Since Otto arrived on November 29, I've been meaning to write a post about Otto's birth. Now that he's been here eight (!!) weeks, it feels long past due. I want to get something up while it's still at least a little fresh in my mind.
Nathan and I had a very quiet Thanksgiving this year; we spent the afternoon at our favorite vegetarian restaurant. On Black Friday, we worked on painting our master bathroom, and we stayed away from the mall. A little before 2:30am that night (Saturday morning), I woke up to very strong contractions. Not knowing how long labor might last, we tried to go back to sleep to get more rest. I got out of bed at around 6am and started puttering around the house. I took a long shower, and finally finished packing my hospital bag (yes, I procrastinated until the absolute last possible moment). All the while, Nathan was timing my contractions and reminding me of the breathing techniques we'd learned in lamaze class.
We were making progress very slowly, so we decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood. The weather was clear and beautiful, it seemed like a great date to have a baby. We came home and watched the annual UVA/VT football game. (It was close, but Tech won again (of course)) By around 5pm, my contractions were about three minutes apart, so Nathan called my doctor's practice.
The doctor who happened to be on called was Dr. Owen, who was brand new to the practice, and happened to be the only doctor in the practice that I never met during my pregnancy. I talked to her about how I was feeling, and she agreed that it was time for us to come to the hospital. We were so excited that it was time to meet our baby!
After a very uncomfortable drive to the hospital, I got checked by the nurses. I was only three centimeters dilated. Because my water hadn't broken yet, Dr. Owen said it would be okay for us to go back and try to make a little more progress at home. I would much rather be at home than in a hospital, so Nathan and I packed up and left. More than a little disappointing; I was very anxious for the big event!
We returned home and tried to rest, but it my contractions were definitely kicked up a notch. Nathan went to get me some egg drop soup. I continued to move around to different positions and things were progressing, but I was very tired and couldn't get comfortable. As my contractions progressed, I started vomiting with every contraction, which, in addition to being hilarious, made me very dehydrated. Though my contractions were further apart, we called the doctor again at around 3am, and she asked us to come back to the hospital.
After another tough drive to the hospital (even worse than the first time, ha), the nurses examined me and I was six centimeters dilated. Still a long way to go, but I was ready to be admitted to the hospital. They got me hooked up to IV fluids quickly, which really help with the dehydration, but I was still nauseated and quite exhausted. By this point I'd been in labor for over 24 hours. I got some medication to help settle my stomach and I tried rest some more.
The next few hours were a blur; I was completely worn down but couldn't stop shaking from all the adrenaline. Dr. Owen examined me again at 9am and I was only seven centimeters dilated, so she suggested that she could break my water. I relented -- I was so tired and was willing to try anything to move things along. And that's when my contractions got much stronger!
After several more hours of hard work, by 11:30am I was only eight centimeters dilated. I broke down and asked for an epidural. I had really wanted a natural childbirth and was pretty afraid of the epidural, but I was so exhausted I was afraid I wouldn't have enough energy to push when the time came. The relief was almost immediate, and I was finally able to take a much needed nap!
I was in much better spirits with the pain relief, though I was still shaking with adrenaline. At this point I became much more chatting, and started making friends with the nurses and the anesthesiologist. At about 3:30pm, the doctor examined me again and confirmed that I was ready to start pushing. At last!
Nathan was such an amazing and supportive coach through the delivery. I was totally overwhelmed with emotion and exhaustion, but he was so encouraging.
Once the baby emerged, our doctor gasped "IT'S A BOY!" before Nathan had a chance to react. Otto was born at 4:11pm: 8 pounds 4 ounces, 21 inches long. Nathan cut the cord, and they rushed baby off to the baby-warmer to check all his vitals. Because I had been in labor so long (almost 38 hours!), he was in distress, and the pediatricians needed to make sure his breathing and blood pressure were normal. We were all surprised that he was so big -- when I was admitted to the hospital, the doctor guessed baby would be about 7 pounds. (Where was all that extra baby hiding??)
When then finally handed Otto to me, I was completely overcome. I had been nervous about how I would feel when I finally got to meet him. But when they laid him on my chest, I felt like I'd known him forever. He was too tired to nurse right away, but he wiggled all over my chest and we had an amazing cuddle. I couldn't stop staring at his amazing hair. He had a full head of thick, white-blonde waves. At first, I thought he was covered in vernix -- I couldn't believe we had a blonde baby.
The next eight weeks have gone by in a flash! I will post more pictures, including some from Christmas, very soon.
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