...is the day that my Beloved and I chose to be the birthday of our daughter.
Callie Marie was born at 3:34 pm, weighed in at a whopping 6 lbs, 11.8 ozs, is 19" long, and has a head full of dark hair. She nursed immediately and is teaching her mama a thing or two. She is beautiful and calm and so very strong. She has the best of my qualities all mixed up with the best qualities of her dad. The whole world looks different, and I can't imagine it without this baby.
For posterity, our Momentous Day is outlined as such:
4:30 am I wake up. It's a Very Exciting Day, and I can't get back to sleep.
4:32 am I wake up Wes. It's a Very Exciting Day, and if I can't sleep, well, neither can he.
6:58 am We arrive at the hospital to discover that they are "full". I asked if we should come back tomorrow (only half joking). The nurse looks up my name and says that they have a plan for me, and that I should stay.
They put us in a "pre-check" room: there are three curtained off beds in one room that share a tv and a bathroom and the door (which is always open) opens to the main hallway between the nurse's station and the nursery. The first section is a woman that is going back for a C-Section. Wes and I are in the middle section. The back section is a girl that, from the sounds of it, is about to DIE. I am determined that I will not sound like that!
Dr. K comes in and out a couple of times. He was on call Tuesday night and delivered 3 babies, preformed the C-Section on my neighbor in the pre-check room, has a hysterectomy scheduled for 10, and then I'm it.
8:30 am The nurse has taken my information and gotten most of our paperwork filled out, filled all of her little vials of my blood, put in my IVs, and hooked me up to the moniters (both are external - those big velcro strips that wrap around my belly) one for Baby's heartbeat and one for my contractions. The moniters spit out these cool graphs that Wes can look at and see how much I'm supposed to be hurting.
They start the Pitocin drip.
Now, this was my Big Fear about induction. Everyone, everywhere, says that Pitocin contractions are terrible. That it will make my labor so much harder, and that I will want the Epidural to handle the pain, and that the Epidural will slow my labor down. So, at this point, I'm expecting for my mild belly-tightening sensations to turn into these wicked contractions that will make me climb the walls or turn into a screaming, panting animal like the poor girl on the other side of the curtain. Nope, they started coming regularly (about every 5-6 minutes) but they still felt the same (somewhere between 6 and 8 on the cool little graphs, according to Wes.)
The OB Tech comes to help me with all of my cords, wires, and tubes while I go to the bathroom. Wes told me that there was a big wet spot in the bed, and we joke that maybe my water's leaking. Haha, Dr K is supposed to come break it in a little while.
10:10 am The nurses and OB techs come to take me (and the girl behind the curtain) to our delivery rooms. Apparently, they are moving new mamas out of delivery rooms and into Courtesy Rooms to make room for us. My MIL is there now (waiting in the waiting room) and packs up her Bible Study and comes with us and sit quietly and unobtrusively in the corner. We had been pretty ademant about it just being the two of us in the delivery room, but I'm starting to realize that Wes needs support in order to support me, and besides, Sandy promised that I could kick her out whenever I was ready and her feelings wouldn't be hurt. I love her.
10:20 am I felt something that felt like a really hard kick. At the same time, we heard a KA-Sploosh! on the heartbeat moniter. Then, I realized that I was peeing myself. Oh, wait. I think my water just broke. On it's own!
Contractions got even more regular and closer together (maybe 2 minute contractions, with a minute or so in between), but they still don't really hurt. Wes says that they're 8s and 9s.
The nurse comes in to check me, says I'm dialated to about 6.
11:00 am I'm next in line for the Epidural Man, and am considering just telling him not to worry about it, but then, the next contraction is just a little bit more uncomfortable and I remember that I'm no hero.
11:30 am The Epidural Man is here. He is the same anesthesiologist that I had when I had the D&C last year, and is wonderful. The most painful part was when he did the local at the beginning and it felt like he was putting a thumbtack in my back.
2:00 pm Wes says something about running over to Braum's to get some lunch, and that he'll sneak me a couple of fries (I'm STARVING!). I make a joke about that he better hurry so that he doesn't miss anything. Sandy looks at Wes and says that she'll go get his lunch for him.
2:05 pm The nurse comes in to check me. I'm complete. She tells the OB Tech to go get a baby cart. Oh, and look at all that hair!
Wait, you mean we're ready to have a BABY?!? Are you sure? and she has hair?
Yup. They turn on the Cooter Spot Lights and start setting up.
