Owen Michael's Birth Story

This week has truly been a crazy week. On Monday, I had vaginal bleeding, which earned me a trip to L&D (see previous entry), and then on Tuesday morning, I began having painful contractions every 7 to 9 minutes for 2 hours. I was so sure that I was going to have the baby that day, but my contractions, for some weird reason, just vanished (along with my hope of giving birth to a baby that day).

Contractions or not, I was planning on trying some Old Wives' Tales to induce labor that day anyway...

Eggplant parmesan, "labor-inducing" chocolate cake, and a pineapple smoothie.

I'm not entirely sure why eggplant parmesan (I like the one at Trader Joe's) and chocolate cake (recipe here) are labor-inducing foods, but many people have told me that pineapple contains an enzyme that helps soften the cervix. So for dinner, I had eggplant parmesan, and for dessert, I had a small slice of the cake (the recipe is actually pretty good...very moist) and a pineapple smoothie (with strawberries and orange juice because I actually hate pineapples).

Well, guess what happened on Wednesday at 2:00am? I woke up with painful contractions at intervals of 9 minutes. I didn't get too excited because the same thing happened the day before (with the end result of no baby), but Old Wives' Tales (for the most part) got my baby's gender prediction right...so maybe the Old Wives' Tales of these labor-inducing foods could be true too...?

Since I had to get up at 5:00am anyway, I decided to just stay up and monitor my contractions. They became closer and closer together. By the time Ralph dropped me off at my parents' house before he headed off for work, my contractions were 5 to 6 minutes apart. He went to work anyway, since I wasn't supposed to go to L&D until my contractions were every 3 to 5 minutes for a whole hour...and who knew when THAT would happen?

It happened an hour later.

So I called L&D, told them what was going on, and sure enough, my mom and I were back at Kaiser at 7:00am. The same midwife who examined me on Monday was there, and she gave us the good news: I was 5cm dilated and 100% effaced...it was time for this baby to come out. WOOHOO!

I was moved to my very own labor and delivery room and called Ralph to let him know that he had the rest of the day off, hahaha. A little while later, my mother-in-law arrived, and then Ralph arrived.

For the next 6.5 hours, I was given fluids and antibiotics through an IV; and like a trooper, I powered through 5-minute contractions every 7 to 8 minutes - the nurse said it was normal for contractions to space out once you get IV fluids, but it was weird that I was getting contractions that lasted 5 minutes. The midwife came in at 1:30pm to examine me again and said that I was dilated to 6cm. My immediate thought was, I've been here for 6.5 hours, and I've only dilated 1 freaking cm?! At this rate, I was going to be in labor for 3 years! So the midwife broke my water for me and started giving me oxytocin to help get things going.

It was a little while after when I decided to get the epidural, since I heard that contractions get more intense and closer together once your water breaks. And believe me, I'm no freaking hero - I always knew I was going to get the epidural. Props to you women who went through labor and delivery without any pain meds.

Well, things went downhill from there. After getting the epidural from the anesthesiologist, I immediately regretted it - I rather would have dealt with the 5-minute contractions than the side effects of the epidural. I was just nauseous, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Later on, at 5:00pm, the midwife came back to check on my progress...I was STILL only 6 cm dilated. She also noticed that my BP kept dropping...and so did the baby's heart rate.

I heard the midwife tell a nurse to get the anesthesiologist back in the room. Next thing I knew, there were 5 nurses trying to reposition me and trying to rearrange the fetal monitor leads on my tummy. There was just too much scuffling, so I knew something was wrong. I was instructed to use a breathing mask to get more oxygen flow for the baby, and then another doctor came into the room - all I heard was that the baby was in distress, and he thought it was best to proceed with a c-section.

I was beyond scared. I tried my hardest not to cry, but as soon as I saw the concerned look on my mom's face, I was overcome with emotion. I burst into tears, and Ralph immediately came to my side and said, "It's okay, Pagey. The baby just wants to come out a different way."

And before I knew it, I was being wheeled to the operating room. Thankfully, I didn't have to be knocked out, so I was awake for the entire thing. First, the anesthesiologist gave me stronger numbing medication, which, of course, made me feel worse and more dazed. I started shivering like crazy, and I felt like I needed to throw up...and I did. Ugh.

