A rare quiet moment to myself

Since Friday, that is.

Gerard Gabriel Gache-Hernandez was welcomed to this world on April 11, 2008 by way of induced labor. Our April 26 due date became irrelevant.

Because of my low fluids that kept getting lower as learned on my checkup last Thursday (April 10), my doctor called for an induction. I was sent to the hospital right away ("don't go home. Go straight to CPMC!") so I had to call papa Egan and asked him to excuse himself from work because we're having a baby. Doctor Rittenhouse would meet us there later in the evening.

I picked papa up from work, which was on the way to the hospital. Egan works for the hospital but at another campus (there are several across San Francisco). We checked in at the maternity ward where I was quickly admitted and settled into the labor suite. Got hooked up to monitors and stuff on me and all that good stuff for the delivery. We called our parents and informed friends of the situation and there started the excitement.

The nurses were very friendly and attended to EVERYTHING to make my stay comfortable. I was given pitocin shortly later to thin my cervix, as I was only 1 cm dilated upon arrival. It was a long wait that afternoon for the pitocin to do its job, for Dr. Rittenhouse to come, and for the actual labor to begin. Papa E went home to get some more of my stuff - my laptop and my gameboy, to keep me occupied. As the afternoon rolled into evening, my cervix thinned and my parents came just before Dr. R arrived. I was given morphine later at night to help me sleep because I couldn't nap or feel comfortable laying down all day. The morphine was purdy awesome, it totally knocked me out until the middle of the night when labor began.

I forget what time it was when I was asked when I wanted the epidural, but I thought to brave it out for as long as I could without it. But just a few minutes later, I started tearing my hair out and rubbing my face like crazy and told papa E to tell the nurse I need the freakin thing right there and then. I was feeling a lot of pelvic pressure. It seemed like forever for the nurse to come in and inject my spine (needles of all sizes hurt me), and it seemed even more forever for the drug to kick in. I hadn't noticed when it kicked in but the pain just numbed off. By around 10am, the nurse was asking if I was feeling pressure but I kept saying "no" -- thinking she meant if I was feeling any pain. When the fact of the matter was that I was feeling pressure, it just didn't bother me at all. She checked for my cervix but was surprised to announce that she could see Gerard's head and she called Dr. R right away to begin pushing. She waited a while to have me start pushing but Dr. R came quickly and the delivery began.... Gerard was pushing his way out on his own.

It was noon when he came in, and by 12:21, baby Gerard was out!!! Dr. R had me push hard but it didn't take very long because Gerard was helping me. I was encouraged to scream it out but I couldn't do anything past making the grunt face, and when I attempted to scream it only made me laugh. I only saw as much of his neck being stretched out for the rest of his body to be popped out. There really is no word to describe the moment -- papa E was amazed the entire short time when he saw Gerard's head come out more and more.

The nurse then brought Gerard across the room to clean him off, and I ended up vomiting from the experience I just went through. The rest of the day had Gerard being checked and vaccinated and bathed before I was able to start bonding with him. My parents came by, and left, and came by later that evening with the rest of my family and Bern. By then we were already transferred to our post-partum room. Egan's mom hadn't known yet because he wasn't able to get in touch with her early enough. She was actually picking up his grandmother from the airport that very evening, and they got home late to hear the good news. They came by much later that night to visit our latest addition.

The following day was spent checking up on Gerard's progress and trying to breastfeed. It was a frustrating experience (which, I learned, is very normal) so I was seen by a lactation consultant to help me. It wasn't very successful, and I hadn't fed Gerard anything at all since birth. I was quite uncomfortable the whole day (recovering from the stitches since I tore a little) and was bed-ridden, and struggled to get up everytime I had to go to the bathroom.

By Sunday we were discharged from the hospital. We got home, and dropped all our bags and quickly prepared for Gerard's comfort since we never really did much of that prior. We were relying on having 2 more weeks! My family came by to visit, as did Egan's mom later in the evening. Mayla and Vern also came by.

On Monday, we had to go to Gerard's pediatrician and she had me take him in for a blood test to check for his bili rubin levels. Unfortunately, it was higher than she wanted it to be. So she had me take him again on Tuesday, and even more unfortunately, the level went up. She had me take him back to the hospital for an overnight stay so that Gerard could go through photo therapy and get his bili rubin level down to normal. I felt so bad seeing him in the UV incubator with his eyes covered, and everything naked except his diaper. He cried and cried, but eventually, he learned how to cope being by himself. He was at peace under the heat that helped his bili rubin level go down to normal -- the very good news we received this morning. I was able to get more breastfeeding help because they all highly encourage I do this to help with his health and jaundice problem. By the end of Tuesday night, Gerard was latching on to my relief. He consistently latched on til Wednesday morning, and the lactation consultant was very pleased and relieved as well. We got discharged by noontime, and went home. I haven't had any problems breastfeeding him so far :)

I now have to put him under sunlight as much as possible as a way to help keep his bili rubin level normal. This isn't going to be a problem for us in the afternoons because we have a good amount of sunlight in our living room where he can nap naked.

