My Postpartum Recovery

I apologize in advance – this is a pretty complainy post. But I needed to get this off my chest.

Most people say that the third trimester is the hardest. Well, they’re wrong. The fourth trimester is by far the most difficult.

As I held my tiny, delicate, grey-skinned cone-headed baby close in my arms just minutes after birthing her I felt so happy, tired, and proud.

“Did I tear?” I asked Rebekah, our midwife.

I had, just a little. It was too small to require stitches. We also learned that I had had a small placental abruption, which is a fancy way of saying that the placenta had started to separate from the uterus, which could have contributed to my blood loss.

As I looked at myself in the mirror for the first time, I saw someone I didn’t recognize – pale green and overwrought. I wanted to laugh I looked so horrid.

Those first few days I was so happy to have our precious little girly here at last and be done with pregnancy and on the road to recovery. True, my body felt like it had been put through the wringer. Just sitting up in bed was a workout. My, ahem, bottom, was very sore and my tear was tender. I had to pull myself up by my arms; I rubbed a spot raw on one elbow. Sitting up to burp Helen and moving her from side to side in the middle of the night was torture. But somehow (by the grace of God) I was able to keep a cheerful outlook. Must have been some sort of hormones. ;)

Then, the baby blues hit.

The days melded into one long nightmare. I was SO sick of lying in bed and having someone else do everything for me. I dreaded nights. I was extremely tired since I had gotten basically no sleep the night of labor and adjusting to sleeping with a baby that needs to be fed every hour or so is tough. Self-pity set in.  So I decided to get out of bed and do stuff.

BIG mistake.

I completely wore my body out and set it up for illness. The next day I contracted mastitis, complete with fever. But it soon passed and I felt so much better. I read stories from women who had gone through mastitis, saying how horrible it was; I had gotten off easy, I thought.

Then the fever struck again, much harder this time. My temperature kept rising, nearly reaching 106. Finally, after a day and half, it broke. I hadn’t had any sleep, but I was so happy to finally be recovering.

Then my brain did something really strange – it wouldn’t let me fall asleep. Every time I started to drift off, my stomach gave a jump and my throat started to close. It was extremely frustrating. The only thing that would allow me to sleep was taking melatonin, and that only worked for an hour at a time. My stupid brain even went so far as to send me a scary dream about spiders to keep me from sleeping.

This went on for a day or two. I felt like I would never recover. Then two of my sisters and brother came for a visit and to help with housework. It really brightened my day. That night I was able to sleep naturally.

That was the hardest, most horrible week of my life. From then on I was super careful about how tired I got; I had learned my lesson. Soon I was starting to feel stronger (though taking a shower was still quite a workout) and learning to sleep with a baby that demands attention all through the night.

At four weeks postpartum I really started to feel better. And now, at five weeks I’m almost back to normal, besides getting winded at the stupidest things like walking up a flight of stairs. I am SO out of shape.

And now for the bit that I was always interested in when I was pregnant: how did my belly fare postpartum?

The first few days I looked like I was four months pregnant, minus the glowing skin and curled hair. My uterus was still large and making my belly quite poochy. I wanted to take pictures for y’all, but I was just too tired exhausted. At two weeks postpartum the “bloating” (for lack of a better word) had gone down quite a bit, but you can still see a bulge – about how I looked at eighteen weeks.

And you can see in the picture below how I look standing at 5 weeks postpartum. The pooch has gone down quite a bit, but it’s still pretty flabby, particularly when I sit down or lay on my side. I checked myself, and I have a diastisis recti (a separation of the abdominal muscles). So I’ll have to figure out a program for myself to heal that. Also, my tummy looks fairly normal in some spots and like a deflated balloon in others. Whatevs.

As far as inches goes, I was about 30 inches around my waist at 2 weeks, 28 at 4 weeks and now I’m 27.5 (about 1.5-2 inches form my pre-pregnancy size). I’ve got a LOT of toning to do.

For weight, I lost almost 10 pounds in the first 24 hours after birth. I lost nearly another 10 in the next few days. After my bout of mastitis I was only a few pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. And now I’m 114.5, at my pre-pregnancy weight (I would fluctuate between 110 and 115 pre-pregnancy). Just goes to show you that it’s inches/toning, not weight that counts. Though it’s nice, with nursing, to be able to eat like a horse and lose weight. ;)

Aaaaand stretchies. *Le Sigh* I got so many of them the last few weeks of pregnancy. My lower belly is riddled with them. And a few decided to pop up on my legs post pregnancy. What-EVS. But I’ve heard they fade, and as long as I get my tummy toned they shouldn’t bother me too much.

