Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Stella Pics
I uploaded a bunch of Stella pictures to flickr....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobyyoung/sets/72157611435190793/
Monday, December 1, 2008
Birth Story
Here is the birth story, that our Doula, Molly Patterson, wrote up for us...
Birth Story for Stella Young
Birth Date: Tuesday November 4th, 2008
Time of birth: 12:31 p.m.
Weight: 8lbs 9 oz
Mom and Dad: Coby and Monica Young
WELCOME LITTLE STELLA
Hello little Stella. I am so glad that you are here. Your birth was the coolest adventure ever. I am sure that by now you are well aware of how loved you are. Your Dad and Mom were amazing and truly did everything they could to make sure that your birth and their birth journey to have you was one of love and support.
I had the honor of being there as your Parents Doula. My name is Molly. I met your Mom and Dad well before you were born and walked (quite literally) alongside them in their journey to birth you.
Your due date was November 3rd, 2008. Your Mom had it in her heart to have you on Halloween, but that day came and went and still you had not arrived. We had dinner the Monday before at Big Daddy’s and talked about the options for Halloween. “Either I am handing our candy or having a baby...” your Mom said. All of this over some very food. I Encouraged your Mom that you would arrive when you were ready and that they were both doing everything right. Your Mom and Dad were just so excited to have you in their arms that it was hard to wait. There is a whole lot of love going in your family little Stella- but I am sure that you are discovering that out every day aren’t you.
On November 3rd, things started to happen. Your Mom called me at 6:30 in the morning to tell me that she had lost her plug that she had had some intermittent contractions in those early morning hours. She had been having contractions periodically before this, but these were different. I told here to try to get some rest and see what might happen. Your Dad was back to sleep by now so she could just cuddle-up next to him. They had an appointment to see Marcia (that was Your Mom’s Midwife) that day to check on how things were going. At the appointment Marcia said that Mom was 90% effaced and 1 cm dilated. This was great news! Things were definitely happening. Your heartbeat was strong and you were in a great position and moving along at a good pace. I got another call from Mom around 7 p.m. that night. Contractions were about 30 minutes apart and lasting about 30 - 60 seconds. Mom was going to take a shower and try to rest. Your Mom loves the water and this proved to be one of the best places for her to labor. I went to bed early too, I knew I would most likely be getting a call at some point in the night to come over and join your Parents.
The call came at 3:15 a.m. Mom was having consistent contractions about every 5 minutes most of the night and hadn’t really slept much. She was excited and also wasn’t quite sure what position to find rest in.. (this happens sometimes in labor). I arrived at the house around 4:15 a.m, Mom and Dad filled me in on what had been going on. Your Mom had taken shower, got in the bath, and was still having good steady contractions. You were most assuredly on your way to being in Your Mom’s arms because we just could not trick those contractions into stopping. That is a good sign of active labor, when you can’t trick the contractions into stopping. I had Mom and Dad get back into bed, even though it was a bit intense at times. A little “spooning” between parents is a good thing. It helps them both stay connected with how much they love each other and YOU! We turned out the lights and I went downstairs. As I walked out of the room I was noticing all of the notes that your Mom had around the house. They were words and phrases the reminded her of her strength and love for you. They were words of empowerment about how natural having a baby is. I know that they helped her very much.
At 6 a.m. Mom got up and went to the bathroom. She had rested a bit, but not much because the contractions were still happening very consistently and now there was a bit of a sensation of pushing. Not much, but enough that we all took note of it. We talk about picturing the contractions like a “wave” coming in and going out. Your Mom was so very good about visualizing where she was in each part of the birth process. I left them to rest/labor a bit more. Mom also told me at this point that your Grandma would be arriving soon, so I went downstairs again to wait for her and let her in. She was driving up from Columbia SC. Bless her heart, she got in her car and started up as soon as your Mom called her at 3 a.m. She arrived around 6:30 and brought with her some very delicious looking goodies. Mom also got into the tub at this point and had a big smoothie shake for breakfast. I remember the look on your Mom’s face when I offered to make eggs.... not such a good idea. Your Mom made your Dad get some coffee at this point as well. It helped with possible crankiness on his part she said. Mom stayed in the tub until 7 ish and then we called Marcia to update her. Your Mom had an appointment to see her again that day, but we were pretty sure that we would be missing that appointment and having a baby instead.
