Off to the pediatrician!

So...today was Pediatrician check-up day - which means that Kami (and Emsley) were able to get out of the house for the first time since they were sent home from the hospital.

This is a big thing for Kami because she's a beach/ocean/summer girl. I love the summer, I hate being cold, but my temperament is more suited to staying indoors, drinking coffee, and reading. I hated the physical cold of living in New York, but there was something pleasant about a blizzard that kept me inside (since it gave me an excuse not to be outside doing things, like working out). Another winter of that and I'm reasonably to moderately sure Kami would have murdered me.

Here's a cartoon representation of Kami:

And here's me:

Yep. Kami is a human Care-Bear Stare. Yet for the last couple of weeks it has been so hot that I think I saw Dante walking around in capri pants and a tank top (I guess on this level of hell, Dante is a little effeminate). Then we go into the hospital, which didn't have much sunlight in the delivery room. And then it rained for five days (which was great, but didn't provide much in the way of sunlight). So there hasn't been much Vitamin D around our place.

With the trip to the pediatrician on tap, Kami was quite excited to get out - even if it was to a doctor's office. Something I'm going to have to be better about is getting Kami (and Emsley) out of the house, and getting some sunshine. Whether that's pulling out the Baby Bjorn for Kami to use, since we've already addressed the fact that the Baby Bjorn on me makes me look like Baby Boudin, and taking Gunther and Angus out for a walk, then that's what it will be.

(Gunther, by the by, is not used to being on the lower half of the totem pole. Gunther, who is Kami's spirit animal, is having a hard time figuring out why he can't sleep on the bed. Angus, who is my spirit animal, my dark passenger, is loving not being anywhere near the fringe of attention.)

Ah yes. Emsley was born at 9lbs 7ozs. Today she was 7lbs 15ozs, so she's lost some weight, but because she was born so big - and because Kami had received so many fluids, the pediatrician isn't all that concerned. We do have to go back on Thursday for another weigh-in. A successful weigh-in, and she'll fight Manny Pacquiao on September 4.

Oh, and Emsley is perfect. Sorry I'm not sorry.

The most magical thing I've ever seen.

So, yes, it's been a few days since posting anything here - and in between the last update (which, I believe, was about 7am on Wednesday) and now, Emsley Bryn came into the world. Let's go back and revisit how this all happened, eh?

Kami's mother flew in last Friday (July 6). My dad flew in on Monday, when we had our doctor's appointment where we figured Inducing was an option. If you recall, our air-conditioner went out during the heat wave, and we had not yet fixed it. So on Tuesday morning, the day before the scheduled inducing, my dad and I dropped our car at the dealership, went to lunch - where we talked about impending fatherhood - went to the vet to get pills for Gunther, and went to the library. Gunther woke me up at 4:30am. Kami had been having stronger-than-normal contractions that morning, but since she had the Uterus That Cried Wolf, we didn't think much of it.

We got back to our place, and were talking, and my dad wanted to go get a nap, get some dinner, and go to bed early, since we had to be at the hospital about 6:45am on Wednesday. He, of course, rented a car at the airport, so we talked about when he was going to pick us up to go to the hospital (since Kami's mom had to take her rental car back that morning). It was determined that we should keep his rental car overnight. We could pick him up in the morning and then go to the hospital, but he wasn't comfortable with us not having a car within 18 hours of being induced.

That turned out to be a pretty good call.

As I was on my way back from dropping him at his hotel, I got a call from Kami's mom that said, "Kami's water broke-" And she may have said something else. I don't know, because I hung up on her (probably the only time that it's perfectly acceptable to hang up on your mother-in-law). Kami was getting ready to take a nap, laid down on the bed, felt a Pop, and when she went to the bathroom, the water started.

We packed up the car and drove off to the hospital. I called my dad twice, left voicemails, texted a couple of times, to no avail. In true Yasko fashion, he was indisposed due to a bathroom necessity. So we sped off to the hospital, bags in the trunk, Kami in the passenger seat, Kim in the back.

Had the rental car been a DeLorean, we would have been transported on I-40, because I looked down and was, indeed, hitting 88mph.

I had called Baptist to let them know we were on our way, and we arrived a little before 3pm. Kami was taken into a delivery room with the contraction monitor on her, and we waited. Our first nurse had trouble getting the computer to work, which was frustrating, because...for every reason, actually.

So we waited. Kami had been dilated to 3cm on Monday, and by Tuesday afternoon, she was about 3.5cm dilated. We waited, and it was slow going.

Kami had a plan to go all-natural: local anesthetic, no epidural. Around midnight, after what had essentially been 16 hours of labor, and progressing to 5cm, that plan had to be abandoned. The pain from the contractions was so bad, Kami was shaking and sweating. A wrinkle on which we had not planned was Kami's scar tissue from her surgery in December 2008 was burning with each and every contraction - or every three minutes for about seven hours. It was untenable.

In the meantime, we settled in for what was going to be a long night. Kami was far more comfortable after the epidural, and she was able to doze off from time to time. I just watched her.

