I Survived! My Birth Story

To tell the long winded tale ...

I was feeling kinda apprehensive the night before. Was inducing the right decision? Anyhoo I tried to go to bed early and redid my toe nails :) Got up bright and early (6am) and confirmed the hospital had a room available. My mom made a us a light breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. Then DH and I jumped into the car and drove to the hospital at 7am on that Tuesday morning 12/21. Nervous but we're having the BABY!

Registration was quick and we were shown to the room #8 (lucky?). Evil nurse on duty quickly hooked up to the IV by 8am and the pit was started. Getting the IV was one of the most painful parts of the day since evil nurse couldn't find my vein grrr.

Since the pit had to be administered, I couldn't move around during labor or sit on my bouncy birthing ball. I was hooked up to the IV which I'd to take with me to the bathroom, along with my friends the contraction monitor and the fetal monitor. FUN :P Guess those techniques they taught in birthing class weren't quite so realistic. Moving around was a b*** and the annoying hospital gown had a gaping hole in the back. I still had some sense of dignity early on ...

Forcing a smile ...



The contractions started out slowly with mild cramps. We occupied ourselves watching bad day time TV and mucking around on our phones. John Muir has great wifi! The Dr stopped by to "break my water" and do an internal exam at 9ish. Strangely no fluid came out ... in fact there was none during my entire birth. OMG so I was really out of amniotic fluid. Poor baby :(

At 10am, the anesthesiologist stopped by to introduce himself. He came pushing his little cart of equipment. DH and I were pretty amused ... like a dim sum trolley! How cute. Evil nurse stops by a bit later to convince me to get the epidural right away. Decided to wait till the pain got unbearable. I managed to hold out till around 2.30pm before desperately seeking the guy with the good drugs. The contractions had gotten regular and intense and I felt like something was trying to bust out of my rectal area (I know weird).

Thankfully getting the epidural was really quite painless! They had me sitting in this massage chair face down (yep like the ones at the mall haha) as the nice drug dude worked on my back. The whole process took barely 5 minutes. Then relief! But wait it was only on one side. What if I was that 1% of the population that epis don't work on??? PANIC We called for the nurse (nice due to shift change) and she suggested upping the dose to see if that helped before paging drug dude. Wait I could control the level of pain relief myself? Muahhah. Don't worry I exercised some restraint. Only pushed the button 2 out of the 3 possible levels. Finally pain free and I could still wiggle my toes and sort of move my legs! Nap time.

Things then progressed smoothly with the dilation. By 8pm I was 10cm and it was time to push. Of course I had no idea how to do that. While I could feel the contractions I wasn't sure if my pushing was working. Anyway we kept working on it for almost 2 hours. DH was an awesome coach and only left my side for 15 minutes the entire time! When the doctor came back, baby's head was station 2 but his body was slanted to the left in an awkward position! Doctor then suggested trying the vacuum and if that didn't work a C-section.

Ok so WTF. I didn't go through all that to get a c-section. What's with the impatience? DH asked if we could take a time out and see if we could get the baby to move. Dr was like, well you can try but it probably won't help (yes he was getting on my nerves now). Since baby usually moves quite a bit while I sleep at night, I lay on my right and rested for a bit. Miraculously I could feel him repositioned in the center now!

So I got to start pushing again. And by now I was really getting the hang of it. Nice nurse and DH could now see the hair on baby's head. YAY. Dr came back along with the rest of the crew, pediatrician and nurses in tow. It's show time. Dr then suggests using the vacuum again. WHAT? I mean we could already see the hair now? That made me mad and I pushed with all my might ... tadah baby makes his entrance naturally at 11.59pm and 50seconds!

A little pissed but healthy :D ... he then proceeds to pee on the pediatrician lol


All clean after a shampoo ... welcome Moggie :) we <3 you!

A Sushi Lunch

WOOT My first sushi fix in 9 months! So. Good. This was the one thing I missed most my entire pregnancy. Oh not forgetting slightly rare steak, runny eggs and soft cheeses.

Still staying away from caffeine and alcohol :(

Oh the Irony

So the hospital hands out these sheets that act as a simplified version of a birth plan. Mine clearly went according to plan (not) At least I avoided the dreaded C-section. It was close!

Induction - Check
Avoid Labor Augmentation with Pitocin (Right ... hahaha)
Telemetry Fetal Monitoring - (Sorry can't do that)

The Day Is Come

TADAH! 12.21.2010 or 12.22.2010 ( if things go slowly *fingers crossed* ). Going to check in at 7am tomorrow morning.

Had my 41 week appointment today. I wasn't sure about inducing on the 23rd even though we'd set a date last week. We asked the OB how long she would recommend waiting before inducing. She said up to 14 days unless there were potential risk factors.

Anyway it turns out that after doing an ultrasound and fetal monitoring today, I'll need to be induced soon. They found that my amniotic fluid was very low :( Baby's jacuzzi is drying up boo. Thankfully he passed the monitoring and is active and kicking yay. At this point however the risk of waiting is more than the benefit so induction it will be.

Funny this wasn't really how I expected to go into labor. I didn't really have a set birth plan or anything in mind though this definitely wasn't on the agenda. Babycenter did have an apt description though that labor is like a box of chocolates. Yes indeedy.

Anyway I am relieved that the waiting is over!

Will try to post updates via this blog or on Twitter.

Lump O Fat

Friday 12/17. Due date come and gone. Beginning to think the bump is all fat. Where is baby? Didn't think it was possible to get bigger but I grew. Can't wear my last belly covering tank top no more =( So to make myself feel better I made cookies. Moist oatmeal cookies with cranberry and chocolate. Mmmm

Baby's Little Corner

All ready! Just awaiting the little one. Gulliver crib from Ikea. A steal at only $75 new! It's actually really sturdy and I like the clean lines. Dwell Studio for Target sheets and bumper set. Very pretty and soft ... <3 <3! Will probably have to take out the bumper when baby is born lol

Another Week. Another Dr's Appointment.

