Hello again!

Where do I begin? First, we finally came home yesterday. We were in the hospital for so long that days and nights had all blended. It was quite emotional to emerge and see SF again. Dav stayed with me the whole time sleeping on an uncomfortable side bed, but I couldn't have done it without him. Adjusting to actually seeing Tesla (vs. feeling her snug inside me), and recovering isn't easy. I almost feel like I've emerged from a safe womb into a new reality. We've had several days/nights of the nap/feed/diaper routine with the support of a team of nurses (we got SO much valuable one-on-one instruction that I'm almost glad we got the extra time in the hospital), and now we're on our own.

I should first clarify to those who might not know yet that I ended up having a c-section. This was a very hard route to take both emotionally and physically. I'm definitely still recovering in both aspects. Basically, I did opt for an epidural, and after many hours, I came to a point where I wasn't dilating even with good solid contractions. More importantly, Teslas heartbeat dipped more than a few times causing all of us concern (even had a quick run to the OR just in case they needed to get her out within a minute). In the end, we didn't want to take any more chances. To be honest, I was pretty upset about it. Birth is incredibly deep and personal; I'll just leave it at that. But I try to focus on the immensely bright side that we now have a beautiful and very healthy baby girl. She drinks with gusto, has strong limbs enough that the nurses tease us, and isn't jaundiced.

Here are a few moments from labor that I never got around to uploading (duh!) [I feel weird sharing such personal moments, but this really is a need for me and how I process stuff. Please skip if it's not your cup of tea...]
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I want to take a moment and thank everyone who sent your love and support via comments and emails. You have no idea how much it meant to me to come home after such an experience to have your words. I think the post-pregnancy hormones are making me teary and emotional, but I'm working my way through missing pregnancy, processing the delivery, and appreciating having Tesla in our arms. To know you were watching for her inspires me. So thank you very much to each one of you.