Welcome, Baby Girl!

We are blessed and overjoyed to welcome our sweet and beautiful baby girl to our family!

Emmeline Claire Smith

September 28, 2013

1:39 pm

8 lbs, 14 oz

21.5 inches long

I've written birth stories for all three of my boys, and although I feel like I should for E as well, there really isn't much to say. Having gone through this three other times, I knew what to expect, and thankfully, it was very uneventful and easy. Although she wasn't in a hurry to get here, once her eviction day came, she decided to pop on out and see the world! :) Two pushes is all it took, and out she came! When the doctor broke my water at the start of my induction, she found meconium in the fluid, which means that the baby had pooped in utero. Because of that, we had to have a pediatric nurse in the room for the birth so that she could suction the baby right away in case of ingestion. Thankfully, we heard her very mad little cry and knew right away that she was fine. The hardest part of the whole day was getting the epidural, and I'm happy to know that I'll never have to go through that again. (Really, it's great once you get it, but the actual poking and administering of the medication was downright painful. Imagine getting electrocuted--I'm pretty sure that's what this felt like.) 

The doctor told me that morning that she predicted Emmeline would be somewhere in the 7 pound range based on my belly size. I didn't say it, but I knew she was wrong. My babies have increased in size with each birth, and Callan was 8-6, so I thought for sure she would be somewhere around there. Well, turns out mama knows best. The doctors and nurses were shocked when she registered 8 pounds, 14 ounces on the scale. What a big girl! Basically, being 8 days overdue, she was just hanging out in there putting on some fat. :) Who knows what she would have weighed had I let her stay in there longer! I immediately thought she looked different than her brothers. Now looking back, I actually think she looks very similar to how they did as newborns with a decidedly feminine quality about her. It will be fun to see how she changes and compares to them as she grows. 

The new Mother Baby Center at Abbott is fantastic. It is a beautiful new facility with more spacious rooms and nice bathrooms! The staff was great, and I loved all my nurses. It was fun to have a fourth just to experience it. ;) I thoroughly enjoyed my two days/two nights of peace and quiet in the hospital where all I had to focus on was my baby girl and getting to know her. She is a perfect addition to our family and proof that God answers prayers. 

Welcome Miss Emmeline! We are SO happy you are here!