Announcing the Arrival

Announcing the arrival of 

Alara Eden Hutchins
Born Sunday October 4, 2015
7:12 pm
7 lb 13 oz
21 inches long

Excerpt from Zach's family letter-

“10-4, good buddy.” Those are the words with which Uncle Aaron decided that our daughter, Alara, would be born today.  (You didn’t think we’d have a visit from Uncle Aaron without one or two life-changing moments, did you?) As noted in my previous epistle, Alana was hoping—even expecting—for the baby to be born last Monday night. So each day past that date was just a little bit more difficult for her to endure, mentally and emotionally. She’d decided to ask the doctors if they would induce her tomorrow on Monday 10/5, but they were all full up that day and offered her a choice of Sunday (today) or Tuesday, 10/6. I preferred Sunday, for work reasons, but I told Alana that whatever she decided was fine with me. Alana couldn’t make up her mind and asked Aaron—just arrived, on Friday afternoon, for a weekend visit—whether he wanted to hang out with us on Sunday or watch our kids while we went in to be induced. He volunteered to stay with the children, so here I am in the hospital, waiting for a baby to be born. Still no baby (three hours since I started writing this letter), but Alana’s water has broken, and we’ve walked several miles in the hospital corridor (which feels a little like short track speed skating; every time we turn, which is frequently, I make a little “whooshing” sound); contractions about five minutes apart now (at 12:30). The wallpaper in her room is vaguely yellow, and as we’ve circled the room she puts her hand on the walls and says, “Look at me, I’m in the yellow wallpaper!” That’s a joke about a famous American short story—about a woman with postpartum depression—and I laughed uproariously when she said it. How lucky am I, to be married to a woman who makes learned literary jokes while in labor?

The rest of the story-

Since things were progressing slowly after about 4 or 5 hours they started the pitocin drip and things began to move along (read: sharp increase in pain level) . Not being one to value toughness for toughness sake, I opted for an epidural. I've told people before, I think the Lord prefers that I get an epidural and continue to have children than be so scared of labor I'm going to stop having kids. I The artificial contractions produced by pitocin are more painful than the natural ones too. The epidural was put in slightly off center and took quite a while to kick in on the left side but once it did there was nothing to do but wait and let labor take it's course. I started pushing around 6:55 and after seven contractions she was out at 7:12 pm with minimal trauma or aid from the doctor. It is standard procedure now to let the mom hold the baby right away before they whisk her away for shots and cleaning to they placed her on my chest and we snuggled. It is so tender to hold a baby right after they arrive into the world. Alara didn't think it was so great however. She fussed off and on for the first 24 hours of life, but has calmed down since. I was happy and tired but I look forward to a short recovery since things went smoothly. 

Dr. Worford, L&D nurse Dawn, Baby nurse Mitchell

The first of many baby pictures to come: