Introducing Ella

Yay! We did it.

Elizabeth (Ella) Marie Rose Treschak was born on Wednesday, October 3rd in the Greater Niagara General Hospital. She weighed in at eight pounds exactly.

I had an easy delivery as deliveries go. My contractions started around 4 am on Wednesday. I slept between the contractions until Jamie was getting up for work. At this point, we were unsure if they were real contractions or not. I spent the morning resting and tracking the contractions on my iPhone app. Yes, there is an app for that.

By 2pm, we decided to head to the hospital. When speaking with our midwives, it was speculated that my water had likely broken. I was experiencing gushes during contractions only. I thought that it would either all come out at once or slowly leak. This other option hadn't occurred to me and I confused it for having to go to the washroom for the usual reasons. It turns out that the baby was blocking the release of the amniotic fluid but the contractions allowed the liquid a path out. At the time, my contractions were still not following a regular pattern though. They were on average about ten to eleven minutes apart. But with my gestational diabetes, it was best to get to the hospital early. Jamie had already packed the car but we grabbed a few things and headed to Niagara Falls. In that hour, however, my contractions became quite regular, much stronger and much closer together. They were three minutes apart when we registered at the hospital and a nurse's check found that I was already nine cm apart. Things had sure sped up! So much for getting there early!

With that news, my room became a flurry of activity. I was answering questions, getting an IV put in (2 tries!), signing forms and humming through each contraction. Jamie was a great support. My doctor literally ran in and a midwife from another team helped me while my midwives were on their way. By 4 pm, I was ready to push. Jamie stood by my side the whole time. He even held my leg when needed. His presence strengthened me - as always. The room was filled with nurses, midwives and my doctor. There is no room for shyness when giving birth. ;)

All my prenatal yoga and preparations came in handy. By 4:58 pm and about an hour of pushing, I had a baby on my chest and was asking if she was a girl or a boy! Jamie and I were thrilled to hear that she is a girl. Truly, we were just happy to hear that she was born and healthy.

What an incredible experience! We are parents to a bright and beautiful baby girl. She is so precious and both Jamie and I feel the weight of parenthood - and the joy.

Since last Wednesday, we have been getting to know Ella. She has many expressions: the 'popeye' (only one eye open), the 'I don't think so' with her chin and lower lip jutting out, the 'figuring out the world' with her eyes greatly focused, as well as the 'food coma' and the 'feed me!' looks to name a few. She cries but can be quickly calmed and seems to be very patient with our inexperienced fumbling. She is also an expert poop artist, projectile and otherwise. We are so proud and happy to have her in our lives.

Our first night. 

Figuring out her Dad... :) 

Close up!

Our first Thanksgiving!