He's here!

11:43 AM, 23rd October, our "little" Ezra James arrived. I say "little" because he weighed in at 9 pounds 6.27 ounces! He was almost 21 inches in length. It was a great labor experience for me, quite intense at the end, but not too long or tiring, as far as labor goes. Here's the whole story:

1 AM: I wake up from a dream, thinking I have to go to the bathroom, only to find that I wet the bed. Or, no, wait, I'm not doing anything! My water broke! This did not happen with Stella, so it was a total surprise. I had no contractions yet, so Nick and I got up and finished packing our hospital bags so that we would be ready to go when the time came. Stella was sound asleep, and I got a snack before heading back to bed to hopefully get some sleep to prepare for the task ahead. I was only mildly successful, what with anticipation, trying not to forget to get that one last thing packed when I got up, and with every contraction (not painful yet, thankfully, and about every 20-30 minutes), more water coming. It's amazing the power of movies on your ideas of what things will be like when they happen to you. Water breaking is not some huge gush, at least it wasn't for me, and then it's done. It would be too convenient! 6 pairs of pants later around 5 AM it finally stopped and I was able to sleep for about 45 min - 1 hour.

6 AM: I got up and ate another snack, went back to bed and Nick got up to get ready for the day. Nick made phone calls to let our friends know we were going to the hospital soon, and would be dropping Stella off at their house when I felt ready. I think our friend Melody thought I was crazy for staying at home so long, but I really didn't feel in any rush, since the contractions weren't bad at all.

8 AM: I got up at about 8 and ate some more, since I was still feeling okay. Contractions were starting to be uncomfortable, but I could still walk and talk through them, and they were still about 15 minutes apart.

8:30 AM: Stella woke up. I really didn't want to have to wake her up, and am thankful I didn't have to. We definitely would have, had we felt it urgent to get to the hospital. I wanted her to have as "normal" a morning as possible, so that when we dropped her off she would be excited and happy and not half asleep and grumpy, and upset that Mommy and Daddy were going somewhere and she couldn't come. She was very excited to find out that her baby brother was coming. She said, "Mommy and daddy go to the hospital to see the doctor. I go to the Bloker's house." Perfect!

9:30 AM: Stella is dressed, fed, and ready to go. We head for the Bloker's house and drop Stella off. It was so wonderful to have them available to take her, as they have 4 kids for her to play with and distract her from the fact that Mom and Dad aren't there. SUCH a blessing! At this point, my contractions were getting stronger and 5-10 minutes apart, so I definitely felt ready to get to the hospital, but still no pressing concern that we had to get there immediately.

10:30 AM: Arrive at the hospital. Nick wheeled me in, as every time I stood up I would have more contractions and felt it unneccessary to walk to the delivery ward in order to help move things along. They strapped me up to a monitor for 30 minutes (standard practice here, to get a baseline for how the contractions are going and how baby responds to them, then they let you off and labor without them), and started an IV, since my water had broken. They do this so that in case you start showing signs of an infections (no barrier between baby and the outside world anymore), they can immediately start you on antibiotics. Also, they give you some anyway if you haven't delivered within 12 hours of your water breaking. Meanwhile, my contractions were getting stronger and I could not get comfortable on the birthing chair/bed like thing (we so meant to take a picture of the room, since it's different than the labor rooms I was in in the States and can hopefully do that when we get our check-up). Nick took this time to go park the car and unload our stuff and get the last check-in stuff done with the hospital.

11 AM: I am unstrapped from the monitor, and the midwife checks my dilation. 4 cm. I was a little disappointed, as when I had Stella, I arrived at the hospital at a 7. You have to get to 10 cm, for those of you who don't know, and they "say" average is about 1 cm an hour, which proved true with Stella. So I'm thinking I'm in this for a few more hours, which I was not really looking forward to. The midwife asked if I would like to try the birthing tub, and I said yes, as a nice warm bath sounded very soothing. I had to go to the bathroom, so Nick helped me there after about 10 minutes of waiting until I felt like I could walk. Thankfully, a toilet sits about 6 steps from the birthing tub, because once I sat on it, it took me about 15 minutes before I felt like I could stand, the contractions were coming so hard and fast. At this point Nick started getting a little uncomfortable, as he did NOT want me to birth our baby on a toilet! Nor did I, for that matter. I was finally able to stand, and he helped me get into the tub, which I immediately fell to my knees into the water, completely unable to help him get me out of my nightgown.

