel "pushy", and they said to just breath through them. I had my earphones in and was concentrating on relaxing and breathing, so the majority of this is what your dad described to me. While we were waiting for Dr. Zaid, the nurses said that you would be here very soon. When he asked for a more specific description of "soon", they said probably within the hour. At this point, I was having waves every 4 minutes, and they were about 2 minutes in length. It didn't feel like they were that long, it still felt like they were only 45 seconds long. Dr. Zaid arrived and started setting things up. I told her that I really felt like I needed to push, so she checked me and said it was ok, and to follow what my body was telling me to do, and she started putting her gown on. She also said that you were in a position that would be better if I rolled onto my right side. As soon as I did that, I felt the next wave come and you crowned. The nurse said "Doctor, there's the head, you better hurry up!". With the next wave, you were born. You had your hand up by your cheek, and that's how you joined the world, and I still see that's a favorite place for you to put your hand. Your were born at 1:26pm, and I am shocked and amazed at how fast your birth was. I am also in awe of the human brain, and that I was able to do all this drug free, without constantly listening to my Hypnobabies CDs (like I had to when Emi was born). I didn't even have time to switch to the Pushing Phase track!

After your birth, they put you on my chest and you looked at us and eventually fell asleep. We held off on weighing you and giving you a bath, but we later found out you were 8 lb, 2 oz. I'm glad you came on your own, one day after your due date. The doctor was guessing that you might be 9 lbs when you got to be one week overdue, so maybe you knew this and decided to just come now (if so, thanks!). Plus, I could finally stop the high protein diet I got put on at 36 weeks to keep you from putting on too much more weight.

As I write this, we are home and you are sleeping in your pack and play next to our bed. It's the middle of the night, and I can't sleep. It's cute to listen to you breath and the little noises that you make while you sleep. I can't wait to see you grow up, and see how you and Emi are similar and how you are different (you look just like she did when she was born), and I hope you two become the best of friends. I wish the very best for you, and a lifetime of love, smiles and happiness.

Love, Mommy