The first 6 weeks

Our little (big) Owen will be 6 weeks old tomorrow. It has gone by in a blink. I feel like I just birthed him yesterday ;). I feel like it was just a moment ago when I was waiting for him to arrive, sporting my enormous belly. As it is with bringing home any new baby, there have been some great moments and some very difficult ones. I think the first three months are the hardest, and we're half way there!

I know that one is not supposed to compare their kids, but I must say that Owen is a completely different baby from what Raegan was. Of course, he had a completely different birth.....and he is a boy. First off, he is a sleeper. In fact, he slept so much in the beginning, that I called the doctor because I was worried something was wrong. The doctor said, "That's what babies do." Well, not my first baby! In addition to his love for sleeping, he loves the stroller, car rides, any carrier I put him in, and swings. He also likes sleeping next to mama, or in his little cradle.....he'll take either one. He's an easy going little guy, and at 3 1/2 weeks, we got our first smile. It was not a gas smile because we got them often, when we smiled at him. He smiles a lot now! When he wakes up in the morning, he gives me a big grin when I go to pick him up. He also loves his sissy....he smiled at her for the first time just the other day. Sometimes he also squints and furrows his brow when he hears her voice or sees her, but that is just his protective instinct.....no telling what sister will do!

Raegan ADORES her little brother. She wants to take him everywhere, she wants to tell him good morning, and kiss him good night. She wants to hold him, and she loves to tickle him (he is not thrilled about this as of yet). Sometimes she forgets about hugs and kisses for mommy because she is too busy loving little brother. We call him Bubba and buddy boy and big O.....so Raegan calls him that, too. It cracks me up! She also repeats anything and everything that we say to Owen, and she will do the "shhh" sound to him when he cries. Anyone that comes to the house, she introduces to Owen immediately! We have made sure that we give her undivided attention every day, and yesterday she and Daddy went to the movies. She was only upset Owen wasn't going for about 1/2 a second, because after all, it's the movies!

My postpartum recovery has been tougher this time around. I'm sure its partly because I'm older, partly because Owen was an enormous baby, and partly because it's my second pregnancy. The silver lining is that this is the last postpartum recovery for me! Last baby! Now I know why Sarah Jessica Parker paid for a surrogate!

He is a very good little eater, and I can see the thighs are getting rollier and pollier. :) We are exclusively breastfeeding, and aside from a few rough patches, it is going well. Overall he is just a joy, and we love him so much! I feel like our family is finally complete.

Owen's birth story

"They" say that eventually a woman forgets the delivery, yet every woman I talk to can describe their baby's delivery in vivid details. It's something, I think, that stays with you forever.

Owen's story starts on my dr due date, which according to Doctor's was May 9 (according to me, it was really May 11). I woke up that day feeling mostly dissapointed that this baby was still hanging out in my uterus. On my due date I went to a regular check up appointment with one of the midwives from the clinic. I was 2 cm, and the baby was not really that low. I had some concerns about the baby's movement in the last 24 hours, so they did a non-stress test in which they hook me up to two monitors, one for baby's heart beat and one to monitor any contractions I might be having. It just so happened that I started having some pretty intense contractions, which was very encouraging to me. The results of the test indicated that the baby was doing well, and there was nothing to be concerned about. I went to lunch with Jasen and Raegan, and then went home. Later that day, the contractions stopped. This was a pattern that would go on for a few more days. It was, to say the least, an emotional roller coaster. Every time these contractions would come on, I would think, "This is it!" only to be disappointed when they stopped. 

I had heard about a labor inducing pizza sold at a local restaurant from a co-worker of Jasen's. She told Jasen that she had eaten the pizza and then gone into labor within 24 hours with each of her 3 kids. I didn't give it a second thought until mother's day came and still no baby. I was getting desperate, and besides, I do love pizza! So, sunday night I ordered up what is called the preggo pizza. First of all, it was amazingly delicious! I ate most of it that night, and then finished it the next morning. The only thing I had noticed right away was some serious heartburn.....a small price to pay for yummy pizza. ;) Monday night my mother-in-law called and asked how things were going. I said, nothing new. She insisted I write to the pizza restaurant about their pizza that had failed me! However, later that night......

I woke up to the sound of a balloon popping (1:00am), and then suddenly realized it was my water breaking. I yelled for Jasen and told him what had happened. I was excited and nervous. This meant the baby is coming for sure. Hospitals will only let you go 24 hours without delivering after your water breaks. All I kept thinking was that in 24 hours or less, this will all be over. The next thought that came to mind was that the contractions are likely going to start coming.....and strong! I remembered women telling me how intense labor became once their water broke, and the same thing had happened with Raegan's labor. I told Jasen to get my phone, that I needed to call the doula. I also started barking orders to pack things up, and warned him that things may start happening fast. While I was on the phone with the doula, the contractions started. I hung up with her and got in the shower. The contractions were getting intense, fast! I told Jasen to call the doula back, and that she needed to just meet us at the hospital, not the house. Jasen seemed to be a little in disbelief. He kept asking me if I was sure that's what I wanted. Did I just want to try to stay at the house for a while? I knew there was not time for laboring at the house based on what I was feeling. So, he called his mom to come over and stay with Raegan so we could head out!

