Sprout's Homecoming (4 days old)

We're home!

Me and Baby Zeke came home yesterday from Piedmont. There is so much to share and in my head I have been composing posts about the new life that we are experiencing. I will not say that this has been easy or that we were ready for everything, but thank goodness we knew that going into this experience. But, isn't he lovely? Isn't he just astounding?

We are all doing really well considering the big things that have happened this week (for example, being born or giving birth). I will be resuming my posting responsiblities here as I can, though I am sure you were all pleased by the guest blogging of Aaron this week. We have lots to share, so I plan on continuing this site for the time being.

I want especially to share our thanks with all of you (I never realized how many of you there are, faithful readers!) for the outpouring of love and good wishes this week. The flowers, gifts, calls and emails are amazing. Your support and love are precious gifts to our new family.

Day 2 photos

-Posted by Aaron

Thanks to everyone who commented on the previous post. We don't have access to the internet from the hospital, so I'm publishing these when I run home to check on things. Both Jamie and Zeke are doing great. Jamie is up and on her feet now. The pediatrician gave little Zeke a clean bill of health, he passed all his blood glucose tests, and his digestive system seems to be in good working order. Here are some photos from his second day on the outside.

Don't forget, you can click on the images to see a larger version.

Say hello to Sprout!

-Posted by Aaron

At about 12:30 this morning, Jamie's water broke. She took a shower, we packed some things, I called the midwife, and we headed to the hospital. It was clear that Sprout was still breach, so an obstetrician was called and Jamie was prepped for surgery.

At 4:10 AM, with some effort on the part of the doctor and midwife Wendy, Sprout was pulled, feet first, into the world.


Here he is being evaluated immediately after delivery.



Jamie got to see Sprout moments later, but her arms were restrained, so all she could do was to give him a kiss.

I followed Sprout to the nursery while the doctors sewed Jamie back up. He weighed in at 8 pounds 11.7 ounces and measured 19 inches from head to toe.

Here he is getting a bath. This is primarily for the benefit of the hospital staff, so that they don't have to wear gloves to touch him, and was not much appreciated by Sprout. After the bath he sat under a heat lamp for a while to bring his body temperature back up. The little sensor on his chest is a thermostat to regulate the baby-warmer. And that's my finger he's holding onto.



Once Sprout warmed up and a few tests were done, he got to go back to recovery to see his mother. He nursed right away, and the two of them spent a lot of time bonding.




And now he has a name. He will be called Aaron Ezekiel, or "Zeke".

The last few days....

Today is officially the start of last week of my pregnancy. By this time next weekend, I will be someone's mother and Aaron will be someone's father. That really makes me a little emotional as I have finally had some time to settle into Sprout coming into the world next Friday. What are you supposed to do when you know that after a certain date at a certain time, your life will never be the same?

I am trying hard to commit to memory what this experience has been like for us. As I look through the last 50 entries, though, I realize how easy it is to lose those memories. I may have to rely on all of you to help me! I know that I will miss being pregnant. I am certainly not at the stage where I am desperate to not be pregnant as I know many other mom-to-be's get. I am feeling really good (even while I am looking forward to getting feeling back in my fingertips and toes) and ready to appreciate these last days and minute of this part of our life. I am looking forward to the future, but appreciate where we are now.

I also appreciate how kind people are to me in the time that I have been pregnant. Just last night we were picking up some groceries from Whole Foods. I made a quick stop in the restroom where there was a little bit of a line. Everyone was very insistent that I get into the front of the line -- I declined but did accept when they offered me the larger stall! This is not to say that I think everyone should let other people cut in line, but I appreciate that people will notice me and take consideration of me. They also all asked how far along I am, was this my first, and offered many congratulations and compliments for being so healthy and energetic in the last week of pregnancy. Let me say, this was just in the bathroom of Whole Foods. Generally speaking, people are nicer to me in all sorts of contexts and situations and willing to be thoughtful. I get smiles from all sorts of people. I wish that we could all have such tenderness to friends and strangers. I also hope that people will be willing to extend such kindness when I have a small infant.

I will also miss some (I said, some) of the ways in which my body has been changing with Sprout's changes. I am fascinated, especially this past week, to see him move his head and legs and arms even while I have no idea what he looks like. I am fascinated by the way my body has been getting ready to introduce him into this outside world from how I can see my veins expand across my abdomen like a light blue netting holding him to me or even the way my legs now resemble solid tree trunks to hold us up. There is just enough wonder in those sort of changes to let me be amused and not entirely frustrated that I can't touch my toes or get out of the bed without a one minute effort.

