Awaiting Adler

It's hard to know exactly how to start this post because our lives have officially changed forever. So I guess I'll just tell the story of how little Adler came into the world.

First of all, my parents arrived on 12/28/17 just in case she would decide to arrive a bit early and become a new years baby :). Of course, Tom had to get some Bova's lobster tails for Pappa to enjoy while he was here.

With how big my belly got we thought maybe early would happen.

We kept ourselves busy while they were here. Tom and I continued at work and it was like we had little worker bees or magical elves in our home while we were away!

I was doing everything I could think of to get labor started, to include a plyometric step aerobics work out at 39 weeks and 6 days!

While we were gone there was installation installed in the basement to help keep the cold out

Because, it turns out that Adler must have been really acting as my heater, because I didn't even realize how COLD it was in our house until my parents arrived. Then, when I saw them sitting on the couch in their winter coats, or bundled up in a blanket like this, I knew I had thermal dysregulation!

Where did Pappa go?

The living room got a new paint color and drapes

and also insulating plastic over the windows

39 weeks came along and still no baby!

So, we took down the Christmas decorations and essentially all nested in the house together, getting the nursery all set up and the house all clean for Adler.

On the Wednesday before my due date we hunkered down for Winter Storm Grayson. We got nearly 2 feet of snow!

It was remarkable! Even the car got stuck while we had it parked in the street to clear the driveway!

It delayed John and Katie's flights out to Providence because all flights were cancelled due to the storm. I wasn't even allowed to go into work. We had an official snow day in the residency!

These, as you can imagine, are quite rare and I was very grateful and also so hopeful that Adler would join us during the storm because it would be like a "bonus" maternity leave day that I wouldn't actually have to take off of work.

We tried to get labor going by taking Meri and Jimmy's dog, Hank, for a walk in the storm.

Alas, hank was walked, we were cold, and there was no labor.

We tried one last trick to get me into labor--burgers at a place called Luxe Burger Bar. You see, my parents took Sarah Velin to burgers when she was due and later that night she broke her water. :) I guess we were superstitious or something. The menu featured a twinkie beverage we couldn't believe it!

According to my dad, it was quite strong!

My due date arrived, 1/5/18 and I was headed back to work for the day. I had planned on trying an induction of labor on my due date if the labor room had space for me, but I had some morning cases in the OR to do first.

I completed three minor surgeries and by 11:30 AM I got a call that the labor floor was ready for me if I wanted it. I decided to carbo-load in anticipation of labor. The cafeteria had loaded belgium waffles, the perfect pre-labor food in my mind.

I was elated and excited, thinking that today would be the day for a baby.

I was starting from a good place, to avoid getting too technical or personal for most people, just know that I was already a little bit dilated and therefore had high hopes that starting and IV version of the hormone that the body normally produces in labor would cause me to go into labor. So, I got all hooked up to IV's and waited for labor to get started.

We did everything we could. We paced the halls and did lunges together

The contractions definitely got stronger with the lunges!

Ultimately we spent 8 hours in the labor room and my cervix was unchanged...no more dilation. Yes I was contracting, but there was no evidence of labor. After a lot of talking and tears, we decided at 9 pm that we would stop the efforts and try again later, waiting for spontaneous labor. Basically I had the option to have the doctors break my water artificially and that had a good chance of putting me into labor, but I was worried that since I had been on IV pitocin for 8 hours that IF breaking the water was attempted and I didn't go into labor, I would be bound for a c-section. and I was NOT ok with the idea of a c-section as a result of me trying to intervene too early.

So, we went home. After a tearful night of wondering if I made the right call, I finally got some sleep. The next day we joined John and Katie for a late Christmas celebration. I was feeling more pregnant than ever and was so hopeful that labor would get going overnight.

We woke the next morning after I had contractions all night with still no baby!

