They called the anesthesiologist back in and he upped my dose so I really didn't feel anything below the waist. Then they gave me some anti-nausea meds which I promptly threw up all over myself. By this time I was shaking. Badly. Really badly. Apparently it's normal but it freaked me out more than anything else. My arms actually got sore because they were shaking so hard. But everyone around me was calm and I just tried to relax.
I couldn't see what was going on and I didn't feel anything when they took her out except I suddenly felt much lighter. She was born on May 31st at 3:03am. I heard her cry and the doctor said, "She's beautiful!" I figured they told everybody this but a few moments later they showed me a gorgeous, freshly cleaned baby all wrapped up in a cloth and with a cap on and I knew it was true. I couldn't hold her yet but the nurse held her to my face and I kissed her a dozen times. I was in love immediately and completely.
My family had been out in the waiting room for at least twelve hours. Apparently my mom got very upset that I was having a C-section. I found out later that the doctor went and talked to them and said it was because the baby's brains were too big. When the nurse brought my daughter out to them and said that her name was Lily (we kept her name a secret the whole time) my mom cried because we named her after her beloved mother Lillian who passed away a few years ago.
I had to wait in the recovery area after they sewed me up and I chatted with the nurses and anesthesiologist. I suspect I wasn't very coherent at that point. They brought Lily to me to nurse but she chose that moment for her first poop, the details of which I will refrain from describing. Moments after they took her away to be changed the nurses started running around frantically like ants whose hill has just been stepped on. I could sense that there was some emergency and heard them call for my doctor but I couldn't figure out what was going on. I was scared that something was wrong with Lily but they brought in a woman who was in labor and had her on her elbows and knees on the gurney. I felt guilty about being relieved because she was clearly in distress and finally just threw a sheet over my head so I couldn't watch.
The amazing thing was, my doctor came in and even though it was about 5 in the morning and she'd been up all night with me she was completely poised. I heard her talking to the nurses calmly and could feel the energy in the air mellow out quickly. She assessed the situatioin and I was in the recovery area until she performed an emergency C-section on the woman and saw that everyone was fine.
It's funny, I don't think I've ever really appreciated the work that doctors and nurses do until that day. I'm grateful for what they did for me, my baby and the unknown woman and child they rescued that day. Come to think of it, Lily and I should pay those guys a visit with some chocolate chip cookies...
Monday, October 10, 2011
The Miracle of Birth part 1
And now for the story of Lily's birth...
On Memorial Day I woke up at my usual time (7am) and took a shower. When I got out I noticed I was still dripping wet no matter how much I toweled off. Yup, you guessed it... my water broke.
I woke up Jeff and we were out the door and at the hospital by 8am. They checked us in, tested me and said I was definitely in labor. The funny thing was that I didn't feel any contractions. They put the sensor on me and the monitor showed my contractions but I didn't feel anything.
Hours passed. I ate. I watched soccer with Jeff. I watched my long-planned-for birth movie Undercover Brother (I figured I'd laugh so hard that she would just pop out.) My parents visited in the afternoon and then hung out in the waiting room. I texted my sisters and waited waited waited...
I started to question whether I really needed an epidural because they checked my dilation a few times and I was progressing but still not feeling contractions. Eventually I started to feel pretty uncomfortable and decided to get the epidural after all. Within minutes the anesthesiologist was there explaining the procedure to me. He made it sound very complicated but all I felt was them numbing my back and that was it. I felt better pretty quick.
Not long after that the nurses came in to do some practice pushing. I didn't realize they did that but whatever. Breathe breathe breathe push push push... Okay, seems simple enough.
An hour or two later I told the nurses I was feeling nauseous and they all came in with their equipment and had me pushing again. I thought it was more practice but eventually figured out that it was the real thing. The head nurse was really really loud when she counted to ten and could be heard down the hall. I pushed and pushed for a while and the nurses came and went. Eventually it was just Jeff and one nurse and he was the one counting so loud my family could hear him in the waiting room. He was great, I thought he would be hanging out by my head and wiping my sweaty forehead down (a "Northerner" is what this was called in our birth class) but he has apparently watched enough CSI to not be bothered so he hung out by my legs and watched everything (a "Southerner"). It was about midnight at this point and I kept falling asleep between pushes.