11:30ish AM: A couple of HARD contractions in the tub later and I suddenly felt like the baby was about to birth himseld. The midwife had, after starting the water in the tub, left the room, so Nick ran out to the hallway, and yelled for someone to come, cause the baby was coming. I was still not actively pushing at this point, and was so overwhelmed with how hard and fast things were moving, I couldn't control my breathing (Nick and the midwife and our doctor, who arrived at the next contraction, had to keep reminding me to slow down my breathing or I would have probably hyperventilated!), nor could I control the sounds coming out of me. I think Nick was rather taken aback, as he said later that he could not believe they were coming from me, and joked that I sounded like a wildebeast. Ha! I don't think there were any other laboring moms there that morning, so thankfully I don't think I scared anyone else!

11:40-43 AM: Our doctor gave the go ahead to push on the next contraction, as the midwife said his little head was right there, which it definitely felt like, so on the next contraction I pushed with all my might and out he popped, right into the water. The midwife caught him and brought him up out of the water and helped him get breathing a little bit. The birth was so fast and crazy, I just can't describe it. A stark contrast to Stella's labor, which was much longer, but not quite as intense. I pushed for an hour with her, though, so I was completely and totally exhausted and couldn't even hold her myself when it was all said and done! Our little Ezra, though, he was ready to be on the outside. It's amazing that a 9.5 lb baby can happen so fast! And I could feel the weight of him as I held him. He's a chunk! I must say, too, water births rock! The water really helps relax you as much as you possibly can relax while in labor, and it supports your belly and body so well, it was much more comfortable. I highly recommend it. A few minutes later, Nick cut the cord. Ezra was having a little trouble breathing (they didn't suction his mouth or anything right after birth like they do in the States), so Nick and the doctor took him to give him a little oxygen and suck his lungs out a bit while the midwife helped me out of the tub. The doctor was not concerned, as his legs and torso had pinked up, but his little face was so purple that Nick and I were a bit alarmed. He sounded better when they brought him back, and we were back in the delivery room for the weighing, measuring and the doc helping me finish the delivery process and make sure all was okay. Ezra still sounded a bit clogged up so they went and suctioned again. Doc was still not worried, and as his color was slowly improving, Nick and I felt better. The doc was impressed that I delivered such a big baby, as a rather "tiny" person he would say, and so quickly, without any drugs. I wouldn't have had time for them this time anyway!

12:30-3 PM: Waiting. They have you wait in recovery for a while before they wheel you over to the postpartum area. It was kind of annoying after a while, but nice just to relax and soak little Ezra in. He looks so muchlike Stella did when she was born, it's amazing. I'll post a pic of each of them on our flickr site to show you. He still sounded a little congested or something, and made funny little squeaking noises that were so stinkin' cute. He was a little low on the blood sugar test, so they brought a bottle of electrolyte stuff, which he sucked on with a vengeance! Nick took a little time to step outside and call our friends watching Stella the good news. It was fun hearing his end of the conversation while he talked to her. The first thing she asked was if we were at the hospital and if her baby brother was there. So sweet!

3 PM: Arrived in our room, and were thankfully able to get a private room. Our insurance only covers a double, so we had to pay the difference, but it's totally worth it! Nick was able to stay with me all three nights we were there. We then were finally able to get a phone card and call our families and share the news, which they were very excited to hear. We also called our friend Becky, because Ezra now shares her birthday!

So that's the story of Ezra's birth. We enjoyed our stay at the hospital--the first 24 hours, especially, since they don't come and bug you and check how you're doing every 2-3 hours like they did with Stella (ALL NIGHT LONG! So annoying!), so we got some good rest and Ezra slept most of the first 24 hours, eating about every 4 hours or so.

