Birth Story

Our baby story:

We went to the OB on Monday May 24th at 10:00am for an Ultrasound which showed my amniotic fluid was really low. so to protect the baby, we decided to get induced that day. (37wks, 2days gestational age). We were admitted at 11am, the nurse started the Pitocin to start contractions at 12:45pm, and broke my water at 1pm (to advance labor faster). I got an epidural at 5:15pm (about 6cm dilated by that time), and she was born at 7:11pm after only 6 1/2 hours of hours of labor 12 pushes. (Thank you Marley!)

Mark was AMAZING! He timed the contractions, helped me with my breathing (thank you Boise library for the Lamaze videos!) kept me on my focal point (court tv) during labor, and got some excellent video of the birth (TLC style). He cut the umbilical cord in one swipe and welcomed his daughter into the world like a champ.

She only cried a little when she was born, but handled labor very well despite coming before her due date. She weighed 6lbs 9oz and was 19.5 inches long.


We named her Marley Sorcha. Sorcha(sor-a-ka) is the Irish/Gaelic version of the name Sarah and means "little bright one." Her middle name reflects her Irish heritage and her first name reflects the peace and love that we want to be the center of her life.

We got home from the hospital yesterday and time already seems to be flying by. She eats (barracuda baby) and sleeps well and is in general a calm baby. Astro is on pins and needles around her. He sits and stares at her and will occasionally try to lick her head. Poor little guy will need time to adjust :(

So our next big step is to get ready to move to Maryland in July. Keep checking back as we post every one of the awesomely cute things she does.

Here is a fun little video of Astro meeting Marley for the first time.

Week 37: More Pics

Week 37: BABY BORN!

MARLEY SORCHA THOMAS
Born: May 24th, 2010 7:11pm
6lbs. 9oz. 19.5 inches

Week 36: Rocking Chair

Mark the Handy Man put many loving hours into this chair to give mama and baby a comfortable place to relax.

Before.....























After......

Week 36

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

35 Weeks: Maternity Photos

Mark and I took some pregnancy photos out in nature yesterday.
It was really fun and relaxing and there were only a few weirdo
looky-loos gawking at us. Still, we cant wait to show them to the
baby when she gets older. Enjoy!

34 Weeks: baby's first rides