We are finally home and all settled in after bringing home our big, little Makenna May! We welcomed Makenna May Brown to our world on November 14, 2009 at 10:02pm. She weighed 10 pounds, 4 ounces (no, that is not a typo) and was 20 3/4" long.....It all started on Saturday morning at 4:30am when I woke up with painful contractions. After one failed attempt to check-in to the hospital (with early-stage labor pains) on Wednesday, I was weary about getting too "excited" about the contractions I was experiencing. Finally, at 7:30am, the contractions started to get stronger and came in regular, ten minute intervals. By the time noon rolled around, the contractions ranged from four to six minutes a part. I called Kaiser and they told me to come in. As we were driving in the car, the pains were getting much closer together and I was substantially more uncomfortable.
Once I was in labor and delivery triage, it was determined that I was 4-5 centimeters dilated and that I should be admitted. I was able to walk to my room (despite feeling like I had a bowling ball in between my legs) and get situated. I asked for my epidural right away and thus the process began ....
In order to get an epidural, I had to have blood drawn (to check my platelet count) and get an IV. Sounds like a simple process, right? WRONG! The first nurse took two turns at the IV with no luck. The second nurse, the same. They finally had to call in the anesthesiologist, who on his second attempt, got the hit. Apparently, I was dehydrated which made it extremely difficult for them to draw blood and find a vein that would work (thanks to this, I look like a drug addict today with bruises all over both forearms). This process involved my only tears - not because of the repeated sticks from the large needle, but because I knew the longer it took, the longer I would have to wait for the "juice" (i.e. my epidural). Unfortunately, the nurses were insisting that I chug water which, with the gurglie belly, painful contractions and multiple needle sticks, caused me to toss my cookies a couple of times ....
Finally, the next hour brought the epidural and after two more failed attempts, the anesthesiologist was able to get the stick he wanted in between the vertebrae in my spine. A few minutes later, I started to feel human again. Once I was numb, the midwife checked me and determined that I was eight centimeters dilated. She said that if she broke my water we'd have our baby! Very tired from my laboring thus far, I asked to rest for a bit before she got things started. I was able to rest and hang out with family and friends and was very glad to have the reprieve.
So finally, the hour came where I had my rest and I was ready to "get er' done" ....everyone put their weight and length guess on the white board and stepped out of the room so they could break my water. The midwife, Lynette (who was TERRIFIC and knew Marge), guessed 9 pounds - everyone thought she was mean for guessing such a large weight - who knew she would be the closest?! An hour after they broke my water, I was ready to push.
Tim and Lynette (the midwife) were great in helping me focus my pushes. After fifteen minutes of straining every muscle in my torso, things got a little scary. Although it didn't hit me what was occurring (at first), just as Makenna's head came out, Lynette got up on to the table and started pulling at her. The other nurse jumped on top of me and started pushing on my stomach from the top (squeezing me like a tube of toothpaste - as Tim's brother imagined). Apparently, Makenna's shoulder was stuck and the medical staff were concerned as a number of things could go wrong at this point. Time was of the essence and they had to perform any means necessary to get her out of the chute. Thankfully, the toothpaste method worked and Makenna was born! I didn't realize anything was truly wrong until the midwife told Tim that she needed to cut the cord and they whisked Makenna away to the warming table.
In the background, I heard them call for a NICU nurse; it was at this point that my panic started to set in as I hadn't heard Makenna cry yet. Seconds turned into an eternity. Lynette (midwife) was able to get my attention and calmly explain what had happened and what was going on. Thankfully, Makenna started to cry and I was able to see that she was (now) a nice shade of pink. Apparently, in this type of situation, big babies can get stuck in the canal and they are at risk for cord injuries and other complications. Lynette explained to me the NICU nurse was giving her an exam to see if she had any broken bones as it is common for baby's clavicle to break in these types of situations.
Makenna received a clean bill of health and was weighed (since she was already on the table). Everyone in the room was amazed when the scale revealed her "hefty" and healthy weight. Finally, my big little Makenna May was brought to me and I was able to oogle and bond. Tim and I were able to share time alone together with Makenna. Unfortunately, due to the H1N1 virus, Mason (and all children) was not allowed to visit the hospital. After our family moment, we called in the cavalry to meet our newest addition.
We stayed in the hospital for two days. It was discovered in Makenna's subsequent exam by the pediatrician (the day after she was born) that she DID have a broken clavicle. They were able to X-ray her shoulder in our recovery room. The injury is very common and actually heals in one to two weeks. We have been keeping her in a swaddle to help immobilize her shoulder to facilitate the healing process.
On Monday afternoon (the 16th), Tim, Makenna and I walked through our front door and Mason and Makenna were able to meet for the first time. Mason, as we slightly suspected, acknowledged his sister, but was more excited to see daddy. He pointed at her car seat and said "sisser" and then ran to Tim. Since we have been home, Mason has been very sweet to his sister. He will say "iss O.K." when she cries during the diaper changing process. He also likes to gently touch her head and will give her kisses, when asked! His new name for her is "bay-is-ta" ... it is "baby sister" ran together. He is quite cute and has displayed little to no jealousy of his new "sisser."
Makenna is a little chow-hound. We had to supplement a couple of times before the "liquid gold" made its appearance to keep her satisfied. Tim asked me on Tuesday if my milk had come in ... I said, "well, I have cleavage for the second time in my life, what does that tell you?!" Since Makenna is a little jaundice, I have been feeding-on-demand which, has also made me a human pacifier and her, in a constant state of needing a diaper change.
As the days have passed, we have fallen into a wonderful little routine. I have been primarily responsible for Makenna's care while Tim has been keeping Mason entertained. I have been healing very well and have bounced back a lot faster than I did with Mason. Although I have a second degree tear (among other discomforts "downstairs"), I have found that my Motrin 800 keeps me fairly comfortable as long as I remember to take it every eight hours. I am optimistic that my Santa belly will soon disappear and that I will be able to squeeze myself into my pre-pregnancy jeans sooner, rather than later.
I have attached a link to the countless pictures we have (edited, of course) of Makenna's birthday (thank you Auntie Crystal) and subsequent five days at home:
We want to thank each and every one of our well-wishers, friends, and family who have supported us through this pregnancy and the days since Makenna's birth.
I will continue to post as often as I can in the coming days, weeks and months! We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Love,
Jenn, Tim, Mason and Makenna
