And just like that...we are FOUR!

Emeline Joy Meek

02.28.12

3:54am

6lbs 5oz, 19.5 inches

...and a tiny little reddish blond fuzz on her head!

BIRTH STORY (graphic and boring, skim ahead if this isn't your thing):

We headed into labor and delivery late Monday night, Momma had been having contractions since Saturday (and cried wolf for two days straight to poor stand-by Grammy Fitz, I just assumed Annabelle's labor was fast, this one would be even faster!)  So after on again off again contractions, we decided to head in and just see if things were imminent or not.  Since it was after hours, we had to go in through emergency to get checked in.  I said "we're here to get into labor & delivery", the woman said, "ok, last name?"....I said "Meek, M-E-E-K"...she clackety clacked for a while...asked me for the first name...clicked around on the computer some more and said, I don't have anyone checked in by that name?  I was confused for a second, and then I said..."No, ME, I'm Robyn Meek...here to get into labor & delivery"  --- Obviously I didn't look that laborious :p  But after clearing up the confusing we were sent on up to see if we would be admitted or sent home to keep waiting for baby.

That was about 11pm.

We checked in at the desk, I was still having mild contractions about 10 minutes apart, but still not looking too desperate.  As soon as they got our name and information, they ran to the back to pull out our "file" -- the hospital, pediatrician, geneticist, dietitian, OB staff and NICU had already long since coordinated and prepared for our Baby Meek to arrive and the possibility that it may be galactosemic.  Considering I was mildly concerned when we started the coordination process...I was blown away by the organization and amount of people involved when the time came.

We were given a temporary room, and I was hooked up to a fetal monitor.  Baby was fine, I was only dilated to 3cm and contractions were still 10 minutes apart and mild.  But, as I had a feeling, the cervical check alone would get things moving -- it did.  We were told they would watch us for an hour, if I didn't progress, it was likely I would get sent home - but if contractions picked up they would continue to monitor a little longer.  In that first hour, contractions went from 10 minutes and stronger to 9, 8, 7, and 6 minutes apart.  And literally 45 minutes later, I was huffin and puffin and saying, if they don't admit me...I ain't goin' home like this!  Sure enough, I was checked again an hour later, now visibly laboring and with hard contractions...yet I was still only dilated to 3cm (are you kidding me?!) -- so at that point, the nurse wanted to continue monitoring me to see if I would stay (I tried telling her I wasn't going anywhere regardless - but I guess since I was under 39 weeks, and less than 4cm, they technically couldn't give me anything to speed up labor (um...no need, I promise!)  So I suffered through the formalities a bit longer, then hit the call button to say - we gotta talk about some pain meds and I'm not going home without this baby on the outside :)

We got into our delivery room around 1:30am - contractions now 2-3 minutes apart - and I'm not sure if I'm just a pansy or what, but my labors are FAST, but AWFUL (delivery, piece of cake...labor...BAD).  I was begging for the epidural (learned my lesson last time trying to be au naturale (HA!) -- but still had to get an IV and "x" amount of fluid bags pumped in before they would attempt it -- meanwhile, contractions now are so bad I was just one big trembling mass of pregnant woman, hyperventilating continuously.  (You'd think I'd paint a better picture of myself - but just gonna tell it like it was ;)  By the time the epidural guy showed up I could not hold still (as if I was shaking for fun in the first place?)  But I didn't have enough down time between contractions to hold still, I'm not sure how they eventually got that needle where they needed it being that it's such a tricky proceedure - but with what little breath I could muster I was making it adamantly clear to the nurse and Mr. Epidural that it had to happen one way or another.  They finally gave me a little pain medication to take the edge off enough so I could stop trembling, so they could get the epi in (which was awesome, for maaaybe 2 minutes - I was back to convulsing long before the epidural procedure was done).

(oh, and PS...all these bad ass contractions, and my water still hasn't broke and I'm only dilated to a 4, maybe 5 now)

Epidural eventually gets in, I go from 4cm to saying...um, guys, I gotta push?  The nurse looks at me like I'm nuts?  Checks again, and says, "oh, you're 8cm, and that's your water about to break", before she can finish talking, water breaks (people start scrambling that they REALLY gotta call the doctor in now).  I say, "that may have been my water, but I still feel something..."  It was about 2:50am at that point - and I remember joking to Jeremy best I could that we probably weren't going to get the same birth time (Annabelle was born on a Tuesday morning at 3am) - but we started placing bets at what time it would be.  Daddy was guessing a 5am arrival...

The doctor walked in just as the nurse did a final check and said "woah, she's ready, there's a head right there!"  (um...did I NOT just say, I feel somethin...gotta push?  The epidural doesn't work THAT great).  Anyway, the room got busy prepping for the birth, we were in luck, the doctor that was on call the night we had Annabelle, was in again with us that night.  (We liked her :) She took a look and said, this shouldn't take too long - I leaned forward to catch a peek at what was going on, and I kid you not, Emeline nearly fell out at 3:54am.  The girl was ready!

