Bump Deux

I just couldn't get my act together enough to post these weekly, but I did take them (almost) every week.  So here they are, my "bumpies" with Hazel.

And Baby Makes Four

Heading to the hospital!

I think I mentioned in my last post the reason why I decided to move my C-section to Thursday instead of waiting for Monday.  It turned out to be a really good move.

Last minutes of being hugely pregnant

 I was having contractions most of the day, but I admittedly wasn't paying a ton of attention to how frequently.  They weren't in the single-minutes-apart category, anyway.  When I got to the hospital, they were about 10 minutes apart.  In the hour and a half I was being monitored, they got down to seven minutes apart.  So... April 2nd would have been the day, regardless.  I chose the right birth date!

I'm not a big risk-taker, and there were several reasons I opted against trying a VBAC.  My decision was validated by the fact that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck.  Not once, not twice, but three times.  So a C-section was the right birth choice.

At 6:02 pm on Thursday, April 2, 2015, weighing 7 pounds 6 ounces and 21 inches long, Hazel Margaret was born.

[People keep asking how we came up with her name.  Hazel is a name we liked when researching baby names, a name all her own.  Several of our choices seem more suitable for a blonde baby, which, so far, Hazel is not.  Margaret, though, is the first name of two of Hazel's great-grandmas, one from each side.]

This is the same hospital I gave birth to Oliver at, but they've made a lot of changes in the two years since I was last there.

One of the changes was allowing me to hold the baby immediately after she was born.  I was told in the tour that I'd be able to do skin-to-skin and maybe even breastfeed, but I think the hospital is still working out the kinks on this one.  The sheet that was up between my head and the surgery site did not leave enough room for that.  But, since I wasn't able to hold Oliver until he was close to two hours old, I'll take it as a win that I was able to hold Hazel while they did some of the cleaning and stitching.

The next big change was the recovery room.  When Oliver was born, Steve and Oliver went to the nursery for a bath and tests, and then the two of them waited for me in our room.  Meanwhile, once I was stitched up, I was wheeled (alone!) to recovery to lay (alone!) until the spinal wore off enough for me to move my feet.  Then I was reunited with my family.

Now, they have family recovery rooms with a rocking chair for Dad and baby to do skin-to-skin while they wait for me.  I'd say it was about a half-hour of my doctors finishing me up before I was taken to recovery, where I was immediately able to hold and feed Hazel.

We waited together for the magic feet-moving ability before we were ushered to our room.  The final big change: all-private rooms.  We had a private room last time (with one bed and a pull-out couch for Steve), but technically there were rooms they could put two families in.  This time, the semi-private (two-bed) rooms are all now private, too, meaning that Steve got his very own bed!  Much more comfortable.  Oh, and they closed the nursery, so babies stay with their moms 100% of the time.  (Oliver did by my choice, but the nursery had been available if I would have wanted him to sleep there.)

Side note:  I really think the 30-minute separation (versus two hours with Oliver) was critical. Where Oliver had wanted to nurse right away but couldn't, Hazel did. Oliver was a very sleepy nurser. I had a really hard time. (Admittedly, much of that could have been due to my experience level...) With Oliver, they were concerned he wasn't pooping, concerned he was losing too much weight, concerned about his jaundice.  They had me pump, wanted me to supplement, and spent a lot of time unintentionally (I hope) scaring me.

Hazel was a champion nurser and a champion pooper from the beginning. She lost only 8 ounces (which she'd already gained back in the two days between coming home and having her first pediatrician visit).   I'm willing to attribute a lot of that success to being with her from the beginning.

I could not wait to get the catheter out so that I could move around, and that finally happened Friday afternoon, just in time for Oliver to visit and meet his new baby sister!

The meeting went really well.  All he wanted to do was sit next to Hazel and me and play with my hair.  He was so happy!  He kept saying "Baby!" and gently touching Hazel. 

Oliver came back to visit Saturday, and he was just as awesome.  Steve took him home and got to spend a few hours of Daddy time before coming back to the hospital to share our celebratory meal (also new this time around).  We had steak and baked potatoes with chocolate cake and cheesecake for dessert.  Mmmm...

Sunday -- Easter -- we were discharged!

Heading home!

Hoppy Easter!

[Picture note: That little sleeper Hazel wore home from the hospital is the very same one I wore home from the hospital when I was born!]

We've been taking it easy at home, everyone getting used to each other.  My mom has been here for more than a week, and she was wonderful with Oliver while Steve and I were in the hospital, and has been a huge help now that we're home.  I'm not sure what we're going to do when she leaves on Saturday!

My mom hit the nail on the head with her observation that Oliver is enchanted by Hazel.  He loves to point out her nose and ears and eyes.  He will sit next to us and stroke her hair forever.  The minute he comes into the room, he looks for where "Baby" is.  He wants to walk her in her stroller, to hold her on the couch.  I'm sure their relationship won't always be as smooth, but Oliver is an excellent big brother!
 

The hardest part of this entire thing has been my physical recovery.  Because of the scar tissue and/or the cord-wrapping situation, I have been in a lot of pain.  Much more than I remember with Oliver.  And to top it off, I caught some kind of illness that has me wanting to cough (PAIN!), and has now left me with a severely sore throat and swollen glands.  If Hazel wasn't getting me up during the night, my throat was keeping me awake.

