Cora's Hospital Pics

Cora Jane's Birth Story

(Warning: This is a birth story. I want to make sure I remember every little detail of Cora's debut. If you don't like birth stories, or find them too personal, you may want to skip this).

I had been in prelabor for several days. On Wednesday when I went to the doctor, I was 3CM dilated (had been for a couple of weeks) and nearly fully effaced. The doc's words were, "I'm on call tonight. I might see you two again in a couple of hours". On Friday, I was frantically finishing my to-do list and cleaning spaces that had not been cleaned in months. By the time I went to bed on Friday night, I was feeling like I had overdone it. At 10PM, Landon was still at the laptop at the kitchen table and I was in bed reading. I sent him a text (yes, we text each other in our house) that said, "I think you may need to get a good night's sleep". He immediately turned off the computer and came to bed.

At 12:50 AM I woke from the strangest dream. One of my students needed a urine sample from me, and I was having to "hold it", and "holding it" hurt REALLY bad! When I woke up, I got up and went to relieve myself. As I woke up I realized that I was having contractions. I crawled back in bed, woke up Landon, and had him start to time me. A fairly regular 5 minute interval lasting approximately 1 minute each. I was in labor.

This is where I start to act crazy. I tried to insist that Landon go back to sleep while I insisted that I get up, fold laundry, and add a few blog posts. How could I blog about the baby if I hadn't added a few belly shots from pregnancy?!??!?! He instead got up, took the dogs down to Tracy & Trevor's (we had there 4 month old lab at our house), and came back.

He and I had prepared for the birth with the Bradley Method, also known as Husband-Coached Birthing. We did 12 weeks of 3 hour classes focused on remaining healthy during pregnancy through diet and labor, learning the signs of prelabor, 1st stage labor, transition, and 2nd stage labor, etc. At first the classes were a bit intense (12 Monday's of this!!!), but by the end, we were really thankful that we had taken the classes. The ultimate goal: birth without any intervention, including epidural or episiotomy. What was clear to my coach? I should not be up folding laundry - I should be in bed focusing. But taking the contractions lying down did not sound very feasible or comforting. I had things to do, darnit, and I needed to get them done!

It's a good thing I planned to not use drugs because I was one of those wonderful labors where drugs would not have even been an option.

At 5 minutes apart, I called the doc and let her know I thought I was in labor. She suggested I come on in, but after I told her I planned to labor naturally, and that I we lived about 1 mile from the hospital, she agreed that we could labor from home for a while longer and see how things progressed. At around 2:30 I went and crawled into bed with Landon, informed him I couldn't concentrate and I needed him to time the contractions. He was happy to see that I was finally being rationale and laying down. The contractions were about 3 minutes apart.

Around 3:00, I heard a "popping" noise and my water broke. We timed the contractions again, which was complicated, because I was having trouble telling when one ended and the next one began. By 3:30, we had debated whether to go to the hospital and stay home and labor longer. I noted that my mother had had really short labors...

By the time we got in the car at 3:30 AM, my contractions seemed to be about 1 minute apart. I had to stop in our foyer and sit on the stairs to let one contraction ride itself out. Once we got to the hospital, I was so miserable and sweaty, and covered in amniotic fluid, that I seriously considered stripping out of my bandeau dress in the parking lot and letting Landon wheel me in only wearing underwear! The thought of laboring in jail discouraged me from doing that.

In the admitting area, I think that the lady thought I was being a little dramatic. I could barely answer any questions, like when Landon needed my SS#. The contractions were that close together. On the way upstairs, I remember saying, "Wow! This really hurts" and feeling like the cracks in the floor would make me insane. The nurse brought in a hospital gown and suggested that I put that on in the bathroom. I asked if I HAD to wear their gown. She said no, Landon threw me my green one, and proceeded to change there in the middle of the room. Landon said he knew from my lack of modesty that I must be transitioning from first to second stage labor.

