Thank You!

It wanted to post this sooner, but I am still recovering from things and I am still a little dazed and tired and just...not all there mentally yet. There are a few people I wanted to thank, for helping me to get through labor...in no particular order. And hopefully it won't be too rambly or weird...I can't seem to think clearly today...lack of sleep is maybe catching up with me.

I want to thank Jodi, my doula, for putting up with all my calls during my multi-day labor, especially since she was dealing with another labor at the time, right after having come home from a long trip. And for showing me just how much strength I have. I held on for a very long time and didn't think it was possible for any human to endure that much pain for that long. And I truly believe that I could have held on a little longer if I was much further along in labor progression. As it was, I am proud of how much I did hold on. And if epidurals weren't an option, she probably could have gotten me through the rest of the labor, though I am half convinced I would have been unconscious by the end. :) But thank you, Jodi, for being there for me and getting me through that tough time, and for helping me through the pushing phase, which was starting to worry me.

I want to thank my mother, for being so supportive of me, for encouraging me to get through the difficult labor, but for also supporting me when I just couldn't make it anymore. For staying with me so darn long through the multi-day labor and not really getting any sleep. And for reading "The Secret Garden" to me through labor...it was really special and I can't wait for you to find time to come over again and finish reading it...it meant that much to me. And brought back memories. And thanks for staying over our place for two nights after Maia was born, doing our laundry, cleaning our dishes, making food for me, taking care of Maia, and waking up for the overnight feedings so that Matt got somewhat of a break. Thank you for being such an amazing mother...most mothers are NOT that self-sacrificing and supportive and enduring. I hope I am even half as wonderful as that when my children have their own.

And a HUGE thank you to my unbelievable husband, Matthew. For being there for me. For enduring all those hours with me. For holding on to me during the hard contractions, for listening to me in such pain for so long, and for telling me I could do it, that I was an amazing woman and could get through this fine. For straining all your muscles as well in the attempts to comfort me through the contractions, holding positions for hours to make things more bearable for me. For being supportive of me when I just couldn't make it anymore and needed to have medical pain relief. For announcing to me whether we had given birth to a Maia or an Oliver...and for just being you. I am sorry it was so darn hard on you as well...wish it could have gone better, for both of us...but in the end we have a beautiful baby girl, one that I pushed out naturally instead of having another cesarean, one that I could hold and feed within a few minutes of birth. You are an amazing dad and husband and I am so GLAD I found you.

*sigh*
And even though they will never read this, a thank you to the staff at Virtua that made this non-cesarean birth possible. Thank you to Dr. Richman for helping Maia into the world...I never would have planned for a forceps delivery, but apparently it was necessary and apparently most other doctors probably wouldn't have attempted it and would have gone for the cesarean. So thank you!