The Abbreviated Birth Story

Baby J lost his umbilical chord yesterday. He is only two weeks old and I already feel like his infancy is slipping through my fingers. He is such a sweet baby: very patient, tolerant and downright adorable. I haven't had a lot of time to write, or really do anything but breastfeed and play with Aaron. Big brother has adjusted really well. He is very loving--sometimes a bit smothering. Whenever Jared is crying (not all that often) Aaron always lets me know what he needs or doesn't need. "Don't change him," and "He's hungry," are common phrases that come from Aaron's mouth these days. I love how much Aaron is already looking out for his little bro. We're all adjusting well. Recovery after Jared has been 100 times better than with Aaron, and I'm very thankful for that. After Jared was delivered I asked my doctor how everything looked and she said, "Well, you didn't tear up to your cervix like you did with Aaron, so that's great!" And, it has made a difference. So far, the most difficult part of postpartum has been being away from our home while Jonny is doing a rotation in SF with his dad. But we also love being closer to family. Aaron especially adores the attention he receives.
Some have been curious about the story of baby #2's arrival. I began writing his birth story with the intention of posting it on the blog, but it ended up being 5 pages long with a little too much detail for some readers. So, I'll spare you all the fluff and give you the abbreviated version.
Jared Jonathan Frandsen was born on November 20th at 2:07am...not November 19th like we all expected. Why? Well, as it turns out I have one of the most stubborn wombs on the planet--even when I'm being pumped full of Pitocin to induce labor. It must be pretty comfortable in my large orb belly.
Jonny and I arrived at the hospital four hours later than scheduled to be induced. When I called the hospital at 4:30am on the 19th, wondering if I could come in early (couldn't sleep--why not have a baby) they told me they were full and that I needed to call back later. So, after calling back four different times, they finally agreed to admit me at 11:00--thanks to Dr. Chaudhari. She did a great job of elbowing my into the delivery room, explaining that this baby needs to come before he gets as big as his brother was.
They started me on high dose Pitocin at 12:00 noon, and by the time we finished watching Indiana Jones I was having contractions every other minute. But they didn't hurt all that bad...I knew that was a problem. They kept upping the dosage and my cervix remained 60% effaced through it all. By 6:00pm baby J hadn't dropped and I was holding back tears, trying not to imagine myself going into the OR for a c-section. Thankfully, I have an awesome, patient doc. They switched gears, took me off the Pit, let me eat (best hospital meal ever after eating only ice chips all day) and gave me a Cytotec pill at 7:00 to help ripen my cervix through the night. I took a deep breath, tried not to be disappointed, and prepared for a long night of ripening.

(amaxing pics by Amber)

By 8:30 small consistent contractions had picked up on their own. By 9:30 I was really feeling them and loving it. By 10:30 I felt like a wrecking ball was crashing into my spine every other minute--I got through it by crocheting a couple of hats and bouncing on the exercise ball to Beyonce (Jonny's idea-what a great birth coach). They checked me at 11:00--I was dilated to a 5 and almost completely effaced. Contractions were coming along so well there was no need for any more Pitocin. Cytotec was my hero...I was going to have a baby within a few hours. Time for an Epidural!
12:00-Loving the epidural. 12:30-Wondering if I had peed my pants...nope, my water just broke on its own. I'm so proud of myself. 1:30-The attending physician checks me and says, "Wow, I can feel his head...let's call your doctor." 1:50-Doctor Chaudhari arrives. I adore her, and feel special that she was so excited to wake up in the middle of the night to help baby J come into this world, even though she didn't "technically" have to. She's awesome. She checks me, then says, "I better get my gown on, I have a feeling this is going to go really fast."
1:55-I'm holding Jonny's hand and I can't look away from him. The nurses are turning on delivery lights, preparing the baby's station and getting into position. Jonny's smile has a sweetness and surety that says everything I need to hear right now. I love him so much. 2:03-I push with my first contraction and feel him moving down and out. "You're awesome," my doc says, "one more and he's here." 2:06-I push with my second contraction and feel my baby emerge. It's as if my whole body exhales. I'm laughing, shaking and crying all at once. They put Jared on my chest and I stare at his chubby, hound dog cheeks. "Hello Jared."

I can't stop staring over at the baby station as they spank some pink into his body. He looks good, but he doesn't seem to want to cry. Then, he screams. What a relief. I'm crying too. I can't wait for Aaron to meet him. Our family has begun again.