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Today
7 seven bodily functions were on my body today. This is worth documenting. That is all.
#momlife
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Indigo Pablo Ramirez
Indigo (Indie) Pablo Ramirez
7lbs 13 oz
21 inches
7:07 pm
March 18, 2015
The last year has dealt out quite a bit of change for us. We
moved twice, my place of work at the time was bought by a lesser company with
unreasonable goals and terrible management, talks of layoffs were floating
around for months, I survived a 60 person layoff at 6 months pregnant which was
extremely stressful with our insurance wrapped up in it all, Carlos started a new
job with a new schedule, doing something he has never done before. I started a
new job and started commuting an hour to and from work for the first time in my
life at 7 months pregnant. My car died, we bought a new car, changed
neighborhoods, changed insurance plans twice because of all the work issues,
changed doctors, survived a freakish rash and re-diagnosed sleep apnea…oh yeah
and I was pregnant!
Indigo did us a huge favor by giving us a solid two weeks after I started maternity leave to slow down a bit and digest the new little being to come. This was such a great time for all of us. I got to really spend a ton of time with Cosmo just hanging out to “play toys” and “do drawings”. It was an incredible two weeks that was much needed for our whole family. Thank you Indigo!
Indigo did us a huge favor by giving us a solid two weeks after I started maternity leave to slow down a bit and digest the new little being to come. This was such a great time for all of us. I got to really spend a ton of time with Cosmo just hanging out to “play toys” and “do drawings”. It was an incredible two weeks that was much needed for our whole family. Thank you Indigo!
The night before he was born, we were eating a St. Patrick's Day
corned beef and cabbage dinner at Auntie Susie's house. Before we went to
Susie's, we had a doctor’s appointment earlier that day and I was only at 1cm
60% effaced and past due 1 day. I was beginning to wonder if the induction that
was planned for 1 week after my due date, might be a reality.
We headed to my mom’s house to pick up Coz and hang out a bit
before dinner after the doctor’s appt. I made a quick trip up the street to buy
Cosmo a St. Patrick’s Day t-shirt, while he and Carlos went for a trike ride
around the block. I stopped to pick up some salad for my mom and while walking
through the produce section I felt a flood of emotion roll over my body. On the
drive home I felt off...like I had the start of the flu or something. At
Susie's, I started to have some contractions, tightening of the belly. They
were happening semi-frequently. Darla and Jeff helped me time my contractions,
Jeff was writing the times down on a scratch piece of paper. I felt like things
were happening but Carlos had stopped believing me after the last three heart
attacks I gave him during my last false labor episodes.
That night, I woke up at 1:16am and thought my water broke.
Similarly to my labor with Cosmo, we weren't entirely sure what was going on. As
I rushed to the bathroom-I told Carlos to get ready. He was awake after 45
minutes of not-so-solid sleep. In his sleepy state, he still didn’t believe I
was in labor. After he sat at the edge of the bed, questioning what was
happening-I told him, “Yes, we are going to the hospital!” He stared at me
blankly…half asleep…digesting…or trying to digest that I might be in labor…for
real. My mom drove up to be with Cosmo and we left for Methodist at 2am. Carlos
raced over the speed bumps and took Hill by storm...I think at this point, it
was setting in.
When we got there, they checked me and I was shockingly still at
1cm. I got attached to the amazing nurse(Michelle) right away and was hoping to
give birth while I was on her shift but my chances were looking slim. After
some deliberation and a call to the doctor, she decided to have us walk around
for an hour to see if I progressed. It was not my water that had broken but my
m-plug, so it was uncertain if this was false labor or not.
And so we walked….
It was so late. The hospital was completely empty. We walked down the empty hallways and corridors in the wee hours of the night, roaming. The janitor asked us if we were lost and then I turned around with my gigantic belly and he immediately understood what was happening. He told us he had 5 kids at home and went on busily with his work.
Down one of the corridors were exhibits of old candy striper
outfits on the wall, and pictures of nurses with names like Myrtle and Harriet
from the 1940s. We walked around the non-denominational chapel they have
on the second floor and lit a blue candle. It was actually really peaceful and
calming. Not a soul in sight. About 45 min in, I started doing some repetitive
humming and that's when I think things started moving along or at least that's
my guess. Up until this point, we still thought Carlos might be going to work
later that day. When I came back after an hour, I was still at 1 cm. She
offered to let me stay or go home (which I really appreciated since most places
send you right home). She could tell I was uncomfortable and my contractions
had progressed since the walk. She did say that if we stayed they would
probably want to move things along by maybe starting some Pitocin since it was
possible for me to be in my current state for a long time. We felt like it was
a little early to start the Pitocin, so we decided to go to my mom’s house. At
this point, Carlos was looking really tired because he was on about an hour
worth of sleep and I was panicking....because he was on an hour of sleep.