After I was prepped, Ralph was brought in, and I couldn't be more grateful that he was able to be there with me. He just sat by my head, stroked my hair, and assured me that everything was going to be okay. The actual procedure was quick, and there weren't any complications (other than the fact that I felt like I couldn't breathe, but the anesthesiologist said that the medication I was getting could cause my nostrils to feel plugged). I didn't feel any tugging or pressure from the surgery, and just a few minutes later, I heard the baby cry.

All my worries vanished as soon as I heard his cries...so I also began to cry. Ralph left my side briefly to cut the umbilical cord, and once the baby was cleaned up, a nurse brought him to me. Since the doctor was still "closing" me up, the nurse took Ralph and the baby into the recovery room, so Ralph could have skin-to-skin contact with the baby, which is something that is encouraged between parents and the newborn.

After the doctor was done with me, I was wheeled into the recovery room, where I saw Ralph holding our baby. And then it was my turn for skin-on-skin bonding. As soon as I had the baby in my arms, I just breathed out a sigh of relief and thanked God for our little blessing. After about an hour and a half in the recovery room, we were finally able to move into our post-partum room. We were immediately greeted by my parents and brother and Ralph's mom, grandma, sister, niece, and aunt. Unfortunately for them, visiting hours were almost over, so they only got to spend a short time with the little guy.

And then Ralph and I were all alone with the newborn baby...DUN DUN DUN! I must say, Ralph did a great job. Because I was bed-ridden for the rest of the night, he was the one who had to do everything - change the baby's diapers, pick him up when he cried, swaddle him, help me reposition myself when I got uncomfortable, and get whatever I needed that was too far from my reach.

The first night was rough, mainly because I was starving (the last thing I ate was that labor-inducing meal...which had been more than 24 hours prior), and Ralph and I could just not sleep - the nurse checked on me every 2 to 3 hours, and whenever we heard the baby stir, we would panic and check up on him.

Our second and last days at the hospital went by quickly. And let me tell you...you grow dependent on the nurses and that wonderful bed that helps you sit up with the touch of a button...so enjoy every moment of it! And also, a huge shout out to the staff at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Irvine...EVERYONE was so wonderful and so accommodating - I couldn't have asked for better care.

We were finally able to go home Friday afternoon. A ton of pictures were taken during our stay at the hospital, but here are just a few more:

Once I was off my clear liquid diet, I requested my mom to bring me sushi. AT LONG LAST!!!

Kaiser even provided me and Ralph with a celebratory dinner.

I'd like to take this time to thank everyone for all the well wishes, whether they were through visitations, phone calls, text messages, social media messages/comments, etc. We are truly grateful for all the support, and we cannot wait till the baby meets everyone! 

As far as how we're doing...

- I was in excruciating pain for the last couple of days because I refused to take any pain meds (other than Motrin) because I'm super constipated, and pain meds only make it worse. And boy...you feel EVERYTHING once the anesthesia wears off. So moving just HURTS, but I am feeling a lot better today. Things are only going to get better from here!

- Ralph is super man. He not only has to take care of Owen, but he also has to take care of me. I am beyond blessed for Ralph's patience and for everything that he has done for me the last couple of days...we are a lot closer in our relationship, that's for sure, lol! He is also now a pro at swaddling and changing diapers.

- Baby Owen is just the greatest thing I've ever seen. I cannot get enough of him. He's breastfeeding just fine and loves to be carried...he's fussy when he's not in someone's arms - what a brat! :D

- Wendy is still a little confused as to what's going, but she has been the sweetest dog. She constantly sniffs the baby's stuff and always jumps out of her bed/crate whenever the baby cries, as if she's concerned about her little brother's well-being. :)

"Mama...what's that you got over there?"

More updates/pictures once I feel better. :)

Owen Michael Herrera
Born on Wednesday, February 25th, 2015 at 5:37pm
Weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces and was 20 inches long

40 Weeks - A Trip to the Hospital

Unless I go into labor and miraculously deliver a baby in less than 3 hours, Baby Herrera will be born after his due date, which was today, February 23rd. This isn't TOO surprising because I saw Dr. Boehmer on Thursday, and he said that I was still about 1 to 2 cm dilated and 60% effaced. He believed that I wasn't going to deliver for another week or so and that he would make plans to induce me 10 days after my due date if the baby still hasn't arrived. Let's hope the baby doesn't stall THAT much. I'm losing my mind over here.

But today, we actually had a little bit of excitement.

