Monday, December 24, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Baby Is Here!!!
Thanks to God for:
Vita Grace Israel Cabanilla
2:20pm
12/23/2007
only 45 minutes of pushing
8.1LBS
SHE LOOKS LIKE MOMMY!!!
She's so quiet (but healthy!) her parents must just be too loud.
2:20pm
12/23/2007
only 45 minutes of pushing
8.1LBS
SHE LOOKS LIKE MOMMY!!!
She's so quiet (but healthy!) her parents must just be too loud.
Goal & 10
MOMMY IS FULLY DILATED!!!
The nurses have agreed that around 1pm we will begin pushing.
(I predicted baby at 2pm.)
As you can see the contractions have been frequent at every minute now. Her body is working really hard. She's been alternating back and forth from side to side -- the anesthesia will numb one side of the body - hence the movement.
Ironically, the nurses' daughter is named Vida - the spanish alternative spelling of "Vita". There is definitely an act of grace and fate in this.
Unless, for some odd reason the child we have been expecting as a girl comes out as a boy.... hmmmm we will know with the next couple hours!
Mommy has switched the top ponytail to a sideways ponytail.
The nurses have agreed that around 1pm we will begin pushing.
(I predicted baby at 2pm.)
As you can see the contractions have been frequent at every minute now. Her body is working really hard. She's been alternating back and forth from side to side -- the anesthesia will numb one side of the body - hence the movement.
Ironically, the nurses' daughter is named Vida - the spanish alternative spelling of "Vita". There is definitely an act of grace and fate in this.
Unless, for some odd reason the child we have been expecting as a girl comes out as a boy.... hmmmm we will know with the next couple hours!
Mommy has switched the top ponytail to a sideways ponytail.
The Little Things
Unfortunately because of the IV and the epidural mommy can't have any food until post labor. We do have some post labor food ideas....
Her sister is fixing her hair a little more, because she should be a little more stylish than just a ponytail.
Everyone else has been wonderful by supplying a snack fest of granola bars, fruit, and coffee.
I'm not noticing the hospital smell anymore.
They've removed this fishnet underwear pamper thing for the amniotic drip. It simply feels gross. (Imagine phlegm drip.) ewwwWWw.
Its a misty day with light rain coming down. We have a full eastside viewpoint and can see our neighborhoods and the old family church Immaculate.
Her sister is fixing her hair a little more, because she should be a little more stylish than just a ponytail.
Everyone else has been wonderful by supplying a snack fest of granola bars, fruit, and coffee.
I'm not noticing the hospital smell anymore.
They've removed this fishnet underwear pamper thing for the amniotic drip. It simply feels gross. (Imagine phlegm drip.) ewwwWWw.
Its a misty day with light rain coming down. We have a full eastside viewpoint and can see our neighborhoods and the old family church Immaculate.
1st & 9 - Goal Close
The cervix is at 9 centimeters. Happily, she feels no pain. She's stopped grimacing at me and is happy to have me back after my hour break. Overall : CALM. (that's probably because the room is nearly empty now.)
I stopped at the nearby family house to clean up. Speedstick, Barbasol, and Colgate have made me feel refreshed and smelling like my grandpa. (I felt really gross after sleeping on the hospital floor and straining over the initial pains.)
There is a good crowd of other mothers here having kids. Grandpa heard a baby crying walking down the halls. I heard what I believed was a banshee on the way to the bathroom, but ended up just going back into the birthing room.
All the women have bounced out, and it is just daddy and grandpa waiting around. Grandpa wants to go shopping soon for the last minute deals.
The cord blood donation people are here to spread our genes to others in need, time for mommy to get poked more.
I stopped at the nearby family house to clean up. Speedstick, Barbasol, and Colgate have made me feel refreshed and smelling like my grandpa. (I felt really gross after sleeping on the hospital floor and straining over the initial pains.)
There is a good crowd of other mothers here having kids. Grandpa heard a baby crying walking down the halls. I heard what I believed was a banshee on the way to the bathroom, but ended up just going back into the birthing room.