I guess pregnancy is a good tool to keep us humble, eh?

So there you have it – my road to recovery postpartum. I can’t tell you how awesome it is to be able to put up my hair and fix myself a cup of tea. It was the little things I missed the most.

I praise and thank God that we have a healthy little girl to call our own and that I had no major complications.

15 Responses to My Postpartum Recovery

1. Jemima 
   March 25th, 2013 at 7:02 pm
   Thank you for blogging your recovery story Erica – beautifully written. You look amazing postpartum!! Look after yourself & don’t be too harsh on that body of yours – after all it did something amazing – housed a baby for 9 months & delivered her into the world!! Well done! xx
2. Carolyn 
   March 25th, 2013 at 7:50 pm
   Thanks for sharing your story and congratulations on your baby! I also had diatasis recti. After I had my last baby (I have 6 children!) I bought a BelleFit postpartum girdle. It really helps with diatasis recit recovery as well as supporting the postpartum stomach as it heals. At only 5 weeks postpartum, it’s not too late for you to try one if you’re interested. I loved using mine!
   http://www.bellefit.com/
   And you’re right, the first month of a baby’s life is really the hardest to get though. Sleep deprivation is the worst. But hang in there, it does get better! I promise. :)
3. jill 
   March 26th, 2013 at 7:07 am
   Isn’t it amazing how God made us so strong. Reading your birth and postpartum story (and any woman’s story) and then to read you’re walking around like nothing happened six weeks later is amazing. God is so good, and He made us good also. I love reading your updates on your new little blessing. Even though I am waaaay past childbirth days and am now waiting for grandchildren!
4. DessertForTwo 
   March 26th, 2013 at 7:08 am
   Thank you for sharing your story! I’ve been thinking about you!
   Hope you gain your energy back soon.
   You’re blessed with such a beautiful little girl! :)
5. Deb R 
   March 26th, 2013 at 7:52 am
   Congrats on your beautiful baby! I’m glad to hear that you are feeling better, hormones do crazy things to women. Take time to heal your body! Kisses to your sweet beautiful baby!
6. Rebecca Lately 
   March 26th, 2013 at 8:18 am
   You look great, Erica! I’m so happy to hear that you’re feeling better! Stretch marks are so weird. With a couple of our kids, I didn’t have any at all during pregnancy but when I started losing the baby weight, they would pop up everywhere and were dark purple! They’ve faded, but now when ever my weight fluctuates a little, stretch marks appear and then disappear. It’s so strange! So, yeah, all that to say that yours will most likely go away. Thank you for sharing your story!
7. Erin 
   March 26th, 2013 at 12:59 pm
   Oh my goodness woman, don’t worry about your belly for another few months at least! Sheesh. There are some serious hormonal things going on in your body right now and it takes time for everything to settle down. That first month can be a rough one, it’s true. I also had very intense and vivid dreams, the panicking about going to sleep. Hang in there, it all sorts itself out.
   Yes, I got some pretty crazy stretch marks too – my husband calls them my warrior marks. ;)
8. Heather Michelle@ A Sweet Simple Life 
   March 28th, 2013 at 12:04 pm
   You look great, Erica. Thanks for sharing your story. :) I feel like not many people talk about the recovery, but I want to have realistic expectations so this is super helpful!
9. Diane 
   March 31st, 2013 at 1:52 pm
   Thank you for keeping us up to date on your recovery and Helen’s growth. Don’t worry so about your weight. You are breast-feeding and can now eat for one and a half! I also worried about becoming my slim self after I had my first child and became dangerously thin (I am a little taller than you, but got down to 105 pounds) so be careful to eat enough and to rest, as well.
   God bless.
10. Cait 
    April 2nd, 2013 at 11:30 am
