Finally, the day had arrived for Emily to be born!  The labor & delivery went very smooth so I couldn’t complain much there.  I will say that the fatigue you feel postpartum is incredible!  I wasn’t sure I would ever have energy again, and I wasn’t even in labor all that long!

Weighing just 6#, Emily was a beautiful child (once they got her cleaned up)!  

It is absoluetly AMAZING to witness the miracle of birth – especially after such trials with infertility!  One strange fact is that Emily was born on the anniversary date of my miscarriage so many years before.  March 1st.  I think it was just one of those little winks from God telling me that He’s got this 🙂

I’ll never forget bringing her home.  I wasn’t scared, just exhausted and curious to see how our lives would adjust to our new addition.

I was determined to breast feed her to give her the healthiest start to life as possible.  However, that was probably one of the toughest things I have ever decided to do.  She ate just fine, but slow, and then she threw it all back up and cried for more.  It was miserable!  I don’t know how I made it through that time as it was one big brain fog of exhaustion.  I slept when I could, but it was never enough!  Because I was breastfeeding, I wasn’t too hip  on anyone else helping.  Emily was also colicy and cried all of the time.  I was falling into post-partum depression.  I wanted to close myself up in the house and never come out.  I didn’t want to admit failure in breastfeeding & I desperately wanted to provide the antibodies for Emily.

Finally, my pediatrician convinced me that I needed to do something to get some sleep.  He encouraged me to try some formula with her.  It was probably the best decision ever!  To help with the colic, I had limited my diet down to chicken & rice, but now I was free to eat again!  I was free to sleep again!  And, she didn’t throw it all back up right away…  Strange, but sometimes the best thing to do is not what we immediately think.  I am so thankful for that pediatrician for that advice!  It changed my outlook completely and I could finally enjoy my little blessing.

The next few months (and years) flew by!!!