She positioned me on the bed, and began to complete some info in the computer before hooking me up to the monitor. She also needed me to complete a domestic violence form without Landon in the room. It became clear that I wasn't letting Landon leave, and that I wanted to rush through that form. I stated, "He is much more likely to get punched in the nose than I am", and asked for the pen. It was 3:55AM when I signed that form.

Finally, I was hooked up to the monitor and it was as if I light bulb went off for the nurse. My contractions were double-peeking, lasting for about a minute and a half, and coming without break. She said, "You're having two for ones here! I'll get the doctor". The on-call Doc, Dr. White, came in, checked me, and declared I was at 6cm. I felt a little discouraged - I thought I was much further along than that. They left, and the nurse made promises to come back with some tools for natural child birth, like a birthing ball and a squat bar. I stood up with plans to try to walk, and asked Landon if he would fill the bath. While he stepped into the restroom, I laid back down on the bed. When he came back, I said, "you'll think I am crazy, but I want to push". He called the nurses station.

When the Doc and our nurse, Janette, came back in, they were wearing facial expressions that subtly stated, "They're going to be one of those 'call us back every 15 minutes' couples"... I vomited, was proclaiming to be switching from hot and cold every few minutes (other signs of Transition), and made the statement, "I don't know if I can do this". The doc checked me - I had progressed to 8cm in a matter of minutes. No wonder it hurt!

The nurse wasn't rushing, but she was hustling, to get items laid out for the birth. Landon asked for a few more towells (I was begging for a wet cloth on my forehead). While everyone was out of the room, I stated, "I have got to push". Landon hit the nurses button again...

Landon: She wants to push really bad.
Nurse: You're a frustrated dad?
Landon: She wants to push really bad.
Nurse: You're a frustrated dad?!?!
Carrie: I AM PUSHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think she got my point. By the time that the doc came in Landon was trying to slow my progress a bit and my body was naturally pushing our baby out. It felt like convulsions - the feeling that you have when you vomit, and there is nothing that you can do to stop it. It was very intense - but it also felt really great in response to the contractions. The doc at one point said I was 9cm and not quiet effaced, but quickly gave me the all clear and flipped me onto my back.

I felt like I pushed longer, but Landon said it was 20 minutes tops. The whole thing was surreal...

The happy ending was that we had our little baby girl. I declared, "Little sundresses", and kept saying again and again, "I can't believe she's here, I can't believe she is so healthy" and I kept asking for reassurance that she was OK. We had prayed for this for what seemed like so long (even though I got pregnant relatively quickly), and I had spent so much time worrying over the smallest details of my diet, my exercise, my sleep habits... to see her arrive whole and beautiful was one of the most blessed feelings I've ever felt.

Cora Jane Messal.
8 pounds, 3 oz.
19 inches long.
With an unexpected head full of dark hair.

She came out alert with a loud cry. Her coloring was nearly perfect from the very beginning. And, although I can't say that I really knew what I was doing, we established a good latch fairly quickly. And my recovery was phenomenal. Although I did have to have a few stitches, I was up and moving by myself within the hour after birth. In fact, breakfast came around 8AM. By that time, I had already been up, drawn myself a bath, cleaned myself up, changed clothes, and crawled back into bed. (Landon would have helped with all that, but somebody needed to coo at our new bundle of joy!). I am very thankful that I had the type of labor, and the type of preparation, so that I could avoid any intervention. I don't know how I would have felt with an epidural, and I certainly have no idea how I would have felt after a ceasarian. But I do know that this week I have felt nearly 100%. A little fatigued (is that the birth... or learning to care for a newborn), and maybe a little crampy, but I even gave up Motrin the day after her birth in worry that it was making her a little groggy...

We are completely smitten with our baby Cora Jane.

With Dr. White, the doctor on call to deliver Cora.

A few pregnancy stories

Cora Jane is here!

I went into labor early on Saturday morning (just past midnight). If you know me, you know that I am a to-do lister. On Friday, I had several items that I still needed to check off of my work to-do list before I went on auto pilot for a few weeks. I finished all of those tasks.