Around 2am, Kami still hadn't progressed very far, and the nurse said that she would be checking with the doctor (oh yes, the Good Doctor was not going to be delivering Emsley, unless she waited until after 7am - which wasn't a very thrilling possibility.

Around 4:30am, Kami finally made it to 9cm and 100% effaced. So we're thinking, "Hey, we'll be done with this here pretty soon." It so happened that was not to be. However, when the shift change happened, our new nurse came on, and the Good Doctor was, in fact, on duty.

Okay, about 9am, Kami still was not progressing, and every ten minutes there was a differing opinion on whether or not Kami could deliver Emsley on her own, or would need a C-Section. They had been pushing pitocin to help the contractions along. For about an hour there was second opinions and 3rd opinions on getting her through the birth canal. Dr. Smallwood came in, checked her out, advised Kami to try to push, and see how things worked out. Two hours later, she was still pushing, and - oh yeah - the epidural was wearing off. Rather than re-upping on the pain meds, the Good Doctor said that, another half-hour, and she just might be able to have the baby. She kept pushing.

He came back 30 minutes later (this would be about 12:15pm on Wednesday) and said, "Well I guess we're ready," to which Kami replied, "C-Section?" to which he replied, "No, you're about to have a baby."

I'll save you some of the details, but that day was the most magical thing I've ever seen. In the seconds after she was born, everyone in the room - nurses included - was crying. Kami was a rock star, pushing through the possibility of a C-Section (just because she didn't want to. She sort of does what she wants, and get what she wants.)

Emsley Bryn Yasko was born at 12:46pm, 22 hours after we arrived at the hospital, and was 9lbs 7ozs, and 21.25" long. Yeah, she's a big 'un. And she's absolutely gorgeous. When they put her on Kami's chest, we all just fell apart. I was able to hold her while Kami slept a little...and, yeah, I'm toast.

We ended up going to sleep about 10pm on Wednesday night, which means that we were up for about 40 of 41 hours - which I'm sure won't be the last time, but it was totally worth it.

I realize that was a very detailed, emotion-less account of the events of July 10/11, but this just needed to get on record. There will be more to come in the next few days: thoughts, reactions, delusions, things of that nature. Just for now, though, Emsley: We're so glad you're here, and I would be happy to go through all of that again, just to kiss your sweet face.

7am Update

Kami was able to sleep in snatches from 4-5:30 this morning. I slept from 5:30-5:55 (but that doesn't matter).

That 6cm mark was brutal. Took hours to progress. But with the 6:45 checkup, we found that Kami was all the way to 9cm and 100% effaced. So now we get excited to wait a little bit longer. And perhaps shut an eye or two.

Update

The first talk that I have with Little Miss Emsley is going to be about having some DADGUM RESPECT for the human body's cycle. Check the time. Go ahead, I'll wait. Got it? Yep - been up for 21 hours straight.

I know - this won't be the last time I'm up for 21 hours. And I know - Kami's way worse off than I am. She's the one doing the actual work. Even typing this out makes me any body part you're thinking. That said, I'm 32 years old. If I stay up to watch Walking Dead, I'm worthless until Tuesday. At this rate, I'll only just have recovered in time for her to go to prom.

Anyhow, strange thing: Kami's heart rate goes down during contractions. Our nurse said that, were her heart rate actually the baby's heart rate, it would be a cause for concern. As it is, Kami is 6cm dilated, and so we wait...

9:25pm update

Alright - we've been here for about 6.5 hours, and Kami is now 5cm dilated.

She's doing great. Dominating ice chips. A  couple of Popsicles.

I helped her take a shower, then I took the liberty of getting in and cleaning up, since that was what I was going to do when I got back to the house. It was lovely.

Kami's doing great because, as you already know, she's a rock star.

More later.

It's Baby Time

So Emsley decided she did not want to wait to be induced, and her water broke about 2:50pm.

My dad and I had lunch, took the car to the shop, and I had dropped him off at his hotel. He was going to pick us up tomorrow morning, but talked us into keeping his rental. This was a good decision.

I was on my way back from the hotel when Kami's mom called to say her water had broken. I may, or may not, have used a mild expletive and punched it to the house.

We loaded everything up and were out the door within ten minutes.

So now we're in the Labor Room, and Kami's at 4-5cm dilated. I'm trying to guess as to when to make jokes, and I haven't been entirely successful.

More later.

What do you do now?

Another day, another visit to the Good Doctor. Over the weekend, Kami began having spikes in her blood pressure, mixed in with contractions, panic attacks, and...oh yeah, IT'S BEEN 150 ******* DEGREES OUTSIDE.

Thus, we were really looking forward to visiting this morning (especially with The Mother-In-Law coming with us as the Not-So-Secret Weapon), as we were fully expecting to get kicked over to Labor & Delivery ("L&D" as those in The Know call it) to be induced.

But first, a few notes about the visit:

*First of all, we got in to see the doctor in record time. After three visits of 90-120 minute waits to see the doctor, we got in within 20 minutes.

*Kami's blood pressure was up again - 145/95. Not "dangerous," but "not great."

*She also lost another pound - from Thursday - bringing her three-week weight loss to 12 pounds. I'm the ying to her yang.

So when the Good Doctor came in, he noted her elevated blood pressure, heard our concerns about the panic attacks and BP spikes, etc. And he presented us with two options:

1. Ride it out. Let nature take its course over what could possibly be two weeks.

2. Induce. Kami's innards are to the point where there isn't a big concern about the her, or Emsley's, health. There is a slight risk that, when they induce, they'll have to do a C-Section (of which, we supposed, there is always a slight risk).

He gave Kami the option of what she wanted to do - and she was not prepared to have to make that decision. Rather than be That Guy who butts in and says, arms pumping, "LET'S INDUCE!" I stayed quiet. So Kami felt like inducing was the best option, mainly in terms of not being completely mentally annihilated when Emsley does show up. So Kami looked at me and asked, "What do you think about inducing?" And I (foolishly) replied: "There isn't any baseball on until Friday, so let's do it."

And with that, we head to Baptist hospital at 6:15am Wednesday for our own Induction Day.

So, what would you do for the next 36 hours?

Friday morning update

Hey, let me tell you what was fun: Driving to the hospital at 2:30pm when it's 102 degrees outside, with the windows down. It felt like a dadgum hair dryer, or maybe one of those Excelerators - the high-speed car-wash dryer that you try not to let peel the skin off your hands - blowing in the car.

Quick car update: The Goodyear place couldn't find the source of why the A/C isn't working, as it's apparently an electrical issue. So it has to go to the dealer. I could get into one dealership, but they didn't have a loaner car available, and with the timing of the doctor's visit, it didn't make sense. We'll have to deal with the car later.

Wednesday night Kami had contractions 4-5 minutes apart for the better part of three hours. We called the hospital, who told us to call the on-call doctor (who happened to be the Good Doctor) and ask him what we should do. He said to walk around for a while and see if they tapered off. They did. Unbelievably.

Anyhow, another trip to see the Good Doctor, another high blood pressure reading - this time 148/98. So we were sent home with explicit instructions to check her blood pressure and call back in the morning (this morning). It had come down, but not too far - still not enough to induce today.

That said, we have to go back to the Good Doctor on Monday, which will be about 39.5 weeks. If her blood pressure is high again, then it's likely they'll induce either Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.

Kami is dilated 3cm and 80% effaced. If you didn't know - and I didn't know - effacement is basically the thinning out of the cervix (or, as JustMommies.com unsettlingly puts it, "the ripening of the cervix"). The fact that Kami's cervix is 80% effaced means that it is currently 20% it's normal thickness, which apparently means that this show is about to get on the road.

The 3cm dilated is interesting, as she was dilated about 1.5cm last week. When Kami gets to 4cm dilated, she's transitioning from Early Labor to Active Labor. Had she been 5cm dilated, we would have been sent over to Labor & Delivery.

Regardless, Kami's mom got into town this morning, and I'm quite surprised her water didn't break as soon as she walked in.

So there you have it. Last night was probably the final night (for a long while, anyway) where it was just Kami and myself. I realized that this morning. Had I realized that last night, I probably would have done something cooler than "Fall asleep at 10:15pm with Dave Eggers' new book on my face."

Patience has never been a virtue

Patience, n. A minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue.
-Ambrose Bierce

This is getting ridiculous. I am so ready to meet little Emsley that I can barely stand it. But she just flat-out won't cooperate. (This will likely not be the last time this sentence is typed.)

Anyhow, an update. Short version: Kami's still pregnant.

Long version: Ever since we found out the due date, I have really been pulling for Emsley to come early so that I can have a July 4th baby, history dork that I am. She'd get the day off every year. There would be fireworks for her every birthday. And, I'd get to tell her about 'merica. It's 1:30pm right now, so there's still a chance.

Yesterday Kami and I went and visited a pediatrician that also (a) goes to our church and (b) takes our insurance. So that's out of the way, because he's a nice guy. But on the way back from his office, the AC in our car started acting funny. And I mean "Funny" in that, "It stopped blowing out cold air." It was 4:55pm, the day before a national holiday. So I pulled into a Goodyear and their AC guy had just left about two minutes before we got there. This means we currently have a car that I will possibly have to drive to the hospital with a woman in labor, when it's 100 degrees outside, with the windows down. That'll be fun.

So last night, with today being a holiday, we took it quite easy and went off to bed around 11:30pm. From 3:30-6:45am, Kami was on the couch, with contractions every five minutes for an hour. Apparently she was THISCLOSE to coming and waking me up, but they then tapered off. This has been our pattern: Contractions close enough together to get me all worked up, think about making a cup of coffee, and then they taper off. Then we go to bed, and do it all over again.

I'm currently useless at work. I can't focus. Luckily I have enough busy work that I can get through the day without feeling like I'm stealing. But every time Kami calls me at work, my heart jumps through my chest and out the door.

Ultimately, I know she's going to arrive when she wants, and that's something I'm going to have to get used to. But, this is most assuredly a minor form of despair.