One Weeker!

Happy One Week Birthday, little Maya!

I really cannot believe it's been a week. Didn't I just bring her home yesterday? OK, I know I should be saying that when I am 50, but still. This week went by fast. So I thought I would take the time to write down Maya's birth story. I never did that with Finn (not that I really want to relive the ordeal leading up to finally having him out in the real world...ugh). I was in labor with Maya 20 hours, but somehow it was much more manageable than Finn's 24.

I went into labor about 2pm last Tuesday—my actual due date. And I think it was probably a combo of my body just being ready, and the fact that my doctor stripped my membranes, which obviously got things jump started. Once I realized I was having actual contractions, I started timing them. My mom and dad, and Wes's mom and sister were all here preparing a dinner that we had planned to have. And Wes was outside trimming the Palo Verde tree. I went outside and told Wes I was having contractions, and that he should probably think about coming in and showering at some p0int. And then 2 hours later I went out and reiterated (with some fancy breathing interspersed) that he should probably come in and shower at some point. Hint. Hint. The tree ended up only getting half-trimmed that evening. Everyone enjoyed a nice family dinner while I ate a bowl of Crispix, because I wasn't about to eat a huge bowl of split pea soup and cornbread just before going to the hospital. I envisioned that possibly going badly in the future...

I washed my face, gave my self a manicure (of the simple variety), brushed my hair. Maybe that all sounds funny, but it was distracting, and I was dead set on not looking like death warmed over this time in all of my post-birth photos. (Let me just give a nod to Clinique waterproof mascara. That stuff stayed put for like 36 hours!!) Then I checked my hospital bag, double checked the diaper bag, and loaded up the car. I think Wes asked at one point if we could just go to bed and wake up and go into the hospital in the morning. True, I was probably going to have a long labor like last time. But seeing as I would rather labor all night somewhere that offered pain management, I headed for the car, not the bedroom.

It was totally empty at check-in and in triage. They started my IV. I was already dilated to a 5. They phoned my doctor to let him know. Wes started taking HD video of the events. (He's currently compiling that video. It was of course all very tastefully done—nothing too overt.) He took footage of the nurse finding my vein, Maya's galloping heartbeat on the monitor, the walk back to labor and delivery. We set up camp in the exceedingly nice/modern delivery room. My mom joined us, and plugged in my Sea Island Cotton wallflower from Bath and Body Works (trust me—a wonderful addition to any laboring woman's experience that even the nurses appreciated).

I let the nurse know that I did NOT want my epidural yet. We discussed the downfalls of my previous epidural 2 years ago, and she said no problemo. So then we waited and watched the monitor, and I f-o-c-u-s-e-d on the job at hand. The nurse was great. I was her only patient. She left me alone enough, and checked in enough. Wes attempted to sleep (on the really great couch-sized fold-down bed). I was totally into the Serenity Channel and the shots of the Grand Canyon with Native American flute music. I was able to really zone in on that TV screen and tough it out for quite a while. The only problem was that it didn't stay on that imagery the whole time. It switched to really annoying undersea adventures with coral and squids and flitting fish and new age music and bubbling volcano thingys... I found myself trying to envision the Grand Canyon set to wooden flute while I was staring at the fish. Wasn't really working out so well. BUZZ "What can we do for you?" "I think I am ready for that epidural now."

So about 30 minutes later they came in. "Sorry! There was another mother screaming for pain relief, and since you seem to be handling it so well, we helped her out first." I wanted to tell them, "I was screaming on the inside, ladies!!" Screaming always makes it worse, I think, so I would rather save my breath for, well, breathing. I opted for a walking epidural first. This was BLISSFUL! It immediately numbed everything in the middle. But I could feel my legs enough to still get up and use the restroom, if I needed. I relaxed. Dozed. When I woke up, the epidural was wearing off, and I went ahead and asked for the full epidural. Ahhh. More snoozing.

(My body doesn't progress well when I am in too much pain. And even though an epidural slows things down a bit, pain beyond a manageable point is a real setback. I am sure I would not have lived through childbirth in the olden days, simply because my body would refuse to dilate. Which is why I happily and shamelessly ask for the epidural.)

I woke up at 8am, feeling reallllly numb and sick. This is my only complaint about a full epidural. I hate how absolutely numb my legs get. But once I was awake, the epidural seemed to back off a bit because I was able to change positions (it effects how it runs through your system—so sleeping on my right side caused my right leg to be numb all the way into the late afternoon after Maya was born). Plus I figured I must be getting close, and didn't want them to come in and physically dial it down just in time to actually have the baby. Counterproductive. Around 9:30, my doctor came in, broke my water (yeah, I know—it was hanging on until the end and probably would have never broken on its own). He started some Pitocin to get things really going because if you do the math you can see I'd been in labor for quite a while by that point!

By 10:30 am I was 9.5 cm, and my Mom and I were doing 2 minute mysteries (a book of short mysteries you have to solve from clues in the text). I remember they checked me again, and left the room. Suddenly the nurse walked in with "the cart" full of the blue drapes and silver important-looking objects. I said, "Wait—Wes has to hear this 2 minute mystery about the filmmaker who catches the death of the model on film!" And the nurse said,"You're at a 10, don't move, we have to call the doctor. Whatever you do don't push." And my Mom says, "Is this imminent? Like she's going to have the baby right now?" The nurse looked at us and says, "Yes. The baby will be here in about 20 minutes." Put those 2 minute mysteries away and call the other grandparents, for goodness sakes! So as I was not pushing, the doctor was being called again, and Wes was trying to figure out the best way to be helpful to me while filming (discreetly) at the same time. Doctor Huish arrived, and 2 easy contractions later Maya was born! No sweat! It was way easier than I was fearing. Didn't feel a thing. She immediately started blowing raspberries, and they handed her right to me. It was so sweet. She was so warm! They had to make her cry a lot so that she would get nice and pink. She was perfect—little button nose, dark hair, fingernails ready for a French Manicure (how many labor/delivery posts include two mentions of the word "manicure..."). 6 lbs. 15 oz. 19.5 inches long. She had a bath, Wes videoed. My mom came back in and cried. Maya was handed over. I nursed her. She caught right on! We all beamed.
So after all calmed down, we headed over to recovery to Oooh and Aaah over little Maya. Finn came to visit later that day, and smiled shyly at his new baby sister. It was a wonderful day!
We headed home the next day, since Mom and Baby were doing so well. We're settling in over here. Granny and Grandad Beauchamp are driving back home to Texas, and we are getting the first taste of life with just the 4 of us. Finn is having a time of it. He loves Maya, for sure! But he is definitely wanting his own Momma and Dadda Time. There's a lot of sensitivity flying around. But we'll work it out. Maya is such a content baby! There are hardly any moments like this: (unless she's hungry or needs changing)
It's mostly moments like these:

I am just so grateful that Maya is safely here. She is a perfect little baby. I am so in love with her. I took a break from typing just now to feed her. I was holding her and gazing at her sweet profile marveling at the miracle and blessing that she is. I feel like I have always known her, yet at the same time can't wait to get to know her. My Maya.