05 May 2011

Life is Beautiful!

Hello everyone! First off, a HUGE thank you to you all for all the good wishes!

Spending time at home with the baby has been lovely and overwhelming and I'm just now catching up on things. I've got some photos of chic cyclists to share with you, though I'm slower on the draw these days, but first I wanted to share a little about my current favorite project...


Future Cyclist was born four days after those bike date photos were taken. My mother in law said he'd arrive with the full moon, just like his daddy, and he did. This year that day was also the spring equinox, which I think is a nice day to be born.

You can't see it in this photo but his eyes are the same blue as his bicycle hat (printed on the hat is a thought bubble with a bicycle in it!) He had dark hair which is falling out now. He is very strong, he lifted his head up the day he was born, and he has five fingers or toes on each hand or foot. In short, we're thrilled.

My labor was completely drug-free and relatively short - 6 hours of active labor - which I attribute to my mental game. I tried to welcome each contraction as my body doing what it needed to do, and so I wouldn't fight it, just keep moving. Cycling training was invaluable for both overall strength but also for breathing appropriately at each stage. I was just doing what I was supposed to but the hospital staff was impressed with me. It all seemed simple to me based on cycling but perhaps it isn't?

I was impressed with the hospital as well. We delivered with just a midwife and a baby nurse. Most of the time it was just us ladies chatting as I relaxed in a jacuzzi tub. Rather enjoyable, all things considered. But our boy arrived a whopping 8 lbs 13.4 oz (4011 g) with broad shoulders. At one point at the end they urgently called in a SWAT team of highly trained OBs and nurses who averted disaster and then left us to our privacy again. I respect what Giselle Bundchen is trying to do with her homebirth advocacy, but I'm very very grateful we had that SWAT team available to intervene only that one necessary minute.

I've been on the bike once since delivering, but will be riding more and more. I can't wait for the day when I get to bring him along. Until then we're just practicing pedaling his legs (best way to help with tummy gas!).

Oh, to put it into cycling terms, I had thought that labor couldn't be much worse than the Boston Brevet Series 400K (253.5 miles and 14,951' of climbing). In the end my labor was more like a 200K for which I hadn't adequately trained. Doable, but you certainly felt it the next morning! Yet we were walking around town by day three. Hurray for bicycle training!

20 comments:

jt said...

Congratulations! A beautiful baby boy. My middle daughter had her first, also a boy, just 7 months ago, and babies bring a smile to my face automatically.
Outstanding that your biking background helped the labor and delivery and I encourage you to continue to point that out in your writing. More young ladies need to hear that an active lifestyle is an important part of life.
Congratulations again, and I look forward to the resumption of regular Chic Cyclist (& Son!) posts.

jt

Unknown said...

This is fabulous! I'm always glad to hear of a new cycling family. I can't wait to get our little one onto our bike this summer.

It may be too early for you to get over Somerville, but we are having a Family Bicycle Show & Tell Saturday morning (10-noon) at the Armory on Highland Ave as part of the New England Bicycle Expo.

You, the little one, and everyone else here are welcome to stop by to see how a number of local families bike around with their kids.

~Brian

G.E. said...

Congratulations! He is a beautiful little boy. :o)

Anonymous said...

Congrats!

Mark

PJDodge said...

Congratulations! I am so happy for you both. What a beautiful baby boy!

I look forward to seeing more pictures of the little lad, especially his first outing on a bicycle.

Love the bike blankie and hat. BTW, your son weighed the same as me when I was born (Mum called me her 'baby elephant').

Congrats again, and be sure to keep us updated.

All best,
Pat

MamaVee said...

Welcome little one!

Wonderful to hear your labor story too. I remember thinking yoga helped me back then, when they told me to push at my perineum I easily could isolate it and focus. Yes for walking day three too. It's true that recovery can be based on your condition going in. It felt like a physical feat to me too.

Velouria said...

"I had thought that labor couldn't be much worse than the Boston Brevet Series 400K... In the end my labor was more like a 200K for which I hadn't adequately trained. Doable, but you certainly felt it the next morning!"

Surely these sentences will go down in bicycle blog history : )

Congratulations!!

cycler said...

Congratulations!
So good to hear from you and glad that things are going well- can't wait to see more shots of the future (chic) cyclist.
How many people would compare childbirth to Brevets :)!

Unknown said...

Oh I am so happy for you and your husband with this birth of your little boy!

The bicycle print is charming... I wonder how may bicycle themed baby gifts you've received :)

Good to know you will be back posting again!

Bob said...

I'm happy all is well, here's your future:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlWI2JJ8l4Y&

GinaK said...

Fantastic, big big congradulations to you and your new family. I look forward to the new addition to Chic Cyclist!

Gina K on her cute new Dahon

cris said...

I remember chatting with ChicHusband on the Dighton 200 and he was saying, "yeah, if not for the delivery, ChicCyclist would totally be out here today."

"9 months pregnant and all?"

"of course!"

oh, for being able to do an entire 200k while lying in a jacuzzi bath ;)

somervillain said...

Congratulations, Charlotte and family!

Future Cyclist is a cutie!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your little one. He's adorable!

Unknown said...

A HUGE congrats to you and what an absolutely handsome man you have there. I'm not kidding when I say I bicycled with my youngest in a backpack and oldest (2.5 yrs apart) on the bicycle seat and oh you get in shape very quick that way. AND born just in time for Mother's Day, PERFECTION! All around! ps - thanks for sharing...

Simply Bike said...

Congratulations!! What a cutie! And I love all the bike accessories he's already got.

I'm 28 weeks right now and have been cycling throughout the pregnancy as well as doing other acitivities to keep fit. I had to stop running once I got bigger but I'm hoping that even that stored running fitness will help me out with labor. I also plan on having a natural birth and your post is so inspiring and encouraging, so thank you for sharing your birth story! I'm really hopeful that cycling and keeping fit will pay off for me as well and I would love to hear about your continued recovery and how you're balancing motherhood with still cycling and doing those things you love.

Best wishes to you and your family!

S.

dr2chase said...

Congratulations! That Jacuzzi bath thing is a bit of an innovation. And good for you, that you managed to avoid an induced labor (kinda common, kinda sucks).

Holler when you want to talk cargo bikes again.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your little soon-to-be-bikin' one!

Also, thanks for the interesting and inspiring account of the delivery and birth.

Dottie said...

Congratulations! You are a champ and your baby is adorable.

Anonymous said...

Congrats! Being a parent is the best. And being the parent of a cyclist is even better! Can't wait to see the little guy soon.