By the way, if you are easily grossed out and/or don't really want to know what happened with my body, then don't read any further...OR you can just skip straight to the weekly questionnaire. You've been warned!

So, first off: I lost my mucus plug Saturday morning. It. Was. Gross. And if you don't know what that it is, it's exactly what it sounds like - it's a phlegmy plug that protects the opening of the cervix. It dislodges and gets discharged in the early stages of labor.

ANYWAY, we began the day super early at 5:00am. Ralph got ready for work while I packed up to stay at the babysitter's my parents' house. (Everyone agreed that it was best that I wasn't left alone during these last few days/weeks of my pregnancy.) The next couple of hours were normal enough at my parents' household - dad went to work, brother went to school, mom began cleaning up the place, Wendy and Fitz were chasing each other around, and I...well, I went back to sleep.

A couple of hours later, I woke up to the awesome smells of my mom's cooking - one of the many things I miss about being home. :) As soon as I stood up, I felt like I leaked something, so I immediately went to the bathroom to check things out. I was horrified to see bright red blood after I wiped myself. I stayed calm and remembered that my doctor said that spotting IS normal, so I decided to just wait and see if it got worse. Well, it didn't really go away - it felt like I was having a normal period.

After about an hour, I decided to call the nurse hotline, and after answering a few basic questions, the nurse told me to go to the hospital and get checked. So my mom and I were off to Kaiser.

I honestly didn't think I was in labor, but the bleeding did concern me because it was more than just "spotting". Upon arrival, the nurses checked me in and got me ready for an exam. They even hooked me up to a fetal monitor.

Waiting for the doctor!

A midwife came in and started to do the pelvic exam, which hurt way more than ANY other pelvic exam I've had. She discovered a cervical polyp but wanted verification so she called in the doctor, who did confirm that I did have a few polyps - the doctor determined that they were benign and the likely cause of the bleeding. They also confirmed that my water had not yet broken AND that I was 3 to 4 cm dilated. Sweet! Some progress! After they ruled that everything else was okay, they sent me home.

So after all that, my mom and I went back home (but not before we made a quick stop at Target...typical). And now, I'm just sitting at home (my home) with Ralph, watching the Ducks game. I have another regular doctor's appointment on Thursday, so we'll see what the plan will be since all this happened.

How far along?: 40 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +26 lbs
Sleep: Ugh.
Best moment this week: Probably when my mom took me out for lunch last Friday - we had dim sum and boba. :)
Movement: Still movin'.
Symptoms: Refer to "Labor Signs".
Symptoms I DON'T have: Itchy skin, heartburn, and sciatica.
Food cravings: Oddly enough, sweet stuff! I've wanted cupcakes, waffles, ice cream, and cookies the last few days. Very weird, since I didn't really crave sweet stuff this entire pregnancy.

Food aversions: Nothing!
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Dilation and effacement; low back pain, pubic pain, BHC, "nesting" - same stuff as last week.
Belly Button in or out?: Flat as a pancake.
What I miss: Sleeping comfortably and not waking up every hour to adjust myself.
What I am looking forward to: BABY. OUT.
Weekly Wisdom: Be even more patient...
Milestones: Mucus plug has been dislodged!

Hopefully the next time I post, I'll be posting baby pictures.

39 Weeks...STILL PREGNANT

Oh my goodness...with the way everything has been going, I thought I'd have the baby by now, but nope! Baby boy is STILL residing in my belly, and there have been absolutely no other signs of labor. I saw my doctor last Thursday, and he said I'm still 60% effaced and only 1 cm dilated. So much for having this baby before his due date. *Sigh* It's alright. The baby will come out when he's ready, and, unfortunately, he's not quite ready as Mama is.

How far along?: 39 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +25 lbs (AHHHH!!!)
Sleep: A LOT more tossing and turning, that's for sure. The BHC wake me up at night, not to mention all the dreams I'm having of going into labor.
Best moment this week: Probably getting our home ready for this baby. It's been a long and tiring process, but the nursery is done, and our entire apartment is CLEAN! It just gives me peace of mind, knowing that I can go into labor at any moment and not worry about bringing baby home to a clean environment.
Movement: He's still tumbling around in there.
Symptoms: Refer to "Labor Signs".
Symptoms I DON'T have: Itchy skin, heartburn, and sciatica.
Food cravings: Nothing in particular...same ol' stuff.

