A "Good" Nights Sleep

Well, sleeping has been redefined for me lately. Our little one was trying to take all of her long sleeps during the day and saving the short ones for the night. So, I wake her up in the day now to feed her and last night I got seven hours of sleep (over a 10 hour period, but hey, that's AMAZING!). I actually got one 3 hour strech of sleep. It's been a bit rough. If you know me, you know that I LOVE my sleep. I just remind myself that she won't be little for long and to enjoy it as much as I can (even it's 3 am and she just ate at 2).

We are terrible picture takers, which hasn't changed a whole lot with parenthood. But we're trying. We're just so busy playing with her and laughing at her funny faces to remember to take very many pics. I've been able to get out and about. Even went to play a few holes at the disc golf course the other day since the snow has finally melted enough to not lose lots of discs. This brought Darcy great joy since she can run off leash all over the place out there. She's been a bit neglected (but had been the last months of my pregnancy as well), but seems to be adjusting just fine to Erin.

Here are a few more pics that we have taken.
Hope you're all well and I'm sorry that I haven't had a chance to return all the wonderful phone calls and emails that you've been sending. I will try, but it could be a bit. Love you all lots!

Now, for the birthing details that I promised. If open discussion of female stuff isn't your cup o' tea then this is where you stop reading. Alot of people ask me how long was I in labor and I'm not quite sure what to tell them. I'd been having Braxton Hicks contractions for weeks, so I was determined to not get my hopes up until I was "sure". By Saturday afternoon around 2 or 3 I was pretty sure that the contractions were indeed getting stronger and that I was at least in early first stage labor. Blayne and I went for a walk around the park and Blayne made us some spaghetti for dinner. By around 9 food no longer looked good and I no longer was chatty between contractions, so I was pretty sure we were getting into active labor at that point. Sara (our good friend and Bradley Method birth coach) came over around 10:30 and encouraged us to stay home a bit longer. Once my contractions were regularly 2 1/2 to 3 minutes apart and lasting over a minute we decided to head to the hospital.

We got there just after midnight and they hooked up the monitors (one for the baby's heartbeat & one for the strength of the contractions) and checked my progess. I have never been so disappointed as when she said "you're still 1.5 cm", which is what I'd been at the Dr. 5 days before. I thought, "is this not REAL labor?!", but as we watched the contractions they were hitting 100 (out of 100) on the screen and were lasting a while. So, the labor nurse (Kim, who was AMAZING) checks me out and determines that the baby is posterior and points out to Blayne and Sara where her head is being pushed by all these lovely contractions into my lower back instead of down into the opening of my cervix. So, they let me get in the jacuzzi tub to see if we could get her to turn over.

After 45 minutes in the jacuzzi doing pelvic rocks during my contractions and having Kim, Blayne and Sara take turns applying pressure to my hips to encourage her to turn my water broke. So, they admitted me and she checked me again. Up to 5 cm! Yeah! Things progressed pretty normally up to around 8 cm and then when I hit transition (the part where you're getting to "complete" before pushing where emotionally you are feeling like this will never end, I don't want to do this, can I go home now?) things slowed down and it took a couple of hours for me to get to 10 cm. Kim was encouraging me to continue moving during my contractions which was VERY difficult. During very strong, very frequent contractions I was rotating my pelvis and trying (not very successfully) to relax. They decided I needed the jacuzzi again, so I got back in there. It wasn't long in there that I was able to relax and I felt the STRONG urge to push. So, out of the tub and after trying a few different pushing positions and figuring out how I was supposed to be pushing, I was semi-reclined with Blayne holding one leg and Kim the other, Natalie feeding me ice chips, Sara taking pictures and offering lots of encouragement, and Dr. Abbott helping stretch things out and applying counter pressure as Erin's little head was crowning. I was a very noisy pusher, but after about 1 1/2 hours (with long breaks-- 7-10 minutes-- between contractions) of pushing Erin came into the world.