    Thank you for sharing your story. I think not enough people talk about how hard recovery can be, when it’s all about the labor.
    A dear older woman I know, and mother of 7 (almost 8) who looks AMAZING, told me ‘Your body took nine months to grow a baby and you should give it nine months to go back to normal.’ I really appreciated that, to not put pressure on myself (even though I wanted to be back in shape) and just let it happen. Honesty I didn’t do anything though, so a year later there is toning I’d like to do even though I look about the same as pre-pregnancy. But the stretchmarks that were bright red are now a faded skin tone. I also noticed a huge drop around 4-6 months from breastfeeding, which hadn’t seemed to do much for me earlier than that.
11. JMN 
    April 3rd, 2013 at 6:40 am
    Yes, postpartum can be SO HARD, and so few people talk about it… I was down and out for months. Keep at it! Surround yourself with helpful and loving people, and be sure to take care of yourself as well as your baby. All best.
12. Bec 
    April 13th, 2013 at 6:20 am
    Hi Erica, just a “hello” to let you know I’m thinking of you and hoping you’re feeling okay. The first few months are tough, but wonderful, and it gets better every day … I hope you’re getting lots of support from your extended family and more sleep. Take care.
13. garysgirl 
    April 17th, 2013 at 12:37 am
    Yikes! You sure had it rough there. :( I have had Mastitis too-it stinks! SO painful! And yeah, isn’t it weird how tired you get of having everyone do everything for you, while you just lay there? lol I missed cooking and baking soooo very much…it almost drove me crazy! But by about the second week or so my hubby very sweetly let me fold a little laundry in bed…and that made me feel better about myself. ;) I know it’s all part of the process-God wants us mothers to focus on our newly born miracle and not to worry about everything else-but it’s still hard! ;) Glad you’re recovered now and your tummy looks great! :)
14. Erin 
    April 25th, 2013 at 8:27 pm
    I can so relate! We’re a very young couple, too, and I had a little boy, my first, on February 21st…my labor was induced with Wednesday night since my water had broken that morning at 4am. I went very quickly from a 2-8 and then got so stuck. They told me not to push so I had to fight the urge for at least 4 hours (I couldn’t sit down at all or it would get overwhelming so I had to keep walking which was exhausting)…then when I finally could it was very difficult. I pushed for four more hours until my midwife finally decided I needed an episiotomy, so he was finally born Thursday morning. I was exhausted–the first time I looked in the mirror my face was so swollen from pushing that I didn’t even look like myself…I had torn past the episiotomy, so I needed a lot of stitches, and every muscle I had in my body was sore. It was so hard to get in and out of bed…I definitely was forced to take it easy and I got stir crazy, too, and probably did too much. Two weeks later I got mastitis with a fever that kept climbing…it was beyond miserable. Once I got over that, my hubby got sick and so I was taking care of him and the baby all by myself and finally got sick too. I ended up having a horrible fever for another week. I was really at the end of my rope and my husband didn’t feel well either. When Jude was 6 weeks old I finally started to feel like myself again and life got a little bit easier…moral of the story–having a baby is hard work and you need to let your body recover or else you’re just asking for trouble!
15. Clara 
    May 14th, 2013 at 11:27 am
    Congratulations on your baby Erica!
    I’ve been following your blog(s) for quite some time now. For stretch marks, I recommend using Lush Cosmetics’ Lovely Jubblies. It is labeled as a breast cream but naturally, the lotion can be used in various other places to help tighten and smooth skin. Pricey but very worth it (toning can only do so much).
    Best of luck! I look forward to reading your future posts.