Finally, the doctor came and explained that it's taking a while and the baby wasn't getting past my pelvic bone. She said that if she didn't move past it soon they may have to do a C-section. I had refused to even consider this a possibility during my pregnancy (my mom told me she would just fall out like her children did) and was scared - I've never had any kind of operation before. So I pushed with all my might for almost two more hours and - nothing. So my doctor made the call for the C-section.
On Memorial Day I woke up at my usual time (7am) and took a shower. When I got out I noticed I was still dripping wet no matter how much I toweled off. Yup, you guessed it... my water broke.
I woke up Jeff and we were out the door and at the hospital by 8am. They checked us in, tested me and said I was definitely in labor. The funny thing was that I didn't feel any contractions. They put the sensor on me and the monitor showed my contractions but I didn't feel anything.
Hours passed. I ate. I watched soccer with Jeff. I watched my long-planned-for birth movie Undercover Brother (I figured I'd laugh so hard that she would just pop out.) My parents visited in the afternoon and then hung out in the waiting room. I texted my sisters and waited waited waited...
I started to question whether I really needed an epidural because they checked my dilation a few times and I was progressing but still not feeling contractions. Eventually I started to feel pretty uncomfortable and decided to get the epidural after all. Within minutes the anesthesiologist was there explaining the procedure to me. He made it sound very complicated but all I felt was them numbing my back and that was it. I felt better pretty quick.
Not long after that the nurses came in to do some practice pushing. I didn't realize they did that but whatever. Breathe breathe breathe push push push... Okay, seems simple enough.
An hour or two later I told the nurses I was feeling nauseous and they all came in with their equipment and had me pushing again. I thought it was more practice but eventually figured out that it was the real thing. The head nurse was really really loud when she counted to ten and could be heard down the hall. I pushed and pushed for a while and the nurses came and went. Eventually it was just Jeff and one nurse and he was the one counting so loud my family could hear him in the waiting room. He was great, I thought he would be hanging out by my head and wiping my sweaty forehead down (a "Northerner" is what this was called in our birth class) but he has apparently watched enough CSI to not be bothered so he hung out by my legs and watched everything (a "Southerner"). It was about midnight at this point and I kept falling asleep between pushes.
Finally, the doctor came and explained that it's taking a while and the baby wasn't getting past my pelvic bone. She said that if she didn't move past it soon they may have to do a C-section. I had refused to even consider this a possibility during my pregnancy (my mom told me she would just fall out like her children did) and was scared - I've never had any kind of operation before. So I pushed with all my might for almost two more hours and - nothing. So my doctor made the call for the C-section.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Well hello stranger!
I'm back!
I know it's been forever since I've blogged. It wasn't intentional, I've just been really busy moving and having babies. Well, just one baby. In fact, here she is:
It turns out that babies keep you really, really busy. In fact, I had to wait until my maternity leave was over in order to have time for blogging at work.
But before I start telling you about my beautiful daughter Lily, I would like to catch you up on the events that transpired before her birth. You see, until last April we lived in a small condo in Campbell. I loved it there but it was too small for three humans and two cats and trudging up the stairs with a stroller would have been seriously un-fun.
So we put our fabulous pad on the market at the beginning of the year and started looking for a new place. As you know, the housing market is not great right now so we struggled to find a buyer. Eventually we got an offer. It wasn't a great offer but it was good enough to accept.
Now, my understanding is that selling and buying homes can be messy and confusing but our buyers turned out to be especially evil. The contingency period came and went (and I got bigger and bigger) and still they had not finalized the sale. They demanded a new air conditioner and some electrical work. Well, our A/C worked perfectly but we cut a few dollars out of the sale price for the electrical work. Then the bank wouldn't lend them all the money they offered so we accepted even less than they originally offered. Then they wouldn't sign because they alleged the neighborhood management association was having financial problems and would be hiking the residents rates.
At this point I was 7 1/2 months pregnant and our offers on homes weren't being considered because of the position our buyers were putting us in. We told them to shit or get off the pot. They did both.
They finalized the sale, however: We had originally arranged to rent back from them at a reasonable rate until we had new living arrangements. They decided it wasn't enough money and tried to gouge us for a lot more. We'd had enough. We had a sale pending on a new house but it was taking forever to go through. Within a week we packed up all our stuff and put it in storage while we and our cats moved into a residential hotel.
We lived in the hotel for the last month of my pregnancy. The staff were terrified I was going to give birth in our room. The other residents were annoyed that I blocked the breakfast buffet with my big belly. I was stressed and couldn't sleep and was generally miserable.
