Monday, October 19, 2009

Birth

There are the factual details of this event and the emotional. The factual I can recite (and will). The emotional - well, I've put off writing this post because of them, thinking I would get them sorted through and then write. But I realize now that that process will be on-going.

So, just the facts, to start:

On Friday, Oct. 9th, I saw my doctor. I was showing very few signs of being ready to go into labor. I was looking for an end date, so my doctor and I scheduled an inducement for Oct. 14th, just in case. That night, Jason and I went out to a very nice dinner at Saffron and had a great date night and a horrible case of heartburn (well, that was just me). The next morning, nada. So, I figured I had another day of being pregnant.

Around 11 am, we were getting ready for our day, when I stood up and a gush occurred (i.e., water broke). So, we headed to the hospital and got checked in and the contractions started. Not too bad at first, but they grew steadily more intense - and adding to the discomfort was being stuck in bed, strapped up to monitors for both the baby and I. I was able to get up and walk around a little but that was also uncomfortable. My parents showed up around this time, but both were coming down with a cold, so they hung out in the waiting area, popping in every so often.

After about 3 hours of contractions, I got an epidural. It took another hour to kick in, then everything was great. It was a fantastic epidural - I could still feel my legs and move around (in the bed). Jason and I then spent the next few hours hanging out, watching TV. We found Mexican wrestling and watched that to get us pumped up for pushing.

Around 8 pm, I started feeling some pressure and by 9, the doctor said I could start pushing. My mom and Jason were by my side, supporting my back when I raised up to push and encouraging me. My mom kept holding her breath and she almost passed out at one point. During the pushing, the nurse would hold up a mirror, so I could see my progress - the top of her head. The doctor was taking bets on how much the baby would weigh - she guessed 8 lbs, 6 oz and the others bet lower (I didn't bet). I kept wanting to ask what time it was, but resisted knowing that if I knew, it would make it feel like forever. I decided it would be the longest 15 minutes of my life - in actuality, it was 2 hours. At 11:14 pm, I pushed Agatha all the way out - while the song, Modern Girl by Sleater-Kinney was playing.

I don't remember much right after - I kinda went into an exhaustive haze. They asked if I wanted to hold her, so I did, while Jason cut the umbilical cord (and he didn't pass out! So proud of him!). He says I cried. Then the nurses took her because she was being stubborn and not breathing much, so they gave her some oxygen - I remember I kept asking Jason if she was really all right. Then they cleaned her up and weighed her - 9 lbs, 3.1 oz!!! I guess my pasta and ice cream diet during the final weeks of the pregnancy really paid off. Later, they measured her at she was 21.5 in. long.

I got to hold her again and she was beautiful. I never imagined our baby would be so beautiful.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Time's Up!

Technically, my due date is Thursday, but today, I turn 40 weeks - or something like that. Pregnancy math is hard.

I'm doing all right - nauseated, tired and uncomfortable. I now understand scheduled C-sections and inductions. I saw a doctor yesterday (I say a doctor because he was not my regular doc, who's out of town) and he said they wouldn't let me go past 41 weeks, which is a week from Thursday. Praise the unicorns! My boss is now letting me work from home full-time, bless her. Which is extra awesome because night gowns are the most comfortable thing to wear right now, but not so work appropriate.

I had a few real contractions yesterday - wowza. When I have them, I'm trying to not fear the pain. I accept that in order for this to be over and to have our daughter, there has to be pain and I have to go through it. So, I'm trying to welcome it, in a way.

Congratulations to Sid & Maralea and Sam & Hilleri on their new babies - both born healthy and mamas are doing well. I told Aggie that she did the polite thing in waiting for them to be born first but now she can hurry up and get moving.

Special thanks to my folks who've been providing awesome assistance and support - they've turned into my house cleaners, chauffeurs and errand runners. Greatly appreciated.

Poor Rachel, the cat - she has a bladder infection and decided to alert us to it by peeing all over the baby's room. We did take her to the vet and got her some meds. Last night, she was feeling a bit frisky and jumped up on the wood stove, which had a live fire in it, and burnt her paws. Poor girl - truly a rough day. She's been mainly sleeping today. And, of course, not drinking her antibiotics.