All the women have bounced out, and it is just daddy and grandpa waiting around. Grandpa wants to go shopping soon for the last minute deals.
The cord blood donation people are here to spread our genes to others in need, time for mommy to get poked more.
Rock It
It is party on here now. A girl pillow fighting party, with anesthesia. Sisters have brought in Us Magazine. My sister is here talking about the party to my family: she is acting as my communications manager.
Amazingly, the cervical progress is only 4-5 centimeters.
We have confirmed that the cordblood is going to PSBC like we mentioned earlier - since it is open to a real pool of people and children who need donations to help their conditions. Fred Hutch may be more prone to spinning my genes in tubes.
Amazingly, the cervical progress is only 4-5 centimeters.
We have confirmed that the cordblood is going to PSBC like we mentioned earlier - since it is open to a real pool of people and children who need donations to help their conditions. Fred Hutch may be more prone to spinning my genes in tubes.
More Help
This is grandpa. He came along after all the great stuff. He's working wonders with helping me keep the women civil.
Agony & Ecstasy
It took 10mins for the floor anesthesiologist to come in. The screaming was intense, and the obsessing need for medication was satiated. (I have the recordings.)
The picture speaks for itself. Suffice to say, the anesthesiologist may like his job too much. Mommy is not yelling at me to be quiet anymore.
I may need more sleep.
The picture speaks for itself. Suffice to say, the anesthesiologist may like his job too much. Mommy is not yelling at me to be quiet anymore.
I may need more sleep.
New Dawn
With the new day, we got new nurses. And not one -- but TWO gals: June & Karen. Thank you for realizing the pain and screaming must be managed by a team.
We have yet to see the doctor since getting in. The uteral monitor (contractions) was hitting 80 early on.... then we started getting to 120-130. That got bad. Mommy confirmed that she was hardcore on tolerance. Grandma shut her down and brought her the truth. Mommy told Daddy to shut up.
Oh well.
We have yet to see the doctor since getting in. The uteral monitor (contractions) was hitting 80 early on.... then we started getting to 120-130. That got bad. Mommy confirmed that she was hardcore on tolerance. Grandma shut her down and brought her the truth. Mommy told Daddy to shut up.
Oh well.
Moving Along
So we are now a little rested after sleeping a little. The nurse and mommy have agreed to start a low level introduction of pitocin.
Why? Well, the labor contractions have stayed pretty low and they wanted to push things forward a little bit faster. There is no active pattern yet.
There has been no checking on cervical progress (the size of the baby's birth canal). Because the water has broke they don't want to push around there until labor is a lot stronger.
People are now starting to wake up.
Why? Well, the labor contractions have stayed pretty low and they wanted to push things forward a little bit faster. There is no active pattern yet.
There has been no checking on cervical progress (the size of the baby's birth canal). Because the water has broke they don't want to push around there until labor is a lot stronger.
People are now starting to wake up.
Inpatient Admit : Childbirth
In the healthcare world there are two visit types: Outpatient and Inpatient. We have been admitted inpatient, and there are dozens of notes and datum to be generated by staff going over our visit.
Our labor OB/GYN doctor has come in. She's not our normal doctor that we've been seeing. Its Christmas time and unfortunately the regular is on vacation. We shook hands with this new doctor and she left by telling our nurse Brooke, "Okay, i'm going to sleep - call me if you need me."
We are disheartened by it, not knowing her personally, but all I care about is that she is capable and smart enough to deliver for us. That is all that matters. Its to be expected anyways, and this was established by our doctor from the beginning that things won't turn out completely how we want it.
After a while you recognize that this is a real instance of care that nurses do most of the work, and the doctor takes all the credit. (Very common.)
In the room I have grandma laying down on the stretch couch, mommy is being monitored, and daddy (me) - is waiting for the next update or development.
So far, we are relieved to have finally passed the first stepping stone to real labor. There are a few things we clarified to the nurse as important:
- how late/early can anesthesia (epidural) be administered? :: for this facility, it is never too late. there is an anesthesiologist always on call.
