Sunday, February 6, 2011
I am only two days old, but I am all over technology (just like my dad)! I had my very first skype date ever with my Auntie. I was sleeping (I was pretty tired after that ordeal) but I am really, really excited to meet her in person next month. Love you!!!!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Felix came today, and we are all so very happy! We had the best doc (other than his Nanna) Dr. Chappell and the best nurse in the delivery room (Trista). We are looking forward to all the adventures of parenthood :)
Friday, February 4, 2011
on the morning of Feb 4th, we had our 40 week appointment at Meadows Maternity. I was getting discouraged because as most of you know, both the O’Connor’s and the Macaulay’s have a well-known reputation of being late. I just didn’t think I could do another week on the couch watching Dog the Bounty Hunter, with a good helping of My Strange Addiction re-runs. Actually, at one point, Patrick even threatened to take the dish away. we showed up the appointment and our doctor asked if I wanted to do the membrane stripping (EARMUFFS for all you men who don’t want TMI). I had visited with cousin Jenn a few days before, and she gave me the skinny on membrane stripping - I figured it was worth a shot. The doc did her thing and within minutes I had major cramping. She warned me that if this induced labour, it would happen within the next three days; it was more like the next three hours. we headed back home and I resumed my position on the couch until 2:30 when I thought I was dying. I was having contractions every 7-10 minutes (no big deal). Then by 3:30 I realized in the middle of trying to watch “Corrie” that they were coming a bit faster. So I thought, for good measure, I should actually time them. As it turns out, they were coming every 4-5 minutes! I got on the phone to Patrick and said “uhhh, I might be wrong but I think we should go to the hospital” (Patrick thought I was crying wolf, by the way). So we head to the hospital; stress ball in one hand and cell phone timer in the other. We got about 10 minutes from the house when we realized they were coming closer to 4 or even 3 minutes. As we arrived at Rockyview Labour and Delivery just before 5 p.m. I was assessed and was dilated to 3 cm. To keep things moving, the nurse suggested taking a stroll around the halls. We did. After our brief stroll, I realized my contractions were coming closer together, something like 2 minutes apart for some. At around 6:00 the nurse got the doctor to come see me, she assured me that they were getting a bed ready on the delivery side and as soon as it was ready I could go over. She also suggested that if I felt like I needed a reassessment to get one of the nurses to page her. She left the room. I looked at Patrick and said, “I need a reassessment. Now.” So Dr. Chappell came back in. She started her exam. Her eyes got huge and she literally exclaimed “YOU’RE ALMOST 9 CM! YOU ARE READY TO GO”. It was pandemonium (not really, but it felt like it). They started me on the IV and then I started begging for the epidural. The anesthesiologist came by within 15 minutes and we were ready to go within 30. He kept reassuring me that I had done the worst part already as most women don’t feel what it’s like to be at 9 cm and contracting (pfffft, whatever!) By 7:00 they did another assessment and decided to wait an hour before I start pushing. All the nurses left the room and I turned to Patrick and said “I think I need to push...” so he got the nurses, who didn’t quite believe I was there yet as most first time moms take anywhere from 2-4 hours of pushing. They warned me that it could be a long and exhausting night if I started pushing too soon, but I stood my ground. I needed to push. By the third push on the first contraction they saw about a nickle-size of his head. They frantically hit my “help” button beside the bed and got the doctor in. After just thirty minutes of actual pushing, Felix decided to join us and we couldn’t be happier!