By the time Shari arrived, I wasn't able to talk through contractions, and was using the birthing ball with my ipod on classical music trying to get through each wave. In my mind, I was worried how I was going to manage being in a car for the 45 minute drive. But, what choice did I have. We loaded up, and started the drive. We called my parents (who did not answer), and also called Meg, who through a a sleepy haze was barely processing what we were telling her. Next, we called the doula to let her know we were on the road. She heard how intense the contractions were over the phone, and started coaching me through them. This was an enormous help to me. I'm pretty sure I would have gotten out of the car some where along the way had she not been there to help me though that car ride. By looking at the clock, I noticed the contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart. About 15 minutes away from the hospital I started feeling a lot of pressure. I thought, great I'm going to have this baby on the freeway! But, we made it to the birthing center. I remember having a really intense contraction in the parking lot where I had to stop and lean on the doula, then we walked in. The birthing center was quiet and dimly lit. They immediately led me in to the birthing suite, which was quiet and dim as well. I wasn't asked to change my clothes, or be hooked to an IV. I wasn't asked a million questions as part of check in. I kept on my headphones and tried to just stay focused on breathing through the contractions. I knew beforehand that they would first want to monitor the baby and my contractions for 20 minutes using continuous monitoring before they would let me get in the birthing tub. The problem was that the baby was so low that they couldn't get the baby's heartbeat in the position I was in (sitting). It was entirely too painful to lay down. While they were doing this, everyone talked quietly and I heard someone filling the tub. Music to my ears! Everything was so calm. Finally, I was allowed to get in the tub. I asked Jasen to get in with me so that I could relax back against him between contractions. It was so nice to have his support in the tub. I'm not sure how long I labored in the tub, but long enough that I eventually felt the urge and started pushing. I began also getting a very sharp pain in one of my legs which felt like the combination between a charlie horse and a pinched nerve, and it would happen at the end of each contraction. The pain was so intense, it was almost worse than the contractions. Between that and, being very hot in the tub....and I was sweating pretty good.....I wanted out of the tub, and so I actually ended up laboring the rest of the time in the room, using various positions and the birthing ball and bed sometimes. The rest of the labor is a bit of a blur. I remember beginning to feel exhausted, and verbalizing that I needed the baby out soon because I was running out of energy to keep pushing. After all, I had pretty much been on bed rest the last 5 weeks and so my muscle stamina was not what it typically is. I had also been up almost all night at this point (I had only slept about an hour before my water broke). Everyone kept reassuring me that I could do it, and that I was doing it, but in my mind I just needed to know how much longer, how many more contractions, how many more pushes. As with anything difficult in life, it's easier to endure when you know exactly when it will end. But with birth there is no definitive, quantitative answer, so my midwife gave me vague statements and I wanted to just lay down and take a nap! The contractions would not allow that....so I continued to push. I asked for a c-section, but to no avail (ridiculous looking back, since the baby was so close to being born). Finally, with several big pushes, the baby's head was out, and I thought, "Okay, I'm done!" but then the midwife said, "you've got to keep pushing to get the rest of the baby out!" So, I did, and out came my enormous baby boy at 6:33am! There was merconium, so they immediately took him to clear his airways and make sure that he was okay. As soon as I saw him, I said, "He looks like a 3 month old!" This happens to be the exact statement my mom made when she saw him the first time in the pictures! I felt such relief instantly, and I have never been so glad to have anything over with in my life (ok, except maybe when I gave birth to Raegan). Jasen and Meg were crying, but I just laid back with a smile on my face, feeling so happy to be done with that! After a few minutes (I think that is how long, I honestly had no concept of time during this process), I began asking to hold him and finally they gave him to me and the tears began to flow. He was perfect and beautiful and he was mine!

I finally had the birth that I had hoped and prayed for, and although it was not easy, it was exactly the birth that I had wanted. I had a safe and loving birthing environment and I had my baby without anyone trying to bully me into unwanted interventions. It turns out that Owen was huge (11 lbs 6 oz, 23 inches) but also he was posterior which is why it was difficult to push him out (Raegan was also posterior for her birth). Of course I certainly wish I could tell the story of two pushes and the baby was born, but that is not my story. For me, looking back, the birth still was perfect in its own way. They told me I pushed for 2 hours (with Raegan, I pushed for 4). To me, it felt like 2 days. I held Owen in my arms from the moment they gave him to me after delivery, and every moment while we were in the hospital. I never put him in his bassinet, and I held him for all of his tests and blood pokes. When he was tired, he slept on my chest, and when he was hungry I nursed him. This is finally a birth story that I will forever cherish.

Happy Birthday Owen!!

All the love in the universe,
Mama 

Skipolini's famous pizza!

May 9....3 days before going into labor.