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Journal bethanie's Journal: The Second Coming, or Messianic Proportions 46

Journal by bethanie
Is it blasphemy to refer to your child as some sort of divine being? I hope so -- I'm looking to violate as many dogmatic principles as possible.

So I'm back -- erratically, to be sure, for the next few weeks. As y'all pointed out -- I've got more important things to be taking care of for the time being. So I haven't read any journals since Tuesday, and I doubt that I ever will completely catch up. If someone wants to do a digest version of any important stuff that's come up this week, I'd love to know if I've missed anything "important."

The quick & dirty lowdown ('cause sometimes it's just good like that, ya know?):
  • Gender: Female
  • Weight: 5 pounds, 15 ounces
  • Length: 19.5 inches
  • Time & DOB: 29 June 2004 at 1:46 pm

And other stuff: Many of you know that I was *really* enthusiastic about having a vaginal birth this time around. Well, there were quite a few issues that cropped up, not least among them that my anxiety over actually getting to HAVE a vaginal birth was making me and my family miserable, so in the end I resolved to go in for a (very medically justified, according to those involved) cesarean birth. And honestly, it was as healing as experience as I could ever have hoped a VBAC to be. Rather than a day (or two) of labor filled with pain and anguish (not that that's what birth is about -- but pain is part of labor, and anguish is what I was putting myself through), I made my decision around 5:30 in the morning, called the doc and made our "appointment" for a 12:30 pm surgery. I had been up since 3 am, tossing and turning, and also having some pretty serious contractions, so I was pretty tired. But I got a shower, packed a few last-minute things, and woke Kiddo up. Told her that today she was going to be a big sister. I explained that Baby#2 wasn't going to come out of my vagina, like we had planned, but that she would still get to be with me in the hospital and do lots of fun, special things.

We got to the hospital & got admitted, and my doula was already there. She was absolutely wonderful and supportive, and we all had lots of fun with the nurses who were doing my intitial 3rd degree thing & getting me prepped for surgery. It was not entirely unlike getting together with friends before the big event on your wedding day. Kiddo got lots of special attention, and snuggled with me when she liked, and I was in wonderful spirits.

Hubby was the only one allowed with me in the OR, so our doula took Kiddo to Wendy's for lunch -- chicken nuggets with honey mustard for diption -- YUMMY! I was in a wonderful mood, and just delighted to be having my baby FINALLY, and I was going to make the most of it while I still felt good (and numb!). I joked with the OR staff and nearly gave the anesthetist a heart attack when they started cutting into me (I guess) and asked, "Do you feel any sharp, cutting sensations?" and I said, "Oooh. Ow. That hurts!..... Just kidding!" We all had a good laugh about that one.

Baby #2 was born in very short order, and had some issues with getting started breathing & crying and whatnot -- she obviously wasn't quite expecting to be born yet, so it was something of a surprise to her. But it was definitely time, and I had tried to let her know what was going to happen. In any case, she pinked up & began crying after a few minutes, and I was just grinning like a fool the entire time and enjoying listening to her little sounds across the room.

About 45 minutes later, I was all sewn back up and they took me back to my room to ensure that I was stabilized & whatnot... I felt quite good once I was back there, and sat up as much as I could and started nursing my new baby immediately, less than an hour after she was born. She's so tiny that my nipple is almost bigger than her mouth is, except when it's open as wide as it can go, so we worked on getting it poked in there so she could taste & suck and start getting some colostrum. And when she finally did latch on... WOW! So she has earned her NEW nickname (for the time being): The Suckubus (spelling intentional).

Anyway, long story just a little longer, we got nursing established and Kiddo and our doula got to come back in, and although I was very tired as a result of both anesthesia & lack of sleep, we were (and are) all in great spirits. I've had quite a bit of pain over the past few days, dealing with recovery from the cesarean -- don't let *anyone* convince you that a c-section is a copout in the pain department, or that you'll avoid pain by having one. It's not the least bit true. And in the hospital, I hardly got any sleep. Now that I'm home, I've gotten a good 7-8 hours' worth in the last day, and I'm about to go get some more.