Mom wanted to get some air, so all 4 of us went for a walk. It was a beautiful morning and I remember thinking how peaceful it was and how colorful all of the leaves looked. We didn’t walk far, because the walking did the trick. Your Mom started feeling the contractions change and we all knew that she was moving into transition. She felt a bit nauseous and there was quite a bit more “dancing with Dad” and your Mom’s breathing changed. We headed back to the house and then made the decision to go to Marcia’s office and get checked to confirm the progression. That was around 9:30 in the morning. You Mom got into the back of the car so that she could lean over the seat and be comfortable, while your Dad drove and your Grandma watched over your Mom. I got into my car and followed. We called Marcia to let her know we were coming and to have a room ready so we wouldn’t have to wait.
I will always remember the looks on the faces of the people in the office. It was priceless. You would think that they had never seen a woman giving birth in a natural way. We got into a room and Marcia checked your Mom. Sure enough, she was 8 cm dilated, 100% effaced and moving fast. What a wonderful moment that was for your Mom and Dad. To know that everything they had done in the morning hours was so right and that you would soon be in their arms. Now all we needed to do was to get to the hospital. Marcia called ahead to the hospital for us so that we wouldn’t have to wait and off we went. When we arrived at the hospital at 10:30 a.m. and got into the room, the staff converged on us. Your Mom and Dad had some decisions to make and I am sure that if they had been given a little quiet time together, they would have not felt so rushed to make them. It’s hard when you have Nurses telling you “procedural methods” and all that you want to do is just have a baby. Your Mom was what they call “GBS positive” and that means that the hospital wanted her to take some antibiotics. The problem was that they required 2 rounds - 4 hours apart. I still can’t believe that the nurse suggested that your Mom do this with the assumption she would still be in labor 4 hours later. What a thing to say to a Mom who is clearly in transition. Your Mom and Dad decided to do the first round as recommended which took a bit of time because the nurse couldn’t see to find a vein for the HepLoc. I was so proud of your Mom as she tried to labor while this was happening.
It took 30 minutes for the antibiotic to get into her system and then Marcia removed everything except the HepLoc. During that time your Dad was the chest that Mom leaned into and danced with. He was so in tune with her heart and ready to support her in whatever way she needed. I remember when we knew things began change from Transition to pushing. Your Mom needed to use the bathroom. While the two of them were in the bathroom, Marcia and I heard your Mom let out a good old fashioned exclamation. I looked at Marcia and said,”It is about time. I have been waiting for her to cut loose with one of those.” Marcia smiled because we both knew that when they came out of the bathroom, Mom would be ready to push. Sure enough that is exactly what happened. Your Mom got into a good position to push on her knees. I don’t want to leave out how great your Grandma was during all of this. I have been to births before where Grandma’s don’t do too well, but that was not the case with yours. She was right there with your Parents cheering them on with her heart. She was a quiet and yet powerful presence in the room. This was an incredible gift when your Mom got into the pushing phase of labor. Your Dad was right there next to your Mom’s ears encouraging her as she went with each urge to push.
It took about 20 minutes of pushing for you to completely appear. Each push was done at the right time and with the right amount of pressure. Your Mom was brilliant! She waited for the full urge to rise up and then let herself go with it just like a wave in the ocean. She had held that same picture throughout her labor. Taking each wave and welcoming it and you into her life and her arms. You were born at 12:32 p.m. and in your Mom’s arms minutes after. I watched as your Dad cut the cord and said his first “hello” to you. I will never forget how your eyes and face turned to that voice in recognition. You KNEW that voice! I told him to keep talking to you and watched you respond each time. Daddy’s little girl was letting him know that she was here and ready to be loved on the outside. You had the sweetest little face with full lips and eyes that were so aware of all that was around you.
Marcia helped your Mom as she birthed the placenta and checked to see if she had and tear. She only had a small one, but decided to have some stitches just in case. All the while you were in Mom’s arms. You had a bit of fluid still in your mouth and they had to get that out. You did a great job of clearing your own body of stuff as well. Your APGAR scores were 8 and 8 . Since I have never seen them give anything higher than a 9, I would say you were “medically perfect”! We all certainly knew that you were perfect! You stayed on Mom’s chest and quickly figured out what her breasts were for.
When I left, you and your family were happily enjoying each other. It was a very good day. Thanks for the honor of being there for your very first “birth day” little one. You are a blessing and very loved.
