Blooma Blossom: Baby Alia

Baby Alia Claire
August 6, 2008
2:36 pm
9 pounds 15.8 ounces, 21 inches

Mama says: "One week after her due date, Alia Claire woke us at 2:30am with contractions every 5 minutes or so. We labored at home for a few hours, calling our doula to be with us and having a family friend come get our 22-month-old for the day. We went to the hospital around 7am to avoid rush hour, but we didn't check in; we had breakfast at the hospital cafe and walked around the gardens, fully expecting labor to progress like it had with our older daughter (rapidly & intensely). But we kind of relaxed our way right out of it, so we all went home for awhile. I napped for an hour or so, then awoke with incredibly strong contractions coming about every 20 minutes. After several rounds of that, we called our doula (again!). When she arrived at the house, I continued laboring, using the shower as a comfort measure for awhile, then walking the stairs to keep things moving. When it was time to get in the car to go to the hospital (again!) I was really wishing we'd opted to have a home birth -- the thought of leaving the house and riding in the car seemed absurd! We returned to the hospital at 1:30pm, where I made the long walk to the maternity ward. In the pre-admit exam, I was dilated 8-9cm with a bulging bag of waters at 1:45pm. We then walked to the delivery room, where I labored in the cool, dark bathroom until my water broke. Then I moved to the bed to birth Alia on my hands and knees. She arrived at 2:36pm and stunned us all with her size, weighing in at nearly 10 pounds! We came home the next day; we're all doing great, and big sis Anabel is especially loving toward her little sister.