I sat waiting in an empty delivery room for what felt like a really long time. I had all my stuff on, but no baby to go see, yet. Eventually mom and dad came back from getting breakfast and the nurse came to get me. Jess was already much of the way open and I sat down behind the screen to chat and keep her occupied. She made a lot of odd faces; she could feel a lot more of the procedure this time, what with people rooting around in her abdomen for upwards of half an hour. Jess was doing well, and eventually I got up my courage to look around the screen.
I couldn't see much from my direction, but the entire time the surgical staff was chatting away about whatever was on their minds, clearly so expert at this procedure that we were in quite good hands. Eventually I saw them reaching in and pulling a baby out. Casey came out head first, yanked with intensity and care, and was quickly taken to the corner to get checked up.
She was quiet for a little while, but made some cries that were loud enough to ensure us of her vitality. I went over to check on her and she was squirming and crying a whole bunch and being really cute. I gave her my fingers to grab, and that seemed to calm her down. I think she was just really tired.
After a while of alternating between taking pictures, staring at her cute face, and watching Jessie get put back together, we took Casey over to see Jess. As soon as Casey heard her mom's voice, she opened her eyes. I made sure they both got good kisses and nuzzles, then held on while the surgery finished.
Jess was reassembled without incident and we rolled back to the room with Baby in mommy's arms. Jess was in a much better state than after her previous cesarean, very anxious to get a hold of Casey and start breast feeding, and Casey was in the mood too. She kept searching around with her mouth for something to put in. She found her hands a few times.
Back at the room the nurses helped us with the first breast feeding, and Casey did really well. We're still sorting out a few details, especially as Casey is so small, inexperienced, and tired, but things seem to be going pretty well. It's making Jessie smile.
I took a short nap, got some food at the Cafeteria, and we have spent much of the day sending pictures around to everyone we know of all the cute happenings in our room. Casey and mom are both doing great. It's a good day.
-N
Showing posts with label Babywatch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Babywatch. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Jess is off
Soon someone will come get me and I'll go see my daughter. I'm blogging mostly because there's nothing else to do in this empty room.
-N
-N
Things are happening!
We have been waiting to see exactly when the C-section would be, and it looks like it will be quite soon! There was another C-section scheduled for 7:15, and they didn't show up (which is odd) and so we will get to have our Cesarian then. Yay! Jess has been suffering through some 'mild' contractions (they still hurt) and waiting patiently for the time to come.
Now things are about to kick off! We've had anesthesiologists visit, nurses transition, and we've been asked about Jessie's medical history more times than I care to mention. Doctor will soon be on the way, I'll be putting on my duds, and before you know it, baby pictures!
-N
Now things are about to kick off! We've had anesthesiologists visit, nurses transition, and we've been asked about Jessie's medical history more times than I care to mention. Doctor will soon be on the way, I'll be putting on my duds, and before you know it, baby pictures!
-N
Babywatch is a go!
Tyler was a little fussy last night, and I got up at about 1:30 to help calm him down. He wanted a tissue. Well, he also wanted to fuss, but it was mostly the tissue. When I got back, Jess was awake, and I tried to cuddle her to sleep. I had my arm over her belly and could feel the contractions starting and stopping. After a while she got up to go use the restroom and I was relaxing when I heard: "Hey, Noel,, can you take a look at this?"
I went into the restroom and Jess was looking down at herself wondering if something was going on. As we both looked, her water broke. Just a few hours before we were scheduled to do our Cesarean anyway. First points to you, Casey.
Anyway, we called the nurse line and they asked us to come into the hospital. We got all our stuff together, woke up the grandparents, left the monitor with Fran, and drove on in. I was very safe and everything. There was the usual mountain of paperwork, then we got checked into the nice, refurbished Labor and delivery room. Which is where we are now.
It's 4:30 AM. Unless labor starts to kick off in earnest, which it might do, we are likely to get Casey out at around 8 AM. Which means by the time you wake up and read this, you may already have a new relative.
-N
I went into the restroom and Jess was looking down at herself wondering if something was going on. As we both looked, her water broke. Just a few hours before we were scheduled to do our Cesarean anyway. First points to you, Casey.
Anyway, we called the nurse line and they asked us to come into the hospital. We got all our stuff together, woke up the grandparents, left the monitor with Fran, and drove on in. I was very safe and everything. There was the usual mountain of paperwork, then we got checked into the nice, refurbished Labor and delivery room. Which is where we are now.
It's 4:30 AM. Unless labor starts to kick off in earnest, which it might do, we are likely to get Casey out at around 8 AM. Which means by the time you wake up and read this, you may already have a new relative.
-N
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Babywait Day Whatever
Yep, still no baby. But tomorrow, tomorrow. Right? Everyone get pumped. We get to the hospital at 10:30, surgery is scheduled for 12:30. Kisses happen soon after.
-N
-N
Monday, April 28, 2014
Babywait, Day 4
Still nothing. Even less, in fact! Jessie's contractions have been less intense and less regular. Which is pretty good, because she went to *work* today, for crying out loud. She made it a little more than half the day then came home for a nap. It's looking more and more like Wednesday will be the day. But you never know. Out of nowhere--BAM! Water broken! Time to go! I might not be able to blog quickly enough if that happens, but I'll let you know eventually.
