Belinda Marion Felber joined our family on Tuesday, April 20th after 15 hours of labor and 1 c-section surgery. She has black hair and slate gray eyes(probably to become brown somewhere in the near future.) She was 7 lbs. and 6 oz. and 20.5 inches long.
A short summary of the first day of the rest of our lives:
I jumped out of bed in the middle of the night stating, "My water broke!" I was quite proud at that moment I didn't get any on the bed. Brad was proud that he knew I should call the hospital because if the water breaks, the baby is coming out in the next 24 hours. By 2:30am we were checking in to Columbia St. Mary's. Most of the 20th is a blur, but the epidural helped it from becoming too painful. I even convinced Brad to walk to Whole Foods to get pizza for lunch. Me, I got water and free bedside attendants. Nurse Michelle was wonderful and kept me up to date on progress. I met tons of Medical College students, a nurse trainee from Marquette and other doctors. I also had to call and cancel a job interview that was scheduled for 2:30 on Tuesday. Thankfully they were understanding and it has been rescheduled for next week. Brad maintained the communication station by alerting the grandparents and others that our baby was on the way.
By 4:30 when my labor hadn't progressed, my doctor told me we could keep waiting or I could have a c-section. I decided that we waited long enough and I wanted the little child to join us. Our c-section started and at 6:02pm, Baby Belinda was born. Being the person laying on the table, every thing was kind of a blur but I remember Dr. Ring peeking over the blue screen telling me, "It's a girl." Brad got to cut the cord and watched little Belinda get taken care of during her first minutes of life as I was sewn back up. The rest of the evening is pretty hazy. I met lovely Belinda and my parents arrived from Minnesota. After my parents and Brad went back to the house, the feeling in my legs returned and I became more aquainted with my daughter. The nurses took her to the nursery but brought her to me each time she was hungry. She stayed in my from her morning feeding until bedtime which was usually at 11:00pm. Feedings began quite nonproductive but by Wednesday morning she was eating like a trooper and I finally had some control of my body.
Little Belinda is quite sleepy often and a good eater. She gets worried eyebrows like her cousin Timmy. She doesn't lke being exposed to the elements, but who does? She is extremely beautiful and loves being held by her parents and visitors alike. She especially enjoyed meeting Grandma Cheryl, Grandpa Bill, Grandma Sandy, Lea, Uncle Scott and the Farwells of Milwaukee: David, Katie, Sofia and Elizabeth(one of her newest playmates). She loves being swaddled up tight, but also favors sucking on her wrists or fingers whenever she can find them. The swaddle sack given to us from Columbia St. Marys kept her warm and cozy during her first night at home.
