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August 2011 Moms
Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha
member
(Birth) Story Time! With tons of PIPs and gender reveal! Warning - LONG!
Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha
member
Hello ladies - Looks like *someone* didn't want to wait until August 
Now I hope you're in the mood for one long-a$$ post because this is exactly what this is going be 
- Seriously, grab a drink and some popcorn, cause this is going to take a while!
It all started Friday of last week with an innocent post right here on the Bump (please notice my own reply 
) :
Yeah. So I woke up at around 1AM to a small gush of fluid coming out. It was only a small gush and I wondered if maybe I hadn't just peed the bed. I grabbed DD's changing pad (I had her sleep in our room because of the AC, so I had brought everything I might need to avoid having to go back to her room, and that included one of those thick, all-cotton, changing pads - talk about a lucky coincidence) and headed to the bathroom. More of those small gushes. Small, but I wasn't able to control them at all.
At this point, it started sinking in that the baby was more than likely on its way. I called out to the hubs "Honey? I think my water just broke". He was as surprised as I was "Now? Really? Isn't it early?" We sat down at the kitchen table and started writing down a list of things to pack for the hospital. We also started talking logistics. Should we call my mom now? Should Monsieur Ha go wake a neighbhour so that he can drive me to the hospital. Wait, is this even REALLY it?
I got the answer to that last question when I got up again: as I got up, I felt fluid rushing out and I soaked the changing pad in about 3 seconds. "Honey, I just want you to know that yes, this definitely it". And with that, we were both completely awake and on the move.
I called my parents about a million times but kept getting their answering machine. So I called my brother and it was actually SIL's sister (she has been visiting for the past week and I really like her) who answered the phone, so she got to hear the news first. I asked her to try and call my parents when my niece would wake up - If we couldn't reach them by phone, then my brother could go over there (they live 15 minutes from each other) to wake them up.
My mom called us back and we decided she would come over first thing in the morning. Meaning I would go to the hospital on my own and Monsieur Ha would meet me there. I was a little sad but since I wasn't even contracting, I knew he wouldn't actually miss anything. Plus I felt soooooooo guilty abandoning DD like that, in the middle of the night, the least I could do was let her have her daddy at her side when she would wake up.
Gotta say mommy-guilt hit me like a ton of brick while I was packing. There was my beautiful baby girl, peacefully feeling, completely oblivious to the fact her life had been forever changed and that she would never get her mommy and daddy back to herself again. I just wanted to squeeze her tight and never let her go, but that wasn't an option
So. I took a shower and my cab showed up. The driver asked us if we were going on vacation. Monsieur Ha said "no, she's'going to the hospital" He looked a little puzzled but didn't ask any questions. Which is good, because I'm not sure how he would have felt knowing I had a beach towel shoved between my legs (I had a maxi dress on so you couldn't tell) because I was leaking like a mofo.
Got to L&D where it was quickly confirmed that my water had in fact broken. I talked with the Dr who was on-call for a bit and we agreed we would start the pitocin in the morning. I could have asked to wait until afternoon, but since I had already tried that with DD - with no results - I just didn't see the point. Plus I really wanted my family to be able to meet the baby that evening (visiting hours are pretty strict: 7:00PM-8:30PM). Once we had gone over my birth plan (I use that term pretty loosely, as I had no specific wish other than getting the baby out safely... and getting an epidural;) ) I was taken to my room where I tried to get some sleep. Notice "try" is the operative word here.
We had told my mom to be there at 8, because I figured we'd start the pitocin some time between 8 and 9 and I wanted to make sure the hubs would get here before the contractions got too intense. She finally showed up at 9:45. To say I was getting nervous is an understatement! And I wasn't too happy when she "kindly reminded me" that she had just gotten back from vacation the day before and had to finish unpacking/doing laundry first.
BUUUT it all worked out, and that's what matters.
DD and my mom were allowed to visit me in L&D (there usually is a "no visitor" policy in that part of the hospital) and I was really grateful for that. Unfortunately, DD had somewhat of a reaction when she saw me hooked up to the monitor and IV drip, dressed in a hospital gown. She acted like I was a total stranger and wanted nothing to do with me - yet she called out for "Mama" several times She did warm up to me though and agreed to sit in bed with me for a little while before leaving. And in retrospect, I think it would have been even harder if she had acted Super Clingy McGee.
The pitocin took a while to kick in. With DD, I was asking for the epi 3 hours after getting hooked up. This time? Three hours in I was asking for lunch. I figure it probably had to do with me being only 37 weeks along instead of almost 40. Still, the contractions did start, and when I started progressing, it went FAST. I asked for the epi as soon as the contractions started getting increasingly painful. I am glad I did because by the time the anesthesiologist got to my room, I couldn't talk through them at all. And by the time I actually got the epi, they were at an 11 (on a scale of 1 to10).
The epi was pretty darn neat It didn't completely take the pain away, but it brought it down to maybe a 5. My relief was short-lived though. As I mentioned, I was progressing fast, and before I knew it (within an hour), the pain was back with a vengeance. I was like "WTH they said they had me on a drip so that the epi would last til the end?!" What I didn't realize/know was that the baby was ready to come out. The epi didn't take away the pain from the cx, but it kept me from feeling the urge to push - because yes, it was time to push already. So the pain was back to an 11, and the fact that it had been at a 5 just a few minutes before made it feel even worse. I was now squeezing Monsieur Ha's hand so hard he had to take his wedding band off - and I would cry "Babe it hurts so bad" during the contractions... My poor husband! You could see on his face he would have done anything for me to feel relief. I guess the nurse must have noticed, because after checking me, she called the Dr and the anesthesiologist and they both showed up within minutes. While the nurse was helping me get my feet up, the anesthesiologist gave a "boost" to my epi. It was all I needed to be able to focus on what Monsieur Ha said next "I can see its head! Honey, you're almost there!" I'd say pushing with the epi was easier because I was better able to control the pushes. I could feel when it was time to, but didn't have the actual urge to, if that makes sense.
And then the Dr told me to push. Two contractions later, the head was out. One last push and I got to hear that most beautiful sound of all: my baby's first cry. They put it (hang on, you'll find out the gender in a minute!) on my chest right away. I was a little shocked because with DD, they had taken the time to give her a quick cleanup. So to see my baby all covered in vernix still (at first I was like "wait, why is my baby grey instead of pink?") was alittle unsettling. Until the dr told me it was just vernix and that the baby was healthy as could be.
Now. THE question. Boy? Girl? Well. You be the judge. (I actually posted these on FB as a teaser. Mean, I know)
So? What do you think?
Handsome boy?
Pretty girl?
No idea?
All right, all right, I've toyed with you long enough. Here are ALL the details... Born at 5:45PM on Saturday July 23, 2011, at 37w0d, weighing 6lb11oz and measuring 20inches was our beautiful baby girl little Miss Ha. That's right, Monsieur Ha is in a world of trouble... And couldn't be happier! He also confessed he was *thisclose* to bursting into tears when they laid her on my chest and announced it was a girl. ::heart shatters into a million pieces::
For the record, let it be known that I did NOT poop on the delivery table this time around. And I only had a small tear that required all of 2 stitches. So all in all, I'm not banged up too bad 
As I was wheeled out of L&D (that last boost to my epi was quite potent, it turned out - took me a couple of hours to regain complete feeling in my legs) I was greeted by a small welcoming party: my mom and DD (who I shall now refer to as DD#1) were there, along with my dad, my brother, and a couple of friends. DD#1 had just woken up (she had apparently slept through dinner) so she was a little grumpy to begin with. I could tell she was still finding the whole context (me still hooked up to the IV drip, the hospital room, etc.) unsettling. Just like in the morning, she didn't want to come near me. Or actually, she wanted me to just get on my feet and pick her up, but I couldn't
She also looked unsure as to what to make of her little sister. But curiosity won her over and she climbed into my lap to have a better look at her. Then she wanted to touch her. DD#2 must have been hungry because she started sucking on DD#1's finger, much to DD#1's delight. So I guess it wasn't too bad for a first contact.
The transition from trio to foursome is going pretty well ::knock on wood:: DD#1 is really curious about her little sister. She loves to give her kisses, and if I say something like "Little Sister is hungry", she'll often go grab her own sippy cup or a bib and bring it to her, which is a surefire way to melt my heart every. single. time. Of course she also insists on having whoever is holding DD#2 pick her up, but so far, it's been manageable.
Ok and now how about a little (lot) of AWing?
Our last moments as a trio
DD#2 and her proud parents about an hour after she was born. (You can see the catheter from my epi still hanging on my shoulder - lol)
Big sister meets little sister. DD#1 was fascinated by the fact that DD#2 tried to suck on her finger. (Please never mind my eleventy billion chins - I hate the way I look in this picture but DD#1's face is just too precious for me not to share it anyways)
Proudly introducing the Ha foursome
Striking the pose
Her first side-eye
Perfect and utter bliss
Her impersonation of Dr. Evil
DD#1 finds this whole baby sister business quite intriguing. Clearly, DD#2 does not.
Monsieur Ha and his girls. He is in SO MUCH trouble
Look! It's my baby sister!
Thank you Mama for giving me a little sister. This is awesome!
This is what it looks like in my bed after the 3AM feeding (and this will soon be part of my siggy - as soon as I find the time to updae it!)
Now I hope you're in the mood for one long-a$$ post because this is exactly what this is going be - Seriously, grab a drink and some popcorn, cause this is going to take a while!
It all started Friday of last week with an innocent post right here on the Bump (please notice my own reply ) :
Yeah. So I woke up at around 1AM to a small gush of fluid coming out. It was only a small gush and I wondered if maybe I hadn't just peed the bed. I grabbed DD's changing pad (I had her sleep in our room because of the AC, so I had brought everything I might need to avoid having to go back to her room, and that included one of those thick, all-cotton, changing pads - talk about a lucky coincidence) and headed to the bathroom. More of those small gushes. Small, but I wasn't able to control them at all.
At this point, it started sinking in that the baby was more than likely on its way. I called out to the hubs "Honey? I think my water just broke". He was as surprised as I was "Now? Really? Isn't it early?" We sat down at the kitchen table and started writing down a list of things to pack for the hospital. We also started talking logistics. Should we call my mom now? Should Monsieur Ha go wake a neighbhour so that he can drive me to the hospital. Wait, is this even REALLY it?
I got the answer to that last question when I got up again: as I got up, I felt fluid rushing out and I soaked the changing pad in about 3 seconds. "Honey, I just want you to know that yes, this definitely it". And with that, we were both completely awake and on the move.
I called my parents about a million times but kept getting their answering machine. So I called my brother and it was actually SIL's sister (she has been visiting for the past week and I really like her) who answered the phone, so she got to hear the news first. I asked her to try and call my parents when my niece would wake up - If we couldn't reach them by phone, then my brother could go over there (they live 15 minutes from each other) to wake them up.
My mom called us back and we decided she would come over first thing in the morning. Meaning I would go to the hospital on my own and Monsieur Ha would meet me there. I was a little sad but since I wasn't even contracting, I knew he wouldn't actually miss anything. Plus I felt soooooooo guilty abandoning DD like that, in the middle of the night, the least I could do was let her have her daddy at her side when she would wake up.
Gotta say mommy-guilt hit me like a ton of brick while I was packing. There was my beautiful baby girl, peacefully feeling, completely oblivious to the fact her life had been forever changed and that she would never get her mommy and daddy back to herself again. I just wanted to squeeze her tight and never let her go, but that wasn't an option
So. I took a shower and my cab showed up. The driver asked us if we were going on vacation. Monsieur Ha said "no, she's'going to the hospital" He looked a little puzzled but didn't ask any questions. Which is good, because I'm not sure how he would have felt knowing I had a beach towel shoved between my legs (I had a maxi dress on so you couldn't tell) because I was leaking like a mofo.
Got to L&D where it was quickly confirmed that my water had in fact broken. I talked with the Dr who was on-call for a bit and we agreed we would start the pitocin in the morning. I could have asked to wait until afternoon, but since I had already tried that with DD - with no results - I just didn't see the point. Plus I really wanted my family to be able to meet the baby that evening (visiting hours are pretty strict: 7:00PM-8:30PM). Once we had gone over my birth plan (I use that term pretty loosely, as I had no specific wish other than getting the baby out safely... and getting an epidural;) ) I was taken to my room where I tried to get some sleep. Notice "try" is the operative word here.
We had told my mom to be there at 8, because I figured we'd start the pitocin some time between 8 and 9 and I wanted to make sure the hubs would get here before the contractions got too intense. She finally showed up at 9:45. To say I was getting nervous is an understatement! And I wasn't too happy when she "kindly reminded me" that she had just gotten back from vacation the day before and had to finish unpacking/doing laundry first.
BUUUT it all worked out, and that's what matters.
DD and my mom were allowed to visit me in L&D (there usually is a "no visitor" policy in that part of the hospital) and I was really grateful for that. Unfortunately, DD had somewhat of a reaction when she saw me hooked up to the monitor and IV drip, dressed in a hospital gown. She acted like I was a total stranger and wanted nothing to do with me - yet she called out for "Mama" several times
She did warm up to me though and agreed to sit in bed with me for a little while before leaving. And in retrospect, I think it would have been even harder if she had acted Super Clingy McGee.
The pitocin took a while to kick in. With DD, I was asking for the epi 3 hours after getting hooked up. This time? Three hours in I was asking for lunch. I figure it probably had to do with me being only 37 weeks along instead of almost 40. Still, the contractions did start, and when I started progressing, it went FAST. I asked for the epi as soon as the contractions started getting increasingly painful. I am glad I did because by the time the anesthesiologist got to my room, I couldn't talk through them at all. And by the time I actually got the epi, they were at an 11 (on a scale of 1 to10).
The epi was pretty darn neat
It didn't completely take the pain away, but it brought it down to maybe a 5. My relief was short-lived though. As I mentioned, I was progressing fast, and before I knew it (within an hour), the pain was back with a vengeance. I was like "WTH they said they had me on a drip so that the epi would last til the end?!" What I didn't realize/know was that the baby was ready to come out. The epi didn't take away the pain from the cx, but it kept me from feeling the urge to push - because yes, it was time to push already. So the pain was back to an 11, and the fact that it had been at a 5 just a few minutes before made it feel even worse. I was now squeezing Monsieur Ha's hand so hard he had to take his wedding band off - and I would cry "Babe it hurts so bad" during the contractions... My poor husband! You could see on his face he would have done anything for me to feel relief. I guess the nurse must have noticed, because after checking me, she called the Dr and the anesthesiologist and they both showed up within minutes. While the nurse was helping me get my feet up, the anesthesiologist gave a "boost" to my epi. It was all I needed to be able to focus on what Monsieur Ha said next "I can see its head! Honey, you're almost there!" I'd say pushing with the epi was easier because I was better able to control the pushes. I could feel when it was time to, but didn't have the actual urge to, if that makes sense.
And then the Dr told me to push. Two contractions later, the head was out. One last push and I got to hear that most beautiful sound of all: my baby's first cry. They put it (hang on, you'll find out the gender in a minute!) on my chest right away. I was a little shocked because with DD, they had taken the time to give her a quick cleanup. So to see my baby all covered in vernix still (at first I was like "wait, why is my baby grey instead of pink?") was alittle unsettling. Until the dr told me it was just vernix and that the baby was healthy as could be.
Now. THE question. Boy? Girl? Well. You be the judge. (I actually posted these on FB as a teaser. Mean, I know)
So? What do you think?
Handsome boy?
Pretty girl?
No idea?
All right, all right, I've toyed with you long enough. Here are ALL the details... Born at 5:45PM on Saturday July 23, 2011, at 37w0d, weighing 6lb11oz and measuring 20inches was our beautiful baby girl little Miss Ha. That's right, Monsieur Ha is in a world of trouble... And couldn't be happier! He also confessed he was *thisclose* to bursting into tears when they laid her on my chest and announced it was a girl. ::heart shatters into a million pieces::
For the record, let it be known that I did NOT poop on the delivery table this time around.
And I only had a small tear that required all of 2 stitches. So all in all, I'm not banged up too bad As I was wheeled out of L&D (that last boost to my epi was quite potent, it turned out - took me a couple of hours to regain complete feeling in my legs) I was greeted by a small welcoming party: my mom and DD (who I shall now refer to as DD#1) were there, along with my dad, my brother, and a couple of friends. DD#1 had just woken up (she had apparently slept through dinner) so she was a little grumpy to begin with. I could tell she was still finding the whole context (me still hooked up to the IV drip, the hospital room, etc.) unsettling. Just like in the morning, she didn't want to come near me. Or actually, she wanted me to just get on my feet and pick her up, but I couldn't
She also looked unsure as to what to make of her little sister. But curiosity won her over and she climbed into my lap to have a better look at her. Then she wanted to touch her. DD#2 must have been hungry because she started sucking on DD#1's finger, much to DD#1's delight. So I guess it wasn't too bad for a first contact.
The transition from trio to foursome is going pretty well ::knock on wood:: DD#1 is really curious about her little sister. She loves to give her kisses, and if I say something like "Little Sister is hungry", she'll often go grab her own sippy cup or a bib and bring it to her, which is a surefire way to melt my heart every. single. time. Of course she also insists on having whoever is holding DD#2 pick her up, but so far, it's been manageable.
Ok and now how about a little (lot) of AWing?
Our last moments as a trio
DD#2 and her proud parents about an hour after she was born. (You can see the catheter from my epi still hanging on my shoulder - lol)
Big sister meets little sister. DD#1 was fascinated by the fact that DD#2 tried to suck on her finger. (Please never mind my eleventy billion chins - I hate the way I look in this picture but DD#1's face is just too precious for me not to share it anyways)
Proudly introducing the Ha foursome
Striking the pose
Her first side-eye
Perfect and utter bliss
Her impersonation of Dr. Evil
DD#1 finds this whole baby sister business quite intriguing. Clearly, DD#2 does not.
Monsieur Ha and his girls. He is in SO MUCH trouble
Look! It's my baby sister!
Thank you Mama for giving me a little sister. This is awesome!
This is what it looks like in my bed after the 3AM feeding (and this will soon be part of my siggy - as soon as I find the time to updae it!)
Farewell, nesticle, you will be missed
This discussion has been closed.
Re: (Birth) Story Time! With tons of PIPs and gender reveal! Warning - LONG!
natural m/c and d&c at 10 weeks - 1/24/2014
DX w/ hetero C677t and A1298C MTHFR - 3/4/2014
Congrats on your second beautiful little girl! Having two daughters is amazing, it will only get better from here.
I remember feeling so sad for DD1 when I went into labor last time. It was the middle of the night and I just wanted to go scoop her up out of her bed and squeeze her. I was actually crying thinking about missing out on one last morning cuddle session. Its such a different feeling from going into labor the first time!
Annelise 3.22.2007 Norah 10.24.2009 Amelia 8.7.2011
Awww, congratulations! Your story made me tear up!
So glad you are getting settled in as a family of 4. Love the thought of having 2 girls and can't wait until my 2 get to meet each other.
Yup, that's pretty much how I felt. It's turning out much better than I had anticipated though (mind you, we're only one week in, so who knows what the future holds). DH and I make it a point to spend as much time with her as possible and to stick to her regular schedule, and I think that is helping a lot. I'm just crossing my fingers that things keep on going smoothly...
What a beautiful family! I love your story and all your pics. Congrats!
What a great story. Glad everything went so well for you. Both your girls are so adorable. What a great looking family. Congrats.
PS I cant wait to hear a few more team green birth stories. I am so excited to be able to announce ours soon.