-N
-N
Babywait, Day 3
Still nothing. A strong contraction here or there, and occasionally they are becoming a little bit regular, but nothing like actual labor. Guess I'm going into work tomorrow. Bummer.
-N
-N
Saturday, April 26, 2014
BabyWait, Day 2
Are we still here? Yep? That means no
Casey so far, we continue to wait with baited breath.
Jess was having weak contractions that
were roughly 12 minutes apart yesterday evening, and I was convinced
that they were eventually going to progress to full fledged labor
sometime during the night. Alas, it was not to be, and we were
burdened, *burdened*, with a full nights sleep. Perhaps the last one
ever? We can only wait and see.
Grandpa has arrived. Early, because
you never know, and it's good to have extra backup. Nana has made it
too. So the gang is all here, and we're still just waiting for Casey
to make an appearance. Jess has made some marginal progress, though
nothing concrete enough for us to want to head back to the hospital
for a quick surgery. Still, though, it could be *any minute*. And
it's even any-minute-y-er today than it was yesterday. Jess lost her
mucus plug which, according to the internet, means that labor can be
anywhere between 1 day and...uh...two weeks, away. So again,
waiting. It's just, you know, *more* waiting.
Tyler took a huge nap today, I finished
putting some shades up in Casey's room to keep it dark (it keeps it
really dark) and we've been making preliminary plans for shopping and
food and other things. Still, I know you all want to hear about the
big news, and there's really nothing I can say except 'stay tuned'.
-N
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Babywatch: Liveblog Part Something
8:59 AM. Doing our best to rest
Oh, man, where to begin.
So we got the orders to start pushing and Jessie gave it her all, and I mean her *all*. We were getting three or four pushes per contraction every time, Jess was getting red in the face and the contraction monitor was going crazy. At one point the nurse commented that the pushes looked like ‘metal hands’ ( \m/ for those of you who know what that looks like). And Tyler was starting to come right down the birth canal. You could even just make out the top of his head on each push. So Jessie kept going and going and Tyler got incrementally closer each time. Everyone was excited, the nurse even tried to stay for a few hours just so she could witness the birth, which would surely be any moment now...
But the pushing continued, Tyler would come a little farther each time and then just slip back. The nurses gave some exams and it looked like he should have been able to come out, he had space, but he just wasn’t making the journey. Jess kept pushing and pushing and pushing, doing as much as she could over and over. The doctor came by and recommended cranking up the drugs to give a stronger contraction and giving Jess a chance to rest. So we did that. For a while it was just me and her in the room and despite the presence of massive painkillers in her *spinal cord*, she was starting to feel the contractions again. I would talk her through them the best I could (I helped!) but Jess was not enjoying herself.
So after the rest, we resumed pushing, but I could tell Jess just didn’t have the energy for it anymore. She was doing her best, doing AMAZING, but clearly all the effort had taken a toll on her, and Tyler was *marginally* closer, but still wasn’t coming out.
Thats when things started to get a little scary.
Jess started shivering. Not a little, like full-on, Hypothermia-in-the-movies shivering. The nurses didn’t seem to be worried, so I took it in stride, but Jess hated it. HATED IT. She was trying to get warm, but didn’t have any real luck, even when they brought in some fresh-from-the heater blankets, which is a real luxury, as I’m sure you can imagine. Still shivering. Another hour or so of pushing, but still no baby to show for it.
Then Jess started throwing up.
I can tell you with certainty, watching my wife go through contractions, uncontrolled shivering, and vomiting at the same time is the second scariest thing I’ve ever gone through in my life, and it lasted way longer than that stupid white water rafting trip. And she had nothing to come up, just water and bile. And then after the throwing up, the contractions started to really hurt her, to the point where it was interfering with her ability to push well. We had given the epidural as many pushes as it would allow, but still no pain relief. Jess didn’t look good at all, she was just saying ‘it hurts, it hurts’, over and over, a horrible thing to hear. No yelling, though, but I think she just didn’t have the energy. Eventually we called for the anesthesiologist, who was going to be able to give jess a stronger dose of medicine. Of course, he took his sweet time getting there, and Jess was suffering all the time. It was really bad.
Finally, thankfully, the calvary arrived: the anesthesiologist and our doctor. The pain Doc gave jess a shot of some more painkillers and within just a few minutes she was looking loads better: a huge weight off my chest, let me assure you.
Oh, and I missed a step. Somewhere during that last orgy of pushing, pain, and shivering, one of the nurses took Jessie’s temp and showed it discretely to the rest of us, but not to jessie. 102.7. No wonder she was shivering, she was running one heck of a fever. They had her catheter-ized, too, and the sample wasn’t looking to clean. Not enough to start panicking, but enough to prick up some ears.
So, post pain-relief, the doctor came and talked with us about our options: either using a vacuum to help the baby come out or a c-section. We asked her what she recommended, and she said she would feel like trying the vacuum but, “I don’t have a crystal ball or anything.” To which I responded. “Well we have even less crystal than you.” I thought that was pretty clever. After a little more thought, though, after which we remembered that I was a C-baby because my head was so big, Jessie had to have her clavicle broken to fit out of her mom, and Tyler was already a week-and-a-bit overdue, it was starting to seem a little more risky. So we decided, instead, to go for the C-section. After that decision was made, everyone seemed to feel a lot better. Jess wasn’t going to have to hurt anymore, we were going to be sure to get the baby out...the best decision, all around.