Birth Story for Stella Young
Birth Date: Tuesday November 4th, 2008
Time of birth: 12:31 p.m.
Weight: 8lbs 9 oz
Mom and Dad: Coby and Monica Young
WELCOME LITTLE STELLA
Hello little Stella. I am so glad that you are here. Your birth was the coolest adventure ever. I am sure that by now you are well aware of how loved you are. Your Dad and Mom were amazing and truly did everything they could to make sure that your birth and their birth journey to have you was one of love and support.
I had the honor of being there as your Parents Doula. My name is Molly. I met your Mom and Dad well before you were born and walked (quite literally) alongside them in their journey to birth you.
Your due date was November 3rd, 2008. Your Mom had it in her heart to have you on Halloween, but that day came and went and still you had not arrived. We had dinner the Monday before at Big Daddy’s and talked about the options for Halloween. “Either I am handing our candy or having a baby...” your Mom said. All of this over some very food. I Encouraged your Mom that you would arrive when you were ready and that they were both doing everything right. Your Mom and Dad were just so excited to have you in their arms that it was hard to wait. There is a whole lot of love going in your family little Stella- but I am sure that you are discovering that out every day aren’t you.
On November 3rd, things started to happen. Your Mom called me at 6:30 in the morning to tell me that she had lost her plug that she had had some intermittent contractions in those early morning hours. She had been having contractions periodically before this, but these were different. I told here to try to get some rest and see what might happen. Your Dad was back to sleep by now so she could just cuddle-up next to him. They had an appointment to see Marcia (that was Your Mom’s Midwife) that day to check on how things were going. At the appointment Marcia said that Mom was 90% effaced and 1 cm dilated. This was great news! Things were definitely happening. Your heartbeat was strong and you were in a great position and moving along at a good pace. I got another call from Mom around 7 p.m. that night. Contractions were about 30 minutes apart and lasting about 30 - 60 seconds. Mom was going to take a shower and try to rest. Your Mom loves the water and this proved to be one of the best places for her to labor. I went to bed early too, I knew I would most likely be getting a call at some point in the night to come over and join your Parents.
The call came at 3:15 a.m. Mom was having consistent contractions about every 5 minutes most of the night and hadn’t really slept much. She was excited and also wasn’t quite sure what position to find rest in.. (this happens sometimes in labor). I arrived at the house around 4:15 a.m, Mom and Dad filled me in on what had been going on. Your Mom had taken shower, got in the bath, and was still having good steady contractions. You were most assuredly on your way to being in Your Mom’s arms because we just could not trick those contractions into stopping. That is a good sign of active labor, when you can’t trick the contractions into stopping. I had Mom and Dad get back into bed, even though it was a bit intense at times. A little “spooning” between parents is a good thing. It helps them both stay connected with how much they love each other and YOU! We turned out the lights and I went downstairs. As I walked out of the room I was noticing all of the notes that your Mom had around the house. They were words and phrases the reminded her of her strength and love for you. They were words of empowerment about how natural having a baby is. I know that they helped her very much.
At 6 a.m. Mom got up and went to the bathroom. She had rested a bit, but not much because the contractions were still happening very consistently and now there was a bit of a sensation of pushing. Not much, but enough that we all took note of it. We talk about picturing the contractions like a “wave” coming in and going out. Your Mom was so very good about visualizing where she was in each part of the birth process. I left them to rest/labor a bit more. Mom also told me at this point that your Grandma would be arriving soon, so I went downstairs again to wait for her and let her in. She was driving up from Columbia SC. Bless her heart, she got in her car and started up as soon as your Mom called her at 3 a.m. She arrived around 6:30 and brought with her some very delicious looking goodies. Mom also got into the tub at this point and had a big smoothie shake for breakfast. I remember the look on your Mom’s face when I offered to make eggs.... not such a good idea. Your Mom made your Dad get some coffee at this point as well. It helped with possible crankiness on his part she said. Mom stayed in the tub until 7 ish and then we called Marcia to update her. Your Mom had an appointment to see her again that day, but we were pretty sure that we would be missing that appointment and having a baby instead.