...and that's how little Emeline got here :)

Birth? Check!  Next on our to-do list, get big sister here!

 Annabelle June, meet Emeline Joy!

Emeline, Annabelle and Mom (about 5 hours after Emeline was born)

After a somewhat tentative start (wait, you weren't kidding with all this "there's a baby coming stuff?!) Annie jumped right into her big sister roll.

Grammy Fitzpatrick & Emeline
(without Grammy Fitz, dropping everything, for days on end, we would not have had such wonderful support!  Thanks Grammy!)

This kid came OUT smiling...lets hope that's a sign of overall personality :)

Grandma Meek & Emeline!

Emeline day one...

A visit with Miss Janine & Dr. Mel!

Grandpa Meek & Emeline

Auntie Shannon with Annie & Eme!

So, we planned to go home on Thursday morning...but after getting a little bored in the hospital - I asked if we could still head out whenever (Emeline was doing great, I was doing great...) and we came home Wednesday afternoon.  Grammy Fitz ran some last minute errands for us, and Dad & Annie came to the hospital with the trusty ol' carseat so that we could bring home baby!

Our first family 4-some photo (golly, I look kinda fat & tired)

I was hoping we'd make it to March for Emeline's birthday - we got close...she must have been wishing that too.  Green get ups really bring out her red peach fuzz hair :)

My little toddler now seems GIGANTIC to me - they are both so beautiful, it's so exciting to watch the process begin all over again, but this time with a sibling to share every moment with.

Eme & Annie -
 Emeline definitely seems comforted by Annabelle's voice - she's been singing to her and begging to hold her.  Ugh, I can't stand it!  Soo awesome!

Behind the name:

We've had a lot of people inquire about Emeline's name (Where did you get that?  How do you say it?)  First off, it's pronounced Em-eh-LINE (rhymes with clementine, (not EmeLEEN, or EmeLYNN - although, I hear in Europe EmeLEEN is the standard pronunciation...either way, our Emeline is EmeLINE :)  Joy, is pronounced "joy" (like the feeling ;)

We were looking for an old fashioned name to go along with Annabelle.  Something "fancy" like Annabelle, but of course, the old classics have become quite popular these days, so we also didn't want to pick out a top 10 name and have little (Sophia or Olivia or Emma whomever be one of 5 in her class all her life) -- so we needed something with a little creativity, but nothing over the top, and hopefully a decent nickname option.  On our daily walks during nice weather, we would often wander around the local cemetery for name ideas (kinda morbid, but find an old stone...and you're guaranteed a nice old classic name :)  I'd see the usuals, Mary, Elizabeth, etc...but one day I came upon an Emeline...I had never met an Emeline!  But I loved it!  That name got thrown into our short list - and over time, just seemed like THE name for us and Annabelle.  It was a unique name, without being TOO unique, and could easily be shortened to Eme.

Which leads me to the "nickname" -- personally I think a nickname evolves (and I'm still waiting for the day when Annie realizes Annabelle produces not only Annie, but Ann, Belle, Elle etc (she's already told me, no mom I'm Anna sometimes, but overall I think she's good with Annie for the moment.)  We had planned that Emeline will easily shorten to Eme (or Emmy) -- however I know, it's going to be all too tempting for most people to pronounce her name EmeLEEN, and then call her Emma for short :p (which then gives her like the #1 or #2 name of the year, which is exactly what we tried to avoid)  We considered that when choosing names - and I just figured, she's going to be correcting people all her life - but just like my own name, nearly everyone spells my name R-O-B-I-N, when it should be RobYn...people I'm close to, know the proper way to spell it (or in Emeline's case, say it) -- and the random telemarketer or acquaintance can say it however they want to, they'll only be saying it once or twice anyway ;)

And last and definitely least, many people have been repeatedly asking, "Is Emeline galactosemic?"

We got the call about the test results on Wednesday afternoon.  Emeline is a carrier of galactosemia (which we had a 50% chance of), but not galactosemic herself (25% chance of) and not completely free of some galactosemia connection (neither carrier nor galactosemic, which we also had a 25% chance of).

She was started on powdered soy formula to be safe, and seems to be doing well with that.  I personally feel I've missed the breastfeeding window of opportunity (had a rough time last time to begin with, so now that we've let 48 hours go by without working at it full time - and Emeline has only known "bottles" since birth - I think formula/bottles it is for us, it's what we know best :)  Now...question is, will she stay on soy?  For now, I plan that she will, it certainly didn't do our little genius Annabelle any harm - but if soy doesn't turn out to suit Emeline as well - we will be able to try out different options along the way.  Just as we learned along the way the first time...we'll be learning along the way this time.