Stella came to visit us in the evening of his birth day. She walked in the room and immediately asked, "Where's my baby brother?" Then she spotted me on the bed (mind you, under covers and holding Ezra) and said, "Mommy, your big belly is gone! You have a little tummy. My baby brother came out of your tummy! I have a little tummy, too!" It was so stinking cute, and I had it on video, but then somehow it got taped over with some lovely footage of the wall. Grrrrr... we still have some of her holding him, which is the first thing she wanted to do when she spotted him. She's doing REALLY well with having him here now. She always wants to help, which is wonderful, and we try to have something for her to help with on every account. She puts the dirty diapers in the trash, hands me wipes, brings a blankie when he needs one, etc. The only thing she got upset about was when she wanted to help me nurse, and I told her she couldn't. She wanted to help Ezra open his mouth, but there's not much you can do for that! It was quite funny. She came and visited us every day except the day we went home, and spent a few hours with us each time. They have a nice reception area with a big box of toys that we would visit with her, and she played with some other American kids that were there visiting their new siblings. We are very blessed to have such a sweet little girl for Ezra's big sister!

We stayed until Friday, and enjoyed it very much. Everything is very clean, laid-back, and the staff was very helpful, informative, and non-invasive. We had a few visitors each day, which broke up the time very nicely, and it was fun just sharing our experiences with all of them. Plus, we got some lovely flower arrangements and "Presents!" as Stella was so excited to see, even if they weren't all for her. I think most of the fun is opening them, anyway! Friday Ezra was circumcised, a for real surgery experience here, down in the OR and everything. A little local nerve block, and for him, some sedative since the surgeon kept remarking how strong he was and wouldn't stop flailing his limbs every which way!, a few incisions and snips, and an hour in recovery. We got him back at 10:30 AM, and having not fed him since 5 AM both he and I were very ready for a nursing! Thankfully, my milk arrived Thurs, so he isn't jaundiced at all like Stella was. He IS a very vigorous eater, I must say. I think it's his favorite past time!

Friday evening we were able to leave. We were a little concerned we might have to stay longer at first, since they didn't really know when exactly the circumcision would be done, and you have to wait a few hours (one person said 24!) before they check and make sure he's okay to leave, and were worried if they didn't do the procedure Fri, and the don't do them on the weekend, that we'd have to stay til Monday, or leave and then bring him back, or whatever. It all worked out for the best, though. We left, picked up Stella, and arrived home around 6 PM. Our church is providing dinner for us every other day for 2 weeks, and our first meal arrived soon after we got home. We were all quite hungry! (Speaking of, someone is paging me from his crib!) It's such a wonderful blessing to have meals provided! If you know someone who's had a baby, bring them a meal, even if it's just take-out, and you will make their day! I will never forget our first one with Stella, from our friends, the Waites--BBQ chicken lavosh, mandarin orange spinach salad, and homemade chocolate chip cookie ice cream & peanut butter sandwiches. All are favorite foods of mine! It is very nice to be at home, with the comfort that brings, and just to be able to start settling into a new routine. Nick is taking off work, I believe until Friday, and then my parents arrive Saturday (to which Stella always says, "woo-hoo!").

As for Ezra, he's a very sweet little guy. Like I said, he loves to eat! He's also been very alert yesterday and today, eyes wide open just taking in his surroundings. He and Stella took naps at the same time yesterday afternoon, which was awesome for me because I was able to get a good one in, too. He's been really good at night, too, only waking up 2 or 3 times. I feel like Stella was up way more than that, but it might have just been that I didn't really know what to expect with her, since she was our first. Ezra's breathing has gotten much better, and he's figuring out how to eat and be able to breath without choking or holding his breath forever. He's apretty quiet little one, not crying often, unless he's hungry or being changed. Speaking of being changed, he's nailed Nick and I each at least once with his fountains. Stella witnessed one, and she cracked up laughing. Mikki, those pee-pee tee-pees will come in handy, I think, once he's all healed up. And, even his cries are not really loud, which is a blessing! He more whimpers, squeaks, or grunts, really. We'll have to get some video of it up for all of you to enjoy.

All in all, it has been just wonderful so far. Thak all of you who have been praying for me throughout this pregnancy and delivery, know your prayers have been answered. Oh, and I appologize for the novel! Those of you who know me well know I have a tendancy for this, I just want to share our experiences with you!