I went in to urgent care this afternoon and was prescribed amoxicillin,  with the recommendation from the doctor to "pump and dump" while I'm on the medication (which is for ten days).  I was devastated!  Absolutely devastated.  To not be able to nurse my five-day-old infant?  I don't think I was able to keep the tears at bay long enough to even walk out of the office.  I called the pediatrician and was assured amoxicillin is safe, but it's still hard to think I'm medicating this perfect little baby.  On the other hand, I recognize that I need to get healthy myself.  It's such a tough spot to be in, and I'm still struggling with it. 

Not feeling well, between recovering from major surgery and this stupid... whatever it is, is really difficult.  And then I look at this beautiful, perfect baby, at my amazing husband, and my awesome almost-two-year-old, and I see how lucky I am!

"Cheeeeeeese!"

On the Eve of Four

During Oliver's last week as an only child!

Well, here we are.  Tomorrow, we'll welcome Baby #2.  You would think, knowing from the get-go that a c-section was going to be the end game, that things would be easier.  More certain.  But this c-section date has bounced around more than a Mexican jumping bean.

It was originally scheduled for yesterday, March 31.  From the beginning, that was the date.  Awesome.  Done.

And then, several weeks ago, I found out my primary doctor was going to be on vacation this week.  I struggled with the decision on whether to stick with our date, or wait for her to return on April 6, which was my actual due date.

There are three four doctors in the practice, so I'd be in good hands no matter what, but Dr. S. has seen me through two and a half pregnancies.  She delivered Oliver.  The two doctors who would be delivering this baby if I stuck to the 31st would be my third-favorite doctor (I -- perhaps unfairly -- was holding a grudge against her for an insensitive comment she made just prior to my miscarrying our first baby) and a new-to-the-practice doctor I hadn't met, and hadn't actually known existed until that day.

Ultimately, I decided having my primary doctor there was important to me.

So we pushed things back to April 6, knowing that if the baby came early, I'd just have an "unscheduled" c-section.  Which would happen if the baby had come before my 39th week, too, so I decided it wasn't the end of the world.

Fast forward to yesterday's appointment.  When the doctor (not my doctor) checked me, she noted that I was dilated to 2cm.  Which could mean absolutely nothing.  She also noted how very low the baby is riding.  And the fact that I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions on a daily basis.  Which again, could mean nothing...

And then she pointed out that, with a scheduled c-section, the team is assembled.  The doctors, anesthesiologist, nurses -- everyone's there and prepared.  An unscheduled c-section becomes a more "urgent" (her word) situation because they have to gather everyone while I'm in labor.  Add to that a holiday weekend and the fact that, on Saturday, three out of four of the doctors in the practice are on a one-day overlap of vacations (how dare my baby be due during spring break?), leaving only the new doctor (whom I have now met, twice)... and I decided it might be silly to wait it out for my favorite doctor.  Things would go much more smoothly if I moved the date.

So.  Tomorrow it is.  April 2.

I have mixed feelings.  It'll be my second-favorite doctor (who also helped deliver Oliver), so that's good.  And I'm really excited to meet this baby!  I do wish it would have worked out for my main doctor to be there, but I have to admit, I'm looking forward to not being pregnant anymore!

*~*~*

On another note, I want to give credit where credit is due, and it's definitely due to my wonderful husband.

When I was pregnant with Oliver, I made a list of all the ways Steve made pregnancy easier for me.  And this pregnancy, in a lot of ways, has been harder on me.  Part of it is the extra 20 pounds I never lost because losing weight was affecting my milk supply, and I got pregnant the month I stopped nursing Oliver.  Part of it is probably being two years older.  And part of it is chasing an energetic and strong-willed toddler around all the time!

(I'm not looking back at my previous list, so I'm sure some of these are the same reasons, but just as valid!)

So.  My top 10, in no particular order:

1. When we go on our evening dog walks, Steve carries Oliver when Oliver is tired. (I was having a lot of back pain from carrying my 30-pound toddler around!)
2. My feet have been swollen.  Like, really, really swollen.  Not only does Steve give the best foot massages, but he also has kept an eye out at the grocery store for the thin asparagus that's my favorite, and has bought it practically in bulk every time it's been available, because the asparagus helps with foot swelling.
3. Speaking of massages, and of back pain, Steve gives great back rubs.  The best.
4. He doesn't bat an eyelash at my crazy.  I have been an emotional roller coaster these last several months, and Steve just rolls with it.  And hugs me.
5. Definite TMI here, but he waxed my incision line for me, because I can't see under my giant belly.  And because last time, the nurse shaved me, and she was not gentle.
6. Steve has, once again, taken on cat box duty like a champ.
7. He tells me to sit down and put my feet up when I would otherwise feel like I should be doing All The Things.  And he does All The Things instead.
8. He comes up with dinner ideas.  This may sound like a small thing, but it's not.  I don't mind making dinner, but when I'm exhausted, the last thing I want to do is figure out what to have for dinner.
9. He has been the best, most wonderful father to Oliver.  That's not just a "during pregnancy" thing, but it is a big thing.
10. Steve tells me I'm beautiful when I'm feeling giant and bloated and gross, and I'm pretty sure he means it.  

Not an exhaustive list, to be sure.  I couldn't do this without Steve, and I sure wouldn't want to.

Great partners!  (Ignore my tired eyes.)

P.S. I have been taking "bumpies" along the way, and I will post them!  I just need to get them off the camera, organize them, and figure out what weeks they belong to.  One of those things I haven't found time to do.  Sigh.