The Linda Family

This is a case of Nana gone bad with her camera!  Be on the lookout for this crazy woman!

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To say the past 2 1/2 days have been a whirlwind would be an understatement.  I sit here looking at this amazing little girl, and I am not quite sure where she came from.  Sitting in church Sunday night something just felt off to me.  I wasn’t sure what it was.  I was enjoying some of the quiet, thinking about the little being who was kicking around inside me as usual.  Suddenly the name Rebekah popped into my head.  When I think about Rebekah, I remember Rebekah being the wife of Isaac, I remember her desire to be a mother, and her inability to conceive.  Of course, as a mother this stands out to me.  The next part is where I identify with Rebekah.  Rebekah prayed.  She prayed that God would bless her with a son.  And he did.  Despite the odds of her advanced maternal age, Isaac’s age, and the fact that she was barren, God blessed her with Samuel.  In the early weeks of this pregnancy, and during the weeks before I sat in the back of our church praying that God would bless us with a new baby and that he would protect us through this pregnancy.  Just as He was faithful to Rebekah and Isaac in blessing them with Samuel, God was faithful and blessed us with our beautiful Rebekah Joelle.

The whole birth process is still really a blur for me.  One minute I was sitting in church, thinking about my baby, thinking about the things we needed to do this week to prepare for her arrival, and thinking about what we could name her should she happen to be a girl.  Then we headed over to have dinner with Hillary & Neil and the boys, and then we left.  I was quite confused as to why my pants were getting wet.  I had just gone to the bathroom, and I really didn’t think I was peeing in my pants.  That’s when I realized that it really was my water and I wasn’t dreaming!  The whole going home, packing, figuring out how to get the week’s to do list done and rest, etc was quite an experience.

When we left for the birth center we said goodbye to Ashleigh and explained once again the process.  We were going to the birth center to have the baby, when it was time for the baby to be born, one of her grandparents would be bringing her join us.  We talked about how baby would be arriving in a few hours and by bed time we would probably all be home together.

The next few hours were anything but what we had expected.  When Jennifer, the midwife pulled out the ultrasound machine, I knew that things were about to change.  When she told me that my baby was breech I was hoping it was a breech position we could at least attempt vaginally.  When she told me that we had a footling breech presentation it was a real surprise.  She couldn’t tell at first if what she was feeling was a kneeling or a footling breech baby, but both are extremely rare and when attempted vaginally come with a huge risk of cord prolapse.  If there is any reason to get a c-section, this would be it.  We of course know that the end goal is healthy mom and baby, but my goal was healthy mom and baby with no interventions.

I’ll now not be allowed to deliver in a birth center, however I will be a great vbac candidate should we decide to have a 3rd child in a few years.  There are also at least 2 midwives in the Baltimore area who will do a homebirth next time should we decide we want that as an option, but at least I have seen that not all hospitals have to be like the one that delivered Ashleigh.  I have been highly impressed with the staff here from step 1.  Everyone has been very caring and helpful.  I know that both Maryland birth centers use this hospital as their back up, so they are used to midwife patients and more natural approaches to birthing than the hospital where Ashleigh was born, so maybe that plays a role.  Even the OB who delivered Rebekah was amazing and helpful and considerate.  She told me this morning that if she had been in private practice, instead of being the hospitalist, she would have waited a bit before the section.  She said Bekah had 1 leg up and 1 leg down, and if she had her own rule book (instead of the hospital’s) she would have let me attempt a vaginal birth had Bekah finished the transition into the Frank Breech position.  For some reason, just knowing that she and I held similar views on birth was a huge help to me.  When she and I were speaking this morning we spoke about Ashleigh’s birth, and we were able to agree that the OBs that delivered Ash pushed too hard and interfered too much.  It made me feel much more comfortable about this process.  While the birth experience wasn’t even close to what we wanted, we did what was best for our baby and unlike the bittter feelings I still have about Ashleigh’s birth process, I know that the interventions we had here were completely necessary for our little girl.

I am so thankful for the chance to hold and cherish our little girl.  I love the look on Ashleigh’s face when she gets to hold her sister.  It is absolutely amazing.  I spent last night and most of today just me and Bekah, and I’m surviving!  I’ve been able to change her diapers and feed her and pick her up and put her down.  I’ve gotten some work done, I’ve eaten.  Granted, I didn’t do laundry, take care of Ashleigh, make dinner, and clean the house, but I’m sure in time those things will come.