One Month Update

Two weeks old.

Three weeks old.

One month old.

..

Our little girly is over a month old now.

You’re expecting me to say: “That sure went fast.”

Well, it didn’t. This has been the longest month of my life. But more on that in an upcoming post.

Helen is now over nine pounds and getting chubbier by the day. I think she’s finally getting over the eat-all-day stage. Now I jinxed it. ;)

Watch the short film below for a glimpse at our life the past few months.

{If the video won’t load, you can watch it on YouTube HERE }

..

And one more to show you what we’ve been dealing with. ;)

12 Responses to One Month Update

1. Diana 
   March 18th, 2013 at 11:18 pm
   Your daughter is adorable. Are you healed all recovered from the birth?
2. Rebecca Lately 
   March 19th, 2013 at 7:38 am
   She’s so adorable! I love the video you made, Erica. I hope all is going well!
3. Elizabeth 
   March 19th, 2013 at 8:19 am
   Lovely.
4. Kathryn Grace 
   March 19th, 2013 at 8:45 am
   She is soooo cute!!! Spit up and all. ;-)
5. Sam 
   March 19th, 2013 at 9:22 am
   Congratulations! i just had my little one 3weeks ago and we’re battling spitting up/vomiting. Here’s to hoping that they keep it all down :)
6. Missy 
   March 19th, 2013 at 10:53 am
   What a cutie!!
   I felt the same way during the newborn phase. I was literally counting down the days for each month to pass. It did NOT go by fast for me either, but at some point things got easier and time DID start to slip through my fingers. My little one just turned one last week which is nuts.
7. Cinnamon 
   March 19th, 2013 at 11:06 pm
   Your sweet lil’ Helen is beautiful. Newborns are such wonderful little angels aren’t they!
   Your birth story sounds a bit like my most recent baby. She was born Feb 10th and was by far the longest birth I’ve ever had. Not to mention my hardest. Then after she was born we dealt with food allergies. She is two now and much better on a gluten/dairy free diet. She’s never eaten cheerios or had a grilled cheese sandwich.
   When she was a newborn she spit up everything the first week (before we figured out about her food allergies) from the dairy I was eating. Then the gluten made her wide awake, cranky and restless. Those were long hard days.
   I can’t recall how I found you. I think I was looking at some food recipes for french onion soup. Lots of yummy recipes :-)
   You have a beautiful family.
   Blessings~ Cinnamon
8. Begoña 
   March 20th, 2013 at 6:13 am
   The first month is really hard. They wanna eat all the time, cry a lot, want to be held most of the time, you are recovering from labour, you are exhausted and crancky most of the time, you dont know how to take care or love the baby… I remembered feeling really bad about myself and thinking ‘what the hell have we done? This is really really hard’, but I promise it gets better and better everyday. My little girl is almost three months and while at first she cried a lot and wouldnt sleep at all, right now, she’s a delight to be with. She has a routine now, she wants to eat every three or four hours, she’s a really good sleeper, she’s really funny and I love her to pieces. They need time to aclimate and so you do. I guess no new mom would admit it, that the first weeks together are not what you thought they would be and that sometimes you feel really sorry for yourself cause it sounds terrible but thats the way it is. Just give yourself some time and you see her blooming.
9. bekahjo 
   March 21st, 2013 at 8:25 pm
   Erica… I know how hard these early months are. With sleepless nights, spit-up filled days, and wondering if your body is ever going to return to normal. (btw, LOVE the spit up picture. I always look at baby pictures and wonder why other people’s children look so perfect. :) It gets better. They start laughing, and smiling, and hugging you. I just had a baby 3 mos. ago. And she’s finally starting to sleep through the night! But things have been rough with a 1.5 yr old, and a new baby. My husband has loved me through all the crazy days. It really does get better. Don’t compare to other people’s children, especially on the sleeping front, it’ll just drive you crazy and make you feel like you’re doing something wrong.
   Just know that you are being the best mommy that you can be to that little baby. And that even if she doesn’t appreciate it now, someday, she will.
10. Emily 
    March 22nd, 2013 at 1:20 pm
    Oh, friend. It is so hard. So wonderful and so so hard. Your sweet baby is beautiful. I can’t wait to hear more, and I’m sending prayers and happy thoughts your way.
11. Diane 
    March 22nd, 2013 at 8:36 pm
    Erica, are you healthy now? I know you’re exhausted and sometimes that can mask other problems. I hope the only problems are you healing and Helen getting used to her new world.
    Reuben looks like he is very helpful and you have a lot of family nearby. Get as much rest as you can and you will barely remember these first days in another three months.
12. Samantha 
    March 23rd, 2013 at 9:29 am
    Helen is just a little angel! It’s seems like it’s been so long since we’ve had a baby in the house (2 years really, but it sure seems like 10!) that I’ve forgotten just how small they really are! The video is darling and sure to be a treasure in your family for years to come!

My Birth Story

Anyone who is not comfortable with the mention of bodily functions is welcome to click out of this post now. :)

Also, I won’t be offended if this sort of thing doesn’t interest you – it never interested me until I was pregnant. But I feel compelled to write it down so I don’t forget the details.

Hello. My name is Erica Lea. I gave birth. Here is my story.


It’s funny how everything seemed to slip into place just before I went into labor. I feel that God had been preparing my mind for the ordeal – it wasn’t with a sense of fear that I anticipated labor, but a sense of urgency to get it over with and start recovery. And there were various little things that we needed that we received just before I went into labor. Our midwife brought the birth pool (I had decided to try a water birth) THE DAY that I went into labor. Talk about perfect timing!

Around 3:00 PM I started to have cramps. I had been experiencing some mild cramping during the days leading up to labor, but I could tell that these were different – more intense.  Like full on menstrual cramps. I was able to snooze on the couch for an hour or so, but it drove me nuts that I didn’t know if I was actually in labor or not.