So this was at around 10:00 last night, I think. I’d have to double-check the numbers. Jess got all prepped up, and I got my outer-wear on and had my camera in hand. They took her off to get her started, first, and I waited around in the room with mom Swanson until they were ready for me. Then I came in and saw jess on her side of the sheet. I didn’t look on the other side. Jess was still shivering, but at least she was totally numb from the boobs down. She was still shivering and completely hating it, but I did my best to give her some eye contact and help her relax. She liked looking in my eyes. After just a few minutes, Jess started making faces and the nurses and doctors on the other side kept saying things like ‘you’ll feel some pressure’. No pain, just pressure, but rather a lot of very strange pressure, by the sounds of it.
They told me the head was out, and I peeked over, being a little afraid of fainting, I was okay, though, and I saw his head peaking out of a bunch of stuff. I tried not to think about the stuff, too much. Then a little bit more and there he was. I stood up and saw Baby Tyler, all born and everything. And really purple.
I sat back down with Jess for a while, and we heard a little cry or two. Within just a few moments he was breathing great and getting some really good color. They put him under the heat lamp and let me come over to see him. He’s so cute, and he has a pretty good head of hair! His head was pretty conical from all the pushing, but nothing dramatic. And the numbers:
22 inches long (pretty normal)
7 lbs, 15 Oz (they originally thought 7, 2, but it turned out to be a misscalibrated scale. Also normal)
13 inch head (also normal)
Apgar 1: 7
Apgar 5: 9
Turns out he was kinda sideways, so he wasn’t coming out well. So we *may* have been able to deliver him normally, but on balance, I still think the less risky path was the right one to take. Pretty obnoxious of him to be so darn *normal* sized and still so hard to deliver, though.
And boy howdy was he ready to go when he got out, too. He was attempting to pee on the nurses within 30 seconds of being out of jessie, and the other waste disposal unit started working right away, too. I watched them take measurements and foot stamps and everything, and then they swaddled him up and let me cary him around the operating room. I kept at a distance, I really didn’t want to be in the way for the last bit of the procedure. I watched a little bit more of the end of the surgery (again, not much, don’t want to faint with my son in my arms) where they had jess open with a little plastic funnel and were getting all of her bits back inside. Gross. Eventually they finished all that up and gave her a nice, neat bandage. Then they slipped an inflatable mattress underneath and lifted her into her recovery bed. She was still shivering at this point, but it was getting better. We went back to our room and I got to hand Tyler off to Grandma Swanson, who called her side of the family to deliver the good news. We talked with the nurses about a few things we were going to do, and then we fed Tyler. Jess was fully out of it, but all we had to do was turn her on her side and put Tyler next to her and he just fed and fed for a good half hour on one side and another 10 minutes on the other. Hungry kid. He seemed to feed quite well.
Then they took him off to get some blood from him for tests, and give him his first set of shots. He cried, of course, but settled down pretty well after that. A good swaddling seemed to calm him down a lot. We got back to the room and got a few more baby basic lessons (how to burp a newborn!) and then the hospital pediatrician came in. (Note: Tyler is fine, so no worries about any of the rest of this. It all ends well.)
They called our selected pediatrician office, and essentially decided that since Jess had a fever and a bit of oddly colored urine that there was some risk that the amniotic fluid had gotten infected. In that case, the usual plan is that our pediatrician transfers responsibility to the hospital pediatrician, who then puts the baby on antibiotics, mostly ‘just in case’. So we had some time with Tyler and then I walked him upstairs to the nursery where they checked him in. He’s been in there ever since, having forumla and getting IV stuff every once in a while and mostly just sleeping, as newborns are wont to do. I can go in and visit him anytime we want, and we’ll get him back in our room probably tomorrow morning.
Which meant we got some time to rest, such as it was. They moved us upstairs to the post-delivery rooms, mom swanson went home to sleep, and I opened up the couch and tried to get some ZZZs. Jess kept getting woken up, first by a blood oxygen monitor that kept beeping when she didn’t take slow, even breaths, so...essentially every time she fell asleep, it would wake her up. They turned that of for her, eventually. Then every couple of hours someone would come in to give her more antibiotics, or painkillers, or take blood, or whatever they felt that they had to do. I managed to sleep through much of it and get a few solid hours of sleep, a blessing.
So to the morning. Mom Swanson brought me breakfast and some donuts for the nurses, who have been doing such a good job for us. I deconstructed and have been munching on the fruit for breakfast (thanks, Aunt Shannon!) and we’ve already checked in on Tyler a few times. Jess is up and walking, though unsteadily, and is drinking simple juices and everything. We’ve got pictures (I’ll send them out in just a second) and everyone is recovering well.
And so now I’m a dad.
-N
Oh, man, where to begin.
So we got the orders to start pushing and Jessie gave it her all, and I mean her *all*. We were getting three or four pushes per contraction every time, Jess was getting red in the face and the contraction monitor was going crazy. At one point the nurse commented that the pushes looked like ‘metal hands’ ( \m/ for those of you who know what that looks like). And Tyler was starting to come right down the birth canal. You could even just make out the top of his head on each push. So Jessie kept going and going and Tyler got incrementally closer each time. Everyone was excited, the nurse even tried to stay for a few hours just so she could witness the birth, which would surely be any moment now...