We were able to move into our new home two weeks before Lily was born. It was just enough time to settle in.
Later we learned that the buyers of our condo (the Evils as we call them) continued to bully and gouge everyone for money. Apparently they threw a fit because a piece of board was missing from the bottom of the dishwasher (we removed it because it scraped our feet whenever we opened it). They refused to sign some paperwork and eventually their real estate agent paid to have it replaced out of her own pocket. When we recently visited our old neighbors they told us that they rented the place out to a couple and were planning to raise the rent on them in the next few months. Nice.
I know it's been forever since I've blogged. It wasn't intentional, I've just been really busy moving and having babies. Well, just one baby. In fact, here she is:
It turns out that babies keep you really, really busy. In fact, I had to wait until my maternity leave was over in order to have time for blogging at work.
But before I start telling you about my beautiful daughter Lily, I would like to catch you up on the events that transpired before her birth. You see, until last April we lived in a small condo in Campbell. I loved it there but it was too small for three humans and two cats and trudging up the stairs with a stroller would have been seriously un-fun.
So we put our fabulous pad on the market at the beginning of the year and started looking for a new place. As you know, the housing market is not great right now so we struggled to find a buyer. Eventually we got an offer. It wasn't a great offer but it was good enough to accept.
Now, my understanding is that selling and buying homes can be messy and confusing but our buyers turned out to be especially evil. The contingency period came and went (and I got bigger and bigger) and still they had not finalized the sale. They demanded a new air conditioner and some electrical work. Well, our A/C worked perfectly but we cut a few dollars out of the sale price for the electrical work. Then the bank wouldn't lend them all the money they offered so we accepted even less than they originally offered. Then they wouldn't sign because they alleged the neighborhood management association was having financial problems and would be hiking the residents rates.
At this point I was 7 1/2 months pregnant and our offers on homes weren't being considered because of the position our buyers were putting us in. We told them to shit or get off the pot. They did both.
They finalized the sale, however: We had originally arranged to rent back from them at a reasonable rate until we had new living arrangements. They decided it wasn't enough money and tried to gouge us for a lot more. We'd had enough. We had a sale pending on a new house but it was taking forever to go through. Within a week we packed up all our stuff and put it in storage while we and our cats moved into a residential hotel.
We lived in the hotel for the last month of my pregnancy. The staff were terrified I was going to give birth in our room. The other residents were annoyed that I blocked the breakfast buffet with my big belly. I was stressed and couldn't sleep and was generally miserable.
We were able to move into our new home two weeks before Lily was born. It was just enough time to settle in.
Later we learned that the buyers of our condo (the Evils as we call them) continued to bully and gouge everyone for money. Apparently they threw a fit because a piece of board was missing from the bottom of the dishwasher (we removed it because it scraped our feet whenever we opened it). They refused to sign some paperwork and eventually their real estate agent paid to have it replaced out of her own pocket. When we recently visited our old neighbors they told us that they rented the place out to a couple and were planning to raise the rent on them in the next few months. Nice.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Bump Update
I have officially entered the beached whale stage of my pregnancy. I'm at month 6 and people keep commenting on how noticeable my bump is. Standing up once I've sat down can be a struggle but bending over is a complete impossibility and I have not even reached maximum capacity yet by a longshot.
As uncomfortable as my body has become, there is always a little ray of sunshine to get me through it. For instance, sometimes I'll be sitting down at my desk working and I'll get really distracted by my stomach twitching. It's not as unnerving as I thought it would be because it makes me realize I'm only an inch or two away from touching my daughter.
I still have no clue how to take care of a baby. We registered for some classes next month but I don't know if they'll be enough. I'm registered at Buy Buy Baby (stupidest store name ever) and got completely overwhelmed by the choices. I was there on Sunday, determined to check everything off on the list they gave me. I finally decided to hedge my bets with most products and registered for several different types of bottles, wipes, creams, etc. I finally had to leave after three hours because I was so hungry I was getting heartburn.
The baby shower is planned for April 30th at Habana Cuba. My sisters are throwing it for me but I insisted that it be a pirate theme. I even found cards that have a peg-legged pirate baby on them. Yeah, my kid is going to be special.
As uncomfortable as my body has become, there is always a little ray of sunshine to get me through it. For instance, sometimes I'll be sitting down at my desk working and I'll get really distracted by my stomach twitching. It's not as unnerving as I thought it would be because it makes me realize I'm only an inch or two away from touching my daughter.