2:30-ish pm The nurses tell me how they want me to push and promise to help me hold up my legs, which I cannot control, thanks to the fabulous Epidural. Dr K is in and out, checking out my progress over the nurse's shoulder, watching the hurricane on the Weather Channel, looking out the window... sometime in here, he puts on his gear and sits down. This is when I actually realize that we're having a BABY!
3:00 pm I have got to throw up. I'm trying to hold it in because I don't want to miss anything or mess anything up... there aren't any extra people in here to clean it up and I sure don't want to smell it.... Apparently, trying to not vomit is not condusive to labor pushing. Someone brings me a bucket and Wes, my most Wonderful Husband, tries to hold my leg, tell me when to push, hold my hair AND the bucket, comfort me, and manages to do it all at the same time.
3:34 pm Apparently, vomiting IS condusive to labor pushing. Our baby was face up, with one hand over her head, and Dr K was able to use his suction thingy to rotate her and guide her out. It felt a little wierd, but then, I was busy puking and missed all the good stuff. Wes cut the cord and seemed to be at the baby cart with her at the same time as he was wiping my face while I finished vomiting and Dr K finished up his thing.
The nurses wiped her off, wrapped her in a blanket, brought her to me and asked what her name is.
4:30 am I wake up. It's a Very Exciting Day, and I can't get back to sleep.
4:32 am I wake up Wes. It's a Very Exciting Day, and if I can't sleep, well, neither can he.
6:58 am We arrive at the hospital to discover that they are "full". I asked if we should come back tomorrow (only half joking). The nurse looks up my name and says that they have a plan for me, and that I should stay.
They put us in a "pre-check" room: there are three curtained off beds in one room that share a tv and a bathroom and the door (which is always open) opens to the main hallway between the nurse's station and the nursery. The first section is a woman that is going back for a C-Section. Wes and I are in the middle section. The back section is a girl that, from the sounds of it, is about to DIE. I am determined that I will not sound like that!
Dr. K comes in and out a couple of times. He was on call Tuesday night and delivered 3 babies, preformed the C-Section on my neighbor in the pre-check room, has a hysterectomy scheduled for 10, and then I'm it.
8:30 am The nurse has taken my information and gotten most of our paperwork filled out, filled all of her little vials of my blood, put in my IVs, and hooked me up to the moniters (both are external - those big velcro strips that wrap around my belly) one for Baby's heartbeat and one for my contractions. The moniters spit out these cool graphs that Wes can look at and see how much I'm supposed to be hurting.
They start the Pitocin drip.
Now, this was my Big Fear about induction. Everyone, everywhere, says that Pitocin contractions are terrible. That it will make my labor so much harder, and that I will want the Epidural to handle the pain, and that the Epidural will slow my labor down. So, at this point, I'm expecting for my mild belly-tightening sensations to turn into these wicked contractions that will make me climb the walls or turn into a screaming, panting animal like the poor girl on the other side of the curtain. Nope, they started coming regularly (about every 5-6 minutes) but they still felt the same (somewhere between 6 and 8 on the cool little graphs, according to Wes.)
The OB Tech comes to help me with all of my cords, wires, and tubes while I go to the bathroom. Wes told me that there was a big wet spot in the bed, and we joke that maybe my water's leaking. Haha, Dr K is supposed to come break it in a little while.
10:10 am The nurses and OB techs come to take me (and the girl behind the curtain) to our delivery rooms. Apparently, they are moving new mamas out of delivery rooms and into Courtesy Rooms to make room for us. My MIL is there now (waiting in the waiting room) and packs up her Bible Study and comes with us and sit quietly and unobtrusively in the corner. We had been pretty ademant about it just being the two of us in the delivery room, but I'm starting to realize that Wes needs support in order to support me, and besides, Sandy promised that I could kick her out whenever I was ready and her feelings wouldn't be hurt. I love her.
10:20 am I felt something that felt like a really hard kick. At the same time, we heard a KA-Sploosh! on the heartbeat moniter. Then, I realized that I was peeing myself. Oh, wait. I think my water just broke. On it's own!
Contractions got even more regular and closer together (maybe 2 minute contractions, with a minute or so in between), but they still don't really hurt. Wes says that they're 8s and 9s.
The nurse comes in to check me, says I'm dialated to about 6.
11:00 am I'm next in line for the Epidural Man, and am considering just telling him not to worry about it, but then, the next contraction is just a little bit more uncomfortable and I remember that I'm no hero.
11:30 am The Epidural Man is here. He is the same anesthesiologist that I had when I had the D&C last year, and is wonderful. The most painful part was when he did the local at the beginning and it felt like he was putting a thumbtack in my back.
