celebrating all of Lilly at two weeks

cute feet

cute bum

Lilly holding her head up, getting some exercise

(Lilly, Anne and midwife Rachel at the two-week postnatal check-up)

sleeping in, waking up

Actually, she fell back to sleep right after this.

dinner in the wrap

We were having a hard time getting to dinner tonight without Lilly fussing, so we thought to put her in the Moby wrap because she likes the close body contact, especially during her afternoon fussy period. Sure enough, she was as content as could be and fell asleep half way through the meal. Problem solved: she gets what she wants, and we get to eat. We even got a walk in after dinner. Yay for Moby!

Lilly napping

Lilly napping in bed

Lilly waking up from a nap out on the porch

sunday afternoon nap with mama and papa

Today we celebrated Lilly's one-week birthday with Matt, Amanda and Avery who brought a yummy mushroom quiche and rosemary potatoes brunch. Then we spent the afternoon napping, catching up on some needed Z's.

Above is a picture of mama and baby regaining consciousness after three long hours. Below are video clips of Lilly: listen for parental cameos and a couple of sound effects by our dainty little girl.

our happy healthy baby

A day at home was all our baby needed to make it clear to everyone what a happy and healthy little girl she is. That's exactly what I thought, hence my happy look in this picture where I was getting Lilly dressed and ready to leave Mayo clinic on Wednesday.

Other than needing a little help breathing at first, and some photo-therapy to help her pass the bilirubin (jaundice), all tests have now come back fine. Yesterday afternoon, we went in to see the local pediatrician at Northfield Hospital, Dr. Amunrud, and he was very pleased with Lilly's progress. She's already gained above what she lost after birth, is eating and eliminating well, has lots of bright and alert time, and has a vigorous cry when she cries (which isn't often). We will want to do follow-up checks of her platelet count to see whether or not she has thrombocytopenia from her papa, but other than that we are done with all hospitals, at least for now.

On Thursday, we went out for our first stroll. Here's Lilly in her BOB stroller and a proud papa wearing his new cap (recognize it?), a belated father's day gift from Lilly and mama.

Much of the time is spent Lilly gazing. It's so much fun to watch her different faces and gestures! Here she is looking all sophisticated in her newborn outfit from Kimberly.

Here she is in a position I recognize from when she was in my womb. That top leg is the one I felt kicking so much!

While gazing at Lilly, we are also getting to know her various signals. I was very proud this morning to catch one of her pees and poops in the toilette. She is clearly a diaper-free baby by nature.

first days of life

While still inside of my belly, I had the impression our baby would be a strong-willed optimistic little one with her determined kicks and movements. Indeed, Lilly did so well during an extremely long labor. Her heartbeat was great until just a couple of hours before birth when it dropped a little and the nurses had me breath through an oxygen mask to boost the baby. Also, the umbilical cord was tied around her neck at birth. Lilly did not start breathing on her own right away, and so after only seconds on my chest, she was whisked away by the nurses who proceeded to massage her to get her going. After that, she was taken to the nursery and placed in an incubator to increase her oxygen level, and various tests were taken before she returned to my arms a couple of hours later.

The saga continued the day after birth with more tests and (in my opinion) unnecessary screenings (such as an ultrasound of the head to check for internal bleeding, of which there was none). The early blood work showed a quite low platelets count and an increased white blood cell count, but those levels soon evened out (her little body might just have prepared for the worst during those intense hours of labor). Yet, the pediatrician at Albert Lea requested we transfer to the neonatal intensive care unit at the Mayo clinic for further (and very expensive) follow-up, which we did Monday evening. At Mayo, Lilly was treated for high bilirubin levels (jaundice) and placed under photo-therapy lamps.

We were finally discharged from Mayo yesterday afternoon and Lilly is now receiving the best of care at home with periodic exposure to sun light and frequent nursing followed by good poops and pees to pass the bilirubin. We're in touch with a pediatrician at Northfield Hospital and of course, Rachel, our midwife, who'll come check on us this weekend.

my birth story

In short; it was long and amazing. I am so proud and impressed by what the body can accomplish, both my own and my baby's. Maybe women are given the kind of labor experience that best can teach them the lesson they will most need in the time ahead (our midwife Rachel passed this theory on to us). My labor definitely emphasized the significance of patience and endurance, but ultimately it came down to me accepting the gift of help.

It seems maybe some scar tissue on my cervix, the result of some cryo therapy (basically freezing of the cervical tissue) done some years ago after an irregular pap smear, contributed to the long and difficult dilation period. There may have been other factors too; during labor baby suddenly shifted position to a less ideal one, but we got her to move back. Since my labor was so long, the homebirth setting was ideal for me; I could move around, labor in the tub Rachel brought us, was free to eat and drink, and was given massage and comfort from Leighton and Rachel.

By Saturday evening, the membranes had ruptured. The risk of bacterial infection increases after 18-24 hours, so seeing there was still no baby by Sunday morning, Rachel felt it was safest that we transfer to a hospital for antibiotics and completion of labor there. However, at Northfield Hospital, the ob. gyn. on call (unfortunately not the ob. gyn. who had offered to serve as a back-up for my homebirth) said she'd accept me only for an immediate C-section and would not let me try for a vaginal birth. We tried Faribault Hospital next, but there they basically said that what they said at Northfield Hospital goes for Faribault Hospital too. Then Rachel called Albert Lea Hospital where Rachel also works in the lab; here the ob. gyn. on call said she'd let me try for a vaginal birth, with the help of some pitocin (synthetically produced oxytocin, the hormone that causes contractions).

