Pregled posta

Marketing

I went in for my 39 week appointment on Tuesday, August 2nd. I asked my doctor to strip my membranes in an attempt to go into labor on my own, otherwise it was the plan that I would be induced by membraned rupture sometime over the weekend. My membranes were stipped around 9:45 am. Roxy, David and I were all a little hungry and we went home and had an early lunch. I had been feeling a little crampy since the stripping, but I was expecting that. Around 11:45-noon I was noticing that my cramps were getting stronger and more regular and felt a little different from menturation cramping since they felt like they were pulling from the top of my stomach. David started timing them and his mom took Roxy to run errands and watch movies at her house. They brought back snacks for David and I. I thought I shouldn't eat anything since I wasn't really that hungry, but I had some chips and quac anyways. At this point I wasn't convinced that I was actually in labor, it just felt like it was too good to be true since membrane stipping hadn't worked at all in my last pregnancy. I tried showering, eating, drinking, standing, sitting, and lying down. No matter what I did the contractions were regular and picking up in intensity. At one point they had doubled my over the side of my bed. David washed and gloved up and checked my cervix for me and determined that I was at 5cm, 2 more cm than what I had been at that morning at the doctor's office. At this point I had been laboring at home for almost 5 hours and we decided that I should go to labor and delivery. We get to the hospital at around 4:45 and I'm checked and I am indeed 5 cm so they admit me. I told the nurses of my plan for a non-medicated, minimal intervetion labor and birth. Everyone is on board and many of my wants are hospital policy, which was very comforting. I was able to labor in a tub for about an hour before contractions started feeling like they were putting pressure on my bottom. I get out and find that I've dialated to a 7 in less than 2 hours. Things are going really fast! The intensity of the contractions is getting worse and worse and when I'm told I'm at an 8 I ask David to call his parent's to get Roxy to the hospital. I think it was probably about 8:30 pm or so when the contactions are only 2-3 minutes apart and so intense that I feel like I'm having an out of body experience everytime one hits me. I literally felt like I was going insane. At one point my mom asks David if I'm having back labor, he didn't think I was. I was one of those women that could be heard from the otherside of town, I was screaming and yelling through the contractions. Roxy was taken from the room at some point, maybe when I had been begging for the epidural. I had been stalled out at about 8-8.5cm for nearly 3 hours and the pain was unbarable, especially when they had broken my water. I had my epidural shortly after 9pm and once I was relaxed my body was able to work efficietnly and I was having contractions less than 1 minute apart. I felt so much relief after my epidural, I felt pressure and touch and was able to move my legs, but no more pain! I was checked shortly after the epi and I had indeed been having back labor, Galen was sunnyside up! The Dr. said I was ready to push and with just 10 minutes of pushing and 40 minutes after recieving my epi, Galen David Robinson came into the world at 9:59pm! By the Dr.'s description is was a beautiful delivery and it was! He kinda spun himself around with each push until he came our face down, like he was meant to. He was placed directly onto my chest, where he remained for the first 1.5 of his life. David cut his cord, which by the way, had a true umbilical knot (pretty rare from what the dr. said and he was the second baby of the night to have one in that hospital!). After he was removed from my chest he was weighted. He's a big boy! 8 pounds 12 ounces and 21 inches long! His head is 14 inches around and I didn't tear! He's almost exatcly 2 lbs bigger and 2 inches longer than his sister was at birth! We refused all vaccinations at birth, including the eye goop and vitamin K. He passed all his tests with flying colors and despite not getting vitamin K, didn't bleed out when getting his heel stick, lol! We got to leave less than 24 hours after delivery which is awesome! Although I didn't end up going completely natural, I am so happy with how my son's birth went. I only had the epidural for 40 minutes of my 10 hour labor and I'm so proud of myself for lasting as long as I did!

.

I was a day late and it was Christmas eve.. it was perfect.. the lights in the house, the decorations, the food, craving for salmon.. I realised, could it be? :) I am never late.. then I thought maybe it's nothing.. let's toast to Christmas and family.. we had our champange, ate our salmon salad as starters :) and then the wine.. why did the wine taste so weird.. I love red wine.. then I thought, perhaps it's the French wine, different than the usual we drink..

I couldn't help but think, what if? :) we were not aiming.. we thought it's okay to have it.. but now? :) I didn't finish the wine.. whispered at Alex's ear, I might be.. he was calm.. he said, enjoy the christmas party, because what if not? right? and then the usual coffee drinking with brandy.. I thought I'll definitely skip that one.. making up a reason that coffee would keep me awake. in fact that coffee with that amount of brandy wouldn't keep anyone awake :)

next day, more cravings for salmon.. again strange taste of wine, a different type this time.. no, there's definitely something different this time.. Alex and I didn't talk about it for a couple of days, but we had this meaningful exchange of smiles every now and then or squeezing hands under the blanket.. we both knew what it referred to..

a week later, after eating more smoked salmon.. I bought the test.. I bought the cheapest one.. the least attractive.. because what if not.. I didn't want to get my hopes high.. Alex arrived home. I said, shall we? he said ok.. it said wait five minutes for an accurate result. it was clear within 20 seconds.. two strips.. could it be any faster? :)) we hugged, we were nervous, in a nice sort of way :) Dropje was staring at us the whole time, I called her, patted her and said, in 9 months you're going to have a friend who is almost the same size as you and the same weight as you, but hopefully less hairy :) she knew something was different between me and Alex, we grabbed her and altogether celebrated the news of the little one.