Mom wanted to get some air, so all 4 of us went for a walk. It was a beautiful morning and I remember thinking how peaceful it was and how colorful all of the leaves looked. We didn’t walk far, because the walking did the trick. Your Mom started feeling the contractions change and we all knew that she was moving into transition. She felt a bit nauseous and there was quite a bit more “dancing with Dad” and your Mom’s breathing changed. We headed back to the house and then made the decision to go to Marcia’s office and get checked to confirm the progression. That was around 9:30 in the morning. You Mom got into the back of the car so that she could lean over the seat and be comfortable, while your Dad drove and your Grandma watched over your Mom. I got into my car and followed. We called Marcia to let her know we were coming and to have a room ready so we wouldn’t have to wait.
I will always remember the looks on the faces of the people in the office. It was priceless. You would think that they had never seen a woman giving birth in a natural way. We got into a room and Marcia checked your Mom. Sure enough, she was 8 cm dilated, 100% effaced and moving fast. What a wonderful moment that was for your Mom and Dad. To know that everything they had done in the morning hours was so right and that you would soon be in their arms. Now all we needed to do was to get to the hospital. Marcia called ahead to the hospital for us so that we wouldn’t have to wait and off we went. When we arrived at the hospital at 10:30 a.m. and got into the room, the staff converged on us. Your Mom and Dad had some decisions to make and I am sure that if they had been given a little quiet time together, they would have not felt so rushed to make them. It’s hard when you have Nurses telling you “procedural methods” and all that you want to do is just have a baby. Your Mom was what they call “GBS positive” and that means that the hospital wanted her to take some antibiotics. The problem was that they required 2 rounds - 4 hours apart. I still can’t believe that the nurse suggested that your Mom do this with the assumption she would still be in labor 4 hours later. What a thing to say to a Mom who is clearly in transition. Your Mom and Dad decided to do the first round as recommended which took a bit of time because the nurse couldn’t see to find a vein for the HepLoc. I was so proud of your Mom as she tried to labor while this was happening.
It took 30 minutes for the antibiotic to get into her system and then Marcia removed everything except the HepLoc. During that time your Dad was the chest that Mom leaned into and danced with. He was so in tune with her heart and ready to support her in whatever way she needed. I remember when we knew things began change from Transition to pushing. Your Mom needed to use the bathroom. While the two of them were in the bathroom, Marcia and I heard your Mom let out a good old fashioned exclamation. I looked at Marcia and said,”It is about time. I have been waiting for her to cut loose with one of those.” Marcia smiled because we both knew that when they came out of the bathroom, Mom would be ready to push. Sure enough that is exactly what happened. Your Mom got into a good position to push on her knees. I don’t want to leave out how great your Grandma was during all of this. I have been to births before where Grandma’s don’t do too well, but that was not the case with yours. She was right there with your Parents cheering them on with her heart. She was a quiet and yet powerful presence in the room. This was an incredible gift when your Mom got into the pushing phase of labor. Your Dad was right there next to your Mom’s ears encouraging her as she went with each urge to push.
It took about 20 minutes of pushing for you to completely appear. Each push was done at the right time and with the right amount of pressure. Your Mom was brilliant! She waited for the full urge to rise up and then let herself go with it just like a wave in the ocean. She had held that same picture throughout her labor. Taking each wave and welcoming it and you into her life and her arms. You were born at 12:32 p.m. and in your Mom’s arms minutes after. I watched as your Dad cut the cord and said his first “hello” to you. I will never forget how your eyes and face turned to that voice in recognition. You KNEW that voice! I told him to keep talking to you and watched you respond each time. Daddy’s little girl was letting him know that she was here and ready to be loved on the outside. You had the sweetest little face with full lips and eyes that were so aware of all that was around you.
Marcia helped your Mom as she birthed the placenta and checked to see if she had and tear. She only had a small one, but decided to have some stitches just in case. All the while you were in Mom’s arms. You had a bit of fluid still in your mouth and they had to get that out. You did a great job of clearing your own body of stuff as well. Your APGAR scores were 8 and 8 . Since I have never seen them give anything higher than a 9, I would say you were “medically perfect”! We all certainly knew that you were perfect! You stayed on Mom’s chest and quickly figured out what her breasts were for.
When I left, you and your family were happily enjoying each other. It was a very good day. Thanks for the honor of being there for your very first “birth day” little one. You are a blessing and very loved.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
First Post
Looking good at approximately negative 7 months old.
Boy, or Girl?
Too soon to tell.
Stay tuned...
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