Blogging the Baby
Thursday, October 5, 2006
We went to visit the doctor for Becky’s weekly check-up leading to the birth. The doctor noticed that Becky’s amniotic fluids were low and the baby wasn’t growing as fast as she should.
Then the doctor stated matter-of-factly that she wanted to see us on Wednesday (October 11) and if the baby wasn’t doing better then she would check us into the hospital that night. Becky had a panicked look on her face. I could tell this really caught her off guard. We thought we had another four weeks before delivery. Looks like the time could be now.
As we walked out of the office it was time to change our mindset. We could be having a baby next week. I guess we better start getting things ready.
Saturday, October 7, 2006
Becky joins me at LaVell Edwards Stadium for the BYU-San Diego St. game. Yep, 8.5 months pregnant and with me at the game. I love this woman. She is the best.
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Sunday happens to be our 7th anniversary. We head to the hospital to take our official tour just in case we’re admitted on Wednesday. The hospital takes us into a birthing room. It’s nice and spacious. The nurse mentions they have a DVD player and satellite TV. Now this place is starting to sound better.
Then they show us some room that is the patient’s snack shop. Orange juice, milk, cereal, and fountain drinks that include Dr. Pepper. Now I’m hoping that we have the baby this Wednesday. I’m set.
Monday, October 9, 2006
Happy Birthday Becky Rogers. Sorry to miss it!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
We’re mentally ready to go. Our appointment isn’t until 3:30 p.m. so we have all day to wait for the word. Becky has me convinced that we’ll be admitted tonight. All along I thought it was a 50/50 chance, but now I’m starting to think that we’re going in.
I get things prepared at work so that I can be gone the next couple of days. I’m ready. In fact at this point I’m hoping that we go in tonight. I would hate to have to have to wait two more weeks now. It’s time.
PLUS (and don’t underestimate this) BYU doesn’t play this weekend. It just couldn’t work out any better. Little baby Darrington knows how to keep her dad happy. She’s already figured it out and she’s not born yet. Good girl.
3:30 p.m. We are a little nervous as we go in to see the doctor. Becky’s amniotic fluids are at a 4 (out of 10) and the baby hasn’t grown at all since the last appointment. She tells us to go home and eat dinner and check in at the hospital at 9:00 p.m. We’re going to have a baby!
4:00 p.m. I head back to work to tie up loose ends and get caught up on Cougarboard. Got to make sure I’m informed just in case some last minute injury has come up. It’ll be a while before I can log back on.
5:30 p.m. We cruise to Morgan to drop off Aubree. We don’t know if she has a clue as to what is going on. Sometimes we think she senses something and at other times she pulls up her shirt and proclaims that she has a baby. I hope she doesn’t because I’m not ready to be a grandpa just yet.
6:30 p.m. We leave Aubree and Becky has a tough time saying goodbye. To say that Becky has been emotional this past week is an understatement. I’m ready to get “normal” Becky back.
7:00 p.m. This is Becky’s last supper pre-baby. What better place to spend it than Village Inn. I tell Becky as we’re waiting for our food “I don’t know who’s more weird: The people that work here or the people that eat here.” Of course we’re eating here, so what does it say about us.
8:30 p.m. We hit Blockbuster Video on our way to the hospital. Hmmmm, what to watch. We settle on Akeelah and the Bee, Click and Church Ball. That should keep us busy.
I’ve actually seen Church Ball already. It cracked me up so I could watch it again. The key to enjoying Mormon Cinema is not taking it too seriously. That’s how I can be entertained by Mobsters and Mormons, Baptists at our Barbecue and Church Ball. These are not quality movies yet I pretty much know what I’m getting into so therefore I’m not disappointed.
Rant for another day: The evolution of Mormon Cinema. It started with God’s Army in 2000 and now 6 years later we have had all kinds of variations of movies. Can’t say it’s improving. But I still watch most of them. Just because.
9:00 p.m. We pull into the hospital and get into our room. I try to compare this to some other experience in my life, but I can’t really think of any. This is pretty much new territory. I’m excited yet nervous. Becky’s ready to pass out. I’ve decided that I got this a lot easier.
