Welcome Charlie

We are so thrilled to introduce you to our son, Charles William - aka Charlie. Charlie was born on Saturday, April 17th at 11:51 am. At birth he weighed 6 lbs 2 oz, and was 18.5 inches long. He was three weeks and one day early, which technically makes him premature by that one day. But other than his size, you wouldn't know it; he had great apgar scores and mastered eating, peeing, and pooping like a champ. Now we just have to work on sleeping. :)

The alternate title for this post is "be careful what you wish for." I wanted this baby to come before my due date; Charlie came in April instead of May. I wanted to experience spontaneously going into labor; my water broke in the middle of the night. I wanted a fast labor; it progressed so quickly I couldn't get my beloved epidural. But, since all I really wanted was a healthy baby, and that's what we got, I think I'll just keep on wishing for things.

The story of Charlie's birth:

Friday night... after falling into bed around 11:15 pm, tired from prepping for a big fund-raiser garage sale I'd volunteered to help with, I suddenly woke up at 12:26 am. And whoosh - my water broke as I simply laid there in bed, immobile with surprise and probably sleep too. And when I told Scott, I think there was about 60 seconds of silence before he could comprehend what I said and respond. Needless to say, we were not expecting this!

We called the hospital and were told to come right in; they don't like to mess around when your water has broken, for fear of infection, etc. So even though I wasn't really having any significant contractions, we tried to wake up enough to figure out what to pack for the hospital, and what exactly we wanted to do with Zach. We had a plan ready, but hadn't really discussed the specifics with my parents or the friends who'd agreed to watch Zach for us. So after a long debate, we called both my parents and Wendy and Chris so we could surprise them too. My mom kept saying "we're not ready!" - a sentiment we certainly shared.

After Chris arrived to crash on our couch, we headed to the hospital around 2 am. We discovered, not surprisingly, that I wasn't having contractions of any significance, so they advised us to sleep. We did so until about 6, and since my labor still wasn't going anywhere, planned to start the pitocin at 8 - after I got a shower, some breakfast, and a dose of antibiotics (a precaution since my strep-B test results weren't back yet). Scott headed home quickly to relieve Chris and take Zach out to breakfast. Our friends Adam, Jamie, and Sylvia filled in to keep Zach company until my parents could complete the drive from Milwaukee. (thanks again everyone!!)

By the time Scott got back to the hospital around 9:30, the pitocin had kicked in. The nurses and doctor had determined earlier that while the baby was extremely low - basically in the last "station" before coming out - I wasn't really dilated at all. So Scott, my IV pole, and I started walking - around and around the floor. After a while I was having some significant pain during the contractions, but could still walk and talk so we kept going. Around and around.

A little before 11 I was ready to stop walking, as the pain, especially in my back, was getting intense. We went back to my room, where the nurse (Holly) came in and was prepping some things in the room and giving advice on managing my pain. About 11:15 I cried uncle; my request for an epidural caught Holly by surprise. Apparently I hadn't given the appropriate impression of the amount of pain I was in until that point! So she started preparing the paperwork and contacting the anesthesiologist... until I shortly said I felt like I needed to push. Needless to say, the baby was coming long before the anesthesiologist. And, as it turned out, the doctor!

The on-call doctor who had checked me out that morning had gone home, after learning that I was only fingertip dilated. When it was clear the baby was going to come while he was still en route, the two very experienced nurses who were coaching me along pulled the nurse midwife out of the active labor in the room next door (sorry other mom-to-be!). So at 11:51 AM, after about ten minutes of pushing, Charlie arrived! Despite the fact that his torso and legs (not neck) were wrapped up in the umbilical cord, he was wiggling around and crying immediately. Scott got to cut the cord this time too! Whew.

The rest of the day is sort of a blur. My parents and Zach came later that afternoon, and we had to laugh at Zach's immediate reaction. He walked in, happy to see us, but wondering where the baby was. I was in bed holding Charlie, who was all swaddled up; I don't know if it was the blankets or just his small size - but Zach could not see him! So we played a little game of hide and seek until he discovered his brother. He was initially fascinated and adoring - snuggled up with us in the bed, gave Charlie a kiss, and insisted on seeing his entire body, not just his face. But after about 5 minutes, he turned to my parents and said "let's go home." I guess the novelty of having grandma and grandpa to himself was much more attractive than hanging out in a hospital room with a sleeping baby and exhausted parents!

The only prematurity-related concern has turned out to be Charlie's blood sugar levels the first 24 hours or so after he was born; this is also a concern for babies of gestational diabetes moms. He got to have two boosts of formula to ensure his levels stayed where they should be - a very interesting feeding process! But after some good feedings, we were all set.

We came home Monday, and have basically been settling in, figuring out our littlest one and spending time with our big guy. My parents will be here most of the week, and we are so grateful for the help! More to come soon... time for sleep.