Homecoming..... or not

Well bringing Nate home didn't go as planned. Dr. Chelu told us the previous day that we could be discharged Wednesday Morning after the pediatrician came by to release the baby.

January 13th, 2010 9am.
Dr. Finnila came in to check on Nate and unfortunately he had higher levels of Billirubin 11 and we tested positive for Coombs. Nate is A+ and I am O+. Since our blood types conflicted, he was Asian and his billirubin levels were high she suggested that as a precaution we stay the day until 4pm (his next billi test time) and "cook" him under the phototherapy lights. Then this would combat the Jaundice and help us avoid possibly coming back to the hospital for further treatment.

10 am to 3:30 pm
Nate baked under the phototherapy lights all day. It was sad to see him in there because we couldn't hold him except to change his diapers and to feed him. The rest of the time he had to lie in the tube on his back with foam sun googles on and nothing but his diaper. If it wasn't for the glasses he loved it in there. It was a toasty 33 Celsius in the tube and he looked liked he was one the beach.

I was a worry wart because the doctor told me that the two most important things to combat the Jaundice was 1. the light therapy and 2. Ensuring that Nate was feeding sufficiently. The feeding would create bowel movements that would get rid of the billi. So this made me really tense since the phototherapy lights would make Nate very tired and thus more difficult to get to eat.

The lactation consultant came and offered a great suggestion, pump and supplement with the breast milk. She showed me how to hand pump and then syringe to ensure that Nate was getting enough to eat. I unfortunately had to supplement first with formula. I only gave Nate one syringe before I had expressed enough to give him my milk.

So the day was spent watching Nate cook under the lights and then feeding and changing him. We could not wait until 4pm for them to take his last billi test. When the time finally came they forgot to come get him and we had to remind the staff at 4:45.

We had hoped that the results would come back in 45 minutes and then I could be released. We started packing our bags and loading up the car. Mom had come in at 4pm to join us for the trip home. 6pm came and went and so did 7pm. We were getting hungry and irritated since it was 2 hours past the time we thought we'd be released. Finally mom got irritated enough to ask them what the hold up was. It turned out that one of the nurses forgot to run a test on me and now that it was afterhours the lab was working more slowly. They apparently had to run an Hep B test on me since we declined giving Nate the Heb B vaccine at the time of birth.

Secretly we think the Delores, one of the nurses, sabotaged us and forgot to do this test. Brent had run over her foot earlier in the day with a chair and this may have been her way to get back at us.

It wasn't until 10:30 that we finally got to leave the hospital. So much for a glorious homecoming. Poor Zee, she was at home waiting for us, we were super hungry and when we got home it was so late we were so disorganized.

4:03 pm

When the doctor came in I couldn't believe it was really time to push. I remembering questioning the team really asking if now was the time? The baby would be here soon and our lives would completely change. We had waited for nine months for this moment, gone through excruxiation pain and now was the time for pushing. I think I wanted to hear music or angels singing or something, but none of that happened.

Brent was beside me helping me hold my legs up and I was supposed to push with each contraction. Now the epidural had kicked in becuase I could barely feel the contractions. It was a weird feeling becuase now the team was asking me when to push. I would tell them that a contraction was coming and they would look up on the monitor and confirm, I think I'd know better than them.

The first couple pushes I didnt' feel like I was doing anything. I don't think I was pushing correctly either becuase Dr. Chelu kept telling me that I had to hold my breath like I was swimming under water. Also she said that we had to get the baby out fast becuase of my bleeding and the lowered heart rate. If the baby didn't come out naturally they were going to use the vaccumm. When I heard that my initial reaction was, "like hell you will". Do people actually still use those things?

It was time to push again - count to 10 and push for three rounds, was the dance we did. For the first two rounds Brent was right there beside me. But then I guess he caught a glimpse of the blood and started to get woozy. All I heard from the nurses was "you may want to sit down", "there are a lot of sharp corners that'll break your head open" and "are you feeling alright".

The last two pushes Brent wasn't beside me, I dind't care. I knew I could get throught this pushing act myself. But to his credit from his little bench in the corner he was counting with the rest of the team to ten. Only two more rounds of pusing and the baby was here. I remember the feeling of him coming out one big movement and he was here in this world. He didn't cry or anything but he looked big. The first think I saw were his legs, butt and then scrotum- yup he was a he.

They quickly let me hold him and the first thing I thought was "eww he's really slimey" then after a quick minute of saying hi he was wisked away and cleaned up. Brent was quickly in the other room with the clea up team taking pictures and chatting it up and asking lots of questions. We have good photos and footage of that. That was when I realized that it was no longer about me it was all about the baby.

The time it took them to clean up the baby seemed like an eternity I so wanted to hold him again and get to know him. But he finally made it back to me and he was mine. He was so cute and alert I couldn't believe it. Brown eyes, lots of black hair, cute little fingers and a scrunched up face. The pushing was only 20 mintues and it went by very quickly. I can't believe my pregnancy was over and our family was finally here.

Waiting .......

We were hoping for a baby in 2009 for a needed tax credit but that was not God's plan for us. Instead I had to work 12 straight days at work due to Year End closing and a Year End Owner's Audit that was to begin on January 11.

My mom and sister arrived to Houston the weekend of the January 8th and the Cheungs got to business of eating out, shopping and cooking. We had a great weekend. Sheri and Alexander were also in town for Alexander's gymnastics competition and so one Saturday night we all went out to eat a big old Chinese dinner.

Sherri was hoping that the baby would arrive on her watch but the weekend came and went with no changes or signs. My last couple doctor's appointments also showed no new developments. I wasn't feeling any contractions, I hadn't dilated or effaced. This baby was going to be late. January 15 was the expected due date but all signs pointed to later.

On Sunday Zee, Mom, Brent and I went to church and then went to Freebirds for a nice hot spicy Burrito. Maybe that would induce labor. Then the rest of Sunday was spent at Costco, Babies R Us and Target. Stocking up the fridge and buying last minute baby items.

Brent and I hoped and prayed that the baby would come on Monday. It would be perfect because then we would have had time with Mom and Zee on the weekend and then the rest of their stay the baby would be here. Zee was only staying two weeks and Mom for a couple months and we really wanted Auntie Zee to get the most time with the baby. Maybe a last minute cup of Raspberry Tea will help induce.