Both kids are asleep, and now that I'm sitting down to write this, they'll surely wake up, but I might as well squeeze in what I can with however much time I have ...
Yesterday was Evan's three-week birthday and if I don't get this down I'm going to forget all the details of his birth. It's already a bit hazy.
Labor this time was as different as it could possibly have been from Claire's labor and delivery. Thank the Lord! I had a wonderful nurse who was incredibly attentive. Halfway through the day I found out why -- I was her only patient. Sweet! One of the nicest things she did was take notes for me throughout the day, which I didn't even know she was doing until it was all over and she handed me this:
So there's the play-by-play for you.
Things started out a little slow but before long I was in a good pattern of regular contractions, thanks to the pitocin. Once the doctor finally broke my water (he was attending to us in between running errands around town -- we thought he was joking when he first told us this, but realized later he was serious), things progressed quickly.
I got the epidural soon after that -- this time I didn't consider not having one, and I know people have passionate opinions for and against epidurals, but there is no doubt it was the right decision. The pain was never unbearable. In fact, getting the epidural was probably the worst part of the whole day (but so worth it!).
Before long I started to feel pressure and the nurse checked me and I was dilated to 6.5. Just a few minutes later I felt a lot more pressure and she checked me again and I was at 10 cm! I couldn't believe it. She started prepping for delivery and called the doctor to tell him to get there ASAP. About 30 minutes later they gave me the go-ahead to start pushing, and just a few minutes after that Evan was born. I could not believe how much easier the entire process was. I now feel like I've experienced an extremely easy labor and an extremely difficult one and I just wish I knew which was the fluke.
During Claire's labor the nurses wouldn't let me eat, and I know that was a major contributor to my exhaustion. How are you supposed to have the energy to give birth if you haven't eaten in more than a day? This time, Matt and I were prepared. We brought tons of food to the hospital and Matt kept me well-fed. Our nurse didn't officially condone this but she definitely looked the other way. She also understood the powers of ice-cold Coke and kept me supplied with them.
The main issue with Claire, of course, was that she was sunny-side-up. Evan wasn't. Thank you, Evan! Thank you, God!
Evan weighed exactly the same at birth as Claire did, but he was about an inch shorter (7 pounds 9 ounces, 20.5 inches). Of course, Claire had a conehead from the vaccuum, so they were probably actually about the exact same size.
He's a good baby so far -- eats constantly (no jaundice, and was already up to 8 pounds 10 ounces at his two-week appointment) and sleeps pretty well. Nights are far from perfect but they're already much improved. Claire has her moments but overall she's adjusting very well. She likes Evan a lot, and is constantly kissing him and asking to hold him and suggesting that he needs food or his pacifier. The decreased access to my lap is the main thing she's having to get used to, but the clinginess that defined the first few days home from the hospital has pretty much disappeared and she's back to normal.
Friends and family kept us supplied with meals since his birth, and now we have Thanksgiving leftovers to enjoy. Not only did it simplify life to have meals brought to us, we have acquired at least half a dozen delicious new recipes. I highly recommend it.
Recovery was quick -- it's essentially complete now. I ran for the first time since his birth yesterday and it was wonderful, albeit slow.
I have much more to write about all of this but I will wait and post it on my main blog -- which, despite evidence to the contrary, I have not abandoned. One of these days I'll get my groove back!
Yesterday was Evan's three-week birthday and if I don't get this down I'm going to forget all the details of his birth. It's already a bit hazy.
Labor this time was as different as it could possibly have been from Claire's labor and delivery. Thank the Lord! I had a wonderful nurse who was incredibly attentive. Halfway through the day I found out why -- I was her only patient. Sweet! One of the nicest things she did was take notes for me throughout the day, which I didn't even know she was doing until it was all over and she handed me this:
So there's the play-by-play for you.Things started out a little slow but before long I was in a good pattern of regular contractions, thanks to the pitocin. Once the doctor finally broke my water (he was attending to us in between running errands around town -- we thought he was joking when he first told us this, but realized later he was serious), things progressed quickly.
I got the epidural soon after that -- this time I didn't consider not having one, and I know people have passionate opinions for and against epidurals, but there is no doubt it was the right decision. The pain was never unbearable. In fact, getting the epidural was probably the worst part of the whole day (but so worth it!).
Before long I started to feel pressure and the nurse checked me and I was dilated to 6.5. Just a few minutes later I felt a lot more pressure and she checked me again and I was at 10 cm! I couldn't believe it. She started prepping for delivery and called the doctor to tell him to get there ASAP. About 30 minutes later they gave me the go-ahead to start pushing, and just a few minutes after that Evan was born. I could not believe how much easier the entire process was. I now feel like I've experienced an extremely easy labor and an extremely difficult one and I just wish I knew which was the fluke.
During Claire's labor the nurses wouldn't let me eat, and I know that was a major contributor to my exhaustion. How are you supposed to have the energy to give birth if you haven't eaten in more than a day? This time, Matt and I were prepared. We brought tons of food to the hospital and Matt kept me well-fed. Our nurse didn't officially condone this but she definitely looked the other way. She also understood the powers of ice-cold Coke and kept me supplied with them.
The main issue with Claire, of course, was that she was sunny-side-up. Evan wasn't. Thank you, Evan! Thank you, God!
Evan weighed exactly the same at birth as Claire did, but he was about an inch shorter (7 pounds 9 ounces, 20.5 inches). Of course, Claire had a conehead from the vaccuum, so they were probably actually about the exact same size.
He's a good baby so far -- eats constantly (no jaundice, and was already up to 8 pounds 10 ounces at his two-week appointment) and sleeps pretty well. Nights are far from perfect but they're already much improved. Claire has her moments but overall she's adjusting very well. She likes Evan a lot, and is constantly kissing him and asking to hold him and suggesting that he needs food or his pacifier. The decreased access to my lap is the main thing she's having to get used to, but the clinginess that defined the first few days home from the hospital has pretty much disappeared and she's back to normal.
Friends and family kept us supplied with meals since his birth, and now we have Thanksgiving leftovers to enjoy. Not only did it simplify life to have meals brought to us, we have acquired at least half a dozen delicious new recipes. I highly recommend it.
Recovery was quick -- it's essentially complete now. I ran for the first time since his birth yesterday and it was wonderful, albeit slow.
I have much more to write about all of this but I will wait and post it on my main blog -- which, despite evidence to the contrary, I have not abandoned. One of these days I'll get my groove back!