2:00 pm Wes says something about running over to Braum's to get some lunch, and that he'll sneak me a couple of fries (I'm STARVING!). I make a joke about that he better hurry so that he doesn't miss anything. Sandy looks at Wes and says that she'll go get his lunch for him.
2:05 pm The nurse comes in to check me. I'm complete. She tells the OB Tech to go get a baby cart. Oh, and look at all that hair!
Wait, you mean we're ready to have a BABY?!? Are you sure? and she has hair?
Yup. They turn on the Cooter Spot Lights and start setting up.
2:30-ish pm The nurses tell me how they want me to push and promise to help me hold up my legs, which I cannot control, thanks to the fabulous Epidural. Dr K is in and out, checking out my progress over the nurse's shoulder, watching the hurricane on the Weather Channel, looking out the window... sometime in here, he puts on his gear and sits down. This is when I actually realize that we're having a BABY!
3:00 pm I have got to throw up. I'm trying to hold it in because I don't want to miss anything or mess anything up... there aren't any extra people in here to clean it up and I sure don't want to smell it.... Apparently, trying to not vomit is not condusive to labor pushing. Someone brings me a bucket and Wes, my most Wonderful Husband, tries to hold my leg, tell me when to push, hold my hair AND the bucket, comfort me, and manages to do it all at the same time.
3:34 pm Apparently, vomiting IS condusive to labor pushing. Our baby was face up, with one hand over her head, and Dr K was able to use his suction thingy to rotate her and guide her out. It felt a little wierd, but then, I was busy puking and missed all the good stuff. Wes cut the cord and seemed to be at the baby cart with her at the same time as he was wiping my face while I finished vomiting and Dr K finished up his thing.
The nurses wiped her off, wrapped her in a blanket, brought her to me and asked what her name is.
Callie Marie Moore
It's our baby. She has hair. She is TINY! She is beautiful, so so beautiful. And ours. A little bit of me, a little bit of my Husband, all mixed up in this one brand new person. Here, safe and sound. Oh, praise God!
And then, Wes looks at me, HIS eyes well up, and I'm sobbing again.
Our baby. Safe and sound. Praise God.
We had some family bonding time and Callie nursed (!) and somehow, I forgot to ask anyone to take a picture of the three of us.
Bring on the family. Apparently, there were some waiting in the hall (I'm certain that I told them that they had to wait in the waiting room...) and some were a phone call away, but they all got to come in and meet the baby and take pictures. She stayed with us until the nursery staff came to get her and Wes at about 6:30. We didn't have a basinet and she was still naked, wrapped in that towel, but they let Wes carry her down the hall (just this once!) and learn to give her a bath. It was about then that I noticed the Braum's sack and drink sitting on the counter just inside the door. The straw was still wrapped and laying beside it, so I guess he never got lunch...
She stayed in my room with us for the entire stay. Callie was the only one that slept. I had only one melt down and there were a few dramatic moments, but I'll save them for another day. Today, what is important is that there is a beautiful, healthy, happy baby wrapped in a pink striped blanket, sleeping in a Moses basket at my feet.
I love her.
It's our baby. She has hair. She is TINY! She is beautiful, so so beautiful. And ours. A little bit of me, a little bit of my Husband, all mixed up in this one brand new person. Here, safe and sound. Oh, praise God!
And then, Wes looks at me, HIS eyes well up, and I'm sobbing again.
Our baby. Safe and sound. Praise God.
We had some family bonding time and Callie nursed (!) and somehow, I forgot to ask anyone to take a picture of the three of us.
Bring on the family. Apparently, there were some waiting in the hall (I'm certain that I told them that they had to wait in the waiting room...) and some were a phone call away, but they all got to come in and meet the baby and take pictures. She stayed with us until the nursery staff came to get her and Wes at about 6:30. We didn't have a basinet and she was still naked, wrapped in that towel, but they let Wes carry her down the hall (just this once!) and learn to give her a bath. It was about then that I noticed the Braum's sack and drink sitting on the counter just inside the door. The straw was still wrapped and laying beside it, so I guess he never got lunch...
She stayed in my room with us for the entire stay. Callie was the only one that slept. I had only one melt down and there were a few dramatic moments, but I'll save them for another day. Today, what is important is that there is a beautiful, healthy, happy baby wrapped in a pink striped blanket, sleeping in a Moses basket at my feet.
I love her.
Praise God.
1 comment:
YAY! So happy for your wonderful news!
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