Claire's Birth Story

Claire was born by scheduled c-section on April 29, 2016. If you don't like birth stories stop reading.

April is a busy month for our family. My nephew, Ben, was born April 5. My birthday is April 7. My mom's birthday is April 28. And then it was time for Miss Claire to join the April birthday club. My mom came into town and we spent the day doing last minute things and celebrating her birthday. Mary was in town also. We were so lucky to have both of our moms here to help with Will and Ellie so we did not have any worries while we were meeting and bonding with Claire. While my mom and I were out shopping I got a call from a nurse telling me that they had to move my c-section time from early in the morning to early afternoon. I'm sure I was not very pleasant to talk to, but my crazy hormonal self was pretty upset knowing that I was going to be starving and thirsty since I couldn't have food or water after 4am. It ended up being okay, because I got to spend some more time with Will and Ellie in the morning before heading to the hospital.

The Big Day: It was finally time to head to the hospital. We were so ready to meet Claire. I was nervous about the surgery, obviously, but just trying to focus on getting my hands on that baby girl. We got checked in and settled in our room. Our nurses were amazing. I'm convinced Labor and Delivery nurses are angels on earth.

Finally it was time to head to the OR. This is when I usually start having a really hard time. My doctor told the anesthesiologist that I had a bit of PTSD from Will's birth. He was great, and said I was doing just fine. My doctor stood in front of me and held me while they did the spinal tap. It wasn't as scary as it was with Ellie. I remember there being a ton of pressure. I wasn't feeling very well because my blood pressure was low so the anesthesiologist gave me something to bring it back up. Then sooooo much pressure and she was here! Such a loud scream. Matt brought her to me so I could see her. This was the first time Matt got to help cut the cord. Matt stayed with Claire while they gave me a block to help with the pain and "put me back together". I was in and out of it and so tired. 

Claire Collins

April 29, 2016 at 1:20 pm

8lbs 7oz and 21 in

Finally, it was time to go to the recovery room and hold Claire. She nursed right away. The nurse stayed in our room with us for two hours to keep an eye on Claire and me. At one point I got really nauseous. Of course Matt and the nurse happened to be changing Claire's diaper so she was trying to direct Matt to the bags so I didn't throw up everywhere. I was able to take some deep breaths and not throw up after all of that drama. Throwing up after a c-section would be so painful. After that we spent the day bonding with Claire and being completely amazed that she weighed 8 lbs 7 oz! No wonder I could barely walk before she was born!! Our moms brought Will and Ellie to come visit and meet Claire. They were so sweet with her. 

The nurses took such great care of us. I think the worst part was when my block wore off. This was the first time I got a block and while it really helped it was terrible when it wore off. My pain felt almost off the charts, and I was sobbing. Matt and I quickly called the nurse and she was able to give me some more pains meds after making sure nothing scary was happening. I also had a really hard time peeing for the first time and almost passed out. The nurse yelled some code and another nurse came rushing in with a wheel chair. Somehow I didn't pass out, and the nurse thanked me for saving her some paperwork. Haha.

Before we knew it, it was time to go home. Matt is always ready to bust out of the hospital. I on the other hand am always nervous. It is much easier when you have someone monitoring your meds and monitoring the baby. 

Claire is just the perfect addition to our family, and we love her so much.

The Three Little Swens- Life These Days

I hate that I haven't been blogging lately. Sitting on the couch at night watching tv seems a lot easier. These days have been flying by, and I really want to remember them! So...a few things about each of the littles.

Will (4yrs): Will is so smart. He just soaks up tons of information and asks a million questions. We love to google answers to his questions (I've been learning a lot, too!). Some of his favorite phrases are "actually...", "speaking of ______", and "let me think in my brain". He's too funny. He also likes to tell jokes. They make no sense at all and usually have something to do with eyeballs or poop, but he has us rolling none the less. He is such a sweetheart. Will and Ellie have a love/hate relationship. They love to fight about EVERYTHING!! And then I find them hiding under the bed playing or snuggling watching a show on the iPad. Will and Claire have the sweetest bond. They love each other BIG. I'm not even sure how I can describe their relationship! It's the sweetest thing and just makes us melt. They love to give each other kisses. At night they will give each other a kiss goodnight, and Claire just snuggles right into him. Will loves to snuggle. He's soooo big. We jokingly call him "Bruiser". He will literally punch you in the face or sock you in the stomach while trying to get comfortable in your lap...not intentionally of course...but ouch!!

Ellie (2.5yrs): Oh, Ellie! She's such a ragamuffin! A beautiful mess. She loves to dance and sing. She loves all things babies. She always has her favorite babies with her (Squishy, Squashy, and Squooshy). Squishy is definitely her favorite. In addition to those three there are sooooo many more! She is always taking care of them and strolling them around. Occasionally they have to go to timeout. She marches them over to a timeout spot and says "two minutes" then walks away. A little bit later she goes to get her baby and asks why she was in time out. Ellie has a lot of experience with timeout, hahaha! A few weeks ago during church I had to stand in the back and bounce Claire. Ellie hopped up and ran back with me to bounce Squishy baby. She melts my heart daily. When she is not taking care of her babies she is taking care of Will and Claire- "No ma'am, Claire!", "Will! Be careful! Get down!", "What babe?". She is at a very fun and challenging age.

Claire (10 months): I can't believe Claire will be ONE in less than two months. Time is flying by, and I really need it to slow down. Claire is such a sweetheart. She has beautiful eyes that draw you right in and the softest, kissable cheeks. She is happy most of the time and loves to laugh (especially at Will and Ellie). She is crawling all over the place. She has the silliest monkey crawl. Recently, Claire has been pulling up and scooting around furniture. She also can stand for a few seconds at a time. Her favorite games are peek a boo and high fives (up high, down low, in the middle too slow). She loves to play in the play kitchen. As soon as we clean it up she comes right behind us and pulls everything back out! She loves to eat: mum mums, mac and cheese, veggie straws, grapes, blueberries, avocado, chicken, and cheese. She is super fast and has occasionally swiped some frosting off my cupcake! Claire has two teeth. She says mama, dada, and Dayee (Daisy). We just adore her.

As challenging as some days are I feel so lucky to have these three. They are constantly teaching me and making me a better person.