- when does pediatrics see our child? :: within 24 hours post-birth, YES your own doctor can be called in. Our pedriatic guy is the bomb, he speaks like seven languages and can rock the deaf hand talk.
- we want to donate our cordblood, can we decide where that goes? :: the baby's cord blood can be donated to the Puget Sound Blood Center or the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Cord blood donation was very important to us from the beginning of our pregnancy. A co-worker of mine mentioned it to me, in addition to fun things to do with the placenta. Then I found a couple family members did the same. Most of all, mommy and i know many people through work and our lives that are afflicted by genetic diseases that can be treated with the cells found in umbilical cord blood. Some people can bank the cord blood for themselves. We don't roll like that. Among Asian people, there is a low level donation for ethnic and/or mixed ethnicity among Americans.
Anyways, contractions have moved up to about every 7 minutes again.
We are going to rest for a while.
Triage #10 - The Season Finale
This episode leaves us with a nurse update confirming
- amniotic fluid good
- cervix dilated 3-4 centimeters (still?)
- SHE IS ADMITTED.
(out of the blue, two friends have shown up, I'm guessing they were clubbing on the strip. Please don't come here drunk. =P We love Paul/Carol, they will be here later for sheezy.)
I learned how to play with the monitors. So I'm disconnecting and reconnecting for recording of the baby pulse and uterus contractions.
The baby pulse is steady at 150-160.
We have been introduced to our official nurse for the labor: Brooke.
NOW OFF TO THE ROOM
- amniotic fluid good
- cervix dilated 3-4 centimeters (still?)
- SHE IS ADMITTED.
(out of the blue, two friends have shown up, I'm guessing they were clubbing on the strip. Please don't come here drunk. =P We love Paul/Carol, they will be here later for sheezy.)
I learned how to play with the monitors. So I'm disconnecting and reconnecting for recording of the baby pulse and uterus contractions.
The baby pulse is steady at 150-160.
We have been introduced to our official nurse for the labor: Brooke.
NOW OFF TO THE ROOM
WATER!!!!
So we were finally able have something definitive happen.
In the bathroom there was an exclamation of, "I think my water broke!"
I rushed to my bag, got a plastic glove and the nitrazine strips.
At first test, the paper turned brown/black soggy, I told her it was negative. But the drip continued, and she persisted with the belief that it really broke. We tested on another strip on her mom's tongue to be triple sure.
So I tested it on my own saliva, it turned blue - the right color, then I redid the strip again on her fluid. It turned blue finally after several seconds.
Quotable: "Its like phlegm, I can see it!"
We are now in the hospital triage again, and WE DO EXPECT to be ADMITTED. Thanks to God!
In the bathroom there was an exclamation of, "I think my water broke!"
I rushed to my bag, got a plastic glove and the nitrazine strips.
At first test, the paper turned brown/black soggy, I told her it was negative. But the drip continued, and she persisted with the belief that it really broke. We tested on another strip on her mom's tongue to be triple sure.
So I tested it on my own saliva, it turned blue - the right color, then I redid the strip again on her fluid. It turned blue finally after several seconds.
Quotable: "Its like phlegm, I can see it!"
We are now in the hospital triage again, and WE DO EXPECT to be ADMITTED. Thanks to God!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Contractions on Hold
The morphine has worn off. Contractions have settled to 10 minutes apart, but as we get more active this can escalate.
Since we had the time we went to Uvillage to take pictures with Santa. Her family filled this little cabin in front of Crate n' Barrell.
With the morning wearing down we'll see how the day progresses.
Since we had the time we went to Uvillage to take pictures with Santa. Her family filled this little cabin in front of Crate n' Barrell.
With the morning wearing down we'll see how the day progresses.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Nurse Consultation Update!!! (Visit #8)
We are in Pro-Dromal Labor.
Because we are stuck under 4 centimeters we have to wait. Even though we have progressed, it is still not sufficient.
