Today I watched the circumcision of my son.
I did not expect the foreskin to be that stretchy.
Or perhaps the doctor was just extremely strong?
Anyhow, let's just say, it's not a bloodless procedure, but in the end, it beats the hell out of a C-section.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
Baby slept in hospital bed with mom last night
Don't tell the nurses, but the baby slept in the hospital bed last night after the wife nursed him. And we both got 2 hours of glorious sleep.
Don't believe the nurses' lies - sleep with your baby on you in the hospital.
Seriously.
Okay, they're not really "lies," they're just being cautious...
Don't believe the nurses' lies - sleep with your baby on you in the hospital.
Seriously.
Okay, they're not really "lies," they're just being cautious...
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Nurses hate it when the baby falls asleep on you
The baby fell asleep on me for about 2 hours last night.
That was the first 2 hours I think I slept in the past 48 hours.
(You can tell by the way that I write the number "2" instead of the word "two" as I would usually do with more sleep.)
But the nurse came in and found us and told me it's dangerous to fall asleep with a baby on you.
I then realized it's the TOP instruction in their list of what to do with the baby. That list is on the bathroom door.
The top instruction is in BOLD.
I should take a picture of that list.
What if you don't go to the bathroom - then you don't learn how to take care of your baby? I'm unsure about their list-placing skills.
Meanwhile, all I can think of is a high school friend who used to fall asleep in a chair holding an open beer. He would never spill it, just hold it there the whole night.
If he can hold that beer, I can certainly hold a baby.
On second thought, maybe that's not the lesson to learn from his beer-holding prowess. Maybe there is no lesson. Maybe I just need sleep.
That was the first 2 hours I think I slept in the past 48 hours.
(You can tell by the way that I write the number "2" instead of the word "two" as I would usually do with more sleep.)
But the nurse came in and found us and told me it's dangerous to fall asleep with a baby on you.
I then realized it's the TOP instruction in their list of what to do with the baby. That list is on the bathroom door.
The top instruction is in BOLD.
I should take a picture of that list.
What if you don't go to the bathroom - then you don't learn how to take care of your baby? I'm unsure about their list-placing skills.
Meanwhile, all I can think of is a high school friend who used to fall asleep in a chair holding an open beer. He would never spill it, just hold it there the whole night.
If he can hold that beer, I can certainly hold a baby.
On second thought, maybe that's not the lesson to learn from his beer-holding prowess. Maybe there is no lesson. Maybe I just need sleep.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
From induction to C-section in twelve easy hours, and one stressful hour
[This post was written in the weeks following the birth of our son, because, well, those first few weeks are pretty darn tough.]
We check into the hospital at 6am for an induction as per the doctor's orders (wife was 2 weeks past due date, and also breech. We were still hoping for a vaginal delivery - this was one of the only doctor's who would do it. )
Induction of Pitocin begins at 9am.
Doctor checks her around then - seemed upset she wasn't induced beginning at 6am.
Nurse was so gruff, when she left the room we debated if she was autistic. It was decided she was borderline. Anyhow, we felt better about her gruffness (not her fault - autism's fault).
Pitocin level slowly raised throughout the morning. No contractions.
Doctor checks around noon. He gets upset at the nurse (but she's autistic, doc!) that the Pitocin wasn't raised faster.
Pitocin is raised by a non-autistic nurse.
Wife feels first small contractions in early afternoon.
Slowly increase levels of Pitocin throughout afternoon. We (yes, as if I'm also giving birth) get to level 11, contractions still small.
6pm - Doctor checks and finds meconium (baby poop) in the discharge. Tells us, "We've really tried everything for a vaginal birth. Baby is breech, but also no putting pressure on the cervix at all. I've never seen anything like it in 45 years of practicing medicine."
Me: So what's the plan?
Doctor: We're going to have to do a C-section. The baby has probably been ingesting meconium for a while now.
Me: Alright. I guess we'll have to do it. When should we do it, later tonight, or maybe tomorrow morning-
Doctor: No, now.
Me: Oh.
And like a Broadway show changing the stage while the curtain is down, a team of doctors and nurses came in and whisked my wife away what felt like seconds. It was seriously a sight to see, and I would have enjoyed it, too, had I not been scared out of my mind.
Autistic nurse tells me to get all our personal belonging out of the room, then meet her in the hallway where she'd give me some scrubs so I could be with my wife during the procedure. Tried to argue, as I didn't want to leave my wife. Went something like this:
Me: I'm just going to leave these bags.
Nurse: No, you need to take them. Now. We need to use this room for someone else. The cleaning crew will come in. Things could get stolen.
Me: I don't care if they're stolen.
