A New Year's Eve Baby

Gabe and I checked into Mt. Sinai Hospital on Wednesday night, 12/30/2009, to be induced. I was 40 weeks and 2 days...and nothing was happening. We got comfy in the room, and then the doctor came round to start a pitocin drip and foley bulb to get things moving. I declined the epidural off the bat, but after an hour of my cervix being manually stretched, I was more than ready for it. After that I felt almost no pain. We slept some through the night and woke up on Thursday morning to a beautiful snowfall outside.

Dr. Callipari stopped by and noted that the baby had not moved down into my pelvis at all. By noon it was obvious that things were at a standstill, so we collectively decided it was time for a c-section. Within minutes they had wheeled me into the OR and Gabe was suited up in scrubs and a mask. Dr. Callipari worked quickly and our little girl came out screaming! Gabe's reaction to our little girl's arrival was priceless--he was overwhelmed with emotion. Watching him, I was not at all sorry that I couldn't see the birth myself. But within a minute the nurses brought her over to me and I could do nothing but cry. I'm sure the medication was partially to blame, but I was stunned into grateful silence.
She was born at 12:55 pm, weighed in at 6 pounds, 10 ounces and measured 19 1/2 inches. She also came with quite a set of lungs. From the OR we went into recovery and our dear friend, Bea DeGea (www.beadegea.com), was there to capture some of those moments on film. Not surprisingly, the baby took a liking to her right away.
Soon after, our families began trickling in; I don't think there was a dry eye anywhere. It was exciting getting to watch Dad, Andi, Barbara and Don meet their new granddaughter...and Nick and Kenzie their new niece. Below is a photo montage of some of Bea's beautiful photos--we're so grateful for this amazing gift she gave us.

We decided on the name Lila Jewell Stern. Lila was derived from Gabe's maternal grandmother, Lillian Fodor. And my paternal grandmother, Nina Jewell Durham, shared Lila's middle name. We hope this is a way for us to honor these two women whom we loved so much.During our hospital stay we enjoyed a visit from our good friend, Damon Winter, as well as Lila's Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Shveta. We also had to say goodbye to the Texas crew, but they promised to come back and see Lila very soon. On Sunday night, after many hours under fluorescent lights to treat Lila's jaundice, we were released to go home. Nana and Papa drove us, and when we finally made it home Uncle Nicky was there to greet us. He had spent the entire day cooking meals for us to enjoy over the days to come--love my little brother!