But the pushing continued, Tyler would come a little farther each time and then just slip back. The nurses gave some exams and it looked like he should have been able to come out, he had space, but he just wasn’t making the journey. Jess kept pushing and pushing and pushing, doing as much as she could over and over. The doctor came by and recommended cranking up the drugs to give a stronger contraction and giving Jess a chance to rest. So we did that. For a while it was just me and her in the room and despite the presence of massive painkillers in her *spinal cord*, she was starting to feel the contractions again. I would talk her through them the best I could (I helped!) but Jess was not enjoying herself.
So after the rest, we resumed pushing, but I could tell Jess just didn’t have the energy for it anymore. She was doing her best, doing AMAZING, but clearly all the effort had taken a toll on her, and Tyler was *marginally* closer, but still wasn’t coming out.
Thats when things started to get a little scary.
Jess started shivering. Not a little, like full-on, Hypothermia-in-the-movies shivering. The nurses didn’t seem to be worried, so I took it in stride, but Jess hated it. HATED IT. She was trying to get warm, but didn’t have any real luck, even when they brought in some fresh-from-the heater blankets, which is a real luxury, as I’m sure you can imagine. Still shivering. Another hour or so of pushing, but still no baby to show for it.
Then Jess started throwing up.
I can tell you with certainty, watching my wife go through contractions, uncontrolled shivering, and vomiting at the same time is the second scariest thing I’ve ever gone through in my life, and it lasted way longer than that stupid white water rafting trip. And she had nothing to come up, just water and bile. And then after the throwing up, the contractions started to really hurt her, to the point where it was interfering with her ability to push well. We had given the epidural as many pushes as it would allow, but still no pain relief. Jess didn’t look good at all, she was just saying ‘it hurts, it hurts’, over and over, a horrible thing to hear. No yelling, though, but I think she just didn’t have the energy. Eventually we called for the anesthesiologist, who was going to be able to give jess a stronger dose of medicine. Of course, he took his sweet time getting there, and Jess was suffering all the time. It was really bad.
Finally, thankfully, the calvary arrived: the anesthesiologist and our doctor. The pain Doc gave jess a shot of some more painkillers and within just a few minutes she was looking loads better: a huge weight off my chest, let me assure you.
Oh, and I missed a step. Somewhere during that last orgy of pushing, pain, and shivering, one of the nurses took Jessie’s temp and showed it discretely to the rest of us, but not to jessie. 102.7. No wonder she was shivering, she was running one heck of a fever. They had her catheter-ized, too, and the sample wasn’t looking to clean. Not enough to start panicking, but enough to prick up some ears.
So, post pain-relief, the doctor came and talked with us about our options: either using a vacuum to help the baby come out or a c-section. We asked her what she recommended, and she said she would feel like trying the vacuum but, “I don’t have a crystal ball or anything.” To which I responded. “Well we have even less crystal than you.” I thought that was pretty clever. After a little more thought, though, after which we remembered that I was a C-baby because my head was so big, Jessie had to have her clavicle broken to fit out of her mom, and Tyler was already a week-and-a-bit overdue, it was starting to seem a little more risky. So we decided, instead, to go for the C-section. After that decision was made, everyone seemed to feel a lot better. Jess wasn’t going to have to hurt anymore, we were going to be sure to get the baby out...the best decision, all around.
So this was at around 10:00 last night, I think. I’d have to double-check the numbers. Jess got all prepped up, and I got my outer-wear on and had my camera in hand. They took her off to get her started, first, and I waited around in the room with mom Swanson until they were ready for me. Then I came in and saw jess on her side of the sheet. I didn’t look on the other side. Jess was still shivering, but at least she was totally numb from the boobs down. She was still shivering and completely hating it, but I did my best to give her some eye contact and help her relax. She liked looking in my eyes. After just a few minutes, Jess started making faces and the nurses and doctors on the other side kept saying things like ‘you’ll feel some pressure’. No pain, just pressure, but rather a lot of very strange pressure, by the sounds of it.
They told me the head was out, and I peeked over, being a little afraid of fainting, I was okay, though, and I saw his head peaking out of a bunch of stuff. I tried not to think about the stuff, too much. Then a little bit more and there he was. I stood up and saw Baby Tyler, all born and everything. And really purple.
I sat back down with Jess for a while, and we heard a little cry or two. Within just a few moments he was breathing great and getting some really good color. They put him under the heat lamp and let me come over to see him. He’s so cute, and he has a pretty good head of hair! His head was pretty conical from all the pushing, but nothing dramatic. And the numbers:
22 inches long (pretty normal)
7 lbs, 15 Oz (they originally thought 7, 2, but it turned out to be a misscalibrated scale. Also normal)
13 inch head (also normal)
Apgar 1: 7
Apgar 5: 9
Turns out he was kinda sideways, so he wasn’t coming out well. So we *may* have been able to deliver him normally, but on balance, I still think the less risky path was the right one to take. Pretty obnoxious of him to be so darn *normal* sized and still so hard to deliver, though.
