CORINA IS HERE!!

I thought I will have a couple more of pre-natal posts the last time I wrote; however I was wrong. My little one decided to make her grand appearance 2 weeks ahead of time and caught us all by surprise.
Corina was born on Monday June 9th,2008 at 4:13pm!
I woke up that morning feeling fine except for the feeling of some strange cramps which I thought it was just part of the process of getting to full term and I didn't give them much attention. I went to my swim class as usual, I was sure that swimming will take care of the cramps as it always does; however the cramps kept coming every 100 to 200 meters so I started wondering if maybe I was actually having contractions but decided not to think about it. I had enjoy being pregnant a lot and I could totally be pregnant for a couple more weeks until my parents come to town. I swam for 2500m as usual, a lot slower than usual but it felt good. I came home and started to get more suspicious so I called Dave to was out of town to tell him to take an earlier flight home just as a precaution. I had a Dr.'s appointment scheduled for 10:45 and I was pretty much sure he was going to tell me that I was just having fake labor pains. Most first time moms make it to their due date and even go beyond it so I had nothing to worry.
As a precaution and since the cramps have not stopped coming I decided to stay home until the Dr's appointment to avoid driving to much and then go to work.
Dr. saw me and told me that I was 2cm dilated and that I was not going to make it to my due date; I asked him about a time frame and he said 2 to 3 days max with a pretty confident tone of voice. I asked him about the contractions and since they had slow down since I got to the Dr. he told me to call him if they get very strong and very frequent (5 minutes or less apart). I decided to call off work that day since my goal was to lay down and slow down the contractions to have at least another 3 days to get my mom and Dave home. By the time I got home I was having contractions every 3 to 5 minutes and they were in fact getting stronger. I still thought that by laying down I was going to be able to slow down the apparent labor process I was going in to. I called my cousin Clara to come help me out so that I can keep my self as motionless as possible. Motion or no motion the contractions will not slow down and at about 2 pm a very strong one broke my water. At that point I realized that there was no way back I was in labor. I called Dave who had just landed and told him to meet me at the hospital; and I called to Dr. to let him know. He told me to go to the hospital and meet him there. I was so happy that that morning while I was thinking that I was just having fake labor pains I had decided to pack up my bag for the hospital; otherwise there would have been no time at all.
On the drive to the hospital I literally felt the baby was going to come out, Clara was driving as fast as she could and on every bump of the road I could feel my little one pressing to get out. After almost running over a pedestrian on the way there and being pushed by my cousin at almost 15mph (I am exaggerating) through the hospital hallways we finally made it to labor and delivery. After getting ready on the gown they checked me up and I was 10cm dilated and ready to push. The Dr. came in, Dave walked in and I started pushing. After 20 minutes that seemed like 2 hours and 2 marathons back to back Corina was born!!! It was the happiest moment of my life when I finally saw her and heard her loud scream!! I will do it all over again!!
I am very thankful for the labor experience I had, it was great since I didn't realize I was in labor until I was almost 10cm dilated and I am sure that helped a lot but knowing that each pain, contraction, cramp had such a great purpose to be helped a lot. I was never stressed or freaked out about it; I just had this calm feeling that it is how it is supposed to be and at the end everything was going to be great. I think that the prenatal yoga class I took along with my hypno-birthing class helped a lot in taking away any fear related to child birth and to maintain a very calm state of being while I was going through all the craziness. It even seems unreal to me now but I just knew everything was going to be OK. I didn't have time to use any of my planned relaxation that I have prepared so much for my labor, everything happened so fast!! but I think I was singing the tunes in my mind with every push and every contraction.
Now I am a mom and I am loving every second of it. I feel like when I was a child after Christmas that you want to play over and over with a new toy; with the difference that my new toy is this precious human being that I can't stop looking at, and to whom I won't be able to stop looking at for the rest of my life.
I am posting a picture of Corina for you guys to meet her.

Almost Full Term 37W

So this week on Wednesday I will be 37 weeks and considered full term. That means that my little girl is big and strong enough to come out whenever she wants. However I am pretty sure she has already picked her birthday and she will be one of the 10% of babies who are actually born on their due date (June 25th). I feel it is just meant to be.
I have been feeling pretty good. Besides sometimes forgetting that I can not bend down to tie my shoes and that getting up from laying down on my back is a bit challenging I am not uncomfortable. I am still swimming 3 times a week and although I am slower that before being pregnant my times have not come up that much. I can still keep up with the class!!. I hope to swim until my last week; it makes me feel really good and think Corina loves it too.
Two weeks ago we had a Dr's. appointment, he said everything looked good. I asked about my belly measuring smaller and he said not to worry about it, that is not an accurate measure plus the 32nd week ultrasound showed that my girl was developing just perfectly and was perfect in size and weight for the age. We have another appointment this week and I think that after this one we are supposed to go in every week.
We also got her room practically done. We moved the furniture, took all the office stuff out, cleaned as much as we could from the closet, built the crib and dresser/changing table and washed her clothes. We have received so many gifts from friends that Corina is set with clothes and diapers for the first 4 or 5 months of live. The crib looks really good and the room surprisingly looks very nice and cozy as well. I say surprisingly because neither Dave or I are very good decorators but I guess that sometimes just by keeping things simple it all works out for the best.
This week I got the car seat but they sent a model that had been recalled last year so I have to send it back and get a new one; at least we have a back up which was a handy me down from my brother that we could use in case we don't get a seat on time. That one is washed and ready to go. I also got the co-sleeper bassinet and I love it. It was so easy to assemble, it takes barely any room and it securely attaches to the bed so we will be able to sleep with our little girl avoiding at the same time all the risks that co-sleeping can bring. It is the best of both worlds. It also works as a changing table and as a free standing bassinet you can take to the balcony for a sun bath or to the living room; it folds up in a little package and it only weights 24 pounds.
Work has been better; still pretty busy but I am handling work stress a lot better, just not worrying too much about it and doing my best. I do have a great job and I just need to get used to the up and downs of it.
Well thanks for visiting. I will try to have weekly updates from now on!!