9:30 p.m. We meet our nurse, Miriam. She seems pretty nice and is all business. I start flipping through TV stations. I quickly find out that we don’t have satellite TV. It’s actually cable TV. Big deal, you say. Here’s the subtle difference.
Currently the Mountain West Conference has a new TV channel called the Mountain (mtn.) The mtn. is all Mountain West Conference all the time. Almost every program has something to do with MWC football. The mtn. isn’t available on satellite TV, but it is on cable. Therefore the hospital has the mtn. I’m in heaven. I’m secretly hoping that we have to wait till Sunday to go home so that I can catch the two Saturday games. Wow it just seems everything is falling into place. Oh yeah, and we’re having a baby soon.
11:00 p.m. I’m on the verge of sleep on my mini-hide-a-bed. Becky has been given a Sytec pill to start her dilating. All along we thought it was something she took orally. Actually it goes “downstairs”. I can’t get to sleep soon enough. I’m not good at this stuff.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
2:20 a.m. Becky starts having contractions. I can hear her moaning every once in a while. I can’t do much so I continue sleeping. I’m a lot of help. She might as well have a crash test dummy as her husband. Maybe that’s why it took her so long to get pregnant.
6:30 a.m. They come in to start her on Pitossin (By the way I don’t know how to spell any of these medicines or body parts. I don’t even know what a cervix is. Crash test dummy.) I would give more details, but I slept right through this one.
7:30 a.m. Becky’s doctor stops by to break her water. I go into the bathroom because I can’t watch. After she breaks it she says, “Now you’re committed.” Meanwhile I’m walking around in my “jammies”. I feel kind of weird as others come in and out of the room. Maybe it’s time for me to get dressed.
Becky’s dilated to a 2. The nurses tell us the usual labor is 12-14 hours for a first time baby. I ask when labor technically starts. Is it when the contraction starts or when labor is induced? They don’t give me a clear answer. I’m beginning to think that maybe Becky isn’t the only one who’s finding me to be an annoyance.
I’m also thinking that maybe we should have taken those birthing classes. Then maybe the nurses would respect me more. I’m sure those classes would have answered most of my questions. Oh well, maybe they shouldn’t have held them on Saturdays during football season.
I know what you’re thinking at this point. “Scott, there are more important things in life than football. Having a baby is pretty important and that should come first.” For the record: I agree with this statement. I’m fully committed to this process and I’m excited for the new baby. I would have even missed a BYU game if I needed to. Most of my comments are “tongue-in-cheek”. I’m sure most of you realize this, but I don’t need any mad mothers, sisters, mother-in-laws, or sister-in-laws at me.
8:30 a.m. Becky calls for the epidural. It’s time. Now they just have to locate the anesthesiologist. He’ll be by in 30 minutes.
9:00 a.m. The doctor arrives to take away the pain. I can’t watch so I stand over by Becky to help her lean forward. It takes about 20 minutes and the pain subsides. Both Becky and I can relax. By the way, the doctor asks what Becky’s dilation is at. She hasn’t been checked since 7:30 so we don’t know. The nurse will check soon.
9:30 a.m. Ann joins us from Logan. Now is my chance to go and get some breakfast. I head to McDonalds for some breakfast.
I haven’t eaten at McDonalds for 11 weeks. Ever since I started boot camp I hadn’t eaten there or Wendy’s or Burger King or Carl’s Jr. Now is as good a time as any to end the streak.
McDonald’s has the best breakfast of any other fast food. Hands down. They are contemplating offering breakfast all day. I’m all for it.
It’s Monopoly time at McDonalds. This is always a good time. But I keep thinking back to the news story a couple years ago when they found out that an employee of the company that made the little prize stickers was stealing the big prize. He would steal them and then give them to friends to cash in. I’m just hoping they have it resolved. I hankering for a Egg McMuffin and a million dollars. By the way, I get three duds and a free breakfast sandwich. It’s worth it.
By the time I return I’m informed that Becky is now at a 6. The nurses are surprised she’s moving so quickly. Our evening birth is turning into an early afternoon birth. This is fine with me.
11:30 a.m. Ann takes off and the nurses check Becky again and she’s at a 10. It’s go time. Everybody seems to be taking their time. They call the doctor and let her know that they are prepping Becky. Becky is doing great at this time. The epidural has done wonders. I’m thinking of getting one myself.
