September 20, 2008
Remember, when I was pregnant, I did some modeling for maternity shirts? How could you forget? I keep bringing it up. (Man, my hair was “crackin” back then. It’s my new word.)
Well, I knew the time was coming. She designs new shirts for the seasons, and it’s no longer summer and I am no longer pregnant. Hence, I was replaced by a younger more attractive model. See for yourself…
July 16, 2008
Joe and I at the pool on the 4th of July.
Relaxing in the shade with Sara.
Joe's family after the baby shower. I thought my legs looked pretty good to balance out that belly.
July 14, 2008
So, like the first and only post I made that day, contractions started at 3:00 am on Monday, July 7th. The night before, Joe, Liam and I took a walk around the block, which I was hoping would help Jude come easily. I told Joe that I was having back pain, but we figured it was probably due to my very large size.
So, at three, when I was feeling the tensing in my back, I knew that these were probably contractions and not just aches from my sleep position. So, the gears in my head were working. I needed to go to work to drop off paperwork and by the county court to deal with a ticket, so I was trying to map out my day. I really didn’t want to go to work, so I was like, this will be a good reason to just drop everything off. I will tell them I need to be near home because of the contractions. I just couldn’t sleep and as the pain grew, my plans for the day changed…first change…Joe was going to have to drive me…then…I clearly wasn’t going anywhere but the hospital.
Joe woke up around 4:30 and asked me what was wrong. I told him that I was having contractions. He seemed excited and said, What should I do?” I told him to try to sleep as much as he could. Joe said that I should do the same. I ended up getting in the bath tub twice that morning between 4:30 & 6:30 am. I paced the house, I crawled on the floor, and I reflected on the conversation we had the night before:
Christy: I still want to try to do this naturally. So, you have to encourage me to keep it up and that is what I want.
Joe: Okay.
Christy: So, even if I say I want drugs, you should say, Christy, I know this is important. You can do it.
Joe: Okay.
Christy: But, if I give you the code word, no more encouraging and get me the drugs.
Joe: Okay.
So, after bath number two, I was like, this is not going to be pleasant without the drugs. At about 6:40, I woke up Joe and told him that we needed to start timing the contractions. So, I finished packing and Joe got a pen and paper for us to write all that down. I remember at one point, I was making the bed and Joe said to me, “Should you be doing that?” I told him, “I have about 4 more minutes before another one comes, so I am fine until then.”
7:45 AM: I paged my doctor. Unfortunately, I had already posted on the blog that I was having contractions, so when my doctor called me back, she happened to call at the same time someone else was calling me. So, her call went straight to voicemail. I cried when I realized that I missed her call and that she wanted me to call the office at 8:00 for a labor check appt. due to the fact that she was out of the office on Monday. At 8:00, I called the office and no one answered. I called for 15 minutes with no answer, and because I was so upset, the contractions started to get more spaced apart. Finally, I told Joe that we should just get in the car, because I wasn’t going to sit here any longer.
I finally had to call the answering service and told them that I couldn’t get a hold of anyone, and they got someone on the backline, who was able to work me in at 9:00. We dropped Liam off at Joe’s aunts, and we headed to the hospital. When I got to the office, I was in the middle of a contraction, so I sat outside the waiting room. They called me in and said, “Uh, Christy…Dr. Hart is not here today,” to which I responded in mid-contraction:
I know —–pause—- I am in labor—- Dr. Hart told me to get a labor check——pause—- I spoke to someone in the back—-I don’t know who—–pause—–they are going to work me in–pause–I don’t know who is going to see me.
9:00 AM: So, they figured everything out and took me back to my regular room. I found it odd that they still made me get on the scale and give a urine sample. I was thinking, this isn’t a regular appointment. Dr. Eduardo came back to look at me and said that I was 100% effaced and dilated to a 5-6. She asked, “Are you planning on doing this naturally or do you want some medical intervention?” Joe said that I gave it up so quick. I said, “No, I want the drugs.”
Unfortunately, the hospital didn’t have any rooms ready because they had a busy weekend of births, so I had to wait in the office. They put me in a recliner behind a screen and hooked me up to a fetal heart monitor and a contraction monitor. I was impressed at how calm Joe had been this whole time. He seemed excited, but was very calm about everything. I had him call my parents, but neither one of them answered. We called over and over again, at least 15 times, but still no answer.
I am at the doctor's office waiting to go to the hospital.
10:00 AM: They finally had a free room for me, so they wheeled me over to the hospital. When they get me into the room, I noticed that I was not in the nice labor and delivery suites from the tour…but the tiny, windowless triage room. The nurse Roni needed me to sign papers and was entering all my info in the computer. She told me that they told Dr. Eduardo that they could either put me in this room or send me to South Austin Hospital, thank God the Dr. chose the former. Joe asked her if this was the room that I would deliver in and she said no, that we were waiting for them to clean the room after a patient checked out. She told me the anesthesiologist should be up in half and hour and they wanted to start an IV and do some labs.
