In the early hours of February 13th we met our baby girl as she was born into my hands. After another long exhausting 29 hour labour I was grateful for the unexpected experience when, in the midst of a push, as I tried to breath through the pain, my midwife (the experienced and calming Tracy Simpson) tells me to reach forward and take hold of my baby. In astonishment I watch as my baby is born and I am able to pull her up onto my stomach and then to my chest, all 9 pounds and 3 ounces of her. I had sworn, ‘never again!’ to my husband during active labour, however that quickly washed away in the awe of bringing another life into this world. She was perfect: silky smooth, with incredibly soft fine hair and that divine newborn scent.

This pregnancy caused so much stress with the hormonal craziness, perinatal depression, early soft markers of Down Syndrome (which proved false several months later), gestational diabetes, and the whole family getting dreadfully sick for all of December. Also, I didn’t get the shorter labour that I was assured by both my midwife and mother-in-law I could expect. However, I was able to shave an hour off my last labour. This time I found the early labour contractions more intense than previously but luckily, pushing only took twenty minutes opposed to the two plus hours before. In the end, we are incredibly grateful that our “beautiful breath of life” (the meaning of the name Avalyn) is now here.

Sevilla has been thrilled to have a baby sister and it is incredibly sweet to watch her caress Avalyn’s cheek or give her a kiss when she cries. I’m not sure the reality of a newborn was quite what she expected. She now has a growing list of all the things she is going to do with her sister when she’s bigger, such as teach her ballet, how to build a castle, and race cars.

This new family dynamic requires some acclimating for all of us. It was a bit stressful for Sevilla when I was in labour for so long and although we had the whole family come together to help take care of her during the transitions, she was certainly happy to have her parents home. As much as she adores Avalyn it has been a little difficult to adjust to all the new rules and not getting as much attention as she is used to. So we’ve enlisted her as our little helper and she likes to help with diaper changes and brings me whatever I need. She also loves to play Mama to her animals and dolls, everything from being pregnant and giving birth, to nursing and packing them up in a car seat.

With Avalyn’s arrival a new chapter has begun. Our family of three has become a family of four, with a new little sister for a new big sister. I am happily falling in love again and I know our new life will still hold our fair share of trials and tribulations, but I also know from experience that with the birth of a child comes the potential for exponential growth and learning, which is incredibly exciting.