12:00 p.m. We have a wonderful nurse named Sara. Becky loves her. She’s very informative and encouraging. She really has made a difference. Bedside manner is everything at this point. Sara wants Becky to do some “practice” pushes. I guess we’re starting.
12:30 p.m. Becky’s practice pushes are turning into real pushes. It goes something like this. Contraction hits. Push for 10 seconds. Take a deep breath. Push another 10 seconds. Take a deep breath. Push another 10 seconds. Rinse and repeat.
And the doctor is still “on her way”.
12:35 p.m. The nurse can see the top of the baby’s head. By this time I’m holding one of Becky’s legs. The nurse invites me to look to see the top of the baby’s head. I peak “south of the equator” for the first time. I can see the top of the head which has some hair on it. It’s the last time I look “down there”. I would never cut it as a health care professional.
12:40 p.m. The nurse is getting a little nervous as the baby is ready to come out but the doctor isn’t here yet. She calls for a couple other nurses to assist just in case. She isn’t telling me what’s going on, but I’m pretty bright. I’m figuring it all out. She tells Becky to rest during the next contraction because if she pushes then she’ll have a baby.
12:45 p.m. The doctor shows up. (FYI, she’s a great doctor. Becky likes her.) The doctor takes a couple of minutes to get prepped and tells Becky to push on the next contraction.
12:50 p.m. On the next contraction Becky pushes. I can here one of the nurses counting. One, two, …she’s crowning, three, four, five, ….there’s the head, six, ….there’s her shoulders, seven….there she is! They flop the baby up on Becky and tie off the cord. I get to cut it. The cord.
12:51 p.m. So what does a dad do at this point? I’m basically trying to stay out of the way. The doctor is working on Becky and the nurses are taking care of the baby. I gravitate towards the baby. They are checking her out. I look at her toes and count six of them on one foot. I count again just to be sure and it’s really five. Maybe my epidural has kicked in.
12:52 p.m. They weigh the baby and she clocks in at 5 lbs. 7.5 oz. The nurse announces “5 lbs. 8 oz.”. I thought girls were supposed to “cheat” when they told people their weight. She’s also 18.5 inches. The nurse announces “18 and half inches”. She can round up for weight but not height. I guess our baby is destined to be a little bowling ball.
12:55 p.m. Becky is all stitched up and gets to hold the baby. I just realized that we paid our doctor $4,000 for about 10 minutes of work. Maybe I need to look into this health care professional thing.
12:55 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Everything becomes a little blurry at this point. The baby seems to be doing well. Becky seems to be doing well. And I’m doing well. Not that anybody asks or cares about me. The baby is awake for the next while and I’m making and answering a bunch of phone calls.
2:00 p.m. The “Nursing Nazis” (NN) make their first appearance. It’s time to feed the baby and the Lactation Specialist is here to help. Nursing for Becky is going to be a challenge due to some physiological issues. But not impossible.
The NN helps get Becky set up for the first feeding. It’s a struggle. The NN talks for about one hour straight. She is so adamant about breast feeding that you don’t dare even ask about an alternative. By the time she leaves Becky is more stressed than at any time in the last day. Becky is practically in tears. Bedside manner is everything.
4:00 p.m. We get a call from BreeAnn, Aubree’s birth mom. This is the first time we talk to her since the day she handed Aubree over to Becky. She’s doing really well and it was nice to hear from her. We tell her we’ll call her back when Aubree gets here so she can talk to her.
In case you’re wondering how BreeAnn knew about the birth (she knew we were pregnant), Mom ran into BreeAnn’s grandmother at the temple the night we went in.
4:30 p.m. Mom Stevens, Dad Stevens, Ann, Aubree, and Ty (Ann’s kid) come by for a visit. Aubree heads right for the baby and proclaims her “my baby”. She gives her a hug and keeps touching her nose. I think Aubree will be a good big sister. I don’t think she’ll tape her mouth shut or anything like that.
It’s nice to see someone from the outside world. All manner of day and time is lost on me. The world has pretty much stood still for the last day.
