I wanted to write about this before the details slip away from me. I recorded all of my memories of Sophie's birth on video- but did not with my second born. Alex was born eight weeks ago today, on Saturday, September 29th. It was a warm, sunny day- not too hot for the time of year. I had started having contractions, far apart and mild for the most part on early Friday morning.
I was so excited thinking that I would not have to go through induction this time, that my body was starting the process naturally. My ob/gyn, Dr. Negron, had set an induction date for just one day after my expected due date- she was going on vacation a few days later. I SO did not want this to happen- a repeat performance of Sophie's delivery, staying overnight on cervidil which did nothing, and experiencing so much pain in my cervix before getting the epidural and pitocin. ick.
The last couple of weeks before Alex was born I had been frantically trying to squeeze in my last fun moments with Sophie as a duo. We had gone to the Huntington Gardens with friends the week prior, a visit to a mygym class with a friend and her granddaughter Kaity and the like.
On Saturday morning I pretty much knew this was the day, but I was still feeling good and decided to take Sophie to her art class at Tinker, thinking I could always leave if the contractions started getting closer together, etc. I remember telling the moms in the class that I was having contractions and they were astounded that I was there- haha. When we got back, I made a mountain of blueberry pancakes - the last meal. called Karen and told her to come over, that we were getting close to the big event. A carpet installer was in our house from Lowe's- his partner had not shown up for work that morning, so it took him over 6 hours to install our bedroom carpet. After Karen arrived and a quick hot shower, we headed to Los Robles hospital in Thousand Oaks- making several calls on the way, Cynthia, Lori and mom to let them know the big day had arrived. Mom was due to attend a high school reunion dinner with her boyfriend Robert, and I told her she should still go as I was thinking labor would go on for quite a while.
We arrived at 3 in the afternoon. The labor and delivery rooms were ghostly quiet- no inductions scheduled on Saturdays. After getting hooked up with a fetal heart monitor and a monitor for my contractions, Dr. Negron checked me and said I was 2-3 centimeters. I had said the anaesthesiologist could go for his gym workout- that I would be okay with the contractions for a while yet. However, Dr. Negron went ahead and broke my water bag- and BAM! I had a contraction double the strength of all the prior ones. Man, did it HURT. Like a sharp knife scraping at my uterus all over. Mom arrived right before they gave me Stadol in my IV drip- waiting for the anasthesiologist to come back. God, I got so high and I know Alex must have felt that too- it was so trippy and I wanted a cigarette so badly. Such an association with feeling that high and smoking. Goodness. The drug man arrived and got me hooked up on the epidural smoothly about when the stadol was wearing off. After that, it was all pretty much smooth sailing.
After Karen closed up the house when the carpet guy was finished, she and Sophie arrived at the hospital. Labor went pretty quickly, I was dilating rapidly and the time seemed to go quickly without much to note. I was in good spirits for sure. At around 8:30pm it was time to start pushing and I did for a short while- and then all of a sudden Alex's head was where it needed to be for delivery. I guess it happened kind've suddenly, and they needed to call Dr. Negron to come. It took her 30 minutes and felt like forever. I remember asking right before she arrived, "Where is the goddamned doctor??" She showed up, and after a four inch episiotomy and a few more pushes, little Alex was born into the world at 9:38.
I was so happy, so thrilled- and I felt terrific- not nearly as wiped out as I had with Sophie. It really was a great birth experience. After he was weighed (9 lbs 6oz) and wiped up, got 10 out of 10 for apgar scores, I started nursing him and he ate for an hour, content to just be at my breast. Sophie was really well adjusted the whole time. She helped to 'push him out' by having her hand on my stomach during delivery- so precious, as my sister in law would say. She later noted to my mom that the nurses had blue gloves, that Dr. Negron's gloves were different (longer and purple) and that Alex was 'covered in spaghetti and meatballs when he came out.' Classic. The photos say it all- we are all grinning madly after the delivery and gazing in awe and joy at our little boy, finally arrived- just several hours before his due date of September 30th.