Quotable: "Your body has conked out again. For first time moms this is very normal." -Swedish Nurse Lady
What does this mean? Walk more because the baby is on the edge of making that dilation go past 4 centimeters.
When can we come back? When the contractions are THREE minutes apart for an hour while resting we are good. (Because we only have contractions while actively moving.)
Current gameplan? Go sleep and come back again late late tonight.
Nurse is convinced though: BABY TOMORROW.
Because we are stuck under 4 centimeters we have to wait. Even though we have progressed, it is still not sufficient.
Quotable: "Your body has conked out again. For first time moms this is very normal." -Swedish Nurse Lady
What does this mean? Walk more because the baby is on the edge of making that dilation go past 4 centimeters.
When can we come back? When the contractions are THREE minutes apart for an hour while resting we are good. (Because we only have contractions while actively moving.)
Current gameplan? Go sleep and come back again late late tonight.
Nurse is convinced though: BABY TOMORROW.
How do you know its gonna happen? (Visit #8)
There are a lot of different signs that can indicate labor. We have gone through dozens of false starts over the last two weeks, but this is definite. Two words can demonstrate what should be consistently going on : pain & anger.
The American Pregnancy Association has the official signs of labor listed.
Unfortunately, we have a habit of having really hard contractions outside of the hospital, but going infrequent when we get to triage. Its a little annoying.
Triage Visit # 8
We are now back in the hospital. The 5th floor at Swedish is waiting for us to be fully admitted.
Contractions are every 3-4 minutes, which is very good.
No admission has been made, but the comfort level is very low right now.
Please comment or question via this site.
Quotable: "I don't care how long it takes! We're walking all the way there." - Teresa
Walking Trip Time
Our monitoring has ended. We are now going out and 'walk the baby out'.
Because we are 38 weeks into pregnancy - they will not induce the labor.
So check you guys again soon in two hours when we come back to the triage.
Because we are 38 weeks into pregnancy - they will not induce the labor.
So check you guys again soon in two hours when we come back to the triage.
Triage Visit #7
Yes, this now marks the seventh time we have been to Swedish Medical Center.
The triage composes 4 medical exam rooms and a rotating staff of helpful nurses. We have been in all four rooms, yet, the nurses have not classified us as 'frequent fliers'. The Childbirth Center is overall, the bomb.
Previous episodes here have included mucal plug discharge, false amniotic fluid, and just plain hurting. We are getting by, but she is getting very angry. Hence the quotable, "I feel like beating somebody up."
Last night, after visits 5 & 6, we were introduced to the wonders of morphine. The morphine has since worn off having only an effective period of 4-6 hours. Besides weird dreams and extreme grogginess, it can help induce labor by giving rest to the mother and child.
With great joy she is HAPPY TO NOW BE AT -3 CENTIMETERS!!!
(Trust me this is a big deal for her.)
I will try to update every 2 hours, messaging and emailing you all individually is very very tedious. Please forgive us for not responding back to you promptly or immediately. There is a lot going on and our priority is not being social right now.
The triage composes 4 medical exam rooms and a rotating staff of helpful nurses. We have been in all four rooms, yet, the nurses have not classified us as 'frequent fliers'. The Childbirth Center is overall, the bomb.
Previous episodes here have included mucal plug discharge, false amniotic fluid, and just plain hurting. We are getting by, but she is getting very angry. Hence the quotable, "I feel like beating somebody up."
Last night, after visits 5 & 6, we were introduced to the wonders of morphine. The morphine has since worn off having only an effective period of 4-6 hours. Besides weird dreams and extreme grogginess, it can help induce labor by giving rest to the mother and child.
With great joy she is HAPPY TO NOW BE AT -3 CENTIMETERS!!!
(Trust me this is a big deal for her.)
I will try to update every 2 hours, messaging and emailing you all individually is very very tedious. Please forgive us for not responding back to you promptly or immediately. There is a lot going on and our priority is not being social right now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)