Judi's story Love being a grandma!
Katharine and Brenden arrived at Denton
Regional Hospital last night so Katharine could be induced. It was the
day after her due date, and her induction was because of her complication
of kidney stones. Mike and Chris and I drove up at about 9:00. Kelly (Brenden's
Dad) got there at about 10:30 and at about midnight Anthony arrived,
having driven straight there after leaving Denver at noon yesterday. We
had a very festive atmosphere in the birthing suite, calling Alex in
Chicago, so all of us were there for Kath and Brenden. At a little after
11:00 we all briefly left the room so that a nurse could place a pill
in Kath's vagina that resulted in mild contractions all night.
Anthony went back to Dallas to
sleep, Kelly went to Brenden & Kath's house to try (unsuccessfully, I
think) to sleep, and the boys went out to their car, in the hospital
parking lot, to sleep. I slept in my car in the hospital parking lot for
a couple of hours (quite comfortably) but went back upstairs at about 5 AM
Thursday morning. Katharine and Brenden had gotten a little sleep, but
both were awake then and Kath asked me to rub her back. Brenden stretched
out on the fold-up bed in the room to get a little sleep. Eventually Kath
asked if I'd mind just snuggling up with her and trying to get a little
sleep. Would I mind? :)) I was curled up in bed with her and we were
all sound asleep at about 8:00 AM when her doctor came in to check on
her. He quipped "I know we have a bed shortage, but this is ridiculous!"
:) He examined her and then broke her bag of waters to move labor along,
before leaving for his office.
In a very short time, labor began in
earnest. Katharine had a little period of time then where it was pretty
hard, and she sent everyone out of the room except me. For much of it I
just held her, forehead to forehead, talking her through the
contractions. They were strong and hard and close together, and she got
sick, but we got through that, and then everything began to happen pretty
quickly after that. I was sitting with her and Brenden had just come back
into the room when she became very irritable. I recognize transition when
I see it, although I couldn't quite believe it had happened so quickly.
I left Brenden with her and hurried to
the nurse's station and asked for someone to come examine her. I said she
was in transition, but I don't think anyone believed me. A nurse we
hadn't met examined her, because her nurse had gone downstairs to eat
breakfast. The unknown nurse announced Kath was at 8 centimeters, and
left the room. Within a few minutes Katharine said she had to push. I
told her not to push until she'd been examined once more, and I ran back
out to the front desk to ask where her nurse and the doctor were. There
was no time for an epidural, although at 4 cm the nurse had given her a
little demerol-like stuff in her iv that she hated because it did nothing
for the pain, just made her loopy. The front desk called her doctor and
asked him to come over stat, and her nurse hurried into the room, examined
her, and gave her the go-ahead to start pushing. She had gone from 4 cm
to 10 cm in about 45 minutes.
I went to the foot of the bed then and
held her feet, putting all of my weight into it, so she could push against
my hands. With each push, I could see Alexander's head bulging her
perineum until his head began to crown, and after that, with each push,
I was able to see the top of his head! What an incredible thrill! She
had about 20 minutes of pushing altogether, and then her doctor arrived
and I moved out of the way so he could catch. At the very last minute he
did an episiotomy. Alexander Augustus Scott burst into the world at
exactly 11:00 AM on August 29, 2002. The cord was wrapped 3 times around
his neck but clearly not causing a problem as he began to cry, loudly and
lustily, almost immediately. Brenden cut the cord and Alexander was
measured: birthweight 8 lbs. 9oz, length 20", head circumference 14 1/2",
chest circumference 13 1/2", Apgars 9/9. To see a child born is a
beautiful, joyous, humbling experience, but to see one's grandchild come
into this world...AMAZING!!! I was quite overcome, and wept (very
happily!).
Mike, Chris & Kelly had been pacing in
the hallway. They came into the room within about 5 minutes of
Alexander's being born. Kelly held Alexander and wept. We called Alex in
Chicago, and I held the phone next to Alexander as he cried so Alex could
hear him. We all talked to Alex, and the boys were amazed by the whole
thing, but spent a lot of time turning to the wall as Kath began the
business of establishing breastfeeding. At about 12:30, Anthony came into
the room. He kissed Kath, hugged Brenden, held Alexander, and wept. All
in all, a pretty emotional experience! :)
We got Katharine and Brenden and
Alexander settled in, and then we left. Kelly drove back to his place in
Melissa to take care of his chocolate lab, Jane Doe. Anthony and the boys
and I had lunch together, and then we all drove back to Dallas, where all
of us went to bed and slept soundly.
This evening, I picked up Anthony and
we went up and saw them again. Everyone is well, and Anthony and I took
turns holding Alexander and then I rocked him to sleep while Katharine and
Brenden ate their dinner. He snuggled up under my chin and made little
throaty, snuffly baby sounds (heaven!). They get released tomorrow. I'll
be up there tomorrow night and whenever she needs me for the next several
days. More later, but wow, am I happy. And he smells WONDERFUL! :))
XOXOXOX
Judi
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