At Home with the O

Week Three: Oliver took his first trip to high school this week. I took him into work to see my students in the Sophomore Debate Finals (they lost, but did an amazing job!). He was such a good boy, and got to meet my coworkers and my students. Oliver’s feeding and sleeping schedule is anything but regular right now. How long until he gets a routine? One night, he will wake up to eat every hour or two, but one night he’ll sleep for six hours straight… it’s unsettling!Oliver’s also been having some problems with his tummy this week. On Monday, for 30-45 minutes of every hour he would do nothing but scream. The poor guy just couldn’t get the gas out of his belly. We discovered the power of a warm bath, though, and things seem to be getting better. We’ll see what next week brings!

In honor of the birth of "At Home with the O", I thought it would be fitting to tell the story of the birth that inspired it.

Friday, April 30 was Oliver’s due date. I did not expect him to come on that day; I didn’t think that babies ever came on their due dates. I had been dilating for weeks and had tons of Braxton Hicks contractions, but had not started labor yet.That week, the midwife had scheduled me for an induction for May 5, “just in case.” Turns out we didn’t need the induction.

The day started early. At 2 a.m., I woke up with intense cramps. I honestly did not think that I was going into labor at the time…and really not until it was almost too late did I realize what was actually happening. I started to pace around the bedroom, trying not to wake Kevin up because I had a tendency to wake during the night and rouse him. I tried to go to the bathroom several times, lay down, stand up, soak in the bathtub… nothing was relieving the cramping feeling. Finally, Kevin woke up and suggested that we call the doctor. He didn’t want to rush into anything because we had a false alarm earlier that week.

By 4 a.m., I was on the phone with the doctor. At 5, we left for the hospital as I was feeling the urge to push. When we arrived at the hospital, I was in severe pain. The poor nurse doing the registration was a little concerned. I’m not sure, but I think that when the registration nurse picks up the phone and calls back to the triage nurses saying that someone is “uncomfortable” is code for “get your butt over here right now, this woman’s giving birth!”

The registration nurse took me back to the triage room, and Kevin had to stay in the waiting room. I think that was the worst part of the entire process—being separated from Kevin while I was in so much pain and had no idea what was really going on. The labor that I was having was nothing like what we learned about in our childbirth classes! Once I was in the triage room, I was alone. I started to change into the gown, but I could not make it through the process. I had to pull the emergency call cord to get a nurse in the room immediately because I could feel that the little guy was ready to make his appearance.

When the nurse came in, she checked me and said that I was “complete.” She put me in the bed, called to Labor and Delivery, and started wheeling me down the hall. Kevin was still in the waiting room. I “gently requested” that they get my husband. As the nurse was taking me into the L&D room, she asked if I had planned to go through labor unmedicated. I responded that I had not planned to go natural, and she chuckled a little and said “well, you are.” Apparently, I was too far along to get an epidural.

Kevin met me in the Labor and Delivery room, and the nurses started getting things ready.There was so much chaos in the room, and all I wanted to do was push. I was pushing as the nurses put the IV in, as they were putting my legs in the stirrups, as they were administering the antibiotic that I had to tell them I needed (they didn’t even have time to check my chart!).Finally, the doctor arrived, coffee cup in hand. He looked at me, put down his cup, and said “You didn’t sound this uncomfortable on the phone—get me some gloves.” Apparently Oliver was coming and very quickly!

The rest of the process was very quick. I think that I pushed a half dozen times and Oliver was here.

Looking back on the day, I realized that giving birth was definitely a learning experience for me.I learned that babies do come on their due dates. I learned that first time labors can go very quickly. And, I learned that no matter the pain, it truly is worth it in the end.

Quick Facts:

Full Name: Oliver Zachary Ghantous

Birth Date: April 30, 2010, 6:01 a.m.

Weight: 7 lbs, 7 oz.

Length: 19.5 inches

Hair Color: Strawberry Blonde!

Eye Color: Blue (for now)