I also wanted to get our back deck cleaned up in anticipation of visitors. So on Friday starting around 6PM, I tackled the back deck. I scrubbed down porch cushions with bleach, bleached all of the wrought iron, scrubbed the screens and the door... Landon of course was in on the action too with the leaf blower attacking our gutters. I guess I was such a site that even the neighbor was standing at the back fence laughing at us. I was in labor - I just didn't know it yet.

But there was something I didn't get finished: I wanted to add a blog post with a few pregnancy pics. When I woke up at 12:50 AM having contractions (story to follow), I started out trying to do it in between contractions...

A few notes and stories from pregnancy.

New Year's Eve in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl. I was so cold that I pulled Landon's coveralls out of the back of the car. On the way home on Jan 1st we stopped to get Chinese good. It was strange that I vomited after eating Chinese food, and just as strange that I could not hold my eyes open on the way home... but it didn't cross my mind that anything was up.
We spent Christmas in Kentucky this year. Nelson and Betsy Gullett made a special trip out to the house on Christmas day. The reason: they came to announce their pregnancy to our family. When Nelson & Betsy announced their news to the living room, Landon proclaimed, "That's awesome! Our kids will grow up together!" Grandma Iris's face lit up. I had to do damage control by screaming, "We AREN'T pregnant!!!" Little did I know...

We had a couple of weekends at home of just Landon and I before the baby was due. We were so excited for Cora to get here, but we were also a bit nostalgic. On Friday night, Landon, I, and Pearl sat on the couch for hours during a thunderstorm trying to acclamate Pearl to thunder. On Sunday morning, when it started storming again, Pearl ran to the back door, went out and sat on the couch waiting for us to join her. Very peaceful weekend.

sitting on Landon's tailgate at Ye Ole' Ice Cream Shop. Our last "completely us as a couple, no guests, and baby's not coming weekend"...

Julie came to town for Good Friday with Ellie & Tennent. We love these kids! Ellie made my day by going to work with me on Good Friday. She went to my class, we had breakfast with some of my students, we toured a sorority house - I LOVED having her with me!

Easter Sunday. I thought I looked SO pregnant in this photo. I was absolutely dying for my baby bump to show. Landon's Uncle Thane & Aunt Paula have been in town for Easter the last two years. We always have the best time with them that weekend - it gives us a little taste of family and really makes it feel like a holiday. I hope that that is a tradition that continues.

With our birth class. Lin Cook, the instructor, is also in the second picture.

My Schottland Scholars graduate gave me this present at their graduation brunch. They were my favorite part of my job last year! What a great group of students.
My feet from the 2010 trip with the Schottland Scholars. 3 weeks before my due date. They've already gone back down.

Matt flew in the weekend before Cora was born in order to purchase this car. What a great day! We spent all day driving around trying to find country roads. Of course, he wouldn't go very fast with me and the "baby" in the car with him. I wanted him to really hammer it. I suspect that he and Landon had a little more fun when I wasn't in the car.

I sometimes get up and make pancakes for Landon for breakfast before he goes to work at 5AM. I cut hearts in these pancakes. It makes up for the fact that I make the worst eggs ever.
Landon & Tracy's 30th Birthday party. Somehow I ended up with a whole wedge of watermelon for myself...

Our new mommy-mobile! Coincidentally, this is the first night I had braxton-hicks. We were at the Family Cup Tennis Tourney with Trevor & Tracey. I kept walking around saying, "MY belly is so hard!" It wasn't until several weeks later that I learned that what I was feeling was Braxton-Hicks contractions. I went back to my calendar and realized that I was only 17 weeks pregnant at that tournament, which is really early to start feeling them.

Did I mention that I REALLY liked watermelon while pregnant?

A few belly shots. I have no clue how pregnant I was when this was taken - I think it was Whitney's graduation party, so that would have been the first week in May. Again, I thought I was SO pregnant...

