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Thursday, June 16, 2016

Avery's Birthing Story

I regret not writing about this sooner.  I could’ve done so during my maternity leave, but no.  Fail.  So much has happened since, and at that time, I couldn’t find the energy and will to do it not because it’s unimportant for me but simply because there was no extra time on my hands to compose a cohesive post.  I was a scatterbrain after the delivery of my third child. Three kids vs. me and my husband.  We officially got outnumbered!

But here I am, finally sitting down and writing about it.  While it has been a couple of years after his arrival, I do think this is the perfect time to reflect on the beautiful birth of our youngest who finally fulfilled our dream of a family of five -- an ode to an unexpected baggage in Europe that tuned out to be our lives’ most pleasant surprise. 

Unlike my two other deliveries, Avery’s birth is planned.  It was not a C-section but an induced delivery, and for the second time around, a natural birth was in the plan.  A couple of weeks before the D-Day, my OB had fixed the schedule for my delivery at Mediclinic City Hospital with him ringing the maternity ward himself.  It was set on 3rd April, a Friday. 

My last day at work before I went for maternity leave was the 31st March.  As soon as I was done with my handover, my mind shifted automatically to Mommy-mode.  I checked every bit of stuff I needed at the hospital for me, hubby and the baby.  I spent a good amount of time with the two older kids, too, and made sure they had a lot of cuddles and kisses from me as I know I would be away from them to spend a couple of nights at the very least in the hospital.  When Friday finally came, I was prepared and ready to welcome a new baby. 

Hubby and I left home at about 7:00 am to get to the City Hospital by around 7:15 am.  Dade & Lexie were left with their grandma to sit and wait for news about the arrival of their new baby brother.  I had a light meal while the midwife hooked the fetal monitor and IV and ensured that I was nice and comfy as I settled in for the delivery. 

A couple of hours later, Beth came to check on me and take photos of Avery’s arrival.  My OB was pretty much familiar with her as she was also there when I delivered Lexie.  

Everything progressed so fast.  Before 3:00 pm, Avery was out! It was the easiest and fuss-free delivery among the three.  And because it was so quick, my bestfriend missed it because she left for a while expecting that I would take longer like the others. So much for her bringing her camera & gear, haha!

Avery was such a beautiful baby.  So calm and peaceful.  Latched so quickly, didn't fuss a lot, and was just a cute bundle of joy that we couldn't stop admiring.  And even though he did develop jaundice like his big sister, Lexie, we didn't spend that long time in the hospital. Two days worth of photo therapy and he was cleared for discharge.  No dramas & definitely no tears for this tired Mom of three.  He made it so easy!

This last delivery, uneventful that it was -- thankfully, is something I would remember forever.  Avery coming into our lives completed my & Ryan's dream of a family of 5.  We cannot be happier!