What did we do with our last baby free weekend? Not much. We stayed up late, we slept in, we watched movies and spent time together. This week, I have some last minute errands (baby and non-baby related), as well as some time booked to go to the Y and to use my Valentine's day gift at the spa. Tomorrow is my last prenatal visit with the midwives and my last visit (probably) with the chiropractor. The visits with the chiropractor haven't gotten Sprout to turn, but they have eliminated the round ligament pain that was keeping me sleepless a few weeks ago. That is definitely worth the visits. I'm expecting more information about Friday at the midwife appointment and hope there are no last miscommunications with Midwife Mary Jane. Until that next update, here are some photos of other things Sprout owns. One is of his Maclaren stroller (that will take him from infancy to 40 pounds) and the rug that coordinates with all the other jungle animals in his nursery.

Welcome to Sprout's Cousin! (39 weeks)

Welcome, Robert Murray Hughes V, to the world! He was born to Betsy and Robert Hughes on Friday afternoon, March 10. He was 8 pounds, 7 ounces and 21 inches long. Murray -- as I believe he will be known -- has red hair and is the first great grandchild for Aaron's grandparents. We are looking forward to seeing pictures of Sprout's older cousin very soon. It won't be long before we get to meet him as Aaron's other cousin (and Betsy's sister) Gabrielle will be getting married in June in North Carolina. I think it will be fun for both babies to have such close birthdays!

Luck of the Irish (38 weeks, 4 days)

If you had called off your bets on when Sprout would enter into the world, maybe you shouldn't have. My c-section is no longer scheduled for Wednesday. Instead, it is scheduled for Friday, St. Patrick's Day. (Sorry, Linda, still not March 16.)

Of course, he could still come anytime before then. Next week we have a full moon and this week there is a low pressure front coming through Atlanta, both of which are supposed to cause women to go into labor. (Midwife Wendy says she doesn't believe in the full moon having an effect, but she said lots of women start to go into labor when there are big swings in barometric pressure.) I think Sprout is holding out, though. Contrary to what most babies do, he seems to be moving up and not down. He is doing some moving around, though, and I carry a small hope that he is trying to turn. For some part of the day, he is usually at a horizontal position across my abdomen, rather than the crooked little line with his head under my right ribs. Last night as I was sitting at my desk, I could see his behind come up my left side. Head only came down a little, so it might just be wedged in there too tight.

As wrote earlier, I wasn't excited about having a c-section on Wednesday. One of the reasons why is because I would only have a few days off from work and then - wham - I'm a mom and my life changes forever. It just didn't seem like enough time. I felt rushed to finish some things I wanted to do and still rest and still go out on a last child-free date with Aaron. I had appointments for Monday and Tuesday and it was all a lot faster than I wanted. Another reason is that I wanted Sprout to be born as close to his due date as possible and as close to the time that he is ready to be born. When I spoke to Midwife Judith about scheduling the c-section, she said she would try for March 17 or even March 20. Hence, part of my disappointment to find out it would be sooner. Since I got the message from the practice that the surgery was for Wednesday, I have been trying to get in touch with them as to why it was for an earlier date. I got ahold of Wendy finally today and she was very apologetic.

There had been a misunderstanding on the part of the third midwife, Midwife Mary Jane. She thought they wouldn't do procedures on Friday and none of them wanted to let me go past Sprout's due date. So, that made it for Thursday. The doctor on rotation for Thursday has a broken ankle, though, and they are not scheduling surgeries for that day. So, Mary Jane told Wendy to schedule it for Wednesday. But, Wendy didn't know I wasn't happy with that AND she knew that it could be scheduled for Friday. Quick phone call to the hospital today and the last possible time for Sprout's arrival is now Friday, March 17 at 1 PM. I just bought that kid two more days to get his work done!

I feel much better about this day, relieved really, even if it is just 2 extra days. I also feel good about speaking up with my care providers and being an advocate for myself and Sprout. I did promise Wendy that in exchange for the date change I would be a good obedient patient, meaning that if I think labor is starting I will go into the hospital immediately and let them perform the c-section. So, they feel better that I'm not going to try and skip out on surgery (which I wasn't planning on....only daydreaming about). And I feel better about being able to keep my appointment for a massage, pedicure, and manicure for the middle of next week. Now, if I could just find tickets to the Prince concert on Wednesday night -- which I know would flip the baby -- then everything would be perfect.

The blog is boring without pictures. Here is a picture of me with Mrs. Mitchell, a hostess for my school shower two weeks ago. It's a little embarrassing, but you can see where I dropped food on my voluminous belly. I've ruined at least two shirts recently to items being attracted to the gravitational pull of the belly. Also, if you haven't please review the comments from my last entry. Trish has written a song for the baby to motivate him to turn that is really well done! It even has a rhyme scheme. Now, if I could just sing, maybe we would have some better luck!

Notice served (38 weeks, 2 days)

The Sprout now has an eviction notice. At today's midwife appointment, we scheduled the c-section. The c-section is scheduled for Wednesday, March 15 at 1 PM.

Am I nervous? Am I excited? Am I anxious? Enh....It is a lot of different things. It's astounding to have a "no later than" date and to have the reality sitting in front of me. It's exciting to know that everything is different from here. It's still disappointing, I admit, but I know that I am not in control and that it's not about me, I am focused on the right outcome (Sprout, of course) and I know it won't matter in the end and won't focus on it in the end. I know that this is how a quarter of all babies are born in the US. There is nothing wrong with having a c-section, other than it wasn't my choice, so please don't think I am criticizing having a baby by c-section or need lots of handholding (that's the opposite of what I want). Still, I do kinda dread spending time recovering from a surgery as opposed to recovering from childbirth and wish I could trade places with the women I know who wish for a c-section. And, to face it, I think I had done everything I could to prepare for a natural childbirth, but not for a surgery, so it just will take a moment more. If I had to compare it to something, it would be like a lot of my other choices in life -- for example, I have chosen to not eat most meat for the past dozen years. It would be difficult for me to then have a compelling reason to change my mindset and my options and eat a steak. I hate to complain, but this is my blog and how I feel, so I get to be honest about it. I'm trying to keep hope alive that Sprout might be in the 1% of full-term babies who turn, but it appears there may be a reason why he hasn't. I guess we will know by next week.

Nothing else to report from the midwife appointment. I actually lost a pound from last week. The nausea is from the baby squeezing my organs up and out my ears and will continue to come and go without good explanation as the baby positions himself. The cramping will continue until I go into full labor or next Wednesday. (Essentially, I traded all of the months without a period for something akin to the longest PMS of my life ever.) I ate a sugar cookie with strawberry frosting with my coffee after the appointment. It was good. Sprout and I deserved it. Just one more appointment scheduled with the midwives for next week.

At least we can plan accordingly for next week. One, I definitely have to finish up work in the next 3 days, which is really hard for me to do even though I knew I would have to do it eventually. Two, we have a place to board Maggie for the week so Aaron doesn't have to worry about her -- she'll just think she is on vacation when she gets to play for a few days with other dogs and not us dumb primates. Three, family members are scheduling times to come in now. Silver linings, people, silver linings.

Less than 2 weeks to go (38 weeks)

I know I am writing awfully late, but I think I can be forgiven, considering how much I have slept today...a lot. I gave myself a little time this weekend to be disappointed, but have put that aside entirely now and am doing well. I'm still feeling a little not myself, but I don't think labor is imminent as I haven't had that nesting burst of energy even while I keep looking for it. I did get a little bit of nesting in this weekend, but, seriously, the laundry just had to get done. I'm still just in absolute disbelief that we will have a baby boy here with us in the next two weeks. I'm not anxious, but still just amazed. I remember when it seemed amazing to make it into the second trimester or when we were 20 weeks in, but to have just days left is astounding.

Here is a photo of me from yesterday that Aaron took in the backyard. I may have some other photos to share soon. Judy -- a former intern -- took some photos of me recently and I'm eager to see how they turned out. She is a great photographer and we have fallen down on the job in documenting this pregnancy, so it was just an amazing gift from her to get those pictures made. Thanks, Judy! Also, anxious to hear news about Aaron's cousin Betsy whose due date was this past week. I can't wait to hear about the first great grandchild in the family on that side and Sprout's cousin.

Love thy neighbor: good wishes from around the cul-de-sac (37 weeks, 5 days)

It's an exciting and nervewracking time, to be sure, with just 2 weeks to go before the Sprout's birthday. I'm glad to have this week over with, though. I think the version might have been a little more stressful on me than I initially realized as I felt out of sorts Thursday and Friday, especially today. I have been feeling a little nauseated and a little crampy, which is all normal, but I connect it to the version anyway. I went into work yesterday late, but still put in all of my hours -- I find that wanting to find a good stopping point at work has become a big priority for me. Today, coupled with the regular exhaustion of being 8 1/2 months pregnant, I felt like I was recovering from the flu. Though I had a meeting and tons of other things to do, I stayed on the couch and slept for hours. I also find myself less and less satisfied about having to have a c-section as time goes on. I know that is a standard procedure and I have only the baby's safety in mind, but I just wish it wasn't this way. We have never really planned on having more than one baby (though we haven't closed the book on that option) and I just didn't see the experience going this way. Again, I'm glad that I have long ago given up on being in control. I did consult a chiropractor this morning to see if we can do anything else to encourage the baby to flip, but, as that appears to a controversial topic with some people, I don't want to discuss it further.

