Moira Has Arrived!

Moira Agnes was wisked into the world at 1:01 a.m. on Friday, April 24th!

The long and short of the birth story:

Thurs. a.m. 

Emily wakes up with mild contractions, but nothing different from the last few days of contractions.  

Emily calls Michelle, who was in Milwaukee for the weekend and had planned on spending a day in Madison.  Emily tells Michelle to come anyway, even though she might be in early labor.

Thurs. Afternoon

Emily and Michelle go on a walk, at which point the contractions seem slightly stronger and more consistent (but Emily still doesn't think it's "anything")

Thurs. 7:00 pm

Emily, Ben and Michelle decide on some dinner and a video rental.  Contractions are actually being timed and are surprisingly consistent, close together and long.  Emily talks to the Doula, Jess, to tell her that early labor might be underway.  Jess thinks we might see each other in the morning for some serious labor.

8:30 pm

Emily and Ben decide to go upstairs to labor, leaving Michelle to watch "Animal House" all by herself :)

10:20 pm

Emily still feels foolish, but decides anyway to have Ben call Jess back and request her presence for labor at our house

10:30 pm

Emily's water breaks

11:40 pm

Jess arrives at our house, finding Emily already in the Transition phase of labor

12:15 am

After scrambling for last-minute items, Michelle and Ben load the car and Jess helps Emily down the stairs and toward the parking lot.  Before even getting into the car, Emily begins to feel the urge to push with her contractions (but she didn't know that's what it was!).  Jess phones the hospital to let them know we're on our way.  Ben has to pull the car over en route so that Jess can check to see whether or not the baby is crowning (she was not).

12:25 am

Arrival at ER entrance to hospital.  Some grumpy attendants yell at Emily to sit in the wheelchair and to stop pushing.  This was nearly impossible on both counts.  Upon arrival in Labor and Delivery room, Emily continues with pushing, baby's heartrate is (finally) detected and is lower than expected.  Everyone on hand is strongly encouraging Emily to push with all of her might (photo of Em's face to come showing the fallout from this).  

1:01 am

Moira is born, with the cord wrapped tightly around her neck twice.  Ben cuts the cord from around her neck, and Moira is taken to a side room for evaluation.  Her oxygen levels are not up to standard, so she is taken to the NICU immediately, without being held or even seen for more than a split second by Emily and Ben.  

4:00 am

Ben and Emily finally get to visit Moira in the NICU for the first time and see her.  They discover her birth stats: 6 lbs, 8.2 oz and 19 inches long.  She has a full head of sandy-colored hair (about an inch long) and is the spitting image of Ben :)

Within about a day and a half, Moira was given a clean bill of health and was allowed to be discharged from the NICU.  We came home from the hospital on Sunday and it has been a whirlwind ever since!  More posts to come with more pictures...

The shirt says it all:

Papa and Moira doing some good skin-to-skin:

Since it wasn't appropriate to show Mama and Moira doing skin-to-skin...

Leaving the hospital: