I'm going to miss being a fat girl...

Jeremiah Wade Atwater - 7.10.11 - 5:20pm - 8lbs 8oz - 20"

I now have a birth story. So let me tell it!

The second week of July was getting pretty rough for me. So I started doing everything I could to get the baby out but nothing was working. He just wasn't ready. I tried castor oil, pineapple, bouncing, walking, raspberry leaf tea, sex, evening primrose oil, galloping, and finally labor cookies. The doctors appointment before Wade was born was very unsuccessful. I begged and begged for them to do something to get him out like strip my membranes but Kaiser said "No you are just a big fat baby get over it." When they checked me I hadn't dilated and hadn't effaced. My cervix was not havin it.... Friday the 8th rolled around and I made some labor cookies and ate a whole pineapple. By this time it was just my nightly routine. Saturday morning I woke up with some contractions and around 11am I started thinking about going to the hospital. I layed down on the couch and was able to fall asleep. When I woke up everything was gone and I felt fine. Talk about a disappointment. So I stuffed my face with more labor cookies and then went to bed Saturday night hopeless.

Sunday is when all the action started...

Around 4am I was woken by contractions. They were pretty bad but far enough apart to where I could nap for 10-15 minutes. Around 6am I got out of bed because they were too painful. I jumped in the bath to see if they would go away and sure enough they didn't. When I got out of the bath they were about 10-12 minutes apart. Our bath tub doesn't fill up all the way because of the extra drain so I got frustrated and jumped in the shower. When I got out of the shower they were 5-7 minutes apart. So I woke Vernon up and told him that we might need to go to the hospital in a little bit. To keep things going I decided to do my hair and make up. Mostly because if I was going into labor I didn't want to look like a crazy cave woman while doing so. As I was doing my makeup the contractions got really really bad so we decided to head over as soon as we could.

We got to Kaiser in Panorama City (fun fact- both Vernon and I were born at this hospital) at about 830am. I was checked in and the midwife came in to see how things were going. At 9am I was at 2cm. The contractions were bad but nothing was as bad as when she checked me. After she checked me I realized I wanted an epidural. There was no way I wanted to deal with that kind of pain my first time around. We had to wait a couple hours for the nurse anesthetist to do the epidural so they let me walk around for a while to labor. During then I lost my mucus plug and they hooked me up for some antibiotics that I needed. The nurse anesthetist kicked Vernon out and I got my epidural. 15 minutes later I was in heaven. I don't know why I ever thought I wanted to do a natural birth. I have quite a bit of respect for women who do. Those are the troopers.

I am holding up a 9 for "9cm" - sorry I look so loopy, I just woke up from a cat nap.
Me just hanging out with that awesome epidural. This is right before the practice pushes. See my nurse in the background? She was this incredible Jamaican woman who was the second best thing about the birth... 1st being the epidural...
Feelin good still!

So 11 or 12 I was drugged up and around 3pm my water broke. As I was having contractions it started to push more and more out until finally around 4pm I felt the membranes come out. When that happened they checked me and I was about 8cm. My amazing nurse started getting things ready and told me that when I felt like I needed to poop that I should give her a call. (FYI I had a pretty awesome bm when my mucus plug came out so there was no pooping on the table for me..) Around 430pm I started bugging her saying that it was hard to hold in whatever was coming out of me. I felt like it was coming out no matter what. So she propped up my leg and had Vernon hold the other one and we did a practice push. After 1 or 2 practice pushes she dropped my leg and went to get the midwife because he was coming out already. We decided to have Vernon's mom Silva in the room with us to take pictures. I wanted some pictures of the whole thing because it is a pretty once and a lifetime opportunity, but I didn't want Vernon to have to be busy with a camera while his son was born. Silva was really helpful with the camera but the nurses also put her to work. She held one leg while Vernon held the other. I kept pushing through contractions because I didn't know how close he was to coming out. My midwife came in and we did about 12 pushes and he was out. As I was pushing the midwife kept telling me to reach down to touch his head. She wanted me to see what kind of progress I was making but I kept telling her no. I just didn't want to touch the goo... it was gross to me. At the 2nd to last push she told me one more time to reach down so I did and sure enough there was a head. I kept pushing so she yelled "Slow down! Slow down! Easy!" while she suctioned him out then she had me grab his arms and pull the rest of him out. I never in a million years thought I would have been able to do that but sure enough I did and it was my favorite part of the entire pregnancy-labor-birth. I got to put him right on my chest and oggle him as he screamed his lungs out.

See how tired I look?
at 5:20pm we had our boy. I couldn't stop giggling and crying at the same time.

So after we got to do some skin to skin and bonding Vernon cut the cord and they took him to be cleaned off and weighed and such. The best part about Kaiser was not only the amazing staff but that we got to do everything in one room so Wade was just an arms reach away from me. My midwife stitched me up right there as I watched them take his measurements. Vernon got to be there with the baby for every second.

I passed the after birth and as my midwife was stitching me up we were chatting about it all. She was so informative and so personable. The whole experience really brought things together for me. I finally understood my pregnancy. After Wade was cleaned up they brought him back over for more skin to skin and to do some breast feeding. He was a natural. A natural barracuda. I was so happy that he did so well. I feel like I haven't had to do anything, Wade just teaches us what to do and how we are supposed to do it. He is also so patient with us. We got a little too lucky with this one.

We then had to stay at the hospital for the night but we left the next morning. I only needed a couple stitches and Wade passed all of his test and his circumcision went well. We were out of there by 1pm the next day and on our way home! Vernon and I were pretty hungry so we stopped to eat on the way home and had a great lunch. Then we came home unpacked our bags and cuddled with our little guy.

Vernon was able to get 2 weeks off of work to help the baby and I out and it has been heaven. Having my whole family together all day every day is really a dream come true. We really do love each other.

Here is what we have been doing the past week...

Taking short walks to get some vitamin K to get rid of that jaundice...
Hangin with Uncle Stephen
Loungin...
Cuddling in bed with Dad....
This was at the hospital right before we left. Notice both are wearing Captain America shirts? Yeah we are a little obsessed at our house...

Yes I probably kiss my baby a little bit too much but guess what? He is mine and I can kiss him however much I want.
Out to eat with friends (another Captain America shirt)
Uncle Matt and Uncle James came up to visit.
Wade peed on Uncle James' shirt... we thought it should be documented.

And playing video games with Dad.

1st bath! Wade hates taking baths.... there was a lot of crying.

Oh and we went to visit Grandma Silva at the police station where she works.

As you can tell we have been busy...

So far we have had lots of fun. Besides the doctor's visits every day for the Jaundice. I almost have the breastfeeding down and we almost have the diaper changing down. We have gotten peed on just about every day. I don't know why our brains forget to cover him up when we take his diaper off...

Here is to the first week down! I now have been a mother for 1 week and I now have a 1 week old! I've never felt better and our house has never been filled with more love. It is amazing how much this little boy has done for everyone around him already. I only hope that he can continue to bring this much love to everyone as he gets older.