Knowing how fast Jack arrived, we left ourselves plenty of time to get to the hospital, and because it was a Sunday morning we had no traffic and made the normally one hour drive in 10 minutes! I had a full team of the OBGYN, midwife/doula, pediatrician (required in Kenya to be present), nurses, and Dusty of course. The labor came hard and fast and left no time for the epidural - so I had a natural childbirth even though I would have preferred otherwise. Additionally, it was "back labor," meaning the baby's face was turned the wrong way, so the pain was intense.
We are all very grateful that Cooper and I are both healthy, and we are recovering well. He is so sleepy at this point that we can barely wake him up to feed him, and yet he still manages to be awake in the middle of the night. Now for a few photos:
Jack enjoyed snuggling up next to me in the hospital bed. He's not quite sure what to make of the whole baby thing, but he's doing a great job and is happy to have a brother.
A rare wakeful moment on the Rift Valley sheepskin we bought for Cooper.
Tessa is completely in love with Cooper, and having a baby in the house has been a great joy for her. She holds him all the time and enjoys dressing him and helping with diaper changes.
The Princess Zahra maternity ward. Jack had just knocked his ear on Cooper's car seat so he wasn't too happy here.
Cooper, snuggly in his multiple blankets in the hospital bassinet. East Africans love to bundle their babies, but we were very surprised the staff never placed a knit cap on his head like they do in the States.
Riding on the bassinet and banging it into the walls - a nice, quick introduction into what Cooper can expect from his siblings' activity level.
Happy mom, sleepy baby about 7 hours after the delivery.
Happy father, uncertain brother about 5 hours after the birth.
Tired and content.
Our first Kenyan visitor, Salome, who was thrilled with Cooper - and he was pretty interested in her too!We praise God for this amazing gift - a beautiful baby boy, a safe delivery, a morning drive to the hospital with no traffic, quality hospital staff, meals at home provided by friends, and an apartment to stay in while we recover and apply for Cooper's birth certificate and passport.
5 comments:
So awesome! He is wonderful! I'm so glad everything went well, except for the lack of epidural. I can't believe you labored so fast, like with Jack. But I'm proud of you Mama! You look great, too. Thanks for updating so quickly! We're all so excited!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Welcome to a family of 5. :) He and Levi almost share the same bday (3/28). He is adorable and I praise God for a safe and healthy (although painful) delivery. Congrats!!!!
He's so handsome, Kim! Way to go Mom and Dad! You guys make this look easy now. Congratulations!
I love the pictures. Cooper is adorable. I especially like the yawn. We had trouble with Josh not waking up to feed. We had to strip him down to just a diaper (Wyoming in March) to get him to feed. Twice we put snow on his feet to wake him because he wouldn't wake up. I guess snow isn't an option for you.
Anonymous was Christy Kroeker. Oops.
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