The Short Version
Nov. 4th, 2007 10:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dr_pretentiousDan and I are home now with the best baby ever.
Gareth Henry Avery-Davis was born on Tuesday evening.
Remember how I went into labor early on Monday morning?
I got through the first 12 hours unmedicated, and if it had been a 12 hour labor, I would now be saying that natural childbirth was easier than people think. But it wasn't a 12 hour labor.
After 34 hours of unproductive contractions, I was exhausted and my pain threshold had plummeted. We decided to choose a cesarean section for failure to progress while the monitors said the baby was still in great shape, rather than wait around to need an emergency cesarean later. I feel better about that choice than I expected to.
Gareth was born at 5:03 pm, weighing 7 pounds 2 ounces, measuring 20 inches long. He has his father's hands and my mother's chin. He is, under almost all circumstances so far, a calm and delightful baby, and he only seems to cry when there's a good reason for it. Dan and I are completely besotted.
I'm looking forward to reading all the replies to my previous post in the morning. Thank you for your kind wishes. As the baby's appetite allows, I'll post more later.
Gareth Henry Avery-Davis was born on Tuesday evening.
Remember how I went into labor early on Monday morning?
I got through the first 12 hours unmedicated, and if it had been a 12 hour labor, I would now be saying that natural childbirth was easier than people think. But it wasn't a 12 hour labor.
After 34 hours of unproductive contractions, I was exhausted and my pain threshold had plummeted. We decided to choose a cesarean section for failure to progress while the monitors said the baby was still in great shape, rather than wait around to need an emergency cesarean later. I feel better about that choice than I expected to.
Gareth was born at 5:03 pm, weighing 7 pounds 2 ounces, measuring 20 inches long. He has his father's hands and my mother's chin. He is, under almost all circumstances so far, a calm and delightful baby, and he only seems to cry when there's a good reason for it. Dan and I are completely besotted.
I'm looking forward to reading all the replies to my previous post in the morning. Thank you for your kind wishes. As the baby's appetite allows, I'll post more later.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2007-11-05 04:03 am (UTC)I'm glad you and Gareth are both doing well.
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Date: 2007-11-05 04:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 04:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 04:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 04:51 am (UTC)(But if someone doesn't get some pictures up soon, we're going to exPLODE! :-)
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Date: 2007-11-05 05:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 05:31 am (UTC)We, too, were going all natural and non-interventive and ended up with a cesarean. It was a good choice as the darling daughter was 10#4oz and was upside down. But you know what? It didn't spoil a thing. We still hade the most beautiful baby in all the world. I'm sure you feel the same way. Hearing about the birth of your son takes me back to that day 14 and a half years ago when I welcomed my daughter. Blessings on him and the whole family.
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Date: 2007-11-05 05:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 06:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 06:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 07:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 07:19 am (UTC)As for labor, taking advantage of 21st century medicine to keep everyone healthy seems like the wisest course of action. I hope you never feel a smidgin of guilt about it.
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Date: 2007-11-05 07:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 07:57 am (UTC)I cannot wait for pictorial evidence of your familial bliss. Well, I'll have to, I suppose, but :::WANT::: !
I am so pleased that things are going well. And Gareth is a very fine name.
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Date: 2007-11-05 08:02 am (UTC)*bouncebounce*
(Sitting on hands and TRYING to be patient... >:-)
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Date: 2007-11-05 08:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 08:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 09:25 am (UTC)Exhaustion will do that, you did amazingly well. Congratulations on the new family member, enjoy every minute even the ones at 3pm those can sometimes be the best.
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Date: 2007-11-05 10:56 am (UTC)I understand---my first baby did the exact same thing to me! LOL I keep telling her it's all her fault--she just didn'twant to be born yet. :)
Take care of yourself---C-sections take a LOT out of you, even if you have this awesomely wonderful bundle to hodl at the end. It IS a major surgery, it will take at least a year before you're fully recovered. So let us all spoil you a bit for a while, and don't try to do too much. You have enough to do with recuperating and bonding with your adorable little one.
Many hugs!
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Date: 2007-11-05 12:25 pm (UTC)So what kinds of foods do you want for freezing and eating?
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Date: 2007-11-05 02:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 02:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 02:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 02:42 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2007-11-05 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 03:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 07:02 pm (UTC)Sends kisses and snuggles to the whole family!
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Date: 2007-11-05 07:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 07:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 08:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 10:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-05 11:36 pm (UTC)I'll be in NJ until early Thursday -- please give me a call if you're up to having a visitor by then!
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Date: 2007-11-06 01:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-06 04:17 am (UTC)to you both congratulations
I cant wait to meet the nubbin
Ya done good Mommy!
Welcome Gareth!
Date: 2007-11-06 05:45 am (UTC)I totally agree with you on natural childbirth...12 hours is doable but beyond that it is exhausting to be in labor and in pain without strong signs of progress. Congrads on lasting 34 hours! I had had it in about half that time. On the other hand my c-section healed up more quickly than I expected (I was mostly back to normal in maybe 3-4 weeks except for being tired all the time). Also, I worried for the first 4 days until the lactation consultant remembered to tell me that c-sections can make it take longer for the milk to come in.
Congrats and wishes for the best and we miss you and....
Date: 2007-11-06 07:15 am (UTC)It's kind of neat that he's the best baby ever, since you guys will be the best parents ever. It's as if you're made for each other. Funny, that.
Nice name, too. It's a name that is occasionally irksome to me because some people for some reason think my name might be 'short for' Gareth. Which it isn't. But Gareth is a very nice name, being 3/4 of my own....
Re: Congrats and wishes for the best and we miss you and....
Date: 2007-11-06 07:17 am (UTC)Re: Congrats and wishes for the best and we miss you and....
Date: 2007-11-06 07:17 am (UTC)Yay baby!!
Date: 2007-11-06 07:17 am (UTC)Why do we have to live so far away?? I want to meet the best baby ever!! ;)
Re: Congrats and wishes for the best and we miss you and....
Date: 2007-11-06 07:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-06 03:14 pm (UTC)I will admit to getting a chuckle out of you being nervous about making it to the hospital in time. Reminded me very much of me.... (And I only lived a couple blocks away at the time!)
Let us know when you're up for visitors!
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Date: 2007-11-12 04:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-25 09:12 pm (UTC)Congratulations!!! Was beg. to wonder when the little one was going to decide to show up! :-P
Glad to read that y'all are home and safe and everything like that. May you all continue to be so! :-)
-Katrina