So about LABOR and DELIVERY

FIRST, for more pictures of CLAIRE, the little jagger beef, scroll down to the right side of my blog and click on OUR PICTURES, Im sure Keith will be updating it regularly.

I feel like I owe it to all those soon-to-be moms out there to describe my very recent experience of GIVING birth- Which I'd like to mention is the very meaning of "Eve", hence I can now die at peace knowing I've lived out my calling and destiny :) JK

Here are some key and valuable points:
-You WILL know when your water breaks, don't think you'll miss it. And once it breaks, that doesn't mean your done. I was leaking for the next six hours and my pants were actually soaked when I arrived at the hospital

-Having a good support person is key to labor. Keith was unbelievable supportive and it was actually mostly physical. I spent the majority of my labor holding onto him, rocking with him, and following the rhythm of his breathing.

-Try as many positions as possible. Once you find one that works just stick with it! I tried out several but found rocking on my knees to be the one that got me through. And just because they give you a bar to hang off of and squat with doesn't mean you should use it. I didn't know what to do with the thing

-Labor hurts. It's true. The last hours are mostly unbearable. I said it all in moans and groans "Somebody help me", "It hurts, it hurts so much", "I can't do this anymore"...say it if it helps. Of course I could still do it, but it helped to say I couldn't, don't listen to the silly optimists :)

-RELIEF. More than anything, I felt relieved to have Claire out of my body. It was so good to hold her and see her and feel her, but more than that just to know I'd made it through.

-Surprise! It was great being surprised about having a girl. We were 98% sure it was a boy. So the advice is to actually LISTEN to the doctor when she announces what the sex is. I didn't and Keith had to get my attention for me to realize it was a girl!

- Don't call people IMMEDIATELy after delivery. My grandma tried to talk my ear off 2 minutes after I had the baby. Instead, send a mass text message to relay the news if you can't wait

-Labor is more exhausting than you realize. I didn't expect to not be able to stand or go to the bathroom on my own for a few days. It's a week later and Im still completely fatigued. The straining that comes with the pushing takes every ounce of energy the female body can muster...and it won't return for weeks

- Having a baby early in marriage isn't bad, wrong, stressful...My love for Keith has grown faster and more intensly than it ever has in our marriage. Every time I look at Claire's face, Im also seeing Keith's and learning to embrace him and hold him more tightly

-Breastfeeding HURTS. It STILL hurts. I know it will get better in a few weeks, but most of us will bleed, blister, crack, and cry ourselves before it gets easy. It's hard for a frustrated mom and baby to learn to feed together, but hang in there and celebrate the progress made each day

-SLEEP as much as you can leading up to the labor. I did and I think it helped alot. I probably wont catch up on my sleep for months now.

-Limit visitors. All 3 of us, though so happy to see so many visitors, are a bit overwhelmed. Give yourselves time to adjust to a new life and new world. People will be just as excited to see the baby in few weeks. It's okay to be selfish and look out for your family's needs first at such a fragile and sensitive and emotional time

-Babies are beautiful. God is miraculous.

We hope youll continue to check out our pictures!