I did get a shower this evening and Wes and I took 3 laps around the floor!  I was thinking about going home this evening,and I was told that if I REALLY wanted to I could, but I decided not to rush it.  As much as I want to be home with my whole family, I don’t want to push it too hard, add more to Wes’s plate, and risk injury to myself.  So, we sent Ash home with Wes’s mom, and Wes is spending the night here.  As soon as the pediatrician and OB come in tomorrow (usually around 7) we’ll get our papers and head out.  I’m feeling pretty good today, and I had a full day, so I am hopeful the days to come will all improve as each so far has.

I also wanted to thank you all for your prayers, calls, and offers of food.  Wes and I are amazed by the love we have felt the past 2 days.  The phone calls, Facebook messages, Tweets, etc are more than we expected.  We are trying to respond to everyone we haven’t gotten back to yet, just bear with us   It’s been a bit insane around here with the unexpected surgery and all.

Well folks, we’re on to day two and things are beginning to settle down.  Since last night, we’ve progressed a great deal, and things are beginning to settle down.

First up in the night was the bath for the kid, the tech was an hour late, and well, lets just say not very understanding of newborns or their parents desire to not see their child in total misery.  I’m not sure how this person got a job in a hospital, but perhaps they had to meet a hiring requirement from the government.  Every business must need to have one person without one lick of intelligence.  After a not so great experience, we were able to return to the room for our first night as a new family.

One thing is for sure, Hospitals are no place to get well.  Our night was filled with pain for katy, beeping of machines, and the hourly desire of hospital staff to visit us.  Outside of that, we had a great night of sleep and rest.  LOL

Even through the interuptions, we were able to get some rest, and as the night progressed into morning, things started improving in this room.  First, after many alarms and issues, the nurses removed the leg compression and circulation cuffs from Katy.  This immediately reduced the noise and interuptions and was the first step to slightly more peace in the room.  Soon thereafter, the IV was pulled from Katy and this improved her level of comfort as she didn’t have a huge cable hanging from her arm.

The morning went smoothly, lots of great baby time, and a first for daddy, our daughter fell asleep in my arms.  I’ll stop to say, this is by far one of the best things anyone can ever experience.  But since I like to hide any opportunity for folks to think I’m a sensitive guy, I’ll move on now.

Approximately 10 minutes after my daughter fell asleep in my arms, in came the tech to do the hearing test.  Suprise!!!!  Just kidding, i know she was only doing her job, but hey, I don’t get a ton of these moments.  After just a few moments, it was announced that our daugther passed the hearing test with flying colors, and passed in the quickest time of any baby that day.  I’m not sure if that was the truth or a line that the tech shares with all parents, but it was great to hear.

Just a bit before 12, we finally landed on a name!  That’s right, nearly 24 hours after the birth of our daughter, we decided on a name.  Rebekah Joelle Linda, isn’t that a great name?

A bit later I headed out to grab some lunch, and after heading back, walked in to enjoy watching katy get her catheter removed.  MMMMM…Hungry now folks…

Okay, so it wasn’t bad, and it was much less painful than Katy was told by others, so, the final tube connected to katy was removed.  And she got cleaned up a bit, and got to change into her own clothes, another blessed moment that really helped her relax a little more.  We spent the afternoon enjoying some time with Ashleigh and Katy’s parents before they began their trip back to PA.  I’d like to throw in a little note of thanks to them for taking Ashleigh for the night and making us some meals for when we return to the house.  We really are blessed by the family we have, and we can never say enough in thanks to those that help us.

A Beautiful Trio

So, now we’re heading towards the evening, and Ashleigh is having lots of fun here, and Katy and baby are resting, Katy is beginning to realize the tough road she has ahead.  But she’ll do great.  If she can put up with me, a recovery from a CSection will be nothing at all.

Well, I’m going to head off into the night, take care of these darling girls of mine, and will post any new up

dates as the days move forward.

Well folks, our new addition has arrived, and what a roller coaster it has been.  While there are lots of details I could add, I’ll try and keep it short and simple.  Although that might be tough.