We call Bree so Aubree can talk to her. I’m sure Aubree doesn’t know who she’s talking to but tells Bree about the baby. We get about 30 seconds from Aubree before she loses interest. It’s enough for Bree. She was glad to be able to talk to her. It was a nice little moment.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Well we are one day in and we’ve had some minor ups and downs. The baby’s heart rate was low in the morning. This led to an EKG which led to a chest X-ray. Ultimately everything was fine. By the afternoon her heart rate was back to normal.
The Nursing Nazis paid another visit and I told Becky we’re not inviting them in again. The “breast good, everything else bad” mantra is firing me up. And Becky does worse after they leave. They don’t instill any sort of confidence and they make you feel like if you’re not properly breast feeding your baby then you’re doing a great disservice to your baby. I feel like saying, “Hey, we bottle fed one baby and she’s nice and chunky.” Anyway we’re done with them.
By the afternoon the baby has some blood tests done. She’s low on glucose. The doctor recommends that the baby is supplemented with a bottle. Take that Nursing Nazis. The baby takes a bottle and chows it pretty good. Her next test reveals that her glucose is back up. The next time the baby breast feeds she eats real good. A baby can take a bottle and a breast. Take that Nursing Nazis.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
We’re hoping to go home today. It’s time to get out of Dodge. We just need to get home and get into our routine. It’ll be nice to have Aubree around again. I’m sure she’ll be a big “help” with the baby.
Overall this has been a great experience. Anybody who has seen a birth has to realize there is a God. It truly is a miracle. Our little Sydney is a precious little baby. She is tiny, but resilient. She is a welcome addition to the household.
Becky did really great with the pregnancy. I’m really proud of her. I think in a couple of years she’ll be ready to do this again. She’s a great mother and will continue to be so. I’m so glad she has decided to stay at home and take care of our kids. I love her.
So there you have it. Sydney Darrington born on October 12, 2006 at 12:50 p.m. Welcome to life.
We went to visit the doctor for Becky’s weekly check-up leading to the birth. The doctor noticed that Becky’s amniotic fluids were low and the baby wasn’t growing as fast as she should.
Then the doctor stated matter-of-factly that she wanted to see us on Wednesday (October 11) and if the baby wasn’t doing better then she would check us into the hospital that night. Becky had a panicked look on her face. I could tell this really caught her off guard. We thought we had another four weeks before delivery. Looks like the time could be now.
As we walked out of the office it was time to change our mindset. We could be having a baby next week. I guess we better start getting things ready.
Saturday, October 7, 2006
Becky joins me at LaVell Edwards Stadium for the BYU-San Diego St. game. Yep, 8.5 months pregnant and with me at the game. I love this woman. She is the best.
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Sunday happens to be our 7th anniversary. We head to the hospital to take our official tour just in case we’re admitted on Wednesday. The hospital takes us into a birthing room. It’s nice and spacious. The nurse mentions they have a DVD player and satellite TV. Now this place is starting to sound better.
Then they show us some room that is the patient’s snack shop. Orange juice, milk, cereal, and fountain drinks that include Dr. Pepper. Now I’m hoping that we have the baby this Wednesday. I’m set.
Monday, October 9, 2006
Happy Birthday Becky Rogers. Sorry to miss it!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
We’re mentally ready to go. Our appointment isn’t until 3:30 p.m. so we have all day to wait for the word. Becky has me convinced that we’ll be admitted tonight. All along I thought it was a 50/50 chance, but now I’m starting to think that we’re going in.
I get things prepared at work so that I can be gone the next couple of days. I’m ready. In fact at this point I’m hoping that we go in tonight. I would hate to have to have to wait two more weeks now. It’s time.
PLUS (and don’t underestimate this) BYU doesn’t play this weekend. It just couldn’t work out any better. Little baby Darrington knows how to keep her dad happy. She’s already figured it out and she’s not born yet. Good girl.
3:30 p.m. We are a little nervous as we go in to see the doctor. Becky’s amniotic fluids are at a 4 (out of 10) and the baby hasn’t grown at all since the last appointment. She tells us to go home and eat dinner and check in at the hospital at 9:00 p.m. We’re going to have a baby!
4:00 p.m. I head back to work to tie up loose ends and get caught up on Cougarboard. Got to make sure I’m informed just in case some last minute injury has come up. It’ll be a while before I can log back on.
