I'd have to say this is easier then I ever expected. Loving this little baby girl is like no other feeling in the world...She's great.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Zeda's First week
I'd have to say this is easier then I ever expected. Loving this little baby girl is like no other feeling in the world...She's great.
Happy Father's Day Jarrod!
Jarrod has exceeded my expectations as a father. He has been so amazing with Zeda and with me. I couldn't have asked for a better man to live life with. I'm so excited to watch him grow as a daddy. Zeda is one lucky baby girl!
Happy First Father's Day's Babe-I love you.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The Rest of the Story
I realize that there was a pretty big gap between the last two entries, but I was kind of busy during that time. Also, by the time I posted the birth announcement it was toward the end of what would be a very long 22 hour day, so I wasn't up to delving into an eloquent description of the whole process. So here's the rest of the story.
By about 8:45 Becca was fully dilated and by 9pm she started pushing. We got a quick lesson in pushing from our nurse and I got a lesson in how to count to 10. Apparently in the beginning in my attempt to get it all over for Becca as quickly as possible I was counting a little to fast, but I eventually got a handle on the right pace.
About 30 minutes into it, Becca started feeling some strong pain in her back. It seems like the epidural had worn off a little bit and it got so bad that she really couldn't push anymore. On top of this Becca threw up three times amongst the pushing which wasn't fun at all for anyone but luckily I had a bucket close by just for the occasion.
By about an hour in things were progressing kind of slowly and the pain for Becca was unbearable. A call was made to the anesthesiologist and after a booster of the epidural and a few minutes of rest we started back up. Things started going a little better and Becca was no longer in pain, but the baby still wasn't coming out quickly. The nurse was getting concerned that the baby was in back labor and about an hour and a half into pushing she decided to call the doctor. The nurse made an off handed comment about how once the doctor shows up the baby will probably decide to come, and sure enough she did.
Dr. Lehnert showed up and within a few minutes the head was very visible. As I was watching I remember thinking that the head didn't look that big and that this was going to be a little baby. Then all of a sudden with a final push from Becca the little head turned into a huge head and a big baby came out. It was a little scary when she first came out because she was bright purple and didn't start crying immediately. To our relief though, with a few pats from the doctor she was breathing fine and they quickly got her over to the warming area.
At 10:58 pm on June 8, 2009 we had our new little miracle and I knew immediately that she was a Zeda. I asked Becca about the name, but by this point she was so exhausted she would agree with anything I said. The nurses cleaned her up a little and we tried the first breast feeding, where Becca threw up for the fourth time. She was just so tired that she couldn't do much. After that we let the family rush in to get to hold the new baby and take lots of pictures. After a while the nurse took her for her first bath and we moved to the room we'd be spending the next two days in. By the time it was all done we finally got to bed about 2:30am, but the whole exhausting day was more than worth it.
By about 8:45 Becca was fully dilated and by 9pm she started pushing. We got a quick lesson in pushing from our nurse and I got a lesson in how to count to 10. Apparently in the beginning in my attempt to get it all over for Becca as quickly as possible I was counting a little to fast, but I eventually got a handle on the right pace.
About 30 minutes into it, Becca started feeling some strong pain in her back. It seems like the epidural had worn off a little bit and it got so bad that she really couldn't push anymore. On top of this Becca threw up three times amongst the pushing which wasn't fun at all for anyone but luckily I had a bucket close by just for the occasion.
By about an hour in things were progressing kind of slowly and the pain for Becca was unbearable. A call was made to the anesthesiologist and after a booster of the epidural and a few minutes of rest we started back up. Things started going a little better and Becca was no longer in pain, but the baby still wasn't coming out quickly. The nurse was getting concerned that the baby was in back labor and about an hour and a half into pushing she decided to call the doctor. The nurse made an off handed comment about how once the doctor shows up the baby will probably decide to come, and sure enough she did.
Dr. Lehnert showed up and within a few minutes the head was very visible. As I was watching I remember thinking that the head didn't look that big and that this was going to be a little baby. Then all of a sudden with a final push from Becca the little head turned into a huge head and a big baby came out. It was a little scary when she first came out because she was bright purple and didn't start crying immediately. To our relief though, with a few pats from the doctor she was breathing fine and they quickly got her over to the warming area.
At 10:58 pm on June 8, 2009 we had our new little miracle and I knew immediately that she was a Zeda. I asked Becca about the name, but by this point she was so exhausted she would agree with anything I said. The nurses cleaned her up a little and we tried the first breast feeding, where Becca threw up for the fourth time. She was just so tired that she couldn't do much. After that we let the family rush in to get to hold the new baby and take lots of pictures. After a while the nurse took her for her first bath and we moved to the room we'd be spending the next two days in. By the time it was all done we finally got to bed about 2:30am, but the whole exhausting day was more than worth it.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
On the Home Stretch
We just got the news that we're now at a nine, 100% effaced, and +1 station. I don't really know what that all means, but the nurse got very excited. She let us know that within about an hour Becca will probably start pushing. So we're getting close to meeting our new baby!
Lucky Number 7
Things seemed to have slowed down a little bit, but as of about 5pm Becca was at about 7cm. We've also now passed the 12 hour mark since we first got to the hospital and about 13 hours since we woke up. We still have a ways to go but at least there's an end in sight. Her contractions are appearing more regular but thanks to the epidural she's still not feeling a thing. Thank you modern medicine.
We're At a 5
About half an hour ago we got another checkup from the nurse at Becca's now dilated to a five. For those of you unfamiliar with childbirth (like myself) the end goal is a 10; however, I've been told that the last few centimeters come much faster than the first few so we should be over half way done. The nurse also put an internal contraction monitor in place so that she could keep better track of how things are progressing and manage the pitocin better. Apparently the epidural is working great because isn't feeling a think and is actually taking a nap right now.
Damp Panties
At about 10:30 the doctor came in and broke her water. It's very noticeable that her tummy has gone down a little without all that extra fluid. She was dilated to about a 3 so it looks like things are moving along very quickly. According to our nurse red heads are very unpredictable so things could happen before we know it.
Epidural's In
About 9:30 the anesthesiologist came in a put in the epidural. Becca said it was a little weird feeling, but not painful. The doctor was hilarious and talked the entire time complaining a lot about how he doesn't like the new computer system. Regardless, it went well and they're putting it in so early because they'll be breaking her water soon. Stay tuned.
Putting in the Pitocin
We got to the hospital at about 5 this morning (we're always a little late) and headed up to labor and deliver. Becca's got a bunch of tubes and cables hooked up to her and she's not real comfortable, but she does have a Popsicle so she's content. At 6:15 they started her Pitocin drip so now we're just waiting. Throughout the day they'll increase the amount until this baby's ready to make her debut. I can't wait.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Countdown's On
Tomorrow at 5am Becca and I show up to St. John's hospital to have a baby. I am literally less than 8 hours away from beginning the final steps of becoming a dad. Sometime tomorrow we will have a baby and it's just a completely crazy idea to wrap my mind around. Obviously there's going to be a lot going on tomorrow, but I'm going to try my hardest to update this blog periodically, including pictures as they come. Please keep us in your prayers and be thinking of us. Tomorrow's the big day!
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