I still have no clue how to take care of a baby. We registered for some classes next month but I don't know if they'll be enough. I'm registered at Buy Buy Baby (stupidest store name ever) and got completely overwhelmed by the choices. I was there on Sunday, determined to check everything off on the list they gave me. I finally decided to hedge my bets with most products and registered for several different types of bottles, wipes, creams, etc. I finally had to leave after three hours because I was so hungry I was getting heartburn.
The baby shower is planned for April 30th at Habana Cuba. My sisters are throwing it for me but I insisted that it be a pirate theme. I even found cards that have a peg-legged pirate baby on them. Yeah, my kid is going to be special.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
House Hunting
Jeff and I have decided we need a bigger place to accommodate our growing family. We currently live in a small two bedroom condo in downtown Campbell. The kitchen and bathroom have been completely remodeled and beats many larger homes. But we need more space and a yard.
This weekend we looked at almost a dozen homes for sale in our price range. The first thing I learned is that we can only afford homes right next to major freeways and roads. One home was surrounded by no less than three on-ramps.
The next thing I learned is that people are disgusting. We spent the last month clearing the clutter from our place so that it looks nice for potential buyers. But some of the homes we went to were filled from floor to ceiling with so much crap that I couldn't get out of there fast enough. It's much to hard to visualize a home without all of the previous owners' belongings in it.
I also learned that some people have... interesting taste. We nicknamed one home the 'S&M Fantasy House' because of all the dragon and gargoyle fantasy art filling it. This includes stained glass depictions of St. George slaying the dragon. Their bedroom was all Gothic including a four poster bed and dark red walls. We couldn't stop giggling even after leaving.
Next Sunday we're having an open house at our place. Hopefully someone will fall in love with our little condo and appreciate all the work we've put into it.
This weekend we looked at almost a dozen homes for sale in our price range. The first thing I learned is that we can only afford homes right next to major freeways and roads. One home was surrounded by no less than three on-ramps.
The next thing I learned is that people are disgusting. We spent the last month clearing the clutter from our place so that it looks nice for potential buyers. But some of the homes we went to were filled from floor to ceiling with so much crap that I couldn't get out of there fast enough. It's much to hard to visualize a home without all of the previous owners' belongings in it.
I also learned that some people have... interesting taste. We nicknamed one home the 'S&M Fantasy House' because of all the dragon and gargoyle fantasy art filling it. This includes stained glass depictions of St. George slaying the dragon. Their bedroom was all Gothic including a four poster bed and dark red walls. We couldn't stop giggling even after leaving.
Next Sunday we're having an open house at our place. Hopefully someone will fall in love with our little condo and appreciate all the work we've put into it.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
It's a girl!
On Tuesday, I had my 20-week ultrasound and, guess what - It's a girl!!!! Everybody said it would be a boy but nope, it's a she. I had to ask the doctor how sure she was and she responded: "nine-nine percent".
You see, I had been trying not to get my hopes up about it being a girl so when the doctor announced the sex I was utterly amazed at my luck (Jeff is fine with it too). I didn't realize how much I really wanted a girl until that day. I cried just before going to bed when it struck me that I'm going to have a daughter. Wow.
You see, I had been trying not to get my hopes up about it being a girl so when the doctor announced the sex I was utterly amazed at my luck (Jeff is fine with it too). I didn't realize how much I really wanted a girl until that day. I cried just before going to bed when it struck me that I'm going to have a daughter. Wow.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Happy New Year!
Okay, okay, I know I left you hanging after my last post months ago. So, today I will answer all of your burning questions...
- Yes, I'm still pregnant
- I'm four months now and due on June 2nd
- We find out the sex next week and I will definitely announce it here
- I want a girl, Jeff wants a boy
- We haven't decided on a name yet
- Yes, I had morning sickness but it wasn't too bad and it seems to be over now
- No specific cravings but I'm incredibly hungry all the time and prefer meaty dishes
- Nope, no food aversions
- I go to the bathroom about once an hour
- I do not have an enhanced sense of smell which is probably a good thing
- I think I'm starting to feel movement - or gas
- I've gained about 20 pounds already
- I've been going for walks but that's about all the exercise I get
- I'll probably start shopping for stuff and registering for the baby shower after we find out the sex next week
- The shower will probably be in April
- You're invited!
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