Food aversions: Nothing!
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Dilation and effacement; low back pain, pubic pain, BHC, "nesting".
Belly Button in or out?: Flat. I'm already 39 weeks - pretty sure it's not going to pop out.
What I miss: Sleeping comfortably!
What I am looking forward to: This baby coming OUT.
Weekly Wisdom: BE PATIENT.
Milestones: Mama is officially on maternity leave! I'm pretty proud of myself for working till 39 weeks. I would have kept going, but everyone is telling me that I need to prepare and rest for labor.

And here are some more pictures of the nursery. It's preeeettttttyy much done - just gotta move the Death Star from the desk to a side table to the left of the dresser. I may put up more Star Wars decor, but, for now, it's good to go. (Still missing are a fan and a humidifier.)

38 Weeks - Baby Shower #2, Nursery, and Other Updates

Baby Herrera Update

I went to see my OB-GYN this past Wednesday for my 37-week check-up. I was looking forward to this appointment since I saw him 6 days before...because I wanted to know if I was dilated/effaced! (Dilation is the gradual opening of the cervix, and effacement is the thinning of the cervix.) To my surprise, I was 60% effaced, which means...I'm in the very early stages of labor. HURRAY! Unfortunately, I am not yet dilated, but my doctor thinks that I may actually deliver before my due date. Fine by me!

Finding out whether I was dilated/effaced or not also helped me to decide when I'd take off for maternity leave. If I was dilated, I'd just finish off the week; if I wasn't dilated, then I'd work until I was 39 weeks - so...yes, I'm working one more week. Am I crazy? Yeah, probably, but I don't want to take off too early because you only get 6 weeks of paid maternity leave. And I'd rather have more time off after the baby is born than before.

Baby Shower #2

Yesterday, Ralph's mom, sister, and grandmother threw us another baby shower! This one was held at Papa Joe's Pizza in Riverside, and in attendance were Ralph's side of the family. We had so much fun, and the decorations were AWESOME! A huge thank you to Ralph's mom, sister, and grandma for setting up and hosting the shower. And, of course, a big thank you to all of those who came and gave the baby more burp cloths, wash cloths, and diapers than we could ever hope for! Here are a few pictures from yesterday:

I mean...c'mon. COOLEST CAKE EVER! I was given the difficult task of cutting this amazing cake...I really didn't want to! Thank you, Liz Perez! Check out her Instagram: @kustomgoodies.

AND we had stormtrooper cupcakes!

With Ralph's Grandma Mary...

...and his cousins Valerie and Angela!

Thank you, Becky/Nana, Jen, and our gift opener Desirae! And Grandma Angelina (not pictured...bummer)!

Fatso Peanut received so many gifts that my poor husband had to make several trips to and from our car to bring all the gifts inside the apartment. Once everything was in our living room, I was absolutely pumped to get things organized. Some people call this is "the nesting instinct",  but I'm just one of those people who can only stand clutter to a certain degree. I mean, honestly, you'd want to clean this up too, pregnant or not!

Let the organizing begin!

I stayed up until 3:00am organizing everything and even started washing some of the clothes, blankets, cloths (burp/wash), bibs, etc...and boy, did I knock out when I went to bed.

Nursery Preview

Fast forward to this morning...

I woke up surprisingly early, but lying in bed isn't so comfortable these days...so I got up and got to work. While clothes/blankets/cloths/bibs were being washed, I decided to give Ralph a break and assemble the last piece of furniture that needed assembling - a desk. Oh. My. Goodness. I don't know what the heck I was thinking, but I just wanted to get it done, especially since Ralph was back to working his regular schedule.

It was simple enough, but I had to take several breaks. And I PROMISE you...the whole thing was not that heavy, and I did not overexert myself. :)

And then afterwards, I washed, folded, and organized all this stuff and more!

I should have taken a picture of the second room before we started setting it up as the baby's nursery, but the second room was basically Ralph's "office" and storage room. Right now, it looks like this:

If I could only put up curtains...

Ralph and I thought it'd be best to pick Marvel or Star Wars as the theme for the nursery because Ralph already has a bunch of Marvel/Star Wars stuff...so it would be a lot easier to decorate the room. But I love neutral colors, so I thought Star Wars would be the better option (when I think of Marvel, I think of vibrant colors). 

The nursery is still a work-in-progress, but I hope to get everything done by this week - 

Things to Do: 

1. Purchase shelf organizers, rug, lamps, mirror, and books

2. Possibly set up wall shelves for books (yeah, I know we already have a bookshelf, but it's full of Ralph's Lego Star Wars sets lol!)

