Abigail Rebekah Causey

Hello World!! It's me - Abigail! I thought I'd come out and say hello a wee bit earlier than anyone expected - I just couldn't wait!! Although Mommy sure did take her sweet time getting this posting out. I'm 5 weeks old already!!

Abigail Rebekah Causey was born on August 21, 2008 at 6:47pm GMT (12 days early). She was 7 pounds exactly, and 19 1/2" long. My fully established labor was almost exactly 6 hours long.

We've had to switch from using Picasa for photos to using SmugMug. We've run out of space!!

http://matt-carrie.smugmug.com/ - click on "Julie's Visit"

Ok - those are the basics. For anyone who just wanted the basic facts, you should stop reading here. After this point, I'm going to write about the birth in what may be a bit more detail than some people may wish to know. Nothing too gross, but I know that all my girlfriends want the details, and I really don't want to repeat myself 20 times! So here goes...

On Thursday morning, I woke up at 4am with mild contractions. They were 6 minutes apart. I layed awake until about 5:30, then woke Matt up. They were just strong enough to keep me awake, and I didn't want Matt to be up that early - I would need his help later, and didn't want him to be too tired! We layed around until 7, then got up. I was fine to make breakfast and clean up the kitchen in the morning - it was important to keep myself busy so I would be distracted. The contractions remained at 5-6 minutes apart, but they were getting stronger.

At 12:48 my water broke. The contractions went from 6 minutes apart to 3. We called the hospital and a taxi, and got ready to go. It was about 1:30pm when we arrived at the hospital.

Since the health care here is all paid for, there isn't any paperwork when you go into the hospital. Not once did I ever sign anything! We got to the hospital, they gave us a labor room, and that was it! I told the midwife all the important info, and then we waited. The contractions slowly got stronger and pretty soon, I couldn't walk around or talk during them. They got the birthing pool ready for me, and I got in at 6 cm. I think I was in there for about an hour or so, but the water was slowing the contractions down, so I had to get out. I was feeling like I ought to push a little, so they put me on the bed, on my side, to check me. Voila! I was 10 cm, and they said to push all I wanted!

I think I pushed for maybe an hour to an hour and a half, and she was born! And what a surprise!!! Many of you know that we were expecting a boy. We never had it verified by ultrasound, but we just sort of thought that's what we had. When she came out, the midwifes told Matt to see what she was. She was facing away from him, and all curled up - and he told them he couldn't see what was there. "Well, can you see what's not there"? they asked... I remember thinking NO WAY!!

I sent Matt to get the camera, and he took lots of pictures that will NEVER find their way into the public view. He also took the pictures that you've already seen - bath, weigh-in, etc. We stayed in the bed for maybe 45 minutes, delivered the placenta (all intact and healthy), then the Midwife took Abby for her bath and to get dressed. Then they brought us tea and toast (the best tea and toast you've ever had... as the local saying goes!) When they offered more tea and toast, I said that I was pretty hungry (my lunch had been interrupted 9 hours ago by my water breaking) and I was ready for dinner. "What would you like me to make you?" she asked - a bit rudely. "Oh, whatever is on the menu from the kitchen for tonight," I replied (nicer than she did). We were then informed that there is no catering service here. They had tea and toast, and cornflakes. That's it. So we took more tea and toast. I don't know how hungry they expect women to be who've just gone through labor, but I was really hungry!! She suggested that Matt go for take out. Blech. The only things around here are Chinese and Indian - both relatively heavy meals. Not to mention, we don't have a car, and Matt would have had to take a taxi both ways. So we settled for tea and toast, and we each ate a granola bar and some OJ (which I had brought for snacks during labor). We nursed a little, then Matt took Abby and I took a bath.

Matt moved all our stuff from the labor room into the overnight room - 2 beds, but the other was empty - I was the only person in the whole ward! So I asked the midwife if Matt could have the other bed. "Oh, no," she said, "what if we have another delivery?" Ok, so Matt was going to have to sleep in the chair - bummer for him. "Oh, no," she said, "once you and the baby get all settled, we have to ask him to leave." This was a shock. No one ever said anything about him leaving. "Oh its fine, you'll both get better sleep that way," she said. Riiiiight... But, it was hospital policy and there wasn't anything we could do about it. So poor Matt, on a serious adrenaline high from just assisting his daughter to life, found himself out on the street in front of the hospital. He was too nervous/excited/shocked to take a taxi, so he decided to walk home. It was 3 miles, which only took him an hour. That is, if he hadn't forgotten the house keys. But he remembered after about 1/2 mile, and came back for them.

I ate another granola bar and more OJ at midnight, asked for tea and toast at 4am, and woke up for breakfast at 8. You guessed it - more tea and toast, with the lovely addition of the aforementioned cornflakes. One of the midwifes commented on how much tea and toast I'd had. What did she expect?!?!

Matt came back at 10 (he couldn't sleep when he got home, and went to bed really late!) , and I was already getting dressed. We got our stuff together, got Abby dressed, and were home by noon!

All totalled, we were in the hospital for a little less than 24 hours. Unheard of in the states, but really, there wasn't anything more to be done. The policy here is that a Midwife visits the home every day for 10 days, then a nurse comes to check the baby once a week for 6 weeks. That takes care of everything that is normally done in the hospital. The hearing test, heel prick, and all that stuff is done right at home! It's great! The baby doesn't go in to see the DOC until the 6 week check-up.

I started writing this posting when Abby was about 1 week old. She is now 5 weeks old, and nearly 10 pounds. She is nursing well, and I'm not sore anymore. We're just about to have her on a pseudo-schedule. Sleeping in her own bed, and nursing ONLY every 2 hours, instead of 1 1/2 hours. It's been a LOOOOONG 5 weeks. But, after only a couple days of this new schedule, she already sometimes sleeps 3 hours instead of 2. She adapts SO well to changes.

She is absolutely perfect, and wonderful. She loves her bath at night, and is starting to look at toys. She follows me with her eyes when I walk, and can also follow a toy - even turning her head to watch! She smiles, though not on purpose yet, and is really beginning to fill out. We don't have any more pictures up yet (be glad you're getting this posting!) but her face is now full and round, and she's starting to get baby fat-rolls.

I guess that's all for now. Now that things are slowing dow a little, I hope I'll have time to write some more about her soon. Thank you all for your well wishes, emails, thoughts and prayers. We all love you, and can't wait to hear from you again!

Love to all,

Matt, Carrie & Abigail (we're 3 now!)