And boy howdy was he ready to go when he got out, too. He was attempting to pee on the nurses within 30 seconds of being out of jessie, and the other waste disposal unit started working right away, too. I watched them take measurements and foot stamps and everything, and then they swaddled him up and let me cary him around the operating room. I kept at a distance, I really didn’t want to be in the way for the last bit of the procedure. I watched a little bit more of the end of the surgery (again, not much, don’t want to faint with my son in my arms) where they had jess open with a little plastic funnel and were getting all of her bits back inside. Gross. Eventually they finished all that up and gave her a nice, neat bandage. Then they slipped an inflatable mattress underneath and lifted her into her recovery bed. She was still shivering at this point, but it was getting better. We went back to our room and I got to hand Tyler off to Grandma Swanson, who called her side of the family to deliver the good news. We talked with the nurses about a few things we were going to do, and then we fed Tyler. Jess was fully out of it, but all we had to do was turn her on her side and put Tyler next to her and he just fed and fed for a good half hour on one side and another 10 minutes on the other. Hungry kid. He seemed to feed quite well.
Then they took him off to get some blood from him for tests, and give him his first set of shots. He cried, of course, but settled down pretty well after that. A good swaddling seemed to calm him down a lot. We got back to the room and got a few more baby basic lessons (how to burp a newborn!) and then the hospital pediatrician came in. (Note: Tyler is fine, so no worries about any of the rest of this. It all ends well.)
They called our selected pediatrician office, and essentially decided that since Jess had a fever and a bit of oddly colored urine that there was some risk that the amniotic fluid had gotten infected. In that case, the usual plan is that our pediatrician transfers responsibility to the hospital pediatrician, who then puts the baby on antibiotics, mostly ‘just in case’. So we had some time with Tyler and then I walked him upstairs to the nursery where they checked him in. He’s been in there ever since, having forumla and getting IV stuff every once in a while and mostly just sleeping, as newborns are wont to do. I can go in and visit him anytime we want, and we’ll get him back in our room probably tomorrow morning.
Which meant we got some time to rest, such as it was. They moved us upstairs to the post-delivery rooms, mom swanson went home to sleep, and I opened up the couch and tried to get some ZZZs. Jess kept getting woken up, first by a blood oxygen monitor that kept beeping when she didn’t take slow, even breaths, so...essentially every time she fell asleep, it would wake her up. They turned that of for her, eventually. Then every couple of hours someone would come in to give her more antibiotics, or painkillers, or take blood, or whatever they felt that they had to do. I managed to sleep through much of it and get a few solid hours of sleep, a blessing.
So to the morning. Mom Swanson brought me breakfast and some donuts for the nurses, who have been doing such a good job for us. I deconstructed and have been munching on the fruit for breakfast (thanks, Aunt Shannon!) and we’ve already checked in on Tyler a few times. Jess is up and walking, though unsteadily, and is drinking simple juices and everything. We’ve got pictures (I’ll send them out in just a second) and everyone is recovering well.
And so now I’m a dad.
-N
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
9:31 update
All is well, mom and baby are healthy, but we're going in for a C-section because Tyler doesn't look like he's going to fit out and we've tired out Jessie plenty.
I feel much better about this decision. We both do.
I feel much better about this decision. We both do.
Babywatch: Liveblog Part 8
17:20 Oh man the wait is killing me!
We met the doctor that will be delivering Tyler a while ago. Our original doctor swapped on call days with her, but we aren’t particularly attached to one doctor or another. Whoever feels like getting the baby out is fine with us.
Jess is having a bit more rough of a time now, but she just keeps marveling at how much worse it would be if she didn’t have an epidural. We’re almost certainly in the ‘transition’ stage now, which is the one that really, really hurts. The contractsion are about a minute apart, and barely is one done than when the next starts. Yay for medicine.
Still, though, I’m back on ‘staring in the eyes and helping breathe’ duty. Which does make me feel like I’m helping. Jess keeps telling me I’m helping a lot. Just laying my hand on her stomach is an effective painkiller. It’s like I’ve got superpowers or something.
Mom Swanson is keeping Jessie supplied with cold washclothes on the forehead, even though the last one dripped in her ear. Heh.
We’ve given a few button pushes, which does seem to help, but the remaining pain is higher on her belly, above where he epidural is most effective. Not nearly as bad as it could be, I’m sure, but still there. We suspect that this is Tyler trying to push his way out. Finally on our side, it seems, quite decent of him.
Still no orders to push yet, but we are so close!
-N
We met the doctor that will be delivering Tyler a while ago. Our original doctor swapped on call days with her, but we aren’t particularly attached to one doctor or another. Whoever feels like getting the baby out is fine with us.
Jess is having a bit more rough of a time now, but she just keeps marveling at how much worse it would be if she didn’t have an epidural. We’re almost certainly in the ‘transition’ stage now, which is the one that really, really hurts. The contractsion are about a minute apart, and barely is one done than when the next starts. Yay for medicine.
Still, though, I’m back on ‘staring in the eyes and helping breathe’ duty. Which does make me feel like I’m helping. Jess keeps telling me I’m helping a lot. Just laying my hand on her stomach is an effective painkiller. It’s like I’ve got superpowers or something.
Mom Swanson is keeping Jessie supplied with cold washclothes on the forehead, even though the last one dripped in her ear. Heh.
