The Birth of Liam Brooks (Part One)
What a difference a week makes!
Just last Friday, I entered the hospital at 37 weeks pregnant, the mother of one son and full of energy.
Fast forward to today and I have an ever-shrinking belly, two handsome sons and I can barely keep my eyes open.
But I love every aspect of this new life.
Let me tell you how I made it to this point. It all began last Thursday.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
It was like any other morning. Almost. I woke up. Took a shower. Got dressed and headed out the door. It was a bit earlier than my usual schedule. Normally, I would be taking Kaden to school. This time, I was headed to labor & delivery at Anne Arundel Medical Center.
I was scheduled to be induced on Friday, March 22 at 12:15 AM. Because my little man was not technically ready to enter this world, I needed the assistance of a few medical interventions to get the process started. Up first – softening my cervix.
At 8:00 AM on Thursday, the doors to labor and delivery swung open after I pressed the button to be let in. Behind the desk sat a diverse group of nurses. It was quite calm from the outside looking in. But I knew that behind the twenty plus doors outlining the hallway on the second floor of the Rebecca Clatanoff Pavilion, were anxious parents-to-be, waiting for the arrival of their child(ren).
I checked in...again (I hate this part. Why do they have us pre-register again?) I was then taken to triage. I got undressed and waited for my doctor to arrive. The nurse hooked me up to a non-stress test monitor to keep an eye on baby's heartbeat and to detect any contractions I may or may not have been having. It was an all too familiar scene. I laid on the bed, phone in tow, and waited to hear a knock at the door.
My doctor arrived with a huge smile on her face. She was just one of many doctors I had seen over the course of my pregnancy. I visited a practice, so each visit could have resulted in seeing a different doctor. The same applied to visits at the hospital. I never knew who would show up.
She checked my cervix to see if it had indeed dilated on it's own. NOPE! I was closed like Chick-fil-a on Sundays. No action was taking place.
She then explained to me how she would insert a blue gel (which I termed "smurf") into my vagina, near my cervix, to get it ready for labor and to soften it. It was quite painless. But it did come out a bit when I used the bathroom. Kind of freaky seeing blue stuff when you peed, but I knew it would all be worth it.
After this process was over, I got dressed and headed home. Almost. It was quite hard to not do anything knowing that the very next day I would be having a baby in my arms. I was in full nesting mode.
I hit a few stores. There were a few last minute items I thought I needed. I just think I was trying to take my mind off of the entire situation. I was not nervous. It was more of an anticipation. Excitement. A fear of the unknown.
I had my big guy to take care, too. After picking him up from school, I decided we should get a treat to celebrate our last moments together as only child and mother. Who knew that involved a visit to GameStop and Rita's?
I finally headed home where the nesting continued. I tried organizing baby clothes and essentials, washing nearly everything I could imagine, sweeping, dusting and working myself into a complete exhaustion. I wanted everything to be in order when we came back from the hospital.
I put the final touches on baby's "nursery". I use this term loosely because I doubt it will be awhile before baby even uses a crib. Also, everything is in the room with me. It's not the ideal situation, but it's my only option at the moment. Nothing major though. I like having him so close.
I just could not relax. It felt like there was a mile long to-do list. I'm not sure how Ian and Kaden felt, but I knew my mind was racing at speeds that mimicked the Indy 500 cars.
I ate a t-bone steak, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and macaroni and cheese. Ian's mother was kind enough to prepare this for me. She knew how much I loved steak and beef throughout this entire pregnancy. It was the perfect meal to consume before I was denied anything to eat that wasn't a liquid or ice chips.
I soaked in the bath tub. I lit a candle from Noodle & Boo. I calmed my mind, body and soul. I knew that everything was going to be okay.
A couple of hours after my bubble bath, I called labor and delivery to check in. I was told to call one hour before my scheduled induction time, which was supposed to be at 12:15 AM on March 22. The nurse informed me that they were extremely busy and that a lot of births were taking place. She told me to get some rest and she would call me back when there was a room for me.
As if! I could not sleep. I used this time to invest in more preparation. You can never be too ready, right?!
I answered e-mails. I charged my electronics. I checked my hospital bag to make sure everything was packed. But what I should have done was rest. Ian did. Kaden did (he had school the next day and wanted to attend grandparents day).
As soon as I decided to lay it down for a quick refresher, my phone started to ring. It was the nurse on the other end of the phone. It was time to leave for the hospital.
A baby was on the way...