In my post earlier this morning, I discussed how we got to the point of heading off to the Midwife’s practice.  We had a very busy morning, cleaning, organizing, packing, and just getting things ready to go.  My mom was awoken before 7AM with me sharing that Katy had progressed into stronger and more frequent contractions, and it was time.  She headed over and a little while after she arrived, Katy and I headed out.

A quick stop at McDonald’s for a diet coke for Katy and a biscuit for me and we were on our way.  Upon arriving at the Midwife’s, I remembered that I had forgotten to cancel a conference call for 10AM.  Katy was nice enough to let me hop on the call, and I made the call from one room in the suite at the practice.  10-15 minutes into the call, I heard Katy quite upset and knew something wasn’t right.  I immediately pulled off of the conference call, and went to see what was wrong.  The baby was footlong breech and a c-section would be needed.  After months and months of preparing for a natural birth, our world was turned upside down.

Obviously we were upset, but we knew it was the right thing to do.  We were taken over to the building where the surgery would take place.  Katy was prepped, I donned my pretty blue suit, and away we went.  I had the opportunity to sit in on the c-section and was blessed to see the birth of our 2nd child, a beautiful baby girl.  Which I was given the honor of making the call.  I snapped some photos, and away the baby and I went for some proper cleaning.

A Star is Born!

We got to bring the baby back into Katy so she could get a moment with her new daughter and then our darling daughter and I headed off to recovery where she was weighed and measured and more cleaning took place.  Final stats were a 7lb, 9.3 ounce, 20 inch long baby girl born at 12:20 PM EST on January 5th, 2009.  One small problem though.  No name.  After a bit of daddy and daughter time, Katy was brought in for her recovery period.  We chatted and shared and after about an hour headed off to our final room.

Weigh In

Welcoming Our New Addition

So Nice And Warm

Katy’s parents, along with my mom and Ashleigh arrived soon after we did and we spent a wonderful afternoon sharing some great time together as a family with a brand new member.  I snuck out for a bit for a dinner with Ash and my mom, and after we returned, Ashleigh, my mom, and katy’s parents headed back to our house, and we took some relax time to catch a little shuteye, and that’s where we stand.

We’re working on a name…and we’re getting close…this poor young lady needs and name…and we hope to have  a decision by morning.  Thank you to all of those who offered support, and prayers today, it was a wonderful feeling to get the support of so many wonderful people, friends and family alike.  Thank you, it really helped us get through this tough and trying day.

I’m working on getting the photos processed, and I hope to get some online tonight.  The wireless here at the hospital doesn’t allow me on facebook, so you’ll need to check out the blog if you want to see photos.  I hope to have them up before I go to bed.  Have a great night, and we’ll be sure to let everyone know when a name has been chosen.

Well folks, it looks like Baby Day is here.  My darling wife, Katy, decided to break her water in the driveway of our friends home last night.  We’d like to start by thanking Hillary and Neil Pennington for the towels that allowed us to get home without soaking the new car seats in our Sante Fe.

The night has been a fun one, filled with some cleaning, installing the new car seat, calling friends and family to put them on notice, and of course, Katy laid in bed with her feet up while I did all the work.  Okay…perhaps that last part isn’t quite true, but I know how unimportant I’ll be today, so I’m claiming last night as a victory for the men in this world.  Not that I know what that means, but it’s fun to stake my claim.

Anyways, back to the important folks in this wonderful drama called childbirth.  My darling wife is experiencing more and more contractions, which I hear is a part of this labor thing.  She’s been a real trooper so far, making sure not to wake me too much while I get my beauty sleep preparing for the photo opportunities on this great day.  It looks like we’re getting close to heading to the Birthing Center, so, not sure how much we’ll be able to post till we get home.

We ask for your prayers to keep the day as calm and as wonderful for us as possible, well, mostly for Katy, but I wouldn’t mind a little calm.  And one more thing that we need prayer for…and we hate to admit this…but we don’t have a GIRL’s NAME!!!!!! Can you believe it!!!! We’re such slackers…anyways…lets cross our fingers for a boy and a last minute revelation on a girls name if a girl comes along.

Now that you have a full update, go spend some time on Hulu while you anxiously await more news.