Nurse: Get them out of here. You can't see your wife while she's getting her spinal block anyhow.
Me: How much time do I have before I can be with her?
Nurse: 10 minutes. You have to hurry.
Me: Wow.
So then I move. Fast.
Pack bags, nay, STUFF the SHIT out of bags, grab them ALL, then RUN them down three flights of stairs and across a driveway to the car - which, because we got there at 6am was parked close..
And..I'm BACK in just a few minutes. (But who really knows how fast - felt like an hour, b/c MY WIFE WAS HAVING A MAJOR OPERATION AND I WASN'T THERE)
But, I did make it, was with her through the surgery.
Won't say too much about the surgery, but I will say, when I saw our boy off to the side with a medical team, it was really, really hard believe he was real. It was like a magic trick - we're going put up this curtain and...VOILA! Here's a baby!
I didn't see him come out because I was hiding behind the curtain that was draped over my wife, but not long after he was out, they called me over (same room) and I got to be with our boy right after the NICU (important baby docs) pumped his lungs, wiped him down, and he cried. There were some long moments there before that cry, as I saw the team working on him in the corner of the room...
But boy, that cry. Surreal. You know a baby is coming, but you don't know what he'll sound like, feel like, smell like, until he's here.
Alright, so we had the kid. And now we're off!
We check into the hospital at 6am for an induction as per the doctor's orders (wife was 2 weeks past due date, and also breech. We were still hoping for a vaginal delivery - this was one of the only doctor's who would do it. )
Induction of Pitocin begins at 9am.
Doctor checks her around then - seemed upset she wasn't induced beginning at 6am.
Nurse was so gruff, when she left the room we debated if she was autistic. It was decided she was borderline. Anyhow, we felt better about her gruffness (not her fault - autism's fault).
Pitocin level slowly raised throughout the morning. No contractions.
Doctor checks around noon. He gets upset at the nurse (but she's autistic, doc!) that the Pitocin wasn't raised faster.
Pitocin is raised by a non-autistic nurse.
Wife feels first small contractions in early afternoon.
Slowly increase levels of Pitocin throughout afternoon. We (yes, as if I'm also giving birth) get to level 11, contractions still small.
6pm - Doctor checks and finds meconium (baby poop) in the discharge. Tells us, "We've really tried everything for a vaginal birth. Baby is breech, but also no putting pressure on the cervix at all. I've never seen anything like it in 45 years of practicing medicine."
Me: So what's the plan?
Doctor: We're going to have to do a C-section. The baby has probably been ingesting meconium for a while now.
Me: Alright. I guess we'll have to do it. When should we do it, later tonight, or maybe tomorrow morning-
Doctor: No, now.
Me: Oh.
And like a Broadway show changing the stage while the curtain is down, a team of doctors and nurses came in and whisked my wife away what felt like seconds. It was seriously a sight to see, and I would have enjoyed it, too, had I not been scared out of my mind.
Autistic nurse tells me to get all our personal belonging out of the room, then meet her in the hallway where she'd give me some scrubs so I could be with my wife during the procedure. Tried to argue, as I didn't want to leave my wife. Went something like this:
Me: I'm just going to leave these bags.
Nurse: No, you need to take them. Now. We need to use this room for someone else. The cleaning crew will come in. Things could get stolen.
Me: I don't care if they're stolen.
Nurse: Get them out of here. You can't see your wife while she's getting her spinal block anyhow.
Me: How much time do I have before I can be with her?
Nurse: 10 minutes. You have to hurry.
Me: Wow.
So then I move. Fast.
Pack bags, nay, STUFF the SHIT out of bags, grab them ALL, then RUN them down three flights of stairs and across a driveway to the car - which, because we got there at 6am was parked close..
And..I'm BACK in just a few minutes. (But who really knows how fast - felt like an hour, b/c MY WIFE WAS HAVING A MAJOR OPERATION AND I WASN'T THERE)
But, I did make it, was with her through the surgery.
Won't say too much about the surgery, but I will say, when I saw our boy off to the side with a medical team, it was really, really hard believe he was real. It was like a magic trick - we're going put up this curtain and...VOILA! Here's a baby!
I didn't see him come out because I was hiding behind the curtain that was draped over my wife, but not long after he was out, they called me over (same room) and I got to be with our boy right after the NICU (important baby docs) pumped his lungs, wiped him down, and he cried. There were some long moments there before that cry, as I saw the team working on him in the corner of the room...
But boy, that cry. Surreal. You know a baby is coming, but you don't know what he'll sound like, feel like, smell like, until he's here.
Alright, so we had the kid. And now we're off!
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