And so at this time, my current worries are: finding him permanent health insurance (adding him to mine costs too much -- but we might just deal with it because I have a good plan), getting my work stuff taken care of (since I had to take my leave unexpectedly so early), signing up for WIC again now that I'll be on disability leave (I don't normally qualify because I make "too much" from my income -- which is unfair because I really don't even make that much) and just the usual things a new mom needs to face. Such as not getting much sleep. But on that note, I end this entry with a big smile because it has been an amazing experience, and I do look forward to what's coming. :)

Egan and I personally thank CPMC's nurses and staff for being so attentive to all our needs and making our stay so very awesome; Dr. Rittenhouse for being our doctor; Dr. Pepitone for making sure Gerard's health was game; our families for bringing food and help where it was needed; our friends for being ever supportive; and most especially Gerard for changing our lives.

As much as we're glad to be home, we really wish we could take the nurses too :) PICTURES OF GERARD TO BE UPLOADED SOMETIME THIS WEEK. 

Surprise induction today

I'm in the hospital getting induced -- instructed only this morning! We are 16 days from duedate and here we are! Bored, hungry, restless, uncomfortable........ More news later when I'm feeling less miserable and more comfortable. Next entry: Gerard will be here. We will see you all soon! 

3 weeks before the big due date

37 weeks into this pregnancy and I haven't felt much pain at all. My braxton hicks are getting more intense though, but it's like a gentle squeeze around my belly more than pain. We are now seeing two doctors weekly. Last week, we saw Dr. Rittenhouse for our regular check up, and we also went to the perinatal office for my glucose monitoring. Let's start with the glucose monitoring... The first part of the appointment was an ultrasound. Gerard's back was turned to the wand so we didn't see his little face. However, they found that I was low on fluids. The ultrasound tech called in a doctor to verify it, and so he called Dr. Rittenhouse with that update. They scheduled me on the spot for a non-stress test, and it actually turned out normal. Gerard was responding to the contractions (his heart beat would go up and down -- which is what they wanted to see) just fine. Because of the impromptu test, Erin my dietitian came in to talk to me while I was strapped to the non-stress tester about my glucose results instead of me going into her office like we've been doing. She said my daily test results were looking good, so I only have to do it once a day now, instead of 4x. She gave me more information on what I need to do post-partum, and gave me some paper for the hospital. I was advised to give it another 2 years before having another kid if we were planning on it as to give us time to recover and prepare for the next birth. I would need to notify them about the next pregnancy so we can start with my diabetes monitoring early on because I'm very much at risk for it again. Two days later we went in to see Dr. Rittenhouse where I was given a pelvic exam. It was uncomfortably done! He applied some pressure on me down there to which I just tightened my lips. He told me that's the kind of pain or pressure I'll feel during the real labor. I think he did a group B strep test because he handed me a tube of something for check out, and that I'll get results from it shortly. Why I hadn't confirmed what that was, I don't know! I think I was still reeling from the uncomfortable throbbing of the pelvic exam. He acknowledged my low fluids, and we asked what we could do about it. He said there really isn't a known reason why fluids become low but I should keep myself hydrated any way. Later that night, I was getting ready to shower when I noticed blood all over my underwear. It alarmed me at first sight, but I figure it was from the pelvic exam so I just let it be. I put a pad on overnight in case I continued to bleed, but next morning, I was clean. However, later that day at work, I noticed some bleeding again and called Dr. Rittenhouse (who wasn't in at the time) but his assistant advised it could possibly just be from the pelvic exam. I had informed her about the night before and how I figured it was from the exam, but she assured that Dr. Rittenhouse will call me back later. She asked if I was feeling any pain but I was not, so I really had nothing to worry about. When doctor called, he explained the same thing -- if the bleeding is more than a regular period, then that's when I should call in about possible labor. Well the last couple of weeks, white-colored discharges have been showing on my underwear and since my last appointment, I have been showing colored discharges. Nothing so alarming, though. We're still 3 weeks away from the due date, and the lack of pain makes it like I'm still very far away from that date! I go to the perinatal office and Dr. Rittenhouse again this week. But it's been so hard to sit down and get up!!! It gets harder by the day!!! Almost everyday now, I've been getting asked if we're ready and my response is always 'No' because I haven't really felt the reality of pain just yet.. and it's like just any other day in this pregnancy. Hehehehe. Last weekend, I was asked by strangers when I was due. I hadn't realized that I show that much now, because everyone else who sees me everyday keeps telling me I don't show as much. One lady on the street asked if I was 7 months along but we told her that we're due in about a month or so! Another lady at the grocery asked if we were having a boy or girl at the checkout, but I didn't think I was showing that much. She saw my belly shaping out under my thick sweater though! So there's our update. We'll see what happens on Thursday after the appointments. Hopefully we're still good on track. 

Feeling unprepared

I started seeing Dr. Rittenhouse every 2 weeks and so far, things are still good. We recorded the heartbeat so Gerard can hear it later on. Doctor told us that so far, from the results of our last ultrasound, he's at an average size, just a bit below the mean for babies born. Which is fine with me as long as he's not too big or too small. Our next ultrasound will continue to monitor his length so let's just hope he stays in that bell curve.

We received a whole bunch of baby stuff from my brother, so our apartment is really full. We haven't fully unpacked but we better get to it soon. This includes putting the crib together!

Why do I feel unprepared? I just do. Doctor said we don't exactly need a birthplan and it seems like we don't even need to pack a hospital bag of stuff because we'll be provided for. The only thing we'll need to have is a babyseat (check!).

My seasonal allergies aren't getting any better. I gave in to Wal-dryl last night (been avoiding any meds even if this was "safe" to use) and got knocked out.... so long that I pretty much missed dinner on time. Papa E took a nap with me and he zonked out as well. My inner clock woke me up at 10 pm and we rushed to finish making our sloppy joes. Gerard was moving a lot, which I don't normally feel at that hour. After that, I went back to bed, and woke up just as groggy today.

Yesterday morning I had some coffee to help wake me up but it seems all the caffeine went to Gerard. I still felt really sleepy, but he was bouncing around. During this 3rd tri, his movements haven't been as frequent (sleeping, much?). So no more coffee for us.

This journal is all over the place. But I'll end the update here. Happy Easter to everyone.

New picture!

There is a new picture in the photo album from our 32 week sonogram yesterday. We have more of the same stuff, but this one is my favorite =)

The sonogram was called for to check in on his weight and size. He looks great! I'd like to also share that my new eating regimen was right on track -- Erin the nutritionist was pleased with my daily blood test results given the kind of things I was eating the past week.

Our New Dig

This past weekend, we moved in to our new home. We haven't had much time to unpack and clean up, but it will take many good days to get it done. We now live close to Golden Gate Park. Photography times!!

Moving in

It's been a busy last couple of weeks, now that I have to really watch what I eat and we have finally found our own nest.

Work is keeping me busy on top of that.

We saw Dr. Rittenhouse last week, and we mostly just discussed medical care options. My health benefits only cover me, and dependents cost a little too much so we have to explore alternatives out there that won't rip our pockets apart. He said I can work up until I give birth when asked the best time I should go on my leave. I agree to the extent that I would rather use my maternity leave after birth because such time is limited. I do need to go back to work soon after birth (which I hate to have to do), but am currently looking at options to make this easier on me and my work contribution.

Before Dr. R, we had our first meeting with my dietitian who reviewed my eating habit and is putting me on a better track to improve my gestational diabetes. It sucks to be on this diet. I'm tempted by all kinds of junk food I miss. I see her again tomorrow, and every two weeks (I think) until birth. We are scheduled for an ultrasound (though I wish we didn't have to anymore) to check on Gerard's size and weight. Maybe we'll get to see his face, but I was hoping there would be no more ultrasounds at this point because of (known and unknown) risks it has on him. I will have to see Dr. R every two weeks as well. I have to figure out my work schedule so it doesn't get too crazy but thankfully I work with people who are flexible and fully understand what I have to do.

We are now at our new apartment, everything is well unpacked, and I still have more things to get from my parents' house. It's tiring to unpack with all the bending down and pushing of boxes I shouldn't be doing, but sometimes I can't help it. I just want things to get cleared and de-cluttered right away. We barely even have any furniture but we can't get them until the living room is cleaned. I estimate another few weeks before that happens.

Big thanks to our friends and parents for helping us make this transition as smooth as possible.

Before I forget, my family threw a baby shower for us over the weekend. We came unintentionally late because that was also the same day we were signing the apartment lease and the agent had almost forgot about meeting us, so he was late. We received all kinds of nice gifts (I think we're well covered with the newborn diapers), so a BIG HUG to our friends and family for their support and love.

There is much more work to do so I'll end this journal here for now. Hopefully the next time I get to write, we have a little more room in this nest!

P.S. Gerard seems to be "sleeping" a lot as I can only feel him move sporadically. I am getting a lot more contractions lately. Harder and more frequent!