Saturday, August 29, 2009
Pro pics are in! (kinda)
So excited! Here is the link. These are only a few, she's promised me more once she's done processing. :)
This Makes Me Sad...
I can't believe our daughters are never going to get to watch Reading Rainbow. I might have to try to buy it on DVD for Katie.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Evie's Birth Story *VERY LONG!*
Figured I better get to writing this out before I forget everything! :)
Our day started exactly like any other. I got up, got ready, and went to work. I did wear my flip-flops this day, even though they are completely forbidden, because I figured no one would dare cross me after coming in on the day I'd be giving birth. (A few people did look pointedly at my feet, but I ignored them.) Luckily no one said anything and I passed the hours of 8-12 in my normal way, with a few interruptions of people stopping by to wish me luck. I waved them off with confidence. After all, I'd done this just last year. It was no big deal, really. Little did I know how much my words would come back to haunt me...
Josh and Hazel pick me up at noon and we went to Panera for "The Last Supper." Yum. 'Nuff said.
We dropped Hazel at my Mom's and headed over to St. Mary's. By the time we get to the Family Birth Center we are a half-hour late. *Note: Our hospital is ridiculous. The Family Birth Center is as far from the parking garage as is possible. Do they not realize that 90% of their patients are probably in active labor by the time they reach the hospital? Do they not understand that labor is painful? Josh says it's likely to prevent stolen babies. But, believe me, the security of the birth center is like prison. Once you're in and tagged, you're not going anywhere until they say so. Even getting close to an exit door makes the alarms go off. It's annoying. Especially when your room is right next to an exit door.
Check in was fast and we were assigned the most awesome nurse. She cracked jokes with us, got my I.V. going (ouch) and I donned the ever sexy hospital gown. Once in bed, I started the last chapter of My Sister's Keeper, which I finally read after you've been telling me to read it for the last couple of years. Gooood book.
My doctor came in to break my water (which I'm not certain actually broke at this point. There was no gush or even a trickle. Doc said Evie's head was acting like a cork.) and saw me reading it. She asked me what part I was at and gave me the impression I may not want to read any further. Should have listened to her! My goodness what a sad thing to read before giving birth. :( I drowned my sorrows in an episode of "Property Virgins" while I waited for contractions to kick in.
And a half hour later... nothing. An hour passes. Nothing. Two hours and fifteen laps around the hallway and still nada. Resident doc comes in to check me and I'm still at 3 cm and 70% effaced, which I had been at my appointment the day before. My doctor tells the nurse to start Pitocin. Somewhere in the back of my brain, a funeral dirge sounds. I really, really didn't want Pitocin.
Our awesome nurse leaves us. She's been assigned to a different room. We get "Nurse Perky." Nurse Perky lets me know that she has given birth three times, NATURALLY. And that it is not only possible, but desirable. I hate her instantly.
Around 5 p.m., the Nurse P adds Pitocin to my I.V... By 7 p.m., I'm feeling pretty darn crappy. The contractions are every 2-3 minutes and are getting more and more unbearable. I ask the nurse to order the Epidural. She leaves for a few minutes, letting me THINK she's ordered my Epi. When she comes back, she waits awhile, then tells me that she doesn't think my contractions are in enough of pattern yet. She ups my Pitocin. Evil, sadistic bitch.
By 7:30 I am practically thrashing in pain. Contractions are now one right after another with maybe a one minute breather in between. (Everyone that says Pit contractions are the worst is right. They weren't even in the same zip code of pain as the ones I experienced with Hazel. I thought every bone in my chest and back were going to snap from the pressure.) I ask the nurse where my Epi is. She claims to go check on it.
When she comes back, she doesn't have my glorious savior. She has the Resident doc who she wants to install an internal monitor. You see, Nurse Perky doesn't believe me about my contractions because they're not reading on her little monitor. She wants the internal monitor, "Just to make sure my contractions are regular." Because my grunts and groans are apparently not enough of an indicator. Bitch.
Resident installs the internal monitor. During a particularly hard contraction. It was lovely. :-(
Resident says I'm about 5.5 cm dilated. Nurse Perky reads her new monitor which, surprise, surprise, tells her I'm having hard contractions every minute. She says she's going to order my Epidural now. Bitch.
Epi man comes around 8:15 p.m. and I almost cry. Soooo happy! I'm remembering the sweet, instant relief with Hazel. I form the "Angry Cat" pose and do my best to stay still through the procedure. The Doc manages to get the cathader placed the first time. (With Hazel, they had to try 8 spots before my spine finally took the cathader.) However, also unlike last time, there was no instant relief. In fact, my contractions now felt WORSE!