10:30 AM: The nurse comes back and tells me that the anesthesiologist wants me to finish a whole bag of IV fluids and needs to see my labs before he comes up. At this point, the contractions are getting stronger and I am trying to keep it under control. They hooked my IV to the thing with wheels, so I could walk around and go the bathroom, which helped, since I felt like I had privacy in the bathroom to moan and whimper, if needed. In between contractions, we chatted up the nurse and find out that she was going to have a baby, as well…a little girl. Joe gets his family to bring him some Starbucks and our bags from the car.
After 11:00 AM: We finally get a hold of both my parents. Go figure…my mom left her cell phone in the car and my dad left his cell phone at home. My mom called me every day to ask me if I was having a baby and the day that I am, her phone is nowhere near her. Joe talks to them because I am in pain.
The anesthesiologist still has not come, but the contractions have certainly grown stronger. At this point, it is getting really intense. I am trying everything I can think of to endure them. I am squatting, sitting, bending over the bed, rocking my hips, moaning, breathing, not breathing, lying on my side, having Joe press on my back. The pain was so intense in my back, that I would have to sit up straight if I was lying down. Joe did amazing. Holding my hand and asking me what I need. At this point, I really started to get scared. The pain was intense and I knew that there was more to come. I started to get the shakes in my legs and I was so tired in between the contractions, that I could almost fall asleep. I feared that I had hit the transition stage (7-10 cm) and that it may be too late for me to get an epidural.
They offered me some narcotics in my IV to take the edge off, but they said it can make people feel drunk. I am very sensitive to medicine, so I refused because if it commonly makes people feel drunk, I knew it would make me feel 10 times worse.
11:45 AM: I won’t forget that time, because that is when the nurse came in and apologetically told me, “Dr. Taylor won’t be able to come up until noon. I am sorry.” When the nurse turned to face the computer, I just broke down in tears. Joe did his best to comfort me. I told Joe I hurt so bad and that 15 minutes meant at least 3 more contractions. “You can do it, you are doing so good,” he said. I tried to pull it together, but contractions were washing over me and I just concentrated on managing them and having Joe help me sit up to endure them. I remember a friend who told me that you get amnesia for the pain you have in labor, and I thought to myself, “I hope I forget this!” I felt like I was in the exorcist. I was moaning during the contractions and I felt out of control of myself.
12:03 PM: The anesthesiologist comes into the room. He apologizes for the wait, but this is not time for politeness and manners, I just stare at him as you would at a man who made you wait for 2 hours for an epidural. Apparently, he had an emergency c-section, but stories were of no use for me. He gets me prepped and explains the risks. Now I am really scared about being punctured in my spine. As he is getting ready to insert the epidural after numbing the area, I get a contraction. I thought maybe that would stop him, but no…he proceeds. I was squeezing Joe’s hand and I think I may have been holding the nurses hand, as well. I squeezed Joe so tightly and then it was over. Unfortunately, the relief was not immediate. I still need to wait for 20 minutes to have numbness and reduction of pain.
Around 1:00 PM: My room is finally ready and they wheel me in there. Now that I am situated, they check my cervix and I am already at 9 cm. I am thankful they did not check me in the other room, because I wonder if they would have still given me an epidural. My water still had not broken, but at this point I am feeling much better and excited in anticipation of what was to come. Joe’s two aunts that had been waiting in the waiting room came back and chatted with us. I felt so much calmer and at peace now that the pain was under control. I even tried to do a Sudoku puzzle, but my mind wasn’t too clear.
3:00 PM: Around this time, Dr. Eduardo comes to check on me and I am fully dilated. She breaks my water for me and it’s relatively uneventful. Now we were just waiting for the urge to push.
Joe started playing with all the stuff in the room. He kept checking on my "progress" with the fancy light.
4:00 PM: My mom and my stepdad finally arrive. I talk to her and tell her how I am feeling. She is really excited to be a grandmother again. At some point, a rainstorm came through and we could see it out the window.
4:30 PM: The nurse decides that maybe we can start pushing to help things get started. I still didn’t have the urge to push, but she said that if we get him moved down the birth canal, my body may respond well to that. The problem was that I couldn’t feel the muscles that I needed to contract, so I couldn’t tell if I was doing it right.
