1 Month

Just like that, Leigh is already a month old, and her sister is still beyond eager to hold her, cuddle her and smile for a picture with her!

 

Baby Leigh

Leigh Dearing
December 9, 2013
7 lbs 15 oz, 21 inches

 

Before the details fade and before I get too exhausted to remember, I want to write about Leigh’s birthday.  Most know that I desperately wanted to avoid another c-section.   Many women love the ideal convenience of a scheduled c-section.  I am not one of them.  I wanted desperately to avoid the challenges of a major surgery and be back on my feet as quick as possible so I could love on my girls and hopefully, take some pressure off David.  Not all doctors will agree to a VBAC, but because I was the ideal candidate to attempt one, my doctor was willing.

In the early fall, we were assured that we had overcome my bout with fifth’s disease and settled in to enjoying the last trimester.  Ha, who am I kidding?  I love the end result of pregnancy but am not one of those women who “glows” for nine months.  In reality, we enjoyed a few weeks of a “normal” pregnancy.   Then, December came and my due date approached, which brought me closer and closer to my c-section date that my OBGYN required that I schedule.  Leigh had to come before that date, or she was coming out c-section style!   Further, she had to come with the right doctor on call.  We had to arrive at the hospital at just the right time, and labor had to show continued progress towards birth.    After days and days of fretting that the details of Leigh’s birth would not fall into place to avoid a c-section, I finally gave in and gave Leigh’s birth over to God.  (Yep, my need to be in control is a huge, huge challenge in my faith.)    No sooner than I had finally given Leigh’s birth to God than my water was breaking, and I was having contractions that were close together.

Sweet little Leigh arrived 3 hours after my water broke!  Every detail fell into place in such a surreal way!  We were blessed with an amazing head delivery nurse who managed me through a WHOLE lot of pain med free labor while she worked to get me admitted and paperwork complete.  I must have asked 20 times if it was too late for an epidural, as birth without an epidural had NOT been in my c-section free birth plan, and yeah for us, I got it just in time to push!  We were blessed with a sweet friend who got up in the middle of the night and left her family to be at our house when DM woke up and get her to school.  We are blessed with family and friends who are still giving DM extra “big sister” love and are feeding us.

Of course, Leigh is perfect and beautiful, and we are completely in love and so fortunate.   We have never seen DM as excited and proud as she was the day of Leigh’s arrival.   Pictures from Leigh’s birthday are HERE, and her newborn pictures are HERE.

Edited 1/21/14