Another Baby is Added to the Bunch!
Well everyone, it’s official! We are now a family of FIVE! We are delighted to welcome our newest baby, Eliza Grace Cheyne to the world! She is about a month old now and the newborn phase is no joke! The past few weeks have been a combination of sleepless nights, newborn snuggles, and trying to figure out our rhythm as a family. So far, we have been adjusting rather well (though I truly do always forget how little sleep I get in the first few weeks of a baby’s arrival) and we are simply grateful that Eliza is here!
My birth experience with Eliza was different than my previous children. It was fast and furious (and unmedicated!). I don’t think I realized that when people say “the more babies you have, the quicker they come” is a real thing. At 41 weeks pregnant, I truly felt like this baby was NEVER going to come and I was so ready to meet him/her! On Thursday, Jan. 30th, I had a doctor’s appointment scheduled to discuss induction, but that morning, I went into labour.
At around midnight, I told Spencer that my contractions were getting rather painful. They were still manageable and I knew we had some time, but since we had two toddlers we were leaving at home with my dad we had a few things to prep in advance. After another hour of contractions, I started to get a “little too loud” for Levi and Eden who were trying to sleep. I went downstairs to turn on “The Office” (the show I have watched during each labour!) and started using the birthing ball. Spencer was on the couch watching the show and dealing with our other children who kept coming downstairs because they were so curious about what was going on. Weirdly when you say, “Mommy is just getting ready to have the baby!”, they don’t just say “ok” and go back to bed. Instead, there were a million questions to follow (but eventually Spencer got them back to bed)!
By 2:15 AM, the contractions were close together and PAINFUL. We called my dad who walked over and apparently wasn’t in very much of a hurry because I think it took him 30 min to get to our house (which felt like an hour to me). We made our way to the hospital but I had to stop every 30 seconds for a break by the time we got there. After getting checked in, they informed me that I was 7 cm dilated and asked if I wanted an epidural. It was a resounding YES from me as the pain was beginning to be unbearable. Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist was in the OR, so I had to “wait” for the epidural (spoiler alert: it never came). After about 30 minutes in triage, I was wheeled to a birthing room. On the way to the birthing room, the nurse asked me if I would prefer to “walk, sit in a wheelchair, or be moved on the rolling bed to the birthing room”. I said, “Oh we are way past me being able to walk or sit. I am not going to be able to leave this bed.” As we were heading to the birthing room, I quickly said to the nurses “I think baby is coming! I’m feeling a lot of pressure…”, and sure enough 13 minutes and 2 pushes later, we heard the doctor say, “It’s a girl!” (There are, of course more details I could share but those would only be appropriate shared in person with a glass of wine…)
I have heard many women say that during birth, they reached a level of focus where they did not feel pain, they were “one with the baby” and the whole experience was almost spiritual. I never got there. Not even CLOSE. However, the baby arrived eventually and she was happy and healthy so I was relieved and thrilled that it was over.
In our house, we are adjusting to being a family of 5. Everything takes longer (specifically, getting in and out of the car…I never realized how much time it takes to properly put a child into a car seat until I have to do it 3 times!). Eden and Levi were both very excited to meet Eliza and she quickly became “one of the gang.” I can’t wait to see the relationships between her and her siblings grow in the coming years.
Despite being busy with children, Spencer and I are also busy with music! We are working on my next album already (EEK!) and preparing for my show at the Bella Concert Hall in April. (Have you got your tickets yet??) Days are busy, but fulfilling. I am grateful for each crazy, chaotic, beautiful moment!