I started to feel like something was different, I was much more uncomfortable and had reached the phase that I have heard so many of my patients say: "I'm so done with being pregnant." We went for another winter walk and I got another call from the hospital that the labor room was ready for me if i was ready.

Tom and I looked at each other, smiled, hugged and said: "let's go have a baby."

This time was incredibly different. from the moment we started the Pitocin the contractions felt different. They were stronger will less of the medication on board. We started the pitocin at 11:30 AM and we laughed because there was a count-down clock in the room that was arbitrarily set for 10+ hours. Tom jokingly said: "alright, once the pitocin is started, we start the timer, and we're gonna have a baby before it stops." Now, in case you were curious, the average induction length for first time moms is between 18 and 21 hours, so 10 hours was a bit zealous.

At 1 PM the covering OB/GYN, Dr. Hawwa broke my water. I was still 4 cm like I was when I started, but I could tell that something was happening. By 4 pm I was 6 cm and things were getting much more intense! The OB/GYN I had chosen to be there for my deliver, Dr. Meg McMahon had arrived at that point and she was there for the night, ready for Adler's arrival.

One short hour later at 5 pm I was 8 cm and feeling ready for an epidural, but I literally took every ounce of my energy getting through the contractions that I didn't really even speak between them. I didn't think I had the energy to sit up in between contractions to get an epidural. When Dr. McMahon told me I was 8 cm I remember distinctly thinking, "I don't have the energy for an epidural, so I guess I'm just going to do this." I don't remember what time it was but about thirty minutes after I was 8 cm I was fully dilated and ready to meet Adler.

A little under 30 minutes after that, we heard our baby girl take her first breath and cry for the first time.

No one prepares you for the moment despite having seen so many of the same moments for my patients over the past 1.5 years in residency.

The photos that follow, I think, go without the need for captions.

She was beautiful, and we were in love immediately.

We skyped Auntie Kristi into the labor room to get her first look at Adler too.

You can see the countdown timer in the background. I delivered when there was still 4 hours left on the timer, and Nanna and Pappa and Grandpa and Katie arrived when there was about 2 hours left as it shows in this photo.

Our first night in the hospital was rather uneventful, just snuggling and taking in the beauty of our daughter. I was EXHAUSTED, unlike any type of exhaustion I've felt before.

So, daddy got a lot of good snuggle time while I slept

We had a revolving door of visitors over the next 24 hours, all excited to meet our little one.

Our second night we got a special treat, the "stork dinner" delivered to our room complete with filet, salad, and dessert.

We even got to keep the wine glasses (even though we didn't have any wine :).

Besides Tom, this woman is my hero. This is Lisa, the Labor Room nurse that helped coach me through an unanesthetized labor.

By the second morning we were ready to go home! It was nice to see everyone in the hospital, but we were ready to get out of our tiny hospital room and settle into the comforts of home.

We loaded her up in a ridiculously oversized snuggly onsie

And we were off to Cranston for our first steps into our home as a family of three.

The following days have been a blur of wonderful moments.

Adler got her first walk in the New England winter

She got her first bath

Her first doctors appointment (we had to go back the next day for another check up to make sure she gained enough weight--she did!).

Head circumference 36 cm

Weight 8lb 1 oz, had to come back for weight check!

Weight up to 8lb 3 oz! Gained 2 oz in 24 hours!!

Our pediatrician, Dr. Ward

She got several massages from daddy which she loves

And her and mommy got some exercise time in to make sure she doesn't go stir crazy just sitting in the house all day!

I have learned to love this breast feeding pillow that is called the "Brest Friend." It's cliche and ridiculous but it WORKS so much better than the traditional Boppie for breastfeeding--and I've learned for wearing around the house like a life preserver to help me stabilize her while I do odds and ends around the house.

SOOO stylish :)

Of course, Tom's signature football hold works well too :)

And of course, she got LOTS of snuggles from all parties involved before both sets of families had to return home (or to Bonaire, which is kind of like a second home for Nanna and Pappa anyway)