(read part two)
Let's Connect.
Just last Friday, I entered the hospital at 37 weeks pregnant, the mother of one son and full of energy.
Fast forward to today and I have an ever-shrinking belly, two handsome sons and I can barely keep my eyes open.
But I love every aspect of this new life.
Let me tell you how I made it to this point. It all began last Thursday.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
It was like any other morning. Almost. I woke up. Took a shower. Got dressed and headed out the door. It was a bit earlier than my usual schedule. Normally, I would be taking Kaden to school. This time, I was headed to labor & delivery at Anne Arundel Medical Center.
I was scheduled to be induced on Friday, March 22 at 12:15 AM. Because my little man was not technically ready to enter this world, I needed the assistance of a few medical interventions to get the process started. Up first – softening my cervix.
At 8:00 AM on Thursday, the doors to labor and delivery swung open after I pressed the button to be let in. Behind the desk sat a diverse group of nurses. It was quite calm from the outside looking in. But I knew that behind the twenty plus doors outlining the hallway on the second floor of the Rebecca Clatanoff Pavilion, were anxious parents-to-be, waiting for the arrival of their child(ren).
I checked in...again (I hate this part. Why do they have us pre-register again?) I was then taken to triage. I got undressed and waited for my doctor to arrive. The nurse hooked me up to a non-stress test monitor to keep an eye on baby's heartbeat and to detect any contractions I may or may not have been having. It was an all too familiar scene. I laid on the bed, phone in tow, and waited to hear a knock at the door.
My doctor arrived with a huge smile on her face. She was just one of many doctors I had seen over the course of my pregnancy. I visited a practice, so each visit could have resulted in seeing a different doctor. The same applied to visits at the hospital. I never knew who would show up.
She checked my cervix to see if it had indeed dilated on it's own. NOPE! I was closed like Chick-fil-a on Sundays. No action was taking place.
She then explained to me how she would insert a blue gel (which I termed "smurf") into my vagina, near my cervix, to get it ready for labor and to soften it. It was quite painless. But it did come out a bit when I used the bathroom. Kind of freaky seeing blue stuff when you peed, but I knew it would all be worth it.
After this process was over, I got dressed and headed home. Almost. It was quite hard to not do anything knowing that the very next day I would be having a baby in my arms. I was in full nesting mode.
I hit a few stores. There were a few last minute items I thought I needed. I just think I was trying to take my mind off of the entire situation. I was not nervous. It was more of an anticipation. Excitement. A fear of the unknown.
I had my big guy to take care, too. After picking him up from school, I decided we should get a treat to celebrate our last moments together as only child and mother. Who knew that involved a visit to GameStop and Rita's?
I finally headed home where the nesting continued. I tried organizing baby clothes and essentials, washing nearly everything I could imagine, sweeping, dusting and working myself into a complete exhaustion. I wanted everything to be in order when we came back from the hospital.
I put the final touches on baby's "nursery". I use this term loosely because I doubt it will be awhile before baby even uses a crib. Also, everything is in the room with me. It's not the ideal situation, but it's my only option at the moment. Nothing major though. I like having him so close.
I just could not relax. It felt like there was a mile long to-do list. I'm not sure how Ian and Kaden felt, but I knew my mind was racing at speeds that mimicked the Indy 500 cars.
I ate a t-bone steak, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and macaroni and cheese. Ian's mother was kind enough to prepare this for me. She knew how much I loved steak and beef throughout this entire pregnancy. It was the perfect meal to consume before I was denied anything to eat that wasn't a liquid or ice chips.
I soaked in the bath tub. I lit a candle from Noodle & Boo. I calmed my mind, body and soul. I knew that everything was going to be okay.
A couple of hours after my bubble bath, I called labor and delivery to check in. I was told to call one hour before my scheduled induction time, which was supposed to be at 12:15 AM on March 22. The nurse informed me that they were extremely busy and that a lot of births were taking place. She told me to get some rest and she would call me back when there was a room for me.
As if! I could not sleep. I used this time to invest in more preparation. You can never be too ready, right?!
I answered e-mails. I charged my electronics. I checked my hospital bag to make sure everything was packed. But what I should have done was rest. Ian did. Kaden did (he had school the next day and wanted to attend grandparents day).
As soon as I decided to lay it down for a quick refresher, my phone started to ring. It was the nurse on the other end of the phone. It was time to leave for the hospital.
A baby was on the way...
(read part two)
Let's Connect.
