Malaikah Grace

Dexter and I are pleased to {finally} announce the birth of our daughter.

Malaikah Grace Mulandi

September 10, 2014

8:15 AM

7 Pounds, 12 Ounces, 18 1/2 inches long

I must admit that I was actually surprised by the 'It's a GIRL' announcement!  In my mind the baby that was kicking me non-stop had to be a boy.  Plus, I'd really wanted Kyalo to have a brother, so I think in my head it just made it easier.  I was also surprised by how happy I was by the announcement - and just how right it feels that we have a daughter.  

So, the story:

Since I moved mid-way through the pregnancy, I had to find a new doctor and hospital, etc.  Unfortunately, the hospital in the town next to ours does not do VBACs (vaginal birth after Cesarean) which I had been hoping to at least try for.  The doctors were all very nice, telling me I could deliver in Portland (an hour away) or Auburn/Lewiston (30-40 min away) if I did want to try that.  Honestly, though, that felt riskier to me, and traveling that distance while in labor was highly unappealing to me.  The nice thing was I could select a delivery date for a repeat C-Section, and so I chose the one closest to my due date (Sept 14).  

On Wednesday, September 10, I had to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM (ugh) for all the check in procedures.  My parents had come Tuesday night to stay with Kyalo so we didn't have to worry about him, thankfully.  Surgery was scheduled for 7:30 AM, and by 8:15 she was born.  Interesting story.  After  my doctor had cut me open, the baby, who had been head down for 2+ months turned over (around?) and was in a breech position - and ended up being delivered feet first.  I guess that C-Section turned out to be a blessing!

Fun tip:  If you want to bring joy to the people in an operating room, tell them you don't know the sex of your baby.  There will be cheering, clapping, and possibly a bit of jumping up and down.

Oh, and small town fun fact:  I got talking to one of the anesthetists, thinking for some reason she'd just moved here.  Thinking we had something in common, I mentioned that we had just moved here, and that my husband was working at the dental clinic in town.  At least two of the women said, ' THAT's why he looks so familiar!!' Turns out one of them had been to Dexter the day before, and the other had recently been in the clinic.  Ah, small towns.

Anyway, back to Malaikah.  They cleaned her up and weighed her, etc, and then brought her right over to me for some nursing and skin-to-skin contact (something that didn't happen in Kijabe).  She nursed right away for a few minutes, but otherwise just lay on my chest while they sewed me up.

Here we are, with the newest member of our family.

Dexter was able to carry her over to the recovery room where I had to hang out for an hour while the anesthesia wore off.  This hospital is 'baby friendly' so they don't give out formula or pacifiers, and really emphasize the baby staying with the family. I appreciated that.  She never left my room for the duration of our stay in the hospital.

My parents came later in the afternoon with Kyalo.  He came running into the room all smiles and excitement, and then as he saw me with lots of wires coming out of me, and Dexter holding the new baby, he became reserved (best I can think of) and cautious.  He took it all in in his quiet, observing way.  

 the newest big brother on the block - he's not so sure about things

The nurse, who was great, got him to listen to Malaikah's heart.  He seemed to enjoy that.

Grandma and Grandpa got turns holding the baby (but we only got a pic of Gpa doing it for some reason)

After a brief visit, my parents took Kyalo down to Essex for the rest of the week.  I can't tell you what a gift that was to us - to be able to rest and recover and just soak in all the baby stuff without having to worry about Kyalo, and knowing that he was having a great time with Grandma and Grandpa.

We stayed in the hospital two nights, getting home late Friday.  It was nice to have a couple of days to acclimate at home before Kyalo returned.  I did a lot of sleeping.   My mom brought Kyalo back Sunday afternoon, and stayed through Wednesday morning.  Since I wasn't supposed to drive for a while it was nice to have her around to help with driving Kyalo to/from school and running other errands, and helping to keep Kyalo occupied.

Here are some other pictures worth sharing.

 getting ready to head home!

eyes open!

 I wasn't aware of Kyalo's arm around my shoulders til I saw this picture.  So sweet.

family of four!

September 17, 2014

So, while another C-Section wasn't my ideal birth story, all that matters to me is that she's here, and she's healthy.  In the hospital my blood pressure dropped pretty low, so they had to watch me carefully for a night, but all is well now.  She's nursing and sleeping well.  I take her back to the doctor tomorrow for another check up/weigh in.  I go on Thursday already for my two week post-op doctor's visit.  Time is already rushing by.  Kyalo's getting more used to her, and likes to kiss her and rub her soft head.  Oh! That was a surprise - that she had no hair. Kyalo had a head full of thick, dark hair that I was sure this baby would too. Instead she just has this soft little halo of peach fuzz.  I love it.

About her name.  I actually had the name in mind if Kyalo had been born a girl, so I've held on to it in hope for quite some time.  It means Angel in Swahili.  I chose Grace as a middle name as a reminder of God's grace to us through the lean school years, but really throughout the duration of our marriage.  She is just one more tangible piece of evidence of God's grace to us, and it seems appropriate to recognize it in this way.  And it is a good thing that she was born a girl because we could not decide upon/agree on a boy's name!!  :)

Life with a girl is definitely different, but we love and adore her and are so glad she's a part of our family.

Thanks for sticking with me here!