5:30 p.m. We cruise to Morgan to drop off Aubree. We don’t know if she has a clue as to what is going on. Sometimes we think she senses something and at other times she pulls up her shirt and proclaims that she has a baby. I hope she doesn’t because I’m not ready to be a grandpa just yet.
6:30 p.m. We leave Aubree and Becky has a tough time saying goodbye. To say that Becky has been emotional this past week is an understatement. I’m ready to get “normal” Becky back.
7:00 p.m. This is Becky’s last supper pre-baby. What better place to spend it than Village Inn. I tell Becky as we’re waiting for our food “I don’t know who’s more weird: The people that work here or the people that eat here.” Of course we’re eating here, so what does it say about us.
8:30 p.m. We hit Blockbuster Video on our way to the hospital. Hmmmm, what to watch. We settle on Akeelah and the Bee, Click and Church Ball. That should keep us busy.
I’ve actually seen Church Ball already. It cracked me up so I could watch it again. The key to enjoying Mormon Cinema is not taking it too seriously. That’s how I can be entertained by Mobsters and Mormons, Baptists at our Barbecue and Church Ball. These are not quality movies yet I pretty much know what I’m getting into so therefore I’m not disappointed.
Rant for another day: The evolution of Mormon Cinema. It started with God’s Army in 2000 and now 6 years later we have had all kinds of variations of movies. Can’t say it’s improving. But I still watch most of them. Just because.
9:00 p.m. We pull into the hospital and get into our room. I try to compare this to some other experience in my life, but I can’t really think of any. This is pretty much new territory. I’m excited yet nervous. Becky’s ready to pass out. I’ve decided that I got this a lot easier.
9:30 p.m. We meet our nurse, Miriam. She seems pretty nice and is all business. I start flipping through TV stations. I quickly find out that we don’t have satellite TV. It’s actually cable TV. Big deal, you say. Here’s the subtle difference.
Currently the Mountain West Conference has a new TV channel called the Mountain (mtn.) The mtn. is all Mountain West Conference all the time. Almost every program has something to do with MWC football. The mtn. isn’t available on satellite TV, but it is on cable. Therefore the hospital has the mtn. I’m in heaven. I’m secretly hoping that we have to wait till Sunday to go home so that I can catch the two Saturday games. Wow it just seems everything is falling into place. Oh yeah, and we’re having a baby soon.
11:00 p.m. I’m on the verge of sleep on my mini-hide-a-bed. Becky has been given a Sytec pill to start her dilating. All along we thought it was something she took orally. Actually it goes “downstairs”. I can’t get to sleep soon enough. I’m not good at this stuff.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
2:20 a.m. Becky starts having contractions. I can hear her moaning every once in a while. I can’t do much so I continue sleeping. I’m a lot of help. She might as well have a crash test dummy as her husband. Maybe that’s why it took her so long to get pregnant.
6:30 a.m. They come in to start her on Pitossin (By the way I don’t know how to spell any of these medicines or body parts. I don’t even know what a cervix is. Crash test dummy.) I would give more details, but I slept right through this one.
7:30 a.m. Becky’s doctor stops by to break her water. I go into the bathroom because I can’t watch. After she breaks it she says, “Now you’re committed.” Meanwhile I’m walking around in my “jammies”. I feel kind of weird as others come in and out of the room. Maybe it’s time for me to get dressed.
Becky’s dilated to a 2. The nurses tell us the usual labor is 12-14 hours for a first time baby. I ask when labor technically starts. Is it when the contraction starts or when labor is induced? They don’t give me a clear answer. I’m beginning to think that maybe Becky isn’t the only one who’s finding me to be an annoyance.
I’m also thinking that maybe we should have taken those birthing classes. Then maybe the nurses would respect me more. I’m sure those classes would have answered most of my questions. Oh well, maybe they shouldn’t have held them on Saturdays during football season.
I know what you’re thinking at this point. “Scott, there are more important things in life than football. Having a baby is pretty important and that should come first.” For the record: I agree with this statement. I’m fully committed to this process and I’m excited for the new baby. I would have even missed a BYU game if I needed to. Most of my comments are “tongue-in-cheek”. I’m sure most of you realize this, but I don’t need any mad mothers, sisters, mother-in-laws, or sister-in-laws at me.
