Former actress Jewel Mische gave birth on July 13 (hours after a sexy preggo dance) and welcomed daughter Aislah Rose into the world. The little bundle of joy weighed 6.8 pounds and was 19 inches long at birth.
The meaning behind the name that Jewel and husband Alister Kurzer chose is biblical, and traces back to Alister's Scottish roots. It evolved from "Isla," which means "river" and "love," to "Aislah" as Jewel wanted it spelled differently. "Rose," on the other hand, is the most elegant flower, and Jewel and Alister's favorite. Plus, it fits beautifully as her second name.
The couple's birthing experience, as told through Jewel's Instagram photos, was eventful—first, the baby had to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to undergo phototherapy due to jaundice. They also had to extend their stay in the hospital for another day to make sure Aislah Rose will be fine.
Yesterday, as Jewel and Alister brought home their little princess to her "castle," the new dad shared details of their birthing experience, which was a roller coaster ride because of one "false alarm."
"Jewel had told me that her water had broke [sic] morning of July 11th and I was excited! After a long drive home to meet them in the hospital, only to find out after two tests, that her water hadn’t broken, I was saddened," Alister wrote on Instagram.
While the new mom was okay to wait a few more days to give birth, the new dad wasn't as patient. "I was looking forward to meeting her already and holding her in my arms and letting her fall asleep on my chest. I was really sad, I was ready," he shared.
This happened on the same day Jewel was scheduled for her 38th-week prenatal checkup. After they were sent back home, Jewel went for the check up, where the doctor confirmed that her water did break, and that they needed to go back to the hospital right away!
Says Alister, Jewel greeted him with "We’re having the baby today, my water really is broke! But I have no pain." "When I heard the words she was coming I was amped excited!" Alister shared.
When the beautiful chaos of birth had settled down, Aislah Rose, unfortunately, developed jaundice and had to undergo photo-therapy and stay in the NICU for a few days.
Jaundice is a common condition that's described as a yellow discoloration in a newborn baby's skin and eyes. The yellowish color is due to high levels of bilirubin, a yellow-colored pigment of red blood cells in the baby's blood. In most cases, treatment for jaundice isn't necessary. In some instances, phototherapy or treatment with light, helps. It's the same theory behind allowing newborns to bathe under the morning sun.
"Aislah’s not so easy to get access to and even hold because of the photo-therapy," the new dad recounted. "Jaundice makes babies tired, so baby is usually sleeping away. Believe me, I miss my daddy/daughter time," he said. Thankfully, the baby had only one more phototherapy session before she was roomed-in with her mom. The family had to stay in the hospital a day longer.
"I’ve waited for this moment. My princess has arrived. I can gaze at her forever," the new dad wrote as a caption for a photo of him cradling his newborn daughter.
"Home! Sweet Home! Thank you all so much for your advice, support, love, prayers, and friendship. Social media has been wonderful during this journey to connect with you all!" Jewel wrote.
Congratulations!
This story originally appeared on Smartparenting.com.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Femalenetwork.com editors.
