Our little gem

So I know that a lot of people are waiting for the news on Baby Spoon's birth. Momma Spoon went into active labor Sunday, hitting some powerful contractions in the early afternoon. We had tried a relaxing bath to take her mind off of the contractions, but her water broke after the bath. We blame Daddy Spoon's friend Eric. He posted a SNL 'Celebrity Jeopardy' skit, and the laughter is probably what did Momma in. (But no worries, Eric. We won't send our people after you)

It was about 4 pm when we arrived at the hospital. I totally wanted to speed as fast as could be down the interstate, but decided that Baby Spoon's birth-story didn't need any police chases involved in it. (I would've let them follow me straight to the hospital though. No joke) We drove calmly and arrived with Grandma Spoon at the hospital, where we were taken to a nice delivery room while Grandma waited outside. Momma was already dilated at 7 cm when we arrived in the delivery room. So from there we began to play the waiting game for her to reach 10 cm and begin the hard part of active labor. (and yes, Momma Spoon did receive an epidural, which helped to slow things down and reduce her pain)

The active labor began after midnight, about 1:30 am. A nurse helped Mommy Spoon through the process over a period of four hours. When no progress was made, the nurse brought in our doctor and later the OBGYN on duty also arrived to assess the birth. The doctors both recommended a C-section for several reasons, a few of which that Baby Spoon's tiny little head was probably getting bruised and Mommy was running out of energy. After a private discussion, we agreed to go through with the surgery.

After the doctors wheeled Momma away for some anesthesia, I was brought in to one of the surgery rooms to help comfort Mommy Spoon while the doctors worked. It was eerie to watch. There were a few moments when I had to focus on Mommy, not the doctors, because I was getting queasy from seeing the surgery occur. (Something else that helped me out was having my camera in hand. I shot a ton of photos) At 7:13 am -on the same day as her Auntie Nadia's birthday- the doctors brought out our little gem. Ophelia Patricia Allison Leonhardt weighed 9.96 pounds, was 21 inches long, has blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair. (She also has very healthy lungs. Her feisty temperament is best expressed by the healthy crying she does to voice her disapproval of any and most things that are cold. Takes after her mother with that one)

Between shooting pics of my new daughter, cutting off a piece of the remaining umbilical cord and comforting Mommy Spoon during the finishing parts of the surgery, the doctors were able to put Mommy back together. I got to hold my daughter for the 30 mins that the final part of the surgery took. (Win!) The entire delivery team was amazed at the size of our daughter, and the anesthesiologist thought she was the size of a toddler, not a newborn. Since the surgery was difficult and painful for Mommy Spoon, she was given a cocktail of at least 6 different painkillers. So we waited in a post-op recovery room after the surgery and delivery for most of them to pass through her system.

It took most of yesterday for those drugs to work through her system. After we recovered from the post-op, Mommy, Baby and I were moved to a new room to bond as a family. Grandma was finally able to meet her first grandchild, and both us tired parents were able to rest from the long night's effort. While the nurses made sure Mommy Spoon wasn't feeling any pain from the surgery, I had the heavy work of comforting Baby Spoon while she was fussy, changing diapers, notifying family about the fantastic news (my brother Matt who previously had had the heaviest baby -at 8.4 pounds- had a moment of jealousy when he heard about Opal's weight) and even washing her when bath time came around. Plus the horrible duty of taking photos. ; )

Today we have been resting and catching up on our sleep. (Kinda crazy how we felt after being awake for almost three days after a delivery like the one we had) Everyone in the extended Spoon family has been excited for us and amazed at our Baby Spoon. The doctors and nurses have been focusing on Mommy Spoon's recovery and helping Baby Spoon to nurse. Her blood sugar level was low yesterday, and we had to feed her some formula to boost the BSL -which made her picky about the lunch Mommy was packing. Since figuring out the trick, Baby Spoon has been very good about nursing. She also does a good job at making faces and filling her diapers for Daddy to change. (While holding her after changing a diaper, I felt something pop and thought she had immediately filled another. Her messy diapers are epic. So I ran to check her new diaper while Mommy laughed at me. It hurt her to laugh about that) WE COULDN'T BE HAPPIER. We are well pleased with our fantastic baby girl. Our gem. -Daddy Spoon