He is my gift, Sophie's brother, my sweet, angelic boy with his blue, blue eyes that make me laugh every day. I am such a lucky woman to have two healthy growing, happy children.
I was so excited thinking that I would not have to go through induction this time, that my body was starting the process naturally. My ob/gyn, Dr. Negron, had set an induction date for just one day after my expected due date- she was going on vacation a few days later. I SO did not want this to happen- a repeat performance of Sophie's delivery, staying overnight on cervidil which did nothing, and experiencing so much pain in my cervix before getting the epidural and pitocin. ick.
The last couple of weeks before Alex was born I had been frantically trying to squeeze in my last fun moments with Sophie as a duo. We had gone to the Huntington Gardens with friends the week prior, a visit to a mygym class with a friend and her granddaughter Kaity and the like.
On Saturday morning I pretty much knew this was the day, but I was still feeling good and decided to take Sophie to her art class at Tinker, thinking I could always leave if the contractions started getting closer together, etc. I remember telling the moms in the class that I was having contractions and they were astounded that I was there- haha. When we got back, I made a mountain of blueberry pancakes - the last meal. called Karen and told her to come over, that we were getting close to the big event. A carpet installer was in our house from Lowe's- his partner had not shown up for work that morning, so it took him over 6 hours to install our bedroom carpet. After Karen arrived and a quick hot shower, we headed to Los Robles hospital in Thousand Oaks- making several calls on the way, Cynthia, Lori and mom to let them know the big day had arrived. Mom was due to attend a high school reunion dinner with her boyfriend Robert, and I told her she should still go as I was thinking labor would go on for quite a while.
We arrived at 3 in the afternoon. The labor and delivery rooms were ghostly quiet- no inductions scheduled on Saturdays. After getting hooked up with a fetal heart monitor and a monitor for my contractions, Dr. Negron checked me and said I was 2-3 centimeters. I had said the anaesthesiologist could go for his gym workout- that I would be okay with the contractions for a while yet. However, Dr. Negron went ahead and broke my water bag- and BAM! I had a contraction double the strength of all the prior ones. Man, did it HURT. Like a sharp knife scraping at my uterus all over. Mom arrived right before they gave me Stadol in my IV drip- waiting for the anasthesiologist to come back. God, I got so high and I know Alex must have felt that too- it was so trippy and I wanted a cigarette so badly. Such an association with feeling that high and smoking. Goodness. The drug man arrived and got me hooked up on the epidural smoothly about when the stadol was wearing off. After that, it was all pretty much smooth sailing.
After Karen closed up the house when the carpet guy was finished, she and Sophie arrived at the hospital. Labor went pretty quickly, I was dilating rapidly and the time seemed to go quickly without much to note. I was in good spirits for sure. At around 8:30pm it was time to start pushing and I did for a short while- and then all of a sudden Alex's head was where it needed to be for delivery. I guess it happened kind've suddenly, and they needed to call Dr. Negron to come. It took her 30 minutes and felt like forever. I remember asking right before she arrived, "Where is the goddamned doctor??" She showed up, and after a four inch episiotomy and a few more pushes, little Alex was born into the world at 9:38.
I was so happy, so thrilled- and I felt terrific- not nearly as wiped out as I had with Sophie. It really was a great birth experience. After he was weighed (9 lbs 6oz) and wiped up, got 10 out of 10 for apgar scores, I started nursing him and he ate for an hour, content to just be at my breast. Sophie was really well adjusted the whole time. She helped to 'push him out' by having her hand on my stomach during delivery- so precious, as my sister in law would say. She later noted to my mom that the nurses had blue gloves, that Dr. Negron's gloves were different (longer and purple) and that Alex was 'covered in spaghetti and meatballs when he came out.' Classic. The photos say it all- we are all grinning madly after the delivery and gazing in awe and joy at our little boy, finally arrived- just several hours before his due date of September 30th.
He is my gift, Sophie's brother, my sweet, angelic boy with his blue, blue eyes that make me laugh every day. I am such a lucky woman to have two healthy growing, happy children.
No comments:
Post a Comment