Epi man leaves saying that the job is done and I should start to feel relief in just 15 minutes or so. Time passes. It is clear to me that the Epi is not doing anything. In a fit of desperation, I ask Josh to press the button for more meds. I have him push it two or three times. Nothing. I'm now crying during the contractions because (not only are they now worse when I didn't think it was even possible) it's sinking in that I'm going to have to do this without any pain relief. I am completely terrified. Nurse Perky seems smug and reminds me that women do this everyday. She keeps telling me to "Blow my pain away" when I get a contraction. At one point, I turn to Josh and say, "If she tells me that one more time, I'm going to blow HER away!" I secretly hope she heard me say it, but I don't think she did.
Around 9:30, I'm inconsolable. Nurse Perky comes in the room and starts putting together a syringe of something. I ask her what it is and she tells me it's something "for the pain." I ask if it will make my loopy and she says yes. I tell her I don't want it. I'd rather be in pain than not be alert for the birth of my child. I'm still a bit miffed that after all that "natural is best" crap, she tried to give me drugs without my consent.
Contractions continue. They get worse. Apparently, it was possible.
10:15ish there is a long pause after a particularly bad contraction. I get a full minute of rest. It felt like bliss.
Then, like a freight train comes a feeling unlike any other I've ever experienced. Not pain, exactly, but the most amazingly intense primal urge I've ever felt. I had to push, RIGHT NOW! And there was no stopping it. It was not even in the realm of possibility not to push. Nurse Perky ran to get the doctor (only helpful thing she did, actually) and everyone ran into the room.
Pushing was another incredible experience. Similar to last time, only more pressure, more burning and sharper pain. I screeched like an animal. Josh laughs at me now for clamping my hand over my mouth when my doctor told me not to scream because the baby needed the oxygen. It was really the only way to stop myself.
Less than ten short minutes later, Evie was here. She didn't cry right away like Hazel. In fact, I don't think she cried until they laid her on my stomach and rubbed her down. She was so blue that I worried for her and asked a couple of times if she was okay.
But she was. She was perfect. :) Here's a picture of just after she was born as she lay on me. So alert. Such a sweetheart.
Our day started exactly like any other. I got up, got ready, and went to work. I did wear my flip-flops this day, even though they are completely forbidden, because I figured no one would dare cross me after coming in on the day I'd be giving birth. (A few people did look pointedly at my feet, but I ignored them.) Luckily no one said anything and I passed the hours of 8-12 in my normal way, with a few interruptions of people stopping by to wish me luck. I waved them off with confidence. After all, I'd done this just last year. It was no big deal, really. Little did I know how much my words would come back to haunt me...
Josh and Hazel pick me up at noon and we went to Panera for "The Last Supper." Yum. 'Nuff said.
We dropped Hazel at my Mom's and headed over to St. Mary's. By the time we get to the Family Birth Center we are a half-hour late. *Note: Our hospital is ridiculous. The Family Birth Center is as far from the parking garage as is possible. Do they not realize that 90% of their patients are probably in active labor by the time they reach the hospital? Do they not understand that labor is painful? Josh says it's likely to prevent stolen babies. But, believe me, the security of the birth center is like prison. Once you're in and tagged, you're not going anywhere until they say so. Even getting close to an exit door makes the alarms go off. It's annoying. Especially when your room is right next to an exit door.
Check in was fast and we were assigned the most awesome nurse. She cracked jokes with us, got my I.V. going (ouch) and I donned the ever sexy hospital gown. Once in bed, I started the last chapter of My Sister's Keeper, which I finally read after you've been telling me to read it for the last couple of years. Gooood book.
My doctor came in to break my water (which I'm not certain actually broke at this point. There was no gush or even a trickle. Doc said Evie's head was acting like a cork.) and saw me reading it. She asked me what part I was at and gave me the impression I may not want to read any further. Should have listened to her! My goodness what a sad thing to read before giving birth. :( I drowned my sorrows in an episode of "Property Virgins" while I waited for contractions to kick in.
And a half hour later... nothing. An hour passes. Nothing. Two hours and fifteen laps around the hallway and still nada. Resident doc comes in to check me and I'm still at 3 cm and 70% effaced, which I had been at my appointment the day before. My doctor tells the nurse to start Pitocin. Somewhere in the back of my brain, a funeral dirge sounds. I really, really didn't want Pitocin.
Our awesome nurse leaves us. She's been assigned to a different room. We get "Nurse Perky." Nurse Perky lets me know that she has given birth three times, NATURALLY. And that it is not only possible, but desirable. I hate her instantly.