Now the order of the day is just to rest and nurse and eat and drink -- anything else that gets done is *totally* extra credit. Kiddo is doing great and seems to absolutely *love* her little sister -- lots of kisses & touches & holding & patting. Hubby is holding strong and keeping everything together admirably. Did laundry, grocery shopping, & made dinner today, along with tending to Kiddo's many sundry demands. The Suckubus is a sweet little baby. She looks not entirely unlike Yoda -- but she's goldenish pink, not green. In spite of her tiny size, she is most certainly a presence to be reckoned with, and *very* strong. She is already in love with my breasts, and as soon as I pick her up (usually getting a transfer back from Hubby after I've gone to the bathroom or eaten something -- she rarely actually gets put "down" any place), she quiets down and kinda smiles at me, turning towards whichever breast is closer and making beckoning motions towards her open mouth with her arms. The kid knows *exactly* what she wants!

And I feel pretty good. It wasn't the birth I expected to be delighted by, but it turned out to be! I am sore, but the meds (Percoset & Ibuprofen) help manage it, and tired, but getting more and more rest each day. I am doing my best to attend to Kiddo and not be taken away from her too much, and I am absolutely falling in love with my new baby daughter. I think that I'm less exhausted & definitely less devastated this time around by my birth experience, and that has allowed me to be more emotionally available to bond with her and begin to love her even sooner. All things considered, these are pretty wonderful days. :-)

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The Second Coming, or Messianic Proportions More

The Second Coming, or Messianic Proportions

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  • Congratulations on the new family member. I'm glad it all went so (relatively speaking) smoothly.

    "Oooh. Ow. That hurts!..... Just kidding!"

    Hah, that's just wrong.

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • The facial hair sounds cute, if fairly scruffy. But scruffy can be cute!

        And I have to admit, I have been *really* missing the MMH&I updates each day, Sam. Maybe we can trade stories now -- the Suckubus just cut in with a *really* juicy-sounding one. I guess I could go wake up Hubby to change her, but naw... I'll save it ALL for me! ;-)

        Yup. Two girls. Gonna raise me a passel a hellcats!! Watch out boys!!

        ....Bethanie....
      • I'm *so* not a boy

        That is bound to come back and haunt you someday Sam my girl! ;-)

        Oh, and congrats bethanie! I am glad to hear that things went (and are) well. 8-)
      • I'm *so* not a boy

        I'm telling your wife! You thought a week was a long time?

      • Boys would just put me under. I'm *so* not a boy

        I thought the same thing, but you know, I'm gonna have two of 'em. Eep! Actually almost two years with the first one have been fantastic, so I'm not the slightest bit apprehensive about a second one. For now.

        Congrats Bethanie! Happy healthy babies are the most important part of the birth, however they happen to get that way.

        • Comment removed based on user account deletion
          • I've seen him fall down or run into things in a way that would have other kids bawling - He says "Ow.", gets up and goes right back to whatever he was doing.

            Kiddo's like that, too. And she's no linebacker. But I swore that I wasn't going to raise no crybaby girl -- so whenever she falls down or bonks herself, I do my best not to react too much (unless it's readily apparent that she's definitely hurt and needs attending to). I look at her and say, "Oh, did that hurt?" Most of the time she just shrugs it o
  • Great news! So wonderful to know that everyone is as fine as they could be.
  • Sophia [mac.com] was a ton easier on Lynda than Danny [mac.com] was. She recovered quicker, took less drugs and was generally "happier".

    Congrats, good health, good fortune and good luck. Sophie is (already) starting to crawl/crab and I can see this is going to be a wild ride for about 22 years.
  • To all of you. Speaking from about eighteen years further along in the two daughters department, you and Hubby are in for a lot of good stuff.
  • I really happy for you and your family that your new addition has been a source of wonder and joy. Keep on healing and posting.
  • Wow, that is wonderful news.

    LOTS> of love and blessings,

    freejung

  • And welcome back! Best of luck with kiddo-sub-two. Not that we think that the queen of kiddo's is going to have any questions, but if you do, feel free to ask!

  • Bethanie!

    Oooh. Ow. That hurts!..... Just kidding!

    Has anyone ever mentioned that you're just plain evil? :-)

  • When in high school, my friend and I dubbed my mother's cat the messiah. I'm not sure how that came into being, but she lived up to the title. So I'm sorry, but your little Suckubus will have to be the third coming. Third isn't that bad. :)

    Congratz! :)
  • Congrads, Girl.

    Glad to hear that everything went well, even though it wasn't exactly as planned. (BBB wants to know how many stitches or staples you got?)

    Good luck and blessings for the future.

