The Sherwins: August 2010

Since my last post alot has happened. I had my 30th birthday on May 31 however that was completely overshadowed by...the arrival of Baby Bean AKA Aurora!!!!! We had a baby girl!!!!! Aurora Lillian Sherwin was born on her mommy's birthday, May 31, 2010, at 9:40a weighing 7lbs 4oz and 20.5" long. Here's the short version of Aurora's birth:

May 30:
9:47a – water breaks as I get out of bed
12p – head to hospital (no real contractions just period-like cramps that vary in intensity)
10p – induced
May 31 (my birthday):
~1:30a – get Nubain
4:45a – get Epidural
9:15a – start pushing
9:40a - it’s a girl!!! Aurora Lillian is born 10 days early! 7lbs 4oz and 20.5”

And the long version:

At 9:47a on the morning of May 30 (38w3d) I felt a pop and a gush of water as I got out of bed. OMG my water broke! I told Chris and he asked, are you sure? I was sure. After calling my sister Danna and Chris calling his parents, playing on the computer a bit, and soaking a couple of size 2 diapers (a trick a friend told me), Chris and I headed to the hospital around noon. I had been having period-like cramps, some more intense than others, but no contractions. Once at the hospital they confirmed it was my water (that examination wasn’t pleasant), that baby was head down (got to have a quick ultrasound of the baby), and that I wasn’t having contractions. At this point I was admitted and put on the induction list unless I started contracting on my own. I was so anxious to meet Baby Bean and bored of waiting around that I tried to get things going on their own by walking around the hospital, climbing the stairs, and acupressure but it didn’t work. Around 9:15p I got the news that I was being brought down to be induced. Finally! Because my water broke all I needed was the pitocin drip and this would help thin out and dilate my cervix. I was maybe 1cm dilated, if that, and my cervix was high and thick when the induction started around 10p. I started to walk around the floor to help my contractions start and once they did (which didn’t take long) they were fast and fierce. They were very close together and very strong. I was having difficulty coping with them almost immediately and sometimes would need to be reminded to breath. I tried a number of pain management techniques like bending over the bed, swaying my hips, and rocking in the rocking chair. I’m not sure of the time but at one point pain meds were brought up. I wanted to see how dilated I was to gauge if I wanted pain meds then or not – if I still had a long way to go I was going to try to tough it out some more. Well I was only 1cm so I decided to try the shower and see if that helped. It certainly did, but not enough. I was in the shower a very very long time but was still in a lot of pain. When I got out the nurse suggested I have the Nubain which I quickly agreed to. So around 1:30a on May 31 I was given a shot of Nubain. This allowed me to get some sleep and a bit of relief although I could still feel the contractions. About 2 hours later it seemed that it had worn off and I was in a lot of pain again. The nurse checked me to see if I could get the epidural. I was 2-3cm dilated and 90% effaced. The epidural was ordered and I was given it around 4:45a. It took about an hour to provide me with relief and at 6a both Chris and I were able to get some sleep. When I woke my entire left side was numb as that was the side I was sleeping on so I switched to my right. I was in some pain again and had to be reminded by my nurse that it was ok to push the epidural button to get a bit extra. Oh how I loved that button! At 7:30a I was checked and was 3-4cm dilated however 40 minutes later, at 8:10a, I was 6cm dilated and fully effaced. It didn’t take me long to be fully dilated and at 9:15a I could start pushing. The nurse told me if I pushed efficiently she wouldn’t turn down my epidural but if I didn’t push efficiently she would have to. Lucky me I was an efficient pusher. Chris held 1 of my legs up, the student nurse Danielle held the other, and I grabbed both of them and pulled them toward my chest when I pushed. I could only feel the peaks of my contractions and would start pushing then so Chris would look at the monitor and tell me when a contraction was coming so I could push sooner. Chris was watching the whole thing and at one point turned to me wide eyed and smiling and said “I can see the head!” We had agreed early in pregnancy that he’d stay above my waist but things are so different when you’re in the moment. He loved knowing what was going on and I liked that he could be a part of the birth process as much as possible. Just before my 6th contraction of pushing I was told “I know you’re tired but the baby is tired too and we have to get them out”. Apparently after each contraction and push my uterus wasn’t recovering fully which meant the placenta wasn’t getting what it needed so the baby wasn’t getting what they needed so they had to get the baby out. Luckily with that contraction and about 5 good pushes out came our baby girl!!!! Since Chris and I were Team Green we were so excited to finally find out the gender. Chris cut the cord and then our little girl was put on my chest. I looked over at Chris and he was bawling; it was the sweetest image. I had a 2nd degree tear that required ~ 5 stitches. As I was being stitched Chris was over by the weigh scale taking photos of Aurora - he didn't need to stick around for that. We stayed in the hospital until Wednesday afternoon (June 2) and I was so happy to leave and be at home with Chris.

The first few days were difficult as the lack of sleep is hard to adjust to but she seems to have somewhat of a night time schedule now (however doesn't go to sleep until very late). I’ve been breastfeeding which is going very well except I have to wear a nipple shield. It’s a nuisance but necessary. She hates being put down and only wants to be held which can be tiring however we can usually get her sleep in her bassinet at night. She’s a very content baby, bright eyed and alert. She makes the cutest facial expressions and stretches when she’s waking up. She "talks" (vocalizes) and smiles alot - I love her toothless grins! And she rolled from her tummy to her back just this week!!! We just love her to bits and cannot believe she’s ours. She is well worth the wait!

My sister, Danna, and nephew, Zachary, visited us from June 15 - July 6. It was great having family in St. John's with us, particularly after having a baby. It was great having them there; Danna was a huge help with Aurora and around the apartment and I always love spending time with them. We did alot of site seeing and touristy things; Aurora probably saw more of Newfoundland by the time she was 5 weeks old than most Newfoundlanders do their whole life.

Another big happening is that we've moved back to Toronto. Well, Brampton. Chris got a job offer as a Patent Paralegal at his old office and since finding a job in St. John's resulted in nothing but temp positions, he accepted. We had 3 weeks notice. It was crazy - newborn baby, packing all our belongings, booking/canceling services, flights, hotels, and UHaul, and moving halfway across the country. On July 27 Aurora and I caught a 6am flight while Chris drove a 26' UHaul pulling our car on an auto transporter from St. John's to Brampton. He caught the ferry that night and arrived in North Sydney, NS early the next afternoon. He drove to Bangor, ME that day. The next day he drove to a town 100km East of Kingston, ON, and on Friday, July 30 arrived in Brampton. He never wants to see a UHaul again!! It was a long few days for us and I was constantly worried about Chris. Chris missed Aurora and me. I was beyond happy when I met him at the UHaul store - my hero!

And now for some photos and videos: