A Hospitalin’ We Shall Go

One thing I’d forgotten to check (not that this was particularly high on the priority list!) was if the hospital had internet access, so our friends could immediately (or at least shortly after the phone calls to family) get any news. Thankfully, they do indeed have a wireless network set up. Unfortunately, it’s also partially-screened access; the nurse called out Ebay as a known blocked site (to keep people from trying to buy crap while they’re sedated?), but apparently Blogspot is as well, so this will be offline blogging at its finest. I’ll try to post them all when things settle back down, or else get someone to post them for us.

At 8:08 am this morning (yes, I’m keeping a log of the day’s events), we were pleasantly woken up by a friendly phone call asking “Are you ready to have a birthday party today?” What a nice way for the Swedish birthing center to let us know that we were welcome to come in at our convenience! So at 8:08 am and ten seconds, we were at the hospital. I’m kidding, it was actually at 9:01 am that we got in the car and headed over, leaving Meh’s parents to entertain Korby for the next few days. We’d pre-packed our bags (though of course I forgot a few things, more on that in a bit), and the traffic gods cooperated with a smooth commute into Seattle.

We arrived, parked, went up to the birthing suites, and were introduced to our wonderful nurse Elaine, and Room 547, our home for the next day or so. (Note: They move new mothers once they and their babies are stable and looking healthy. We almost had some surprise visitors a few hours ago who didn’t know that. Whoops.) The next few hours involved getting set up with an oxytocin drip (used to induce), which almost immediately started labor, and Meh being incredibly and increasingly brave with the difficult and escalating labor process. I really can’t even pretend to imagine how it was for her, and all I could do was try to comfort her and just be there to lend a hand/arm/shoulder to lean on. There was rocking chair action, the jacuzzi tub, standing/walking/swaying, and of course a bit of laying in the bed.

By mid-afternoon, coping techniques and pain medication just weren’t doing enough, and we decided to get an epidural. (Side story: The anesthesiologist, who was also very nice and friendly, told this joke – “They figured out a way to allow men to experience childbirth along with the women. The first man to try the technique was in the hospital alongside his wife during labor, and kept saying how it really wasn’t so bad. When they came home from the hospital, they found the postman dead on the doorstep.” Ba-dum-bum.) The epidural made a world of difference (Meh described her feet as ‘warm and cozy’ afterwards, though she retained enough feeling to know what was going on, just not the pain), and Meh was able to alternate between snoozing, chatting, and even a few quick games of cards. Ziggy continued along, usually oblivious, but occasionally dipping his/her (hm, by the time this is posted, perhaps we won’t need the gender neutral bits!) heartbeat in response to Meh’s positioning. As the evening progressed, our regular doctor said good night and introduced us to her on-call associate, who was also very friendly, patient, and good with explanations for the baby’s status. And that’s where we sit right now, gradually getting further along and ready to hopefully meet our baby later tonight or early tomorrow. That’s the status for now, hopefully more to tell later! [6:40 PM]