    ^_^

    • That's SUCH a guy question! I have no idea how many stitches -- however many it took. And I'm not really in the mood to look and count, if you know what I mean. ;-)

      But thanks. It wasn't what I'd planned for, but it's been more healing than I could have hoped a VBAC would be!

      ....Bethanie....
  • Many congratulations! :-)
    • ...maybe not so big. I just re-read your story and realized I was thinking five kilos, not pounds ;-) Ooops.

      But still, many congratulations. And good luck!

      • Never mind tuxie... The shark make exactly the same mistake :-)

        Congrats Bethanie! That's actually the only important thing that I wanted to say.

      • No, not big at all. Kiddo was 6 pounds 14 ounces, and I thought she was TEENSY. But for all her diminutive size, the Suckubus is freakin' STRONG. The kid can *definitely* roll herself over -- I've watched her a few times already, and she can almost do an army crawl type of thing when she is farther away from the boobie than she wants to be.

        So, small but VERY healthy. This is good.

        ....Bethanie....
        • ...never judge anyone by their small stature :-)

          It's good to hear Suckubus is strong and healthy; that's what's really important anyways. She'll be big before you know it. Enjoy the smallness while it lasts :-)

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Actually, it was a freakin' blast. We (the doula, my nurses, and I) were getting downright RAUNCHY. We were like "Girls Gone WILD!: Maternity Ward!!" No kidding. With all the nudity and shaving and talk about sex and drugs and whatnot... It was *quite* a party! :-)

      ....Bethanie....
  • ...I will not offer my congratulations.

    Oh, who am I tryin' to kid.

    Get it? Kid? Hah! I kill me.

    The Confessor (adopting his Ah-nold voice) would like you to know that he could crush your girlie-man baby with his little pinky. I told him he shouldn't, because that might ruin his chances of marrying her later.

    Once you recover we'll take up the dowry negotiations.

    Anyway, congratulations, best wishes and glad to know you're all okay. I guess the Cesarean was the smarter choice anyway -- at least lower-r

    • And the Suckubus would like to reply that she could crush his little pinkie finger like a teething biscuit with her bionic jaws, and suck his guts out through the gash with her mighty vacuum powers.

      As far as marriage, we are making no presumptions of heterosexuality in this family. All hopes are simply for long-term love and intimacy some day. And maybe by then, it won't matter WHO they fall in love with, they'll be able to get married and have a sense of normalcy in any case.

      Anyway, long post short --
  • And offer them pops, too.

    It's always a blessing when a family grows. Rest well, eat much, and keep the "moo" jokes to a minimum -- unless it's YOU making them. If it's someone else, try not to throw any hard metal objects at them. Nerf balls work just as well getting the point across without drawing blood or chipping teeth.

    Give the newbie an intro to the 'piggie game' for me.
  • Congratulations, consider yourself hugged times 10, and if I were there, I would make every dumb/embarrassing sound & facial expression known to man, just for your child's pleasure (not that she can smile yet, but that wouldn't stop me) ...

    The kid couldn't have a cooler mom (-:

    Pixie

    • No, she does smile. And they're not just gas pains (she hasn't had any of those yet). But they're definitely smiles. I have pictures! :-)

      ....Bethanie....
  • Let me add in my congratulations! Both you and the Suckubus seem to be happy and healthy! Thumbs up to Hubby for being supportive, and most importantly to Kiddo for already loving little sister.

    You sound like it's all working out. Fate smiles.

    Cheers,
    =Blue(23)
  • Sorry I'm a little late to the party. I was ignoring the intarweb thing this weekend. Hugs and kisses for you and the kiddos. Blessings to you and yer bewbs.
  • Not that it will be a problem in the near term, but that nickname won't work well for a 16 year old if the kids find out about it... :)

    Glad you're doing well.

    Now for a somehow appropriate sort of not safe for work picture. [bigeasychoppers.com]

  • Tiny baby. I thought she'd be over 7 pounds, considering how long she's been in there.
    • I absolutely agree! I don't know HOW I had a 2nd baby (about 2 weeks "past due") who was almost a pound lighter than her older sister!! That's just plain weird.

      But she's amazingly healthy, which is what you really worry about with tiny babies. And freakin' strong. Kiddo was very floppy and relaxed... this one takes you by surprise!

      ....Bethanie....
  • Heh, I joked around while giving birth myself. Shocked one nurse how strong the contractions were because I was laughing and joking between them. I'm glad to hear everything went so well.

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