Born Feb. 15th, 3:06am
Cian (an Irish name, pronounced like the name Ian, with a "K" sound in front)
Maitreya (a Sanskrit name, meaning Loving Kindness, benevolent. This is his middle name.)
Labor was everything I'd hoped it would be. I labored for 4 hours (counting from the time it got too active to focus on other things). I had a home birth in the birth tub, attended by my amazing midwife, and two other attendants from her practice. I even labored at night, after sleeping all day the day before (following a sleepless night of false labor). It worked out perfectly, because my daughter slept upstairs, and we didn't have to arrange childcare for her during a day labor. I reminded her before she went to bed that mommy can be loud when I labor, and if she heard noises, not to worry, it's just mommy laboring. She slept through the whole thing!! (Amazing, because I was LOUD!)
The only surprise/complication was a bizarre fluke that the midwives still can't explain, which is that the umbilical cord broke during, or right after, pushing Cian out. It broke right in the middle of the cord, where there was no evident weakness, making a rare occurrence even more rare. They hustled me out of the tub so they could get it clamped to prevent blood loss. Despite this surprising event, I lost very little blood, far less than I did with my first labor in fact, and am enjoying a much shorter recovery time! Cian didn't appear to loose any blood. He kept his nice rosy coloring, and displays excellent health.
Cian is nursing awesomely. Man, he has a strong ability to suck! He had me so sore after his first day of "dry" sucking! I knew I would be sore, but how could I resist letting him suckle? My milk came in like a freight train within 24 hours! After a couple of days of engorgement, things evened out, and I'm much more comfortable. Phew! He's also sleeping great: 3-4 hour stretches at night (swaddled, of course). He actually gave me a 6 hour stretch of sleep on my second night, for which I was extremely grateful!
Blessings to you all, Mamas, especially those of you still waiting! I know how hard it can be to watch so many others go before you. Your time will come, even though each day can feel like an eternity! May your labor be magical, and everything you hope for!
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