Another belly shot. This one was the second week in July.
Dad took this at Oak Island the second week in July.

Another belly shot... maybe the first week in July? When I was teaching MBA boot camp.

Not sure when this was taken... but again, I thought I was SO pregnant. I would go to work and have Sabrina, our administrative assistant, check out my belly. She would just say, "You're gettin there".
Heading out to do some grocery shopping - maybe about 3 weeks before Cora arrived?
On the Thursday before Cora was born. I'm pretty sure I looked pregnant at this point!

The Baby's Nursery

Landon and I decided early on that we didn't want to find out what we were having. I also decided early on that I wasn't going to make a big fuss about the baby's nursery. I didn't know the gender, we had gotten pregnant so quickly that I was halfway through pregnancy before I even started thinking about the nursery, etc. So, I chose several patterns that I liked for the bedding, and Landon and I went to Babies R Us to choose one. One pattern had turtles, another had crickets, and a third had bumble bees. Landon liked the one with the turtles, so we brought it home and put it on the bed.

Several nights later, we were laying in bed about to fall asleep, and I had a pregnancy moment. I was choking back tears.

Landon: Carrie, what's wrong.
Me: I am a horrible mother.
Landon: Why?
Me: I don't like the turtles! Why did we get the turtles? I hate the babies nursery.
Landon: Sweetie, we'll go back and get the crickets. Did you like the crickets better? Or the bumble bees. I knew I should have gone with the crickets!
Me: I don't want any reptiles or insects in our baby's room! (continuing to sob - although by this point, I was also laughing pretty hard at my absurdity).

Fortunately, that was the weekend that Landon was out of town for a guy's weekend and Jill & Sara were in town for a girl's weekend. We took back the turtles and completely revamped the nursery. I love the new motif - and I especially love that it has so much of Jill & Sara's finishing touches added in. They each painted a birdhouse, and we all did the clothesline together.

There are touches from Cora's Aunts, too. Julie sketched the raggedy anne on Cora's changing table years ago... Landon found it in his things. While Heather was in town, she finished canvases to hang over her bed.

No more breakdowns over the nursery! Pics from the baby's room.

More about puppies...

We had just made our decision regarding Stokely - and we were feeling pretty confident. That is when our old friend Jerry called Landon. The dog that miscarried in December was pregnant again, and Jerry wanted to let Landon know that the pups would be born in late April.

The conversation went something like this.

Carrie: We can't get a dog!

Landon: But they are in Smokey's blood line. We may never have an opportunity like this again.

Carrie: We are about 5 months pregnant. That's crazy.

Landon: PUPPIES!

Carrie: No way, no puppies.

So we debated and went back and forth until the puppies were about 4 weeks old. We drove up to see Jerry, and to discuss the puppies, and to tell Jerry that we were going to help him get them off his hands (Landon planned to post on the UT fan walls about the dogs)... but we wouldn't be taking a dog.

I think that this one is Pearl

Jerry, holding one of the puppies

Keep in mind that this isn't your typical breeder. Jerry is a hunter, and he loves blue tick coon hounds. In fact, he was president of the state club (Landon could give you the official name), had blood lines for all of his animals, etc. He wasn't someone who breeds these dogs just to make money.

When we got to Jerry's, we were really sad to see that he was having a bad day. That day, Jerry's wife had been diagnosed with esophagaus cancer, and he himself had spent all day at the VA having tests run. He was feeling understandably nostalgic, and commented that this was probably his last litter and he felt good knowing that people who appreciated them would have one.

My thought: We'll take 3 of your puppies, Jerry!

So Landon and I leave, continuing to debate whether we'd take a puppy. While driving to Ky the next week, I came up with the name Pearl. We brought her home on the first day of July.

Our puppy, Pearl.

Yes, we realize that this will be a little like having twins this fall. I've always heard that having a newborn feels something like having your head held under water. I figure, if it feels like my head is being held under water, it won't matter if there is one hand on my shoulder or two hands on my shoulder.

We'll see how this works out.