Well this is long, long overdue. Three months overdue. Here are just a few observations and memories from Monday, October 17, 2011 - the day we welcomed Wren to our world.
THE DAYS BEFORE DELIVERY
I have been blessed with three very healthy, very comfortable, easy pregnancies. For the first 9 and a half months of each pregnancy I had minimal complaints. My OB probably thought I was a very low-maintenance patient. However, I become exponentially higher-maintenance my last couple weeks of pregnancy. Not due to health concerns; at least not physical ones. I become a wreck when delivery nears. Not because of the actual labor and delivery (in case you've heard, yes!, I really enjoy giving birth). I become a wreak because while I want to go into labor naturally, I've always chosen to be induced. Technically with my first delivery I had already been in labor for quite awhile, they just needed pitocin to move it along.
Anyway, I really thought I would not choose to induce with Wren, but given I was on my 4th day past my due date, both boys were born big (8.2 and 8.10) and both were born with shoulder dystocias, I signed up to be induced on Monday morning. In fact, I had considered being induced the Thursday prior. But after himming and hawing over it for a few days, it struck me that it was not only the 13th (in and of itself, this does not freak me out - my birthday is on the 13th), but there was also a full moon on that day. After mentioning this to Joe, he admitted that it kind of spooked him to schedule an induction on the 13th, in October, when there's a full moon. We just weren't ready to sign up for a vampire or ghost or zombie.
OK. So Monday the 17th it was. We woke early and remarkably I didn't text my OB saying I wanted to back out of this scheduled induction (pretty sure it would have been the 3rd text he'd received from me saying I wanted to push the induction back again with the hope of baby girl coming naturally). Off we head to Abbott hospital to have a baby. In about 12 hours I'll be saying "in hindsight, Wren's delivery was the easiest thing about the day."
AT THE HOSPITAL
I probably shouldn't have ended my earlier segment so dramatically. There's nothing that really went wrong, nor anything that was all that bad. There were just some minor annoyances and surprises that did ultimately make me think that the delivery was the best and easiest part of the 17th.
One of the main reasons I hate induction is because I'm perfectly healthy, but within moments of arriving at the hospital to be induced, you start to feel like you are an invalid...not the mindset I want when I have to push a baby out. I want to feel strong and energetic and ready to meet baby #3. Hell, I've already told the babysitters to show up with babies #1 & #2 around 5pm, so I best remain healthy and get the show on the road, right?!
For some reason they couldn't find my veins, which need to be found in order to start the induction drip. After a few tries of putting the needle in - and then taking in out - just to put the needle back in again and hear the nurse-in-training ask the other nurse "How far am I supposed to stick the needle in?" (shouldn't this have been discussed before you have the needle in me), I was beginning to lose patience.
Nurse "Do you want an epidural?"
Summer "Yes, I am pretty sure I'll want an epidural."
Nurse "Should I order it now?"
Summer "Have you even started the Pitocin?"
Nurse "Yes, and it's a very busy day here. If you want an epidural, you probably should order it now."
Summer "But I don't even feel the slightest tinge of a contraction. Let's wait til I am confident the drugs are even working."
----10 minutes later----
Nurse "Ready for that epidural?"
Summer "Hmm, I still don't feel contractions. Let's wait."
...This nurse and Summer banter continues for a bit and finally I cave and say "fine, order the epidural."
THE EPIDURAL
It sucked this time. I was in no pain - barely feeling contractions - so I was freaked out by the huge needle going into my spine (although they corrected me that it actually goes right next to, not into, my spine), the feeling of cold serum being injected next to my spine and the very graphic discussion of epidurals and spinal cords that Joe and the Drs and nurses were having as I was trying to stay.totally.still.so.as.not.to.paralyze.myself.