8:30 a.m. Becky calls for the epidural. It’s time. Now they just have to locate the anesthesiologist. He’ll be by in 30 minutes.
9:00 a.m. The doctor arrives to take away the pain. I can’t watch so I stand over by Becky to help her lean forward. It takes about 20 minutes and the pain subsides. Both Becky and I can relax. By the way, the doctor asks what Becky’s dilation is at. She hasn’t been checked since 7:30 so we don’t know. The nurse will check soon.
9:30 a.m. Ann joins us from Logan. Now is my chance to go and get some breakfast. I head to McDonalds for some breakfast.
I haven’t eaten at McDonalds for 11 weeks. Ever since I started boot camp I hadn’t eaten there or Wendy’s or Burger King or Carl’s Jr. Now is as good a time as any to end the streak.
McDonald’s has the best breakfast of any other fast food. Hands down. They are contemplating offering breakfast all day. I’m all for it.
It’s Monopoly time at McDonalds. This is always a good time. But I keep thinking back to the news story a couple years ago when they found out that an employee of the company that made the little prize stickers was stealing the big prize. He would steal them and then give them to friends to cash in. I’m just hoping they have it resolved. I hankering for a Egg McMuffin and a million dollars. By the way, I get three duds and a free breakfast sandwich. It’s worth it.
By the time I return I’m informed that Becky is now at a 6. The nurses are surprised she’s moving so quickly. Our evening birth is turning into an early afternoon birth. This is fine with me.
11:30 a.m. Ann takes off and the nurses check Becky again and she’s at a 10. It’s go time. Everybody seems to be taking their time. They call the doctor and let her know that they are prepping Becky. Becky is doing great at this time. The epidural has done wonders. I’m thinking of getting one myself.
12:00 p.m. We have a wonderful nurse named Sara. Becky loves her. She’s very informative and encouraging. She really has made a difference. Bedside manner is everything at this point. Sara wants Becky to do some “practice” pushes. I guess we’re starting.
12:30 p.m. Becky’s practice pushes are turning into real pushes. It goes something like this. Contraction hits. Push for 10 seconds. Take a deep breath. Push another 10 seconds. Take a deep breath. Push another 10 seconds. Rinse and repeat.
And the doctor is still “on her way”.
12:35 p.m. The nurse can see the top of the baby’s head. By this time I’m holding one of Becky’s legs. The nurse invites me to look to see the top of the baby’s head. I peak “south of the equator” for the first time. I can see the top of the head which has some hair on it. It’s the last time I look “down there”. I would never cut it as a health care professional.
12:40 p.m. The nurse is getting a little nervous as the baby is ready to come out but the doctor isn’t here yet. She calls for a couple other nurses to assist just in case. She isn’t telling me what’s going on, but I’m pretty bright. I’m figuring it all out. She tells Becky to rest during the next contraction because if she pushes then she’ll have a baby.
12:45 p.m. The doctor shows up. (FYI, she’s a great doctor. Becky likes her.) The doctor takes a couple of minutes to get prepped and tells Becky to push on the next contraction.
12:50 p.m. On the next contraction Becky pushes. I can here one of the nurses counting. One, two, …she’s crowning, three, four, five, ….there’s the head, six, ….there’s her shoulders, seven….there she is! They flop the baby up on Becky and tie off the cord. I get to cut it. The cord.
12:51 p.m. So what does a dad do at this point? I’m basically trying to stay out of the way. The doctor is working on Becky and the nurses are taking care of the baby. I gravitate towards the baby. They are checking her out. I look at her toes and count six of them on one foot. I count again just to be sure and it’s really five. Maybe my epidural has kicked in.
12:52 p.m. They weigh the baby and she clocks in at 5 lbs. 7.5 oz. The nurse announces “5 lbs. 8 oz.”. I thought girls were supposed to “cheat” when they told people their weight. She’s also 18.5 inches. The nurse announces “18 and half inches”. She can round up for weight but not height. I guess our baby is destined to be a little bowling ball.
