Lyla Skadi//12.20.17

December 29, 2017

December 20th, 2017- The day my best friend was scheduled to be induced at a week overdue AND my sister’s due date.

Naturally, I would have to miss my friend’s labor if something were to happen with my sister; but my fingers were crossed that this situation would never come up. As I was on the freeway headed to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma to start documenting the induction, I got the call! My sister was having contractions and was headed to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup. “Hooray!” and “Oh no..” both began to set in. After spending a few hours there, my sister was sent home because her progression had completely slowed down. While I was so sad that she wasn’t in labor, I knew that I could probably make to Tacoma in time!

I hopped in the car and headed for St. Joe’s and arrived around 1:00pm. While it was absolutely freezing outside, the day could not have been more beautiful. The sky was vivid blue and written on top of the hospital’s impressively tall white building were the words, “Live like the mountain is out”. This phrase stirred up so many emotions for me. If you’re from Western Washington, you know that when the “mountain is out”, it’s going to be a gorgeous day. Crisp air. Bright sun. Nothing quite compares.

At the same time, the phrase also reminded me of my best friend’s who were about to give birth. This family lives for the mountain. It is part of their soul. Dad is an avid skier and any chance they get to head up for a hike or a day in the snow, they take it. At this point, you might have noticed Lyla’s middle name- Skadi (pronounced SKAH-dee). Her auntie is also a lover of the mountain and suggested it to the family. It means: Goddess of Winter, Skiing and (bow-hunting). They aren’t a hunting family, but with her being born on the eve of the Winter Solstice, and the family’s love of everything outdoors, the name was a perfect fit. Those words, “live like the mountain is out” rang so beautifully true.

As with most inductions, progress was slow going. Mom and dad arrived to the hospital around 8:00am and mom was hooked up to pitocin by 10:00. When I arrived by 1:00, mom was comfortable and taking a break for a grilled cheese sandwich with pickles. During the next hour and a half, both auntie and grandma arrived as contractions started to get more intense. Mom was such a champ that you wouldn’t have even realized she was in pain as she laughed through conversations and stories.

The nurses told her that if she was interested in an epidural, she would need to get one when the pain was no longer tolerable. With that, mom made the call and we were all asked to leave the room until the procedure was done.

Grandma, auntie, and myself were invited back into the room by 3:40pm. When we arrived, mom was nice and cozy under tons of blankets and anticipating a long evening at the hospital. Her first birth took quite some time, especially after her epidural, so she wasn’t expecting for things to start progressing for awhile. However, within minutes of being back in the room, her water broke! The nurses came to check her progression and baby girl was already starting to make her way.

The moment was surreal for mom. All of a sudden everything was happening so quickly. By 4:00pm her room was packed with nurses preparing for baby girl’s arrival. As the sun began to set, the hospital lights were turned on and a mirror was set up for mom so she could see her baby make it’s way. Auntie was in position to record the sound of baby’s first cry, while grandma and daddy held mom’s legs to help her push. Mom was so full of determination. She was completely silent as she powered through 13 rounds of pushing to meet her baby; and at 4:30pm-she did. Baby Lyla was placed immediately on mom’s chest as tears were shed across the room. Even though this was Grandma’s thirteenth grandchild, it was the first birth she was able to witness; and she was ecstatic! Daddy cried while he studied his new daughter snuggling his beautiful bride.

After a few minutes, dad was asked if he would like to cut the umbilical cord and he happily chose to do so. Over the next couple hours, mom, dad, and Lyla got to spend time bonding as she learned to nurse and refused to let go of daddy’s hand.

By 6:00, the rest of the family arrived to meet the little one. Big brother, Jack, was making his way into the room and everyone was waiting in anticipation to see how he would react to his new little sister. Jack brought a birthday present for Lyla and it was an adorable stuffed puppy dog, but he was shocked to see that baby Lyla had also gotten him a gift. After opening his new box of Legos, he warmed up to the idea of meeting his little sister and gave her a big kiss and spent the next 15 minutes holding her and singing her his favorite songs.

Baby Lyla was welcomed into a family full of so much love and joy, just in time for the holidays! And now, their new adventure begins…