As luck would have it, as I'm trying to stay perfectly still with a needle inserted a couple inches into my back, I look up to see Joe's eyes rolled back in his head and as pale as a ghost. In that split second, I also hear him say "I'm going to pass out." Somehow two nurses are instantly breaking Joe's fall and I start sobbing - staying as still as I can because I'm petrified of paralysis. I keep asking if it's ok for me to move yet, and in a moment it was. Somehow Joe's getting the "hero of the day" award (the nurse's words, not mine) because he was "man enough" (their words again) to fess up that he was going to faint. Apparently this happens frequently with the dads, and the nurses hate when they faint without saying something because they wind up hitting their head, needing stitches and disrupting the peace in the maternity ward. After a little sugar water and a few moments of sitting, Joe was back to himself and ready to support me for the next few hours to really earn the hero of the day award.
I firmly believe you should wait to get an epidural until you're actually in some level of pain - even just a little discomfort would help - so that if happened to be playing "Would you rather?" you'd actually choose the large needle next to your spinal cord rather than the next labor contraction.
THE WAITING GAME
Perhaps the worst part of labor is being bed-bound once you have the epidural. Not to worry - this time we used that time to make a playlist for the actual delivery, as well as research some vacation options for our "7 Year Itch" (7-year anniversary this May).
Once bed-bound it's also the ideal time to munch on (yes, I disobey the "only clear liquids" rule) the snacks I packed. Speaking of pack, it's funny how my hospital bag changed from the 1st to the 3rd birth. Having not much more than some chocolate and a pony tail holder in my bag (and not having Max & Otto with me) this time, I felt totally prepared to head to the hospital.
THE PLAYLIST
I could tell things were getting close, so Joe and I wrapped up our music downloading. Here's what ended up making the list and played while our sweet little girl was being born. You'll see it's a mix of upbeat running songs and music that sounds like snow.
- The Show Goes On (Lupe Fiasco)
- Lighters (Bad Meets Evil/Bruno Mars)
- Remember When (Alan Jackson)
- Raise Your Glass (Pink)
- Grenade (Bruno Mars)
To this day, Wren gives me the biggest smiles when I'm playing the 5 songs above and dancing with her. They say a song can bring back memories, so I like to think that there's no place our little girl would rather be than in our family's arms listening to a little Pop Hop and Country.
MY FIRST REACTIONS
My very first reaction, literally as I looked down while birthing Wren was, "Oh my God, she looks just like a little Otto!!!"
For a while I couldn't figure out why this spontaneous 1st comment made me so delighted. Then it hit me. After two years of usually having Otto being compared to Max, I realized that in the "thick" of the moment, I spontaneously thought Wren looked exactly like Otto. It was fun to have Otto be the comparer rather than the compared (does that make sense? Not sure I got the words right).
And my second reaction was "Look all all her dark hair!" From the time I knew I was pregnant with Wren (but before we knew whether she was a girl or boy), Max insisted the baby was going to be a girl...with dark hair like mom and dad. I guess he was right! I often think I had a little bird with raven colored hair. And it was in the most perfect pixie cut. Reminded me of Twiggy's do from the 60's and even seemed to have gorgeous highlights throughout it. And, yes, I had heartburn with her and none while pregnant with my bald baby boys.
I think my third thought after Wren was born was needing to find out how big she was. Leading into labor I just kept saying/hoping she would not be bigger than 9 pounds. As they put Wren on the scale and I'm watching the numbers bounce around, sure enough, the scale settles in and stops right at 9 pounds, 0 ounces. It reaffirmed for me that ultimately choosing the 17th for her birth date was perfect...another day and she likely would have tipped the scale past 9lbs.
As soon as Wren was born, my OB let me know that quite a bit of the placenta membrane had gotten stuck inside me while I birthing Wren and he needed to remove it. Let's just say that little 'procedure' hurt a lot more than delivering Wren. But as every mom will tell you, I really don't remember the pain anymore - especially as I think back to the first moments holding Wren and now as I enjoy all our children.
Joe and I have so much love and hope and excitement for our family. We know we have been very blessed and hope every day we help teach Max, Otto & Wren to live a life of love rather than hatred, to choose courage over fear and hope versus despair.
No comments:
Post a Comment