The top photo is the very last picture I took while pregnant. My mom texted me asking if I had already had my baby without telling her and I sent that photo to her with a reply “Yes, mom. We totally had the baby in secret. Lol.” Then she joked about my old lady house shoes. The other photos are right after Petra was placed on my chest for skin-to-skin and then bundled off to the nursery. I know this sounds really vain, but I’m so glad I groomed–everywhere–and took a shower the day before Petra arrived. I would not have thought to do that while counting contractions and debating when we should go to the hospital.

When I last left off, I just got to my delivery room and met the nurse who would be taking care of me. I felt confident that things would go as I imagined them, but I wasn’t sure. I’m not an over-sharer, but I wish I would have known more about what actually takes place during delivery. That’s why I’m willing to share these things with those of you visiting this post. I will warn you, some of the content below will be pretty graphic, so if you’re squeamish, just stop here. I see you’re still reading, so let’s get on with it, shall we? Continue reading →