Of course, during this point, Joe’s glasses just spontaneously break. I don’t mean a pin fell out…they outright broke! The nurse offers him some tape, but he refuses. I was so worried that Joe was going to be grossed out by everything, but he was really fascinated. As I was pushing, Joe and the nurse could see the baby’s hair. Joe was like, you should see this. So, they wheeled in the birthing mirror for me to see. Let me say, that was not the nicest view in the room, but it actually helped me to push. I could concentrate on how to get his head moved down the birth canal and I could see when I was doing it right.
I kept telling Joe, I just want him out. I kept meditating on that I will be able to push him out and see him. The problem was that my contractions were so irregular. They would be spaced out 6-7 minutes, then I would get two in a row that lasted almost two minutes each. So, I was pushing for 4 cycles instead of 3 to get maximum use out of them. The nurse said, I might need pitocin to make my contractions more regular. I really didn’t want it, so I just worked harder.
Apparently, Dr. Eduardo was delivering another baby at the same time. We were joking that we needed to beat the other couple. But, it worked out that they delivered before me because the doctor couldn’t be in two places at once. So, at 6:00, I finally got the baby to crown and they went to get the doctor in the room. I was so proud of myself. It was just Joe and I in the room, and he told me he was nervous that he was about to be a dad.
So, now it was pushing like you see in the movies. There were stirrups and more people in the room and lights. Until then, we left all the lights off and just had peaceful outside lighting from the windows. Unfortunately, I needed an episiotomy to make enough room to deliver the baby. I just remember it was so close, and everyone was encouraging me. Then I could hear pure excitement in Joe’s voice as he said, “Look, Christy, look. He is here.” I don’t remember even looking because my eyes were closed as I pushed, but I looked up and I saw my son and I heard his cry for the first time and it was amazing. Absolutely amazing. I just tried to take it all in. They laid the baby on me and I got to hold him and I looked at Joe and it was timeless. He was born at 6:09 PM.
Moments after Jude was born
He had such a cute cry!
Our nurse Roni was so helpful and supportive throughout the whole day.
Joe shows off Jude to Grandpa.
We had an hour and half to be together with our baby. Joe cut the umbilical cord and watched as they did a few tests and measurements. There was plenty of time for Joe and I to hold him and love on him. Joe went back to the waiting room to share the good news and tell them all about Jude. Our family and friends finally got to come back around 7:45 and visiting hours were over at 9:00. It was so exciting to have all those people there to share that moment with us. Jude is truly a loved little boy.
July 8, 2008
I couldn’t resist marking the birth of our baby-Beatle boy, Jude, with any other title.
Jude Alexander
Born at 6:09 pm on 07/07/08
He weighed 7 lbs.
Mom & Dad both fell in love with him instantly.
More details and pictures once we get home.
Wednesday, June 9th: We are home now. Here are some pictures to share. By the way, Jude was born on Ringo Starr’s birthday. Gotta love that. I’ll write up a birth story and post more pictures once we’ve all had more sleep and more food.
Jude was just born
The Mitchell family
Happy Birthday, Jude! These folks all endured a very boring waiting room in order to wish you well on your first day of life.
July 7, 2008
Well, maybe that title is a stretch. I have had a relatively low-complaint pregnancy, so I guess it’s about time that I start experiencing some pains. It’s mainly my back and feet now that my weight has skyrocketed to new levels. But, every morning I wake up, I still feel “like myself” and nothing seems different. So, I am anxious to know when the baby will arrive and how I will feel.
We’ve had a nice 4th of July three-day weekend. Although, Joe has gotten terribly sick. He thought it was allergies (and it may have started that way) but it’s a cold or something. He’s snotty, achy, grumpy, and coughy (you know…the dwarves of sickness). His older sister came to town, so we’ve been doing family stuff all weekend, like a barbeque at the park and dinner at his aunt’s house. It’s been prety relaxed.
So, we are still waiting. I appreciate that the baby didn’t come during the peak of Joe’s sickness. He was really delirious at some points. I think we are ready…well…ready as one can be. But, now we can’t even call people to chat because they want to know if we are having the baby and is that why we are calling. So folks, it’s just better to assume that we are NOT having the baby, and be surprised when we do. Because, so far, we are not having a baby.
July 3, 2008
He’s still in my belly. The doctor said I am between 3-4 cm dilated and about 80% effaced. How is he still hanging in there? I’ll tell you how…my little boy really must want to go to Volente Beach tomorrow. If he can get me through Thursday, I am done with my work with kids. But, let’s hope that he doesn’t decide to come while at the waterpark. At least Joe will be there with me tomorrow. But, Volente Beach is quite a drive back to the hospital.
Joe was however disappointed that I turned down an offer from my OB to have my “membranes swept” in order to move things along. I’ll let you google that one, if you are interested. But, I told her I had one more day of work and that I figured someone would be ruining her three-day weekend soon.
