Amanda's Journal: Birth Story, First Meal, Learning Curve, First Bath

I can't believe a week's flown by since I went to the hospital to have my little Gage.

Monday, February 27th 2012, 9:07 pm

By: News 9


My Birth Story

I can't believe a week's flown by since I went to the hospital to have my little Gage. Time sure does fly when you're having fun (and when you're nursing non-stop :) )! When we went to the hospital Tuesday morning just after midnight, I thought it'd be a long labor and that's because I was going to be induced.

The doctor was going to induce me since we had passed my due date, so that entailed giving two different types of medicine to jump start contractions. We never got to the second medicine.

Within 30 minutes of the first, contractions started... and they were a minute a part. I have a whole new respect for women who give birth naturally! Those suckers hurt!!! An hour later and I knew there was no way I wanted to proceed without some pain meds. My doctor, luckily, let's you have an epidural pretty soon, so I got one at about 2 a.m. and I was so grateful.

By 4:30, the nurse checked me and said things were moving very quickly. We called our parents and told them they had better get up there. By 8 a.m., I had fully dilated. It was so surreal. But having watched "A Baby's Story" on cable over and over again, I knew having an epidural could make it hard to feel things and pushing could take a while. But with the nurses coaching me through it and Nick rooting me on, 20 minutes later (I'm still in shock that it took only 20 minutes), I had a baby boy placed on my chest.

I couldn't even talk I was so full of emotion. In fact, I'm tearing up just typing this because it was so magical. He was just perfect.

Our First Meal as a Family

The hospital gives all new parents a congratulatory meal. They set up a table in the room with placemats, wine glasses (for my cranberry juice), and we had shrimp cocktail, steak, and dessert.

It seemed so special as we wheeled the cart holding Gage over to the table so that we could have our first "family meal." And just as we sat down, he started to fuss, and then full out cry! Welcome to parenthood :) Nick ended up going down to the nurse's microwave and heating up our dinner... twice.

The Learning Curve

We stayed at the hospital until Thursday afternoon, which was great. Especially because I had no idea what I was doing. But thanks to some patient lactation consultants, Gage and I both caught on to nursing. And they taught me how to change a diaper - which I've never ever had to do before. But that's one of those things you just kind of learn as you go.

Amanda's Newborn Baby Gage

I've already experienced the joys of changing a boy's diaper - the "golden shower" if you will. I was changing Gage and was almost done when all of sudden he sprayed me... in the face! All I could do is laugh!!! He's so wiggly, I now have to hold a "pee-pee teepee" in place to hopefully avoid a repeat.

And just today I experienced the opposite of the golden shower. I was changing his dirty diaper and all of a sudden, he started spraying poo! I didn't even think that was possible. Luckily this time, it didn't get me in the face.

The First Bath

Like all new parents, this is quite a learning experience. Everything we do is a "first." Well, we gave Gage his first bath last night.

Despite it taking us forever to give him a sponge bath, and despite him letting us know he did not like it, we got through it!

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