Happy (Belated)1st Birthday Rowan!

Yesterday was Rowan’s birthday. She is our baby of the family. My babysitter always said that the youngest gets “lost in the shuffle” and I firmly believe that’s true. I have a 4 year old that demands a lot of attention and by the time I’m done with that, I’m spent! But I did walk down memory lane yesterday recalling the day she was born one year ago.

They had scheduled to induce me on the 6th. Mind you, I was due on the 25th of October. And this pregnancy was no walk in the park. We went through the whole Down’s Syndrome scare and got an amnio done. Up until that point, I had a very strong hunch that I was carrying a boy. Then they went to do the amnio the first time and the doctor put the ultrasound probe down and said, “The baby is just not cooperating today.” I looked at him and said, “So, it’s a girl, huh?” He was shaking his head and explaining to me that he couldn’t tell, and I did know this because I work in the imaging biz.

“But you said the baby is not cooperating. It has to be a girl, I have one of those at home.”

So when he called me to give me the results of the test, he asked me if I wanted to know the gender of the baby.

“Sure, it’s a girl, right?”

And so we had to rack our brains for a girl name that we bothed like. Out went Nathan and in came Rowan after many, many books and months. And we had our critics, but we didn’t let that stop us. So Rowan Maeve it was. Kinda had to go the Irish/Gaelic route with Brenna Siobahn.

Then one day in the beginning of August, I had a “floater” in my vision field. At work, of course. But it was the best place to be. I had a nurse and she kept taking my blood pressure and it kept climbing. By the time I got to the OB’s office, it was 110/150. My doc wanted to put me in the hospital and do some testing, but I begged and pleaded with him not to do that. So off I went home to lay down on my left side for a couple of days and things finally straightened out. I was really convinced that Rowan was coming out sooner than later…..how wrong was I?

Of course my contractions started at 2am on the 6th. I was due to go in to be induced at 6pm that night. I called the OB’s office at noon and asked them if they still wanted me there at 6 or should I just stay put and labor out what I could at home.

“This is your second baby?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t you think you should get to the hospital now? Labor is typically shorter for the second one.”

“No, not really. The first one took 48 hours. I’m only ten hours into now.”

And so we went in at 6 that evening. My water hadn’t broken at that point and I was still 5 minutes apart. At midnight I was dilated to 5cm and I had them put the epidural in so I could sleep a little. That didn’t go so great since he gave me too much anesthetic and my blood pressure went to 50/30. I had never felt so helpless in my life. They quickly gave me something to get my pressure up, but I really thought that was the end.

The doctor checked me at 7am and inadvertently broke my water. It was kind of comical since he was dressed up in a suit ready for the office. I was up to 7cm then. And after that it was a roller coaster ride with the Pitocin. That stuff is EVIL, EVIL, EVIL…..and just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, my epidural wore off, my contractions were lasting 5 minutes (not kidding) and I thought the nurse was going to have to deliver her. Mary Ellen, the nurse, had the c-section papers in her hand when she walked in and I looked at her and said, “Mary Ellen, I have to push and you have to catch her!” She called for Dr. Kimble, set the room up, got me to push Rowan’s head down in about 10 minutes.

Dr. Kimble and the resident walked in and said, “Mary Ellen, what’s going on?”

“We’re having a baby.” And she through a gown on him and 2 pushes later, she was out. Took me all of 3 minutes to get her out. And so she was born at 1:43 in the afternoon. And it hurt. Really bad. But it was so worth it!

And this is why we are not having anymore human kids. Sorry, Ro, no little brother or sis for you. You’re stuck with the big sister and you are forever forgotten, but we do love you! And now you’re a whole number, not months! And you are starting to walk, kind of like the puppies. Just so exciting! And next weekend we will finally celebrate it with a little get together! Happy 1st Birthday baby!