Diario di Mamma Jenn

Well I haven't written in a long time, but it was to be expected as being a first time mom isn't easy. Our baby Isabella Nadine was born on 07-08-09 at 6.52pm, she weighed 3.180 kg and measured 50 cm long. The birthing experience was not bad at all, I was admitted into the birthing center at 10.15am and at that point I was only 2 cm dilated and my "water bag" had punctured. I didn't have bad contractions, I just felt bad menstrual like pains. At 1pm I still didn't have those bad labor contractions, instead I was having lunch! After a while I did start feeling those labor contractions but I was able to tolerate them. I was walking with my hubby back and forth along the hallway, as time progressed the contractions were getting stronger and stronger. I made it thru 7cm without the epidural and believe it or not it was my worship music (Mercy Me and the David Crowder Band) that got me through the contractions! I requested the epidural and by the time that it kicked in I had already arrived to 8cm, so basically I was without medication up 'til 8cm, I was very proud of me! The actual delivery took about 25-30 min, it wasn't long at all!

Izzie and I came home after 3 days, that's normal in Italy. By the 2nd day I wanted to go home so bad!! Izzie kept me up at night, but she also kept up the other two moms in my room, I felt bad for them, but I especially felt bad for Izzie because I had no idea of what to do! I am very grateful that there was a nurse that taught me how to breastfeed correctly and that made things go much smoother for the 2 of us. However, Izzie still cried, why? Perhaps because it was too hot in the room? Unfortuntately for us, the a/c in our room didn't work well, so we were sweating like little pigs! Even I couldn't tolerate the heat, imagine a newborn! I thanked God the day that we came home, finally Izzie was home with us.

She is 20 days old today and it seems like she is much older for several reasons, she is so strong and so alert! She does things that a newborn shouldn't do right now, for example turn herself...if you place her tummy facing down, she turns herself sideways and then turns again to face up! She also follows noises with her head. Tomorrow we're going to a pediatrician's visit, we'll see what we're told. For now I must end this here as I hear her starting to wake up.