Then, around 9-10 PM I had a bloody show. I had heard that it could be a few days after a bloody show that you go into labor. Reuben Googled it – a few hours to a few days. Rats – I still didn’t know if this was it. My cramps started to get more intense.

They made me so uncomfortable that I was finding it impossible to go to sleep. It was about midnight. Reuben had already gone to bed, so I crawled under the covers and tried to get some shut-eye. Almost immediately, I felt a strange gurgle (at first I thought it was the baby kicking). I jumped out of bed, heading for the bathroom. But it was too late: I felt liquid uncontrollably gushing onto my legs and the floor. I felt so helpless. Reuben grabbed me a towel to clean up. Now I knew that the time had come.

The cramps had definitely turned into contractions by this time. I started timing them and found that I was farther along than I had thought. And they were getting pretty miserable. I decided it was time to give our midwife, Rebekah, the heads up. I called around 2:00 AM. She confirmed my feelings that things were moving along and to me that I should call her again when things started picking up pace.

Reuben decided to head to bed and try to get some sleep. That was out of the question for me. The next few hours were spent timing my contractions, trying to sleep on the couch between them, and hopping up and doing deep breathing, pelvic rocking, hip circles and other pain coping techniques as the contractions came. I couldn’t STAND to be laying down when a contraction came. At some point (I’m not sure when), I threw up. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds. Just another part of labor.

I decided to wake up Reuben at 5:00. I held out until around 5:30.

“Reuben, I need you.”

Everything was too intense to face alone.

With a terribly strong contraction, I jumped into the shower to try to assuage the pain. I begged Reuben to call Rebekah; she didn’t answer. At 6:19 she called back and wanted to know if I wanted her to come. Yes, yes I did. She was a couple hours out.

A little bit later I threw up again and expelled more amniotic fluid.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized to Reuben as I stood there helplessly.

“It’s okay, girl,” he assured me as he wiped my legs with a towel.

I hopped back into the shower to clean up further.

After trying to cope with the contractions for a while longer, I begged Reuben to start filling the birthing pool – he didn’t realize how far along I had progressed (later Rebekah told us that I had probably already gone through transition). At around 7:00 he started filling it.

As I slipped into the warm, comforting water I could feel my body relax. It felt so good. But the contractions kept coming. They spaced out some but grew in intensity. Reuben kept the water warm with kettles of hot water.

At around 8:30 Rebekah arrived. I was so incredibly tired, having had basically NO sleep. It was very hard for me to stay calm through the contractions now – they seemed to build to an intense crescendo each time. Rebekah suggested that I try to empty my bladder, which could help with the pain. It was impossible for me to do so.

Around 10:00 I started having the urge to push. After a few pushes, Rebekah checked my cervix to make sure it was okay for me to push. She felt the baby’s head was low, but the cervix wasn’t quite ready yet. I tried not pushing for a few contractions, but had to keep going.

I was exhausted and wishing desperately for sleep. At around 11:30 we decided to move to the bedroom so I could get some rest. There I continued to push, and at 12:03 PM, we said hello to our little Helen.

Rebekah put the little girly in my arms immediately. It was so sweet to finally meet her, grey skin and cone head and all.

About 10 minutes later I had the placenta. And we had a bit of a scary moment. I started to bleed heavily.

“I need you to stop bleeding,” Rebekah said.

“Oh great, I’m gonna die,” I thought.

“Oh great, my wife is going to bleed out after having our baby,” Reuben thought.

But Rebekah had it under control – she put two dropperfuls of some sort on tincture under my tongue and had me drink half a cup of lemon juice. Soon the bleeding slowed. Rebekah massaged my uterus to make sure no clots formed – that hurt!

By the time Rebekah left, Helen was nursing well. I was so happy and thankful that we weren’t having troubles with that!

“You did such a good job,” Reuben told me.

And that’s how my labor went. I don’t know how I could have done it without the help and support of Reuben and Rebekah. It was so hard and tiring, yet nothing compared to what I had to face ahead. But that’s another story.