I'm waiting to hear back from Midwife Judith, but she was going to see whether we could schedule the c-section on March 17 or 20. (Linda, we may still may end up with March 16 yet, so don't give up hope yet.) It's strange to have some dates lined up.

Anyway, the week ended up on a good note. We love the neighborhood that we live in. It differs wildly from other places that we have lived in that we actually know the names of our neighbors and know them well enough to like them. I admit that I don't know tons of people around the neighborhood, but we know everyone in the dozen or so homes around the cul-de-sac. We even like each other well enough to break bread together and every couple of months, someone hosts a dinner or Sunday brunch.

Tonight we had a dinner at one of our neighbor's and it turned out it was an opportunity to toast Aaron, me and the Sprout -- the first baby on the block. We are at the vanguard of a mini-baby boom in our intown enclave. One other woman on the cul-de-sac is pregnant, another around the corner is and someone a block down (who I don't know) either had a baby or found a great deal on "It's a Boy" mylar balloons to decorate her yard. After a nice dinner that involved some talk about babies, but some regular people talk, too (always a good thing), they presented a card and very nice gift card to Target. Yeah! Good food and gift cards -- definitely a positive way to end this week.

Just so you can have a sense of what my neighbors are like, here is a sampling of what they signed in the card:

"Congrats! Can't wait to babysit!"
"We are very happy for you guys."
"This block really needs some new blood -- thanks for doing your part!"
"So, how long until you move waaaaay up to Kennesaw like all my other friends with young kids? Not for a long time, I hope!"
"I have tried, tried and nothing....Actually I am relieved that you guys had a baby before I did. So thrilled for you" (from a neighbor with a highly developed sense of irony)

and this from the hosts of the dinner:

"Happy Baby! Keep him off our lawn."

I'm taking away the toys! (37 weeks, 3 days)

Let me start by posting all the positive things that happened today: I liked the hospital staff and felt very comfortable with them. The baby looked great when they were monitoring him -- very healthy and tolerant of stress. I got to see what a contraction looks like on the monitor (I didn't even know I was having one). The version caused nothing resembling a complication and did not cause me to go into labor. Aaron got to see the baby on ultrasound and we don't have to be worried about the baby being anything other than a boy. It was a very pretty spring day here in Atlanta. The hospital validated our parking. Also, at the bakery where we had lunch, the supervisor behind the counter gave me a free mini-eclair that was super delicious.

Here's the rest of the story: The external version was a total bust today. We are really disappointed. And, I would note, really surprised. It wouldn't be quite right to say that I was optimistic -- I knew that we would get the baby turned and stop talking about c-sections. I had no doubt. Power of positive thinking, my behind. After my midwife appointment on Tuesday, it seemed like we had a good chance and we were encouraged by the amount of fluid around the baby and his position.

The version (or attempt at it) didn't take long. I didn't have to get an IV or pain reliever, just a shot of something to relax my uterus and prevent contractions. The ob was very nice and certainly tried his best. (Sidenote: I can't even begin to understand why he would have such strong thumbs. I guess if being a successful ob doesn't work out for him, he can always go it as a deep tissue massage therapist.) It hurt, but I tried to keep relaxed and the disappointment of it not working is much greater than the pain was. The glitch appears to be that Sprout's head is lodged thoroughly under my ribs and that head did not budge one bit. Given his position, it seems unlikely that he will flip of his own accord in the next 2 1/2 weeks, but the practice seems inclined to delay a c-section until 40 weeks or even longer on that off chance. The midwife is still very encouraging of trying anything else like the accupuncture or chiropractic technique or the exercises I've been doing. I'm giving myself until tomorrow and then I will go back to being optimistic.

I can be focused on having a healthy baby, no matter the means, but my choice would really be not to have surgery. Today was even the first time I have been in a hospital bed and the closest I have ever come to surgery is having my wisdom teeth extracted. I really would like to keep that record! Fortunately, I came to grips a long time ago in this pregnancy with not being in control (remember I noted that after the car accident). I've told the baby that he just has a little bit of time to get to flipping, so no more being stubborn. I even set into motion my as of yet unpracticed parenting skills and told him I might take away some of his toys, if he doesn't at least try to rotate. I hope he is listening.