1cm dilated. Feeling more crampy but nothing very painful. Doctor did a membrane sweep. Perhaps that will get things started? Induction scheduled for 12/23. That's about 7 days after my due date. Apparently it gets booked up before Christmas so we gotta reserve our spot. So babs, please don't wait till the 23rd. Not if you don't want your thunder to be stolen by Jesus. XOXO mommy.

Friday Pix

Got some ice cream at Ici Ice Cream. My favorite shop in Berkeley. So friggin good. Had the chocolate candied orange ice cream in a home made cone. Mmmm! Also don't you hate it when your DH says he doesn't want any but then proceeds to eat half your cone anyway?!

And check out their selection of holiday dessert! So pretty ...

Doctor's Appointment

8 More days to December 16. 120lbs. I'm not sure being weighed in clothing is very accurate :P Very slightly dilated. 0.5cm is that even dilated? Many more CM to go!

Still anxiously waiting. All eyes on me bleargh:

Today I Bought ...

What else can one do while waiting for baby to pop? Shop online duh ...

1) Postpartum girdle. To squeeze that tummy flab back in shape. Please work.

2) Crib mobile for the little one. Not sure why we need this now since newborns have poor eyesight :P But whatever.

3) And yesterday I bought. Medela Pump In Style Advanced. Such a good deal at CSNStores with no tax and free ship. Price came out to $220. I LOVE a good deal. $309 on Amazon. Booya!

Must. Have. Positive Thoughts.

I don't want to jinx myself but I'm feeling like I need some positive reinforcement to make it through the next couple days.

Epidural will be on hand if the pain threshold is busted. Baby will latch like a pro. I will have ample milk supply. I will lose the weight and thunder thighs quickly. Really it's all water weight. Everything will go smoothly. Breathe.

Am wondering too if the hospital will have a hairdryer? Will they think I'm a crazy lady if I called and ask?

The "Bucket List"

16 more days to go or LESS! Haven't had to cook or do the dishes in ages thanks to DH. I think I'm gonna miss being pregnant waaahhh! Not to mention the aftermath. Since the window of our childless life is closing. My goals for week 38:

1) Watch Harry Potter 7 Check!
2) Have dim sum at Koi Garden. Almost as good as HK I swear.
3) Buy a plush bathrobe
4) Sleeep

Lofty aspirations ... I know :)

Old list check. Still waiting ...

Baby Moon + A Birthday Trip

And also Moxie's last mini-vacation as an only child! Poor Moxie so oblivious. Anyhoo packed her up and drove down south towards Big Sur, Cambria, and San Luis Obispo for my birthday weekend (yay! about as much fun as a 30 something birthday can be :P).

Checked out the opulent Hearst Castle. Yes, that's the publishing mogul.



No trip is complete without wild life viewing. This time elephant seals!



And we went to the beach at Morro Bay!



Ended off with lunch at Sierra Del Mar restaurant at Post Ranch Inn. With my wonderful birthday luck it was all foggy. At least lunch was good and well priced. Guess this calls for another trip down ;)

Sumo Training

Been eating like it's going outta style. What's wrong with me!

Started off the morning well with a slice of toast and cheese. Lunch was penne pasta with chicken in beer cooked by DH. Yum! This is where it goes down hill. Gulped down a can of Ginger Ale followed by a snack sized Milky Way (damn you Halloween). And you know what goes really well with soda? Chips! So then I inhaled a bag of Lay's BBQ flavored chips.

5pm rolls around. Feeling guilty, ate a banana. Dinner was salmon teriyaki bento box and gyozas and california rolls. Oh but no I'm not done for the day yet. Yogurt time before bed.

Please let this be going to lil tiggy and not my behind. Sadly I think it's the latter.

Oh Dear 31 Weeks

Had my routine doctor's appointment on Friday. Pretty uneventful except getting a cervix check yuck. Also, good news! I passed the glucose challenge test. No diabetes. Was getting a bit concerned since I've been bingeing on cake and cookies and such. Can't believe it, only a couple more weeks to go ... reality is setting in * gulp *

To make things scarier, F had her baby early. She wasn't due till November 12th. OMG ... I think I may have a heart attack.

And we still don't have a crib.

Stroll Round Mount Tam

The weather was gorgeous yesterday! Was feeling a little guilty about the dog and her impending neglect so the family (well 2.5 + dog) took a drive to Mt. Tamales. Actually it's Mt. Tamalpais, about 45 minutes north of San Francisco, but I like the sound of tamales :) There's a paved path near the peak which makes for an easy stroll.

Moxie says cheeeese! And aren't the clouds in the background pretty?

Little Feet

This probably old news now but it's a boy! Guess that explains all the kicking, nudging and punching of late. The little one's 18 Week ultrasound.



Awww and the little feet, made just for kickin :p

The Procrastinators

Had a major panic attack this weekend when my also pregnant friend mentioned that the baby could come anytime after 37 weeks?!? That means less than 83 days to go!  With work and commuting I really haven't had much time to think about this. And still a ton of things on our check list: sign up for birthing classes, purchase key baby items, pick a name. Just realized too that the boss and I haven't talked about maternity leave and he's out for the next 3 weeks having just had a baby himself.

Hmm I really should be tackling that list instead of blogging. Though I gotta say I'm pretty pleased with the new layout of the blog :)

So I signed up for the birthing class. The October one is filled so I have to go in November when I'll be 35 weeks ... I really hope that isn't too late.