We ended up finally leaving there around 5am. We went to my mom’s
house-slept a little and I labored the contractions in the bed. I was
struggling from about 3am till 11am. I was nervous because I felt like I wasn’t
managing as well as I did with labor with Cosmo but in retrospect, I think I
was farther along than I thought and I was actually managing better than I realized.
It was great to labor in the shower a bit though-get some toast and sit on the
labor ball. Once I was on the ball, things were better.
The contractions were strong but not regular so we really
debated and debated when to go back. Carlos thought it better to be at home
then go back than be stuck at the hospital still at 1. At that point, things
were hard but I was really nervous that they were going to tell me I hadn't
progressed at all. We tried to prep ourselves on the car ride over for the
possibility of no progression. In whatever state you are in-when you don't
progress it is a strange disappointment.
Then at one point, when he could hear me really struggling-he
could hear the intensity in the vocalizations he said “I think we should get
our stuff and go pretty soon”. We started tracking then and the contractions
were 40 seconds and 3-4 minutes apart. I couldn't make any decisions at that
point so I was happy to just have a decision be made. On the way out, there was
a paper clipping of Baryshnikov on Amy's old bulletin board. He was my focal
point for my contractions while Carlos was in the shower. He was looking strong
and mighty mid-spin, so I brought him with me. Carlos laughed when he saw
Baryshnikov in my hands when we were in the car but he put him up in the labor
room next to Cozy's infant tiger socks that I carry around with me in my makeup
bag for good luck. The nurse saw it and asked "Is someone a dancer?"
At that point, and only at that point, did it occur to me that it was weird
that Baryshnikov was in the delivery room with us. During the contractions, I
was strangely inside myself and outside of myself at the same time. It was an
awareness that I have only experienced in labor. I am sure I was already
exhausted.
You need to be at 2 or 3 cm to get the epidural or else it slows
things down, instead of progressing things. I was really scared I would still
be at 1. We left around 11am and Carlos pulled up to the driveway and I got out
to walk into the hospital sliding doors.
It was beautifully bright out and a man ran over to me- "Do you
need a wheelchair?" I was midway through a contraction and had to stop for
20 more seconds before I could sit down. Twenty seconds is amazingly long in
contraction-land. Two men right behind me waited patiently as I blocked the
front entrance frozen in mid-contraction. I remember feeling like it was
unusually bright out walking through those doors. There was so much light
behind me. The men in behind me smiled and said to Carlos
"Congratulations" as they patiently waited, I sat down and looked to
the right and an elderly man in the distance in a wheelchair was smiling ear to
ear, as I looked to the left two ladies walking towards me were beaming smiles
at me and the admitting guy was smiling at me also. Everyone was glowing. It
was overwhelming. I started to sob. I was so emotional the whole day and
walking into the building filled with so much light and positive energy from
all these people mid-labor was incredible. I will never forget all those
strangers.
(The man that offered me the wheelchair was the husband of a
lady named Carol Cooper who worked with my mom and whose daughter used to
babysit me. He volunteers there-crazy small world. I don’t know how they put it
together but here is an email he sent to my mom)
Date: March 20, 2015 at 6:50:29 PM PDT
Subject: happy coincidence?
I was happy to help
this "person in the doorway" and now that I've found out it was your
daughter, I have a special feeling about the incident. I was very happy to
help…after all, that's my job. But it was such a coincidence, it's hard to
believe. I'd love to see the baby someday. I feel like I helped in some small
way to get him here.
Love,
Jerry
The security guard wheeled me upstairs to admittance. She said
"Can I help you?" I said "I'm having a baby." "Well,
ok-lets get you in as fast as we can."
As he wheeled me into the elevator, the piano player crossed in
front of us and sat down to the piano and started to play something but I was
mid-contraction so I was distracted and couldn't make it out. Carlos, who was
getting things from the car and seconds behind me and later told me it was
"Let it Be".
They checked me when I got to my room and I was at 4cm! I was so
happy-I told her "Thank you!! Thank you!!" she laughed at me and said-"Don’t
thank me. You did all the hard work".
After that I got the epidural, which was a daunting and
uncomfortable process to say the least, especially while still managing
contractions. I was at 4cm for quite awhile, I napped and Carlos and I had
some really great time to rest and try to digest what was happening and what
was to come and to just be quiet.
Around 6pm, they checked me again and I was at 10. Shelly and my
mom came down when I was at 6-they were in the room for the delivery. She said
it would probably be an hour but I pushed for 20 minutes and he was out!
Apparently, I was yelling "Get him out, get him out!" at the end,
though I don’t remember that. I had a full female staff and they were all
amazing! He came out with blonde hair and a dimpled chin, scoping out the
place.
He was so calm and observant. He barely cried when the nurse rubbed
ointment in his eyes and gave him a shot!
We are head over heels in love with this new addition to our
family!
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