We’ve given a few button pushes, which does seem to help, but the remaining pain is higher on her belly, above where he epidural is most effective. Not nearly as bad as it could be, I’m sure, but still there. We suspect that this is Tyler trying to push his way out. Finally on our side, it seems, quite decent of him.
Still no orders to push yet, but we are so close!
-N
Babywatch: Liveblog Part 7
16:36 Holy crap 9 cm!
Jess was complaining that she was hurting a little more, and we had given the epidural button a couple of pushes. The nurse came in to check and it turns out that Jessie is at 9 cm! Out of nowhere! No wonder she’s feeling a little uncomfortable. Also, he’s definitely dropped into position. The excitement level has shot up from ‘mom still napping’ to ‘oh, man, so excited!’ Jess is eating some ice chips to store up ‘energy’ because before too long now, there’s going to be some pushing and then a BABY!
-N
Jess was complaining that she was hurting a little more, and we had given the epidural button a couple of pushes. The nurse came in to check and it turns out that Jessie is at 9 cm! Out of nowhere! No wonder she’s feeling a little uncomfortable. Also, he’s definitely dropped into position. The excitement level has shot up from ‘mom still napping’ to ‘oh, man, so excited!’ Jess is eating some ice chips to store up ‘energy’ because before too long now, there’s going to be some pushing and then a BABY!
-N
Babywatch: Liveblog Part 6
15:41 Shhhhh
Everyone is asleep! More or less. I konked out first, a few times, I think. I was a little sleepy and everything was relaxed, so I wanted to get some Zs before everything went crazy again. I was out for a few minutes when there was a knock on the door and in came a fruit delivery. Shannon had sent us a fruit arrangement, which was very nice. Now I know why she was asking which hospital we are in. It’s a little odd because it’s so much food and jessie isn’t allowed to eat anything, but I appreciate it. I’m going to go nom on some chocolate-covered pineapples pretty soon here. After that, I tried to sleep again, but the doctor came in for another exam. I woke up for that. 4 cm, so continuous progress is being made, yay and hoorah.
After that final interruption, I did manage to sleep for a good half-hour or so and drool all over my pillow. Jess has been napping on and off. I don’t think she’s been properly asleep that much, especially because they like to keep her moving every half-hour or so, it’s supposed to help with labor progress. Mom Swanson has, also, taken her turn on the couch. It’s actually a pretty neat couch: each half of the couch pulls out into a long bed. I pulled out one half for me. Mom Swanson fits on the couch when it’s closed.
And other than those intriguing but unimportant details, there is, thankfully, nothing to report. Jessie continues to labor away under to comforting blanket of painkillers, Tyler’s heart rate is hopping right along like the happy little chappy he is, and there’s not much for us to do but wait until someone tells us to push.
Well...us....her, really.
-N
P.S. I Just realized that if I time this right, I could make the announcement of Tyler's arrival post #600. Which would be cool, but I'm not going to try too hard.
Everyone is asleep! More or less. I konked out first, a few times, I think. I was a little sleepy and everything was relaxed, so I wanted to get some Zs before everything went crazy again. I was out for a few minutes when there was a knock on the door and in came a fruit delivery. Shannon had sent us a fruit arrangement, which was very nice. Now I know why she was asking which hospital we are in. It’s a little odd because it’s so much food and jessie isn’t allowed to eat anything, but I appreciate it. I’m going to go nom on some chocolate-covered pineapples pretty soon here. After that, I tried to sleep again, but the doctor came in for another exam. I woke up for that. 4 cm, so continuous progress is being made, yay and hoorah.
After that final interruption, I did manage to sleep for a good half-hour or so and drool all over my pillow. Jess has been napping on and off. I don’t think she’s been properly asleep that much, especially because they like to keep her moving every half-hour or so, it’s supposed to help with labor progress. Mom Swanson has, also, taken her turn on the couch. It’s actually a pretty neat couch: each half of the couch pulls out into a long bed. I pulled out one half for me. Mom Swanson fits on the couch when it’s closed.
And other than those intriguing but unimportant details, there is, thankfully, nothing to report. Jessie continues to labor away under to comforting blanket of painkillers, Tyler’s heart rate is hopping right along like the happy little chappy he is, and there’s not much for us to do but wait until someone tells us to push.
Well...us....her, really.
-N
P.S. I Just realized that if I time this right, I could make the announcement of Tyler's arrival post #600. Which would be cool, but I'm not going to try too hard.
Babywatch: Liveblog Part 5
12:45 Aaaaaaaaaaah.
The epidural is in, and everything seems to be going much, much, much better.
Jess was laboring away, really uncomfortable (read: in pain) but not being loud or yelling or anything. She said she didn’t have enough energy to yell. I was doing my best, keeping eye contact and trying to help her breathe, but there’s only so much you can do when it’s not your body on the line. We went through that for a couple of hours, and then Jess decided that since these labor pains were only going to get *worse*, that she might as well get the epidural before everything became to painful to sit up.
The monitor is great, by the way. It was really nice to have while Jessie was laboring without the painkillers because we could use it to distract her, show her the contraction ending, and know when a new one may be about to start. I can also watch Tyler’s heart rate. It’s fun when it jumps around, he’s clearly awake and getting jostled around a bit in there.