At Albert Lea Hospital, we were able to proceed with our wishes for a natural drug-free vaginal birth, with the help of pitocin and a crew of respectful and encouraging medical personnel. I will remain most grateful to Serina who encouraged me to push when I was ready (and who helped get me ready by pushing back the cervical lip that had developed when Lilly was in the less ideal position) and Dr. Nainani who helped me stretch and not tear. Receiving the baby, Dr. Nainani passed little Lilly on to Rachel who gave her to me. It was a blissful moment.

Here I am with my prize, flanked by my support team (which of course also includes Leighton, but he's taking the picture): our nurse Serina to the left and our midwife Rachel to the right.

Lilly Sabo-Hambrick

Announcing Lilly Sabo-Hambrick!

After 64 hours of labor, our beautiful daughter Lilly finally arrived Sunday evening, June 15th, at 9:50 p.m., measuring 6 lbs. 15.6 oz. (3.165 kg) and 19 in. (48 cm).

The three of us are all doing well now. We have quite the birth story to share, but more about that later.

Very enthusiastically,
Anne, Leighton and Lilly

passing time

We've concluded our baby's determined to teach us the art of patience. In that spirit (and since we've been acting incredibly goofy these last few days; anything gives us the most unstoppable giggles), we thought we'd make a dedicated effort to act calmly and serenely today. I began by doing some prenatal yoga this morning. When everything else hurts--standing, sitting, lying down, walking--yoga still feels good. (Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that I practice it every day.) Somehow, my belly feels less cumbersome when I practice yoga; it even looks more modest, I think. Wouldn't you agree, if you were to compare the picture Leighton took of me doing a warrior pose with the post-yoga belly pictures?!



After yoga, we walked downtown and had lunch at Hogan Brothers. Here's my lovely husband enjoying his soup, sandwich, and cherry coke.

After lunch, we went window shopping. It was a beautiful sunny day, which got Leighton thinking he ought to get a cap (since he doesn't wear sun glasses). Doesn't he look handsome in this one?

Before supper, we went over to the Japanese Garden at Carleton College and sat there in stillness for a while. Then after supper, we went downtown again for some ice cream and to people watch. We've been going kind of overboard on the ice cream lately, but since we've had two days off, and since we're still waiting for baby, it felt like an indulgence we could make room for within the parameters of a calm and serene day...

due dates

So it's June 11 and according to our little Widget from 3dpregnancy, I am 7 days overdue. Not so according to our midwife. Our Widget takes it cues from the so-called Naegele's rule for how to calculate due dates. According to the German obstetrician Dr. Naegele (1778-1851), pregnancy lasts 10 moon months, that is, 10 months of 4 weeks each, or 40 weeks total (apparently, this was the common understanding among most obstetricians at that time, as it had been from the time of ancient Rome). Though Dr. Naegele's rule has since been disputed by Drs. Mittendorf and Williams (with a study released in 1990), Dr. Naegele's rule remains the standard by which most U.S. obstetricians (and online pregnancy calendars like the one we've been using from 3dpregnancy) predict due dates. As a result, many women (me included!) get very antsy as the 'due date' they've been given passes. Even more troublesome, the norm of 40 weeks gestations results in more inductions and in turn complications than necessary. For as Drs. Mittendorf and Williams have found, most white middle-class first-time moms gestate for 41 weeks and 1 days, while women who have given birth before gestate for 40 weeks and 3 days. If I conceived 9 calendar months ago, on September 11, as we think I did, I am at 41 weeks and 1 day today. I'm due, but not overdue.

p.s. While our midwife gave us June 11 as our due date, one week later than the June 4 due date given to us by our ob.gyn., the ultrasound technician we saw back in January gave us May 31 as the due date. However, studies show that due dates predicted as a result of ultrasounds after the first trimester have an even higher error margin than Dr. Naegele's rule or first trimester ultrasounds.

operating instructions

We are four days past our due date and getting just a teeny bit antsy, waiting for our baby's arrival. To help make the time pass, Leighton gave me another book gift the other day, to the soon-to-be-mama; Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott. The book is far from a set of operating instructions (those are what Lamott asks God to give her), rather it's an honest account of the roller coaster emotional ride Lamott experienced as a first-time-mom to an infant at thirty-five. Though single, Lamott is not alone; her story is as much about the friends, family, and community that she relies on for support (in taking care of her baby and herself) as it is about her own ups and downs. So, while I have a wonderful husband to support me, I understand I'm in for quite the ride myself.

Here I am one day past my due date.

what do you think of the name Isak?

With just three days left before the due date, we thought we'd get your opinions on a new option in the boys category. Maiken is our favorite girl name, and we think we have a good alternative with Ingrid.

Isak is a name with many meanings for us. For Anne, she likes that it means son of joy or he who laughs (as in the divine joke); and she wrote her dissertation on Scandinavian authors Isak Dinesen and Knut Hamsun. I associate the name with Isak, the first man who walked a path through the commons, in Knut Hamsun's Markens Grøde (Growth of the Soil), a new favorite of mine.

Although the name might sound old or old fashioned, we think the name has a lot of spirit and could fit a spunky, active, energetic little boy—which accurately describes the personality of the baby as we imagines it, how it feels to Anne in her belly.

Please leave a comment.

valley grove

Yesterday we had a picnic at Valley Grove to celebrate the day; last year we left for Norway on May 31, and this year we had planned to have a wedding ceremony at Valley Grove Church with friends and family in the States. We canceled the ceremony after we found out that Anne was pregnant and the due date was June 4. Since we're still waiting on the baby, Anne and I thought it would be fun to drive out to Valley Grove, have a picnic and take a few pictures... We ended up being chased away by the bugs. Anne had a bad reaction to the bites and is suffering from the itch and has a a puffy eye, so I took a trip to Walgreens this morning for extra strength itch medicine and a glossy magazine to lift her spirits.