Around 5 p.m., the Nurse P adds Pitocin to my I.V... By 7 p.m., I'm feeling pretty darn crappy. The contractions are every 2-3 minutes and are getting more and more unbearable. I ask the nurse to order the Epidural. She leaves for a few minutes, letting me THINK she's ordered my Epi. When she comes back, she waits awhile, then tells me that she doesn't think my contractions are in enough of pattern yet. She ups my Pitocin. Evil, sadistic bitch.
By 7:30 I am practically thrashing in pain. Contractions are now one right after another with maybe a one minute breather in between. (Everyone that says Pit contractions are the worst is right. They weren't even in the same zip code of pain as the ones I experienced with Hazel. I thought every bone in my chest and back were going to snap from the pressure.) I ask the nurse where my Epi is. She claims to go check on it.
When she comes back, she doesn't have my glorious savior. She has the Resident doc who she wants to install an internal monitor. You see, Nurse Perky doesn't believe me about my contractions because they're not reading on her little monitor. She wants the internal monitor, "Just to make sure my contractions are regular." Because my grunts and groans are apparently not enough of an indicator. Bitch.
Resident installs the internal monitor. During a particularly hard contraction. It was lovely. :-(
Resident says I'm about 5.5 cm dilated. Nurse Perky reads her new monitor which, surprise, surprise, tells her I'm having hard contractions every minute. She says she's going to order my Epidural now. Bitch.
Epi man comes around 8:15 p.m. and I almost cry. Soooo happy! I'm remembering the sweet, instant relief with Hazel. I form the "Angry Cat" pose and do my best to stay still through the procedure. The Doc manages to get the cathader placed the first time. (With Hazel, they had to try 8 spots before my spine finally took the cathader.) However, also unlike last time, there was no instant relief. In fact, my contractions now felt WORSE!
Epi man leaves saying that the job is done and I should start to feel relief in just 15 minutes or so. Time passes. It is clear to me that the Epi is not doing anything. In a fit of desperation, I ask Josh to press the button for more meds. I have him push it two or three times. Nothing. I'm now crying during the contractions because (not only are they now worse when I didn't think it was even possible) it's sinking in that I'm going to have to do this without any pain relief. I am completely terrified. Nurse Perky seems smug and reminds me that women do this everyday. She keeps telling me to "Blow my pain away" when I get a contraction. At one point, I turn to Josh and say, "If she tells me that one more time, I'm going to blow HER away!" I secretly hope she heard me say it, but I don't think she did.
Around 9:30, I'm inconsolable. Nurse Perky comes in the room and starts putting together a syringe of something. I ask her what it is and she tells me it's something "for the pain." I ask if it will make my loopy and she says yes. I tell her I don't want it. I'd rather be in pain than not be alert for the birth of my child. I'm still a bit miffed that after all that "natural is best" crap, she tried to give me drugs without my consent.
Contractions continue. They get worse. Apparently, it was possible.
10:15ish there is a long pause after a particularly bad contraction. I get a full minute of rest. It felt like bliss.
Then, like a freight train comes a feeling unlike any other I've ever experienced. Not pain, exactly, but the most amazingly intense primal urge I've ever felt. I had to push, RIGHT NOW! And there was no stopping it. It was not even in the realm of possibility not to push. Nurse Perky ran to get the doctor (only helpful thing she did, actually) and everyone ran into the room.
Pushing was another incredible experience. Similar to last time, only more pressure, more burning and sharper pain. I screeched like an animal. Josh laughs at me now for clamping my hand over my mouth when my doctor told me not to scream because the baby needed the oxygen. It was really the only way to stop myself.
Less than ten short minutes later, Evie was here. She didn't cry right away like Hazel. In fact, I don't think she cried until they laid her on my stomach and rubbed her down. She was so blue that I worried for her and asked a couple of times if she was okay.
But she was. She was perfect. :) Here's a picture of just after she was born as she lay on me. So alert. Such a sweetheart.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Wish I'd seen this before..
I bought Hazel's bedding. SO CUTE!
I'd buy it for Evie, but my mom already bought a bumper (pink and brown), so it won't work. :(
I'd buy it for Evie, but my mom already bought a bumper (pink and brown), so it won't work. :(
Friday, August 07, 2009
Welcome, Katie!
Just wanted to say welcome to the newest girl in our little club!
Of course, you realize I need more pictures, but I know how busy you are. Plus, pictures are kind of a curse, because once I see one batch, I'm ready for another. :)
Of course, you realize I need more pictures, but I know how busy you are. Plus, pictures are kind of a curse, because once I see one batch, I'm ready for another. :)
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)