Anyway, the pain doctor showed up after just a few more contractions and set about his work. He was efficient and practiced and walked Jessie through every step. She was worried about the whole process, but she did quite well, and it didn’t hurt her nearly as much as she was worried she might. I, for the most part, looked elsewhere. I was told I didn’t ‘look’ like a fainter, but I figured that would just make it even more embarrassing when I fainted. I certainly didn’t look at her back, but I did steal a few peeks while the needle was in. I remember looking over and seeing the needle jutting out of her back. A drop of liquid came out, too. Gross. Other than that, I mostly looked away. The nurse was helping Jessie with her posture, so there wasn’t much for me to do other than try and stay conscious, which I did.
Now the drugs seem to be working just fine, and Jess is doing much, much better. Her legs are pain-killed, but not totally numb, and she has been able to cary on normal conversations and everything. She looks 100% better, which is great for me to see. She’s even so relaxed that she’s taking a nap...during labor! Science is so great!
I’ve been watching the peaks slowly rise and fall on the monitor, the contractions continue at their regular pace. Looks like one every two minutes or so: right on track. I went down to get some lunch while everything was more relaxed (fish, carrots, and rice, yum!) and now that I’m well fed, Jessie’s Mom is off getting her lunch.
So since all is well, I’m going to take a nap, too.
-N
The epidural is in, and everything seems to be going much, much, much better.
Jess was laboring away, really uncomfortable (read: in pain) but not being loud or yelling or anything. She said she didn’t have enough energy to yell. I was doing my best, keeping eye contact and trying to help her breathe, but there’s only so much you can do when it’s not your body on the line. We went through that for a couple of hours, and then Jess decided that since these labor pains were only going to get *worse*, that she might as well get the epidural before everything became to painful to sit up.
The monitor is great, by the way. It was really nice to have while Jessie was laboring without the painkillers because we could use it to distract her, show her the contraction ending, and know when a new one may be about to start. I can also watch Tyler’s heart rate. It’s fun when it jumps around, he’s clearly awake and getting jostled around a bit in there.
Anyway, the pain doctor showed up after just a few more contractions and set about his work. He was efficient and practiced and walked Jessie through every step. She was worried about the whole process, but she did quite well, and it didn’t hurt her nearly as much as she was worried she might. I, for the most part, looked elsewhere. I was told I didn’t ‘look’ like a fainter, but I figured that would just make it even more embarrassing when I fainted. I certainly didn’t look at her back, but I did steal a few peeks while the needle was in. I remember looking over and seeing the needle jutting out of her back. A drop of liquid came out, too. Gross. Other than that, I mostly looked away. The nurse was helping Jessie with her posture, so there wasn’t much for me to do other than try and stay conscious, which I did.
Now the drugs seem to be working just fine, and Jess is doing much, much better. Her legs are pain-killed, but not totally numb, and she has been able to cary on normal conversations and everything. She looks 100% better, which is great for me to see. She’s even so relaxed that she’s taking a nap...during labor! Science is so great!
I’ve been watching the peaks slowly rise and fall on the monitor, the contractions continue at their regular pace. Looks like one every two minutes or so: right on track. I went down to get some lunch while everything was more relaxed (fish, carrots, and rice, yum!) and now that I’m well fed, Jessie’s Mom is off getting her lunch.
So since all is well, I’m going to take a nap, too.
-N
Babywatch: Liveblog Part 4
9:22 Another quick break
Jess was having some nice, semi-regular contractions for a while there, but less so, now. At least, according to the monitors. She’s still feeling something, and they’re slowly cranking up the induction drug bit by bit to help her ramp up. She’s definitely got some ‘uncomfortable-face’ going on, but nothing dramatic and painful yet. I’ve been reading to her to pass the time and let her relax her eyes and her...everything else, really. I do my best. Hopefully the real labor will start pretty soon and we can get on our way to helping Tyler get out.
-N
11:25 Off to the races
We’re definitely in labor now. The contractions are periodic and regular, and Jess is pretty miserable. I’m doing my best with breathing and looking into her eyes. Not much more to report past that. We’re considering epidurals, and I think we’ve sent for the anesthesiologist. Other than that, we’re just trying to get through each contraction as it comes, offering Jess whatever support I can give to her.
-N
Jess was having some nice, semi-regular contractions for a while there, but less so, now. At least, according to the monitors. She’s still feeling something, and they’re slowly cranking up the induction drug bit by bit to help her ramp up. She’s definitely got some ‘uncomfortable-face’ going on, but nothing dramatic and painful yet. I’ve been reading to her to pass the time and let her relax her eyes and her...everything else, really. I do my best. Hopefully the real labor will start pretty soon and we can get on our way to helping Tyler get out.
-N
11:25 Off to the races
We’re definitely in labor now. The contractions are periodic and regular, and Jess is pretty miserable. I’m doing my best with breathing and looking into her eyes. Not much more to report past that. We’re considering epidurals, and I think we’ve sent for the anesthesiologist. Other than that, we’re just trying to get through each contraction as it comes, offering Jess whatever support I can give to her.
-N
Babywatch: Liveblog Part 3
8:25 AM
Man, I keep getting worried that at any moment this will be my last entry as things get all crazy. Apologies if I build this up as some big thing and then fail to follow through, but I’m here for Jessie, not for you. :)
The drip started at 8:15 this morning, and still nothing dramatic. The doctor has checked in and we’ll be breaking the water pretty soon. Things are happening!