3. Hang pictures

4. Organize the baby's toiletries

And if I don't get everything done...then I definitely will when I go on maternity leave!

Weekly Update

How far along?: 38 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +23 lbs
Sleep: If it's not the contractions keeping me up at night, it's definitely the lower back pain...kinda feels like my lower back/tailbone needs to be cracked/popped, buuuut it won't.
Best moment this week: Baby Shower #2, for sure!
Movement: Always! And it seems like he's always in the same position - head down towards the pelvis, feet/legs on my left side, and his butt on my right side.
Symptoms: I think, at this point, we'll just refer to the "Labor Signs" portion.
Symptoms I DON'T have: Sciatica, nausea, heartburn, itchy skin
Food cravings: Cold and crunchy stuff - salad, cereal and milk, chips with pico de gallo, etc.

Food aversions: I actually ate guacamole the other day...so...nothing? I'll eat anything now.
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Lower back pain, pubic pain, contractions, "nesting" (I guess), and uh...other gross bodily stuff...
Belly Button in or out?: Flat-ish.
What I miss: Now, more than ever, caffeine.
What I am looking forward to: MATERNITY LEAVE.
Weekly Wisdom: Buy a mini crib. The full-sized one seems rather big and takes up a lot of room.
Milestones: All baby furniture has been assembled!

37 Weeks - Full Term!!!

How far along?: 37 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +24 lbs
Sleep: A lot better, since my skin isn't as irritated.
Best moment this week: Getting all the furniture for the baby's room...can't wait till I go on maternity leave, so I can decorate the room and do all the final touches!
Movement: Nonstop. :)
Symptoms: Pubic and lower back pain.
Symptoms I DON'T have: Itchy skin, heartburn, and sciatica.
Food cravings: Salad, cereal, and milk (this one's pretty weird because I'm not usually a milk drinker).

Food aversions: Guacamole/avocado.
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: My stomach has definitely dropped, but I need to ask my doctor about Braxton Hicks contractions...I've read about them, and they're described as "tightening" of the uterine muscles, but how do I know that it's not just the baby stretching? There are a lot of times in the day (like right now) that my stomach feels as hard a rock, and it takes my breath away...but I just assume that's just the baby pushing his butt out. Hahahaha!
Belly Button in or out?: Still flat as a pancake.
What I miss: Moving at a regular pace. I am getting slower and slower...
What I am looking forward to: Maternity leave!
Weekly Wisdom: Make sure you're getting enough fiber...that's all I'm gonna say about that.
Milestones: We're full term!

Hallelujah! We have reached 37 weeks, and we're officially FULL TERM (according to TheBump.com anyway). I cannot express enough how ready I am to have this baby. I've even had a couple of dreams that I've already given birth - Ralph has said he's had this dream too. I guess we BOTH are ready!

And speaking of Ralph, I must gush for a second - my husband is truly all kinds of wonderful. Being pregnant is hard, but taking care of and living with a pregnant woman isn't easy either. Ralph takes Wendy to the park, cleans up our home, does the laundry, takes out the garbage, and, of course, goes to work (he even worked SEVEN days in a row this week - some were overnight shifts!). And then there's me...he deals with my tossing and turning 100 times a night, massages my back when it hurts, and puts up with my crazy mood swings. And even after working every single day this past week, he began assembling the furniture for the baby's room on his first day off! (The crib, the dresser, and the bookshelf were all delivered over the weekend.) So, Ralph, if you're reading this, I love you, and you're amazing. :) 

And also...I'd like to thank my parents and brother for "babysitting" me and Wendy while Ralph worked those overnight shifts. It was nice to spend time with my family and Fitz and sleep in my old room...I felt like a teenager again.

Next up - PUPPP update! I saw my doctor last week for my 36-week check-up, and he finally prescribed something for my skin - triamcinolone acetonide cream. And thank the Lord, it WORKS! The only downside is that it won't help decrease the appearance of my stretch marks, but, right now, I REALLY don't care. I can work on my stretch marks once the baby is born...I'll soak my tummy in a mixture of oils and cocoa butter 24/7 if I have to, but for now, I am itch-free!

I have another appointment on Wednesday, and the doctor said he'll check if I'm dilated...let's keep our fingers crossed that I am. Until then!