After waiting for about 30 minutes, the doctor came in and things got a hoppin'. She said that it was time for me to start pushing. I pushed for maybe 10 minutes. The nurse coached me thru each contraction. To be honest, I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't feel the sensation of 'pushing'. So I just did what I normally do when I have to go to the bathroom.
Oh and did I mention that I had an audience?
The boyfriend, my Mom, and my Dad.
Yes, my Dad was in the room and captured the event in photos. It's the only grandchild that he has witnessed come into the world.
The boyfriend did much better than we all thought he would do (by all, I mean my family). He was anxious but did as he was told by the nurse and doctor. He held my leg during the pushing, cut the umbilical cord, and was by Maia's side during the first few minutes post-birth.
When she finally was delivered, the doctor plopped her on my abdomen. I looked at her and said "it's a real baby!" Everyone laughed. I really was in disbelief. It's one thing to know that you're carrying a baby in your belly. It's another thing to actually see it.
After the birth, my parents left to pick up Meili. I was really excited for her to come up and see the baby. I think I looked forward to this the most - more than actually meeting Maia! I'd been prepping her for this moment for months and she seemed like she understood what was going to happen - that she was gaining a baby sister.
It could not have gone better. As soon as I saw Meili, I started crying. I imagine it was from all the labor hormones. I was so glad to see her and couldn't wait for her to meet Maia.
Meili was so gentle with Maia. It was like she was made to be a big sister. I can't explain it. She was just a natural.
Meili asked to sit in my bed so I could hold both of them. I obliged and she crawled up next to me. "This is such a happy day," she exclaimed. I just smiled and hoped that I had enough love in my heart for two precious girls.
She helped feed Maia one of her first bottles. In reality, Maia took 3 bottles in a span of about 3 hours. I know that she's only supposed to have like 1 oz (30 mL) per feeding, but she came out ready to eat (I should know; I teach pediatric nursing). And eat she did! She ate double the amount that normal newborns eat (2 oz or 60 mL) with each feeding.
We stayed in the hospital for 24 hours. Interestingly, one of my students was Maia's nurse during the night - so I knew that she was in good hands. I chose sleep and let her stay in the nursery all night. It's kind of nice to know the nurses!
Before we were discharged, I had to sign a bunch of paperwork. Part of the endless amounts of forms was the birth certificate information. I was in a daze of pain meds and lack of sleep as I was looking over the form. Someone had written Maia's name on the birth certificate as Maria! The discharging nurse and I argued over her name. I told her that it was Maia, not Maria (which is a lovely name, just not the name of my baby). For some reason, she was just being stubborn and wouldn't listen. I continued to say that it wasn't my baby's name. I'm sure that I sounded drunk because of the Percocet and no sleep but I was adamant that her name was Maia. Finally, the nurse understood what I was saying. All of the paperwork had to be changed because Maria had been written on everything. I'm glad that I was coherent enough to recognize my baby's name! Everything was taken care of and we promptly left 24 hours post-birth.
I'm glad that Maia entered this world as a healthy newborn. She is loved by a big sister, 2 parents, and a very large extended family!!!
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