8:39 AM
Doctor visit one has come and gone. We’ve broken the water, so we have at most 24 hours from here, though I doubt they’d let it go that far. Jess is on her back and doing her best to relax, and the contractions are definitely more pronounced on the monitor, if not the pain scale, which is good.
Oh, wait, I lied. Jess is starting to feel it. I may stop writing so that I can help Jessie out.
-N
Man, I keep getting worried that at any moment this will be my last entry as things get all crazy. Apologies if I build this up as some big thing and then fail to follow through, but I’m here for Jessie, not for you. :)
The drip started at 8:15 this morning, and still nothing dramatic. The doctor has checked in and we’ll be breaking the water pretty soon. Things are happening!
8:39 AM
Doctor visit one has come and gone. We’ve broken the water, so we have at most 24 hours from here, though I doubt they’d let it go that far. Jess is on her back and doing her best to relax, and the contractions are definitely more pronounced on the monitor, if not the pain scale, which is good.
Oh, wait, I lied. Jess is starting to feel it. I may stop writing so that I can help Jessie out.
-N
Babywatch: Liveblog Part 2
8:03 We’re waiting for Tyler to wake up. He was probably asleep when we first go here, low heart rate and not a lot of motion. But getting Jessie some fluids and having her lay on her side has gotten him wide awake. We’re going to wait just a little longer to be sure, and then we’ll start the drip. Watching his heart rate monitor go up and down (within tolerances) is quite a sight to see. He’s getting excited, too. Mom and Jessie are both reading to pass the time. It’s a good thing we brought some entertainment.
I’ll be posting these things randomly, as I get the time to do them, so there may be a lot all at once. I don’t actually know what I’m doing, so this whole experiment may fall apart.
-N
I’ll be posting these things randomly, as I get the time to do them, so there may be a lot all at once. I don’t actually know what I’m doing, so this whole experiment may fall apart.
-N
Babywatch: Liveblog Part 1
Wednesday, 30 March, 2011
6:05 AM
We woke up this morning to the smell of bacon. Not a bad way to start a day. We’ve had breakfast of bacon and eggs and sausage and english muffins made by Jessie’s mom. Jessie thought she would be too nervous to eat, but it turns out she’s just fine. We’re done eating and all ready to go...and, of course, we’re too early.
(Prediction: a few entries at the beginning, and then a big jump to ‘woah, that was crazy...the baby is here!’)
7:42 AM
We’ve gotten past the preliminaries at the hospital, all checked in and set up in the room and everything. I, of course, had to make sure we didn’t actually show up in the hospital too early, because Jessie would have gotten us here at least a half hour early if it was just up to her. Check in went very smoothly and we’re currently sitting in our assigned room, very nice and spacious, just like in the tour we did before. The lights are low and relaxing but Jessie was completely nervous when she first came in the door. She said she almost cried but Noel helped her through it. I feel very dad-like.
The first few nurses have come and gone, and we’ve gotten medical history typed in, and have signed a million consent forms telling use we’re risking brain damage and paralysis just by being here. A little nervous to sign those. Then Jessie got an IV put in, maybe the first one she’s ever been conscious for. We practiced the breathing exercises while they put the needle in and it totally helped, so already that class has paid for itself.
Jess has a few fetal monitors on her right now and we can hear Tyler’s heart slowly...okay, quickly beating away in the background. We also have some contraction monitors on and evidently Jess has been having some sporadic contractions this entire time. So that’s good news, I guess. I suppose as soon as the drugs get administered, the contractions will get much stronger.
We’re about the start the drugs. Excitement!
-N
6:05 AM
We woke up this morning to the smell of bacon. Not a bad way to start a day. We’ve had breakfast of bacon and eggs and sausage and english muffins made by Jessie’s mom. Jessie thought she would be too nervous to eat, but it turns out she’s just fine. We’re done eating and all ready to go...and, of course, we’re too early.
(Prediction: a few entries at the beginning, and then a big jump to ‘woah, that was crazy...the baby is here!’)
7:42 AM
We’ve gotten past the preliminaries at the hospital, all checked in and set up in the room and everything. I, of course, had to make sure we didn’t actually show up in the hospital too early, because Jessie would have gotten us here at least a half hour early if it was just up to her. Check in went very smoothly and we’re currently sitting in our assigned room, very nice and spacious, just like in the tour we did before. The lights are low and relaxing but Jessie was completely nervous when she first came in the door. She said she almost cried but Noel helped her through it. I feel very dad-like.
The first few nurses have come and gone, and we’ve gotten medical history typed in, and have signed a million consent forms telling use we’re risking brain damage and paralysis just by being here. A little nervous to sign those. Then Jessie got an IV put in, maybe the first one she’s ever been conscious for. We practiced the breathing exercises while they put the needle in and it totally helped, so already that class has paid for itself.
Jess has a few fetal monitors on her right now and we can hear Tyler’s heart slowly...okay, quickly beating away in the background. We also have some contraction monitors on and evidently Jess has been having some sporadic contractions this entire time. So that’s good news, I guess. I suppose as soon as the drugs get administered, the contractions will get much stronger.
We’re about the start the drugs. Excitement!
-N
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)