12:55 p.m. Becky is all stitched up and gets to hold the baby. I just realized that we paid our doctor $4,000 for about 10 minutes of work. Maybe I need to look into this health care professional thing.
12:55 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Everything becomes a little blurry at this point. The baby seems to be doing well. Becky seems to be doing well. And I’m doing well. Not that anybody asks or cares about me. The baby is awake for the next while and I’m making and answering a bunch of phone calls.
2:00 p.m. The “Nursing Nazis” (NN) make their first appearance. It’s time to feed the baby and the Lactation Specialist is here to help. Nursing for Becky is going to be a challenge due to some physiological issues. But not impossible.
The NN helps get Becky set up for the first feeding. It’s a struggle. The NN talks for about one hour straight. She is so adamant about breast feeding that you don’t dare even ask about an alternative. By the time she leaves Becky is more stressed than at any time in the last day. Becky is practically in tears. Bedside manner is everything.
4:00 p.m. We get a call from BreeAnn, Aubree’s birth mom. This is the first time we talk to her since the day she handed Aubree over to Becky. She’s doing really well and it was nice to hear from her. We tell her we’ll call her back when Aubree gets here so she can talk to her.
In case you’re wondering how BreeAnn knew about the birth (she knew we were pregnant), Mom ran into BreeAnn’s grandmother at the temple the night we went in.
4:30 p.m. Mom Stevens, Dad Stevens, Ann, Aubree, and Ty (Ann’s kid) come by for a visit. Aubree heads right for the baby and proclaims her “my baby”. She gives her a hug and keeps touching her nose. I think Aubree will be a good big sister. I don’t think she’ll tape her mouth shut or anything like that.
It’s nice to see someone from the outside world. All manner of day and time is lost on me. The world has pretty much stood still for the last day.
We call Bree so Aubree can talk to her. I’m sure Aubree doesn’t know who she’s talking to but tells Bree about the baby. We get about 30 seconds from Aubree before she loses interest. It’s enough for Bree. She was glad to be able to talk to her. It was a nice little moment.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Well we are one day in and we’ve had some minor ups and downs. The baby’s heart rate was low in the morning. This led to an EKG which led to a chest X-ray. Ultimately everything was fine. By the afternoon her heart rate was back to normal.
The Nursing Nazis paid another visit and I told Becky we’re not inviting them in again. The “breast good, everything else bad” mantra is firing me up. And Becky does worse after they leave. They don’t instill any sort of confidence and they make you feel like if you’re not properly breast feeding your baby then you’re doing a great disservice to your baby. I feel like saying, “Hey, we bottle fed one baby and she’s nice and chunky.” Anyway we’re done with them.
By the afternoon the baby has some blood tests done. She’s low on glucose. The doctor recommends that the baby is supplemented with a bottle. Take that Nursing Nazis. The baby takes a bottle and chows it pretty good. Her next test reveals that her glucose is back up. The next time the baby breast feeds she eats real good. A baby can take a bottle and a breast. Take that Nursing Nazis.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
We’re hoping to go home today. It’s time to get out of Dodge. We just need to get home and get into our routine. It’ll be nice to have Aubree around again. I’m sure she’ll be a big “help” with the baby.
Overall this has been a great experience. Anybody who has seen a birth has to realize there is a God. It truly is a miracle. Our little Sydney is a precious little baby. She is tiny, but resilient. She is a welcome addition to the household.
Becky did really great with the pregnancy. I’m really proud of her. I think in a couple of years she’ll be ready to do this again. She’s a great mother and will continue to be so. I’m so glad she has decided to stay at home and take care of our kids. I love her.
So there you have it. Sydney Darrington born on October 12, 2006 at 12:50 p.m. Welcome to life.
posted by Scott's Blog at Saturday, October 14, 2006
3 Comments:
That was awesome, Scotty. I kept on laughing out loud! I totally agree with your comments about the NN - people like that fire me up. Spence was bottle fed and he turned out... OK.
I laughed too....but now I'm crying. (shocker) It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and definately easier than I thought ever possible. I'm just glad Sydney's here and we're home and doing well. Life is pretty good right now.
That was a fun read Scott. It's great to hear the play-by-play of the experience from a father's point of view. I'd like Becky to do a write up of her take on things.
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