I was very blessed to have the care that I did and very blessed that I didn't tear. I didn't need one stitch (just lots of ice and Advil :0) It was such hard work, but I am so thankful that I was able to do it unmedicated and without any intervention. So, that's the story. It's kind of long, but it was at least 20 hours in the making. Lots of love to you all!

Video & One more pic

Here she is in the hospital bassinet at one day old.


Here she is this morning sleeping soundly in her crib.


That's all for now, I'm going to take a nap. I just really wanted to get the video up because it really gives a better sense of what she looks like. Lots of love!

Erin Elizabeth Chastain Makes her Entrance

Yesterday, Feb. 18th at 10:03 a.m. Miss Erin Elizabeth Chastain made her entrance into the world weighing 7 pounds 12 ounces (3.51 kg) and measuring 19.75 inches (50.165 cm) long. We are all doing well and glad to be home from the hospital. I'd hoped to get these images up a bit sooner today, but between napping and having visitors the day has gotten away from me. I have a little video that I wanted to put up, but I need to figure out how to do that first, so maybe tomorrow.

Here's our first "Family Portrait" just a few minutes after she was born.
Here's one of us admiring her cuteness. We sort of expected the scrawny bald alien baby look (since that's what I think I looked like-though my folks might disagree) and here she came with lots of blonde hair and plump cheeks and her daddy's mouth :0)

We were so blessed to have our friend Sara be our birth coach. Here she is proud of her "students" just after the birth. It was so wonderful to have her involved and for her to be present for labor and delivery. She was such an encouragement.

Our friend Natalie is a nursery nurse at our hospital and was wonderful enough to come in when she wasn't scheduled and be our baby nurse! She was there helping us through delivery (she was my ice chip supply) and took care of Erin right after she was born. It was amazing to have a delivery room full of people who cared so much about us!

I promise more details and photos, but just wanted to get something posted since we are so far from so many of you! I will also post more details of the labor and delivery for those who are interested (I'll put up a warning for those who are not). Hope you're all well and I'll put up more stuff soon.

Any Day Now

Well, as of right now the Chastain baby has not yet made her entrance into the world. I've had lots of emails and phone messages from some of you that have made me feel very loved. Sadly, I have not had the energy to respond to them-but I appreciate them tons! I am still doing the day to day for whistle and drum, finishing getting the nursery ready (the crib just came yesterday) and trying to make sure things are "in order" (whatever the heck that means) for this little one to come into our lives.

I alternate from lots of energy to utter exhaustion with very little warning which I find annoying. At least I have the entertainment of watching my belly contort as this little one tries to get comfy in there. I'm ready for her to make her exit so that I can have my body back (though I know I won't have my life back the same every again, at least I'll be able to bend, twist, run, dance, and play again).

Here's a pictures of my very big belly taken today.
My due date is technically next Tuesday, the 20th, but I've been considered "full term" since the 6th. I have contractions all the time, but they're the practice kind (called Braxton Hicks contractions) that are just getting things ready and they aren't actually labor contractions. I'm looking forward to having a contraction that I can't have a conversation through. :0) I know, that's enough pregnancy talk, but with this belly and impending parenthood, I haven't been able to think about much else.

Here are pics of our nusery which is as ready as its going to be, for now. I want to get some more things on the walls, but its ready for a baby-which is what we're most interested in.

The rocker and dolls are from my childhood. My folks brought them out along with the cradle that my siblings and I (and my sister's three kids) slept in. She'll be sleeping in the crib overnight right by our bed for the first few months. (That way I won't have to go too far for all those nightly feedings :0)

The quilt on the wall was made for us by "Granny" Roberts.

In the window is a trinity knot in stain glass that Jane (Blayne's mom) made for us and we thought looked lovely in the little window.

So, that's the nursery. Hopefully VERY soon we'll be letting you know of our new arrival.