Until next time,

Yours ever,

Erica Lea

16 Responses to My Birth Story

1. Jemima 
   March 11th, 2013 at 6:55 pm
   Beautifully written Erica – and a big well done for giving birth to your precious little girl! I admit, I had a few tears, I’m getting soft in my old age (or maybe I’m finally finding my maternal instincts after all!!).
   I’m looking forward to reading your next installment of recovery & life as a new mum, I need all the information & encouragement I can get if I ever want a baby!!
   xx
2. Jessica 
   March 11th, 2013 at 9:22 pm
   You new baby Helen is just beautiful!
   Thank you so much for sharing your birth story on here; you sound like a very strong woman. I am an aspiring midwife and I really find it incredible to be able to share in the birth stories of others in this way!
3. Carissa @ Pretty/Hungry 
   March 11th, 2013 at 10:10 pm
   You’ll be so glad you wrote this down. I’m like you, never cared for reading birth stories until I became pregnant myself, now I can’t get enough of them!
4. Diana 
   March 11th, 2013 at 10:11 pm
   Thank you so much for sharing! I am thinking about becoming a parent and am fascinated by what others have gone through. I am glad that everything went well. Best of luck on your new journey.
5. Rebecca Lately 
   March 11th, 2013 at 10:16 pm
   Thank you for sharing your story, Erica. It brought tears to my eyes. I’m glad it turned out well. I look forward to hearing the next party of your story :)
6. Rebecca Miller 
   March 12th, 2013 at 9:02 am
   Way to go! You did it and so well. I am so impressed. I would love to read the follow up and love monthly updates of your little one. She is so precious!
7. Moriah Mari 
   March 12th, 2013 at 9:25 am
   Thanks for sharing, Erica! I look forward to hearing more.
8. jill 
   March 12th, 2013 at 2:48 pm
   What a wonderful birth story. Helen is a beautiful girl. God is good!
9. Heather Michelle@ A Sweet Simple Life 
   March 12th, 2013 at 3:07 pm
   It’s nice to hear positive, yet honest stories of natural childbirth. Thanks for sharing, Erica. You’re little girl is precious!
10. Cait 
    March 13th, 2013 at 9:42 am
    Thank you for sharing – well done Erica! I had a homebirth just over a year ago with our sweet girl and it was the most painful and beautiful thing, just as you experienced. But I know now that my recovery was not what it should have been/should be next time, Lord willing! I thought it was normal because it was my first time, but for two weeks I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Six days after giving birth we realized I had part of a retained placenta (so scary!!), plus a UTI and mastitis. After giving birth at home the last thing I wanted to do was be in the ER with an IV. It definitely showed me how bad of an attitude I could have. But God was good and the rest of recovery was hard but smooth. Whatever has happened, I pray that your recovery will soon be completely behind you and leave you free to simply enjoy your baby and care for her and your home and husband again. I remember feeling helpless to even change a diaper and walk around with my baby and wanted so much to enjoy the first days feeling normal. We’ll hope for next time!! Blessings to you and your precious girl.
11. Shelly 
    March 13th, 2013 at 2:19 pm
    Uh…way to leave us hanging, girl.:) But I love a birth story. I have six of my own. It is the hardest thing you will ever do, but there is nothing that compares to the birth of your baby. Such a miracle! Hopefully you are getting some sleep. Helen is beautiful!
12. Janice 
    March 13th, 2013 at 3:33 pm
    Dear Erica,
    Congratulations on giving birth to your beautiful daughter. I have been a follower of your blog cooking for seven for several years. Thank you for sharing your engagement, wedding and now the birth of your daughter. Helen is so adorable and I am so happy for you and Reuben!! I have been praying for you all. I am glad to hear of the safe arrival of Helen and will continue to pray that things will go well for you….remember the first one is the hardest….the second time around is a snap!!! All the best and God bless.
    Love Janice
13. Sarah K. 
    March 15th, 2013 at 1:24 pm
    Erica, hi! I didn’t even realize that you had a blog. Congratulations on your adorable little girl. She’s such a pretty baby! I’m looking forward to following your blog now. :-)
14. JoyAnn 
    March 18th, 2013 at 9:32 pm
    Thank you for sharing!
    it seems like only yesterday that we had our little baby boy, Seth, yet he is now 7 months!
    I loved reading your story, it brings me so much excitement and joy for you!!! CONGRATS!!!
15. Loretta 
    April 16th, 2013 at 8:48 am
    Beautiful! It sounds like an amazing experience. And what a precious little girl :)
16. garysgirl 
    April 17th, 2013 at 12:31 am
    Just read this for the first time! What a great birth story! I love reading happy endings! :) We’ve had 2 babies so far-both boys-and we had home births (water births actually) for both of them. They both went really well and were complication free. God was so good. I love birthing at home in my own environment, with just my hubby, my midwife and her assistant. It really is amazing! :)