Tula Belle Coppola arrived gently into this world on Friday, June 29th, 2007 at 2:34 pm EST. She was born at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, CT on a beautiful, sunny afternoon. The birth was assisted by our doula, Alice McNulty, and Tula was delivered by Dr. Rebecca Kleban, with the help of Lynn, our L and D nurse for the day and 2 other nurses. I had wanted a natural childbirth, without intervention and pain relief. Although I did end up having to be induced, I was able to have the med-free birth I had hoped and prayed for. It would not have been possible without the unending support of my husband John throughout the pregnancy and during delivery. He was phenomenal and I couldn't have asked for a better partner through it all.
So picking up where my prior post left off would put us at about 11 am on Friday. I remember while posting that near the end the contractions were getting pretty strong and it was getting tougher to type through them. Things really picked up after that. My contractions were one on top of eachother so the nurse turned down the pictocin from 14 to 6. I knew Dr. Kleban was coming back at 12 to break my water, so I had asked our doula, Alice to be there around noon as well. She arrived right at noon, but Dr. Kleban didn't get there till about 1. This was a good thing, it allowed me to labour for an hour with Alice there, I was a little more relaxed, and when the doctor finally arrived to check me I was between 4 and 5 cm's...this was WAY more than they thought I would be, most inductions are long and drawn out. She broke my water and I immediately got back on the birthing ball (I could not stand being on the bed at all, I have NO IDEA how most women labour on their backs!). Well by 1:45 my contractions started feeling different and I knew I had the urge to push. My doula called the nurse in and the nurse did an internal and said I was 9.5 cm's. I felt like I had just won the lottery. Things were progressing so quickly! She said I had a half cm lip left on the right side so I sat back down on the ball and tried to focus on and roll towards the right. A couple more contractions and I said I needed to push, the nurse sounded skeptical, told me to get back up on the bed and give one push to "see what I could do." I started pushing and she said "Whoa, stop." Baby had went from -1 station to +1 with that one push and she informed me she thought this was going to be a "one push baby". She went and called the doctor and turned off the pictocin. Waiting for the doctor I had 2 more contractions and tried pushing, but they were ineffective. I was a little scared and not letting go the way I needed too. I was getting tired but God blessed me with what felt like and eternity between my last two contractions and it gave me time to prepare and my doula and nurse to eplain pushing and get me ready. Doc had arrived and was standing at the end of the table and then came the surge. I had no idea it could happen that fast. I remember everyone telling me not to stop and John saying "almost, almost" and then she was out. I saw her dangling there in the doctor's hands and it was incredible. They immediatly placed her on my belly and there are no words to describe this story from this point on. Just images and sounds and glances and expressions and cries that will be forever burned into my soul. She looked at me and I knew love. I am forever changed.
Being Tula Belle's mommy for the last three days has been more of a joy than I ever thought possible. Yes, I am sleep deprived. But that is the only complaint. I have perfectly healthy, beautiful baby girl to thank God for everyday. Breastfeeding is going so well, next to childbirth the greatest miracle I have ever been a part of. The days are flying by already and I keep reminding myself not to blink. She has aready changed so much.
We brought her home from the hospital this morning around 11 and I had a sleep this afternoon while everyone else had their time with her. She had her first bath, I posted pics of it on my Babysite. I could list a hundred little mommy things she had done in the last 3 days since she arrived, but let me just wrap it up by saying she changed our lives and our love completely. We are now a family, John is an amazing Daddy and I am a Mommy and I have never been happpier!
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