Wow! The past almost month has FLOWN by at such an incredible speed. It seems like only yesterday I was wallowing in my own self-misery at the pain I felt in my hips, legs, back, stomach, chest ... basically my entire body! I believe the last post I made was the day I actually went into labour ... funny how that works!!
My doctor said to me on Dec 10 that my cervix was becoming more "ripe" but it wasn't ready to deliver the baby. He said that I should go in on Dec 12 to have a cervix ripening agent put on my cervix, sleep in the hospital overnight and have my water broken the next morning at 6am. I cried when I left his office and was a complete depressed wreck. That would have been the birth of HORROR for me. I had already begun taking evening primrose oil pills and had scrubbed the floors on my hands and knees, walked around a really boring museum, danced around my apartment, engaged in "natural" methods of induction ... I was at my wits end. The LAST thing I could try was raspberry leaf tea. I sent my man on a mission to get the tea and I sat at home, alone, completely bitchy out of my mind. Just wanting to have the baby as naturally as possible and hoping to GOD that he would come.
I immediately drank a mug of tea when my man got home ... two tea bags seeped for 30 minutes. That tea was STRONG. Go hard or don't go is what I was thinking at that point. I started feeling some contractions about an hour later (around 8 or 9pm). I thought that it was probably just false labour again, so I didn't say anything to anyone. Around 10pm, I drank another mug of the tea seeped the same way as before. I thought "maybe this is real" so I emailed dad and told him that I thought I was in labour and asked him not to say anything because I wasn't sure ... I didn't want to get people all riled up for nothing!! He called me when he got the email and I was having a contraction as I answered the phone. It was really manageable, which was why I didn't think I was really in labour. Around 11pm, I went to bed thinking the contractions were not real and I'd have to be induced (and basically feeling incredibly sorry for myself).
At midnight, the contractions were happening every 4 minutes and lasting 30-45 seconds. They were getting more and more intense. I knew then that I was really in labour. It was an exciting feeling to know that soon it would all be over and I'd have my little son! I tried to sleep, but the contractions were strong enough to keep me from sleeping but not strong enough to cause me terrible discomfort. I called my doula and let her know what was going on, so she'd be ready in case I had to rush to the hospital. Shortly after I called her, I felt this urge to get up and get stuff ready to go. I started writing a note to my sister letting her know we went to the hospital and a contraction came on. That one felt more intense than the others. I leaned over onto the green cupboard, the contraction came and then WOOSH my water broke. I ran into the bathroom and didn't know what to think about what was happening. At that point, I knew it was real and that this labour was the real deal!
Things are a little hazy after that point. I kind of went into this weird trance-like state and was unable to talk (except for a few words or grunts here and there ... I could point (sort of) ... I felt like I was high). It took me an hour and a half to get myself together and leave for the hospital.
The ride there was an adventure of its own! The taxi driver kept saying he only drove on the military base and couldn't take us to the hospital ... but he kept driving us there, complaining about it the entire trip! After awhile, he let us know that he had drank 3 bottles of soju and "felt sick." Lovely. I was sitting in the backseat not comprehending the conversation at all. I thought he thought I was wasted on soju and had to go to the hospital because I was so sick!
My labour was pretty quick. I was fully dialated an hour and 10 minutes after arriving to the hospital. The baby would have come much sooner had he actually dropped. He was still at station plus 3 (plus 4 is the highest the baby can be). It took about 3 hours to get him down to a position where I could start pushing actively. He was out about an hour later (the times could be a bit wrong b/c of my trance-like state).
I'm proud to say that I went through my ENTIRE labour and delivery without any drugs. The only medical intervention was the episiotomy, which is disappointing but I had no control over that (he cut me without my knowledge). When it was all over, I was totally wide awake, the baby was as alert as could be, and I honestly felt like a million bucks. Just thinking about it now makes me want to cry.
My favourite moment was after he was weighed and what not (I'm not sure what they did b/c my glasses were off and I can't see without them), he was placed in my arms for a minute and he immediately stopped crying. When they took him away, he started wailing again.
I remember when he was first out and still slimy, they put him on my belly. I went to touch him, but it felt so weird touching him at that point. I was kind of scared ... that feeling really didn't go away until after we were home for a few days. It was the first time I had ever seen or touched a baby that young. And he is my baby ... just overwhelming!!
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Alex is now 19 days old and is really showing his personality. He's easily soothed as long as he gets what he wants (when he wants it). It's not difficult to figure out what he wants. Once he is changed, dry and warm, he wants to suck and the only thing he likes to suck on is my nipple. He doesn't like the pacifier (good and bad ... since he won't be a toddle sucking on a soo-soo!). He's very curious about so many things around him. When he's awake, he's always eyeing something up with this amazing look in his eyes. He caught a cold when he was under a week old and has been on this medicine to stop it (just a runny nose ... but I'm a worry wart!). We brought him to the hospital on Monday or Tuesday of this week and he was 4.31kg and 53cm long!
He doesn't sleep through the night and is awake every 2-4 hours to eat (or just to play in some cases). He loves being snuggled and loves baths (and kicking his legs like a little frog!).
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