June 30, 2008
Can you believe it? The big day is getting closer and closer. Any guesses on when he will come?
June 28, 2008
So, I’ve been a little wiped out by everything…pregnancy, heat, and work make for a powerful sleep cocktail. So, I’ve been lazy about blogging, but I will catch everyone up on the past week.
Last Saturday: My Shower
Last week was my very fun (but thankfully last) shower, hosted by my friend Courtney and two of Joe’s aunts. It was so nice to get to spend time with everyone and I got a lot of useful and lovely gifts. It was also nice to have other people organize my house. It was like the shower fairies came and made everything look nice for a party and then it was all cleaned up. (Usually I spend the whole time we have guests over cleaning as I go). Liam was actually very good, even with all those people in the house. He kept trying to get in photos and sat underneath the bench as I was opening gifts.
The only downside that day was that midway through the shower, our thermostat went out. We didn’t realize what had happened until Joe came home and a lot of people had left. We have a digital thermostat, and it was the second time that week that it just blanked out. I knew it felt warm, but my body temperature gauge is off, obviously. So, after everyone left Joe fixed the thermostat…which required us and our friends, Steve and Courtney (plus their two girls) to sit a very hot house for 2 hours since the electricity had to be turned off. But, he got it working, and that is what counts.
I was really fearful that I would go into labor, because it seems like those labor stories always start with some big event, like, “It was the 4th of July and the air conditioner went out. Then we got a flat on both the cars and I went into labor…” Luckily, no labor. But, since Joe had family in town, everyone came back over to the house (once it was cooled down) for some pizza and Wii bowling. By midnight, I was exhausted. I wanted to stay up and hang out with our friends Steve and Courtney (since it has been a while since all 4 of us were together), but someone has to be the first to fall asleep. Which is okay with me, because they stayed up until 4:00 am, and eventually had to break down the reality of childbirth for Joe. But, Joe didn’t seem scared.
Tuesday: What the thermostat broke again?
That’s right folks, the thermostat went out again. Believe me, pregnant Christy who spent all day sweating at the zoo was not the Christy who wanted to come home to an 84 degree house. Joe put fans on me in order to cool me off and cool my tempers. He rewired it and I am proud to report, no more indoor heatwaves!
Thursday: Trip to Bastrop State Park
Work went as it usually does. I have been busy with taking my summer camp kids on field trips. Thursday, we went to Bastrop for fishing and swimming, and just a little sunburning on my part. All my coworkers were surprised I was “still kicking.” To be honest, I woke up that morning and did not feel like myself. My stomach hurt like it was really full and pushing down on my uterus and I just didn’t feel like myself. But, floating in the pool definitely helped.
We had family night at our house that night, where Joe’s family came over for dinner. After they left I told Joe, that I really didn’t feel like myself and that tonight may be the night. His eyes lit up like he had found a golden ticket. “Really!” I told him, I didn’t know when it was going to happen, but to just be prepared. I said, if it is going to happen, I am going to bed now because I am exhausted. Joe was truly excited, but I have to admit I was really nervous, as the reality approaches ever closer.
Friday: It Didn’t Happen…That’s Fine with Me
Friday, nothing much of anything happened. The doctor said that I am still at 3 cm and 75% effaced. She said the baby is at a -1 station, so a cm away from being truly engaged. She said that I could go into labor in two days or two weeks. So, we wait.
June 21, 2008
Did you know Daddy bird’s nest? They do at our house. Joe has been on a nesting kick the past week. Since I have been exhausted with work and pregnancy, he promised me that he would clean the house for the shower tomorrow. He certainly delivered. The house is spotless and I am doing my best to maintain it for one more day. In addition to cleaning, I have come home to find new pieces of furniture. Joe has been worried that the house “needs this or that.” So, we’ve got a new rug, a new bench, and a new armoire. I don’t think we can afford for him to indulge in any more “needs.”
On the dilation news front, I am now 3 cm dilated. I am not sure how much longer this can go on. The doctor estimated that the baby is somewhere between 6 and 7 pounds. This week I actually saw my own doctor; she said that she didn’t want to say that he will come early because it will jinx it and I will end up at 41 weeks. So, the outcome remains to be seen. But, I have noticed that my feet are swelling some. My inner ankles look a little mushy. Joe told me not to get cankles, but I told him I wasn’t really in control of that.
June 20, 2008
So, do you read the Austin American Statesman? Well, there was a picture of me modeling the Dilly shirt for an article about the woman who designed them. I checked it out, and might I say this was not a small picture, but of some size. Although, it was on the 3rd page of the Style section, so you probably missed it.
So, if you did miss it, here is the online link:
http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/style/06/19/0619stylematters.html
