Cayetano's Birth Story

It all began on Sunday, July 30th. We went out to dinner with friends to Sabatino's. Our friend said the spicy sausage there was famous for its ability to induce labor. Not that we needed an excuse - that sausage is delicious! So we all went out, had some sausage and had a good time. My sense is that the spice is irritating to many women's digestive systems, which is why it got the reputation. Fortunately for me (in the grand scheme of things) my stomach is pretty tough and doesn't get irritated by spicy food - ever. Oh well, it was still fun. Our friends also brought us a little goody bag of gifts, including a small bottle of castor oil. GROSS. I wasn't really sure if I was going to go that route for a few hours. But then I said, oh what the hell. Let's see if I can even get this down. I mixed about a tablespoon (maybe 2?) with some pineapple juice, plugged my nose and drank it. Gross. But at least I didn't barf (I definitely did when I tried this with Emi). A few hours later I started to have some painful contractions. We called Gery, who came over around 11, and headed to Hoag. I was determined to get there early enough to avoid the drama we experienced last time with Emi.

WELL...I was only 1 cm when we got there. Hmmmm. Okay. The triage nurse said to walk the halls for an hour and then she would check me. So we did. It was a LONG hour. The contractions were fairly painful but not overpowering. After an hour we went back. I was still 1 cm. UGH. The nurse said it was not real labor - just castor oil induced contractions. And at nearly 3 am, we were sent home. I was frustrated and angry. I was also in quite a bit of pain. The nurse said to take a Tylenol PM, drink a ton of water and try to sleep.

I did those things when we got home. But my contractions were pretty painful so sleep was not really happening for more than maybe 20 minutes stretches here and there. I was fairly miserable. Jay was trying to sleep downstairs to get ready for his work day. At around 6:30 or maybe 7:00 am, I started to feel even worse. Then I heard a popping noise, but no gush of fluid. The contractions were getting stronger but because I wasn't sure if my water had broken, I didn't want to rush back to Hoag just to be sent home again. I got in the shower and let the hot water soothe my aching back. When I got out it became obvious that my water had broken.

At this point, I yelled for Jay and texted Gery to come back to the house. I got some clothes (and an adult diaper) on and brushed my teeth. We quickly shuttled the kids next door to wait for Gery and we left for the hospital.

The drive felt interminable - I swear we hit every red light. And I was really wishing we lived back in our old neighborhood, which was right next to the hospital. The contractions were extremely painful at this point and were coming very quickly, with what felt like no breaks.

v When we got to Hoag, Jay grabbed a wheelchair and we went up. We checked in, letting the nurses know that my previous labor had been "precipitous". They quickly brought me to a room and checked me. I was 4cm. And a little bit surprised. On the bright side, I thought, "well, at least this time I can get an epidural." HAHAHAHAHA (spoiler alert).

They took me to a real delivery room and called the anesthesiologist. At this point the contractions were extraordinarily painful and were virtually back to back. Jay helped by watching the monitor to tell me when a contraction was on the downside.

Finally the anesthesiologist showed up. Hooray! I signed the form (um, is that even enforceable under the circumstances - talk about duress). Then he had me roll on my side. At that point he was going to wait for the contraction to end and give me the epidural. Or not. Because that was the contraction that started the pushing. And I knew it was not going to happen. But unlike with Emi, I was not scared this time. I was relieved - it was almost over! And I knew I could do it. Plus, my actual OB seemed to appear out of nowhere (this was just lucky timing). After one push, she got a face full of water sprayed on her (Gross!) but seemed unphased. The next contraction he was out.

They handed Cayetano to me and he promptly peed on me. And it was love at first sight.

Cayetano Arrived

Hi All! Cayetano Andres arrived Monday July 31st at 8:37 am. He was 7 lbs and 14oz and 20 inches of absolute perfection. I will post a full birth story later but for now, suffice it to say that he takes after his sister.

39 Weeks - FULL TERM!

At 39 weeks pregnant, Cayetano is as big as a winter melon. Baby measures about 20 inches long and weighs about 7.3 pounds. Baby's probably able to flex his or her limbs now. Baby's brain is still rapidly developing—he's getting smarter by the week! Baby's nails may extend past the fingertips now.

How far along? 39 weeks

Weight gain/loss: 38 pounds.

Sleep? Terrible. I've been up in the middle of the night for a few hours the last couple of nights thinking I was maybe going to go into labor, but no such luck. And even when I am able to sleep, I wake up at least every hour and a half to pee. Yesterday I was so tired I came home early from work and took a nap from 5-6pm - not exactly my norm for a Thursday evening.

Best moment this week?I've been having one with the kids this week- trying to focus on spending time with them before Cayetano starts being the center of attention. On Saturday I took Joaquin to the mall and we went shopping, had sushi and cookies and had a great time just one on one. Twice this week Joaquin has gone with Jay to the big pool after work to swim laps with him (this is such an awesome development!) so Emi and I have had some one on one time as well. One night we went to Trader Joes together and then picked up dinner, where Emi had her first ever cherry soda. She LOVED it. The next night we stayed home and I gave her a mani/pedi. I love my kiddos and I especially enjoy spending time with them one on one. No breaking up fights or dealing with them competing for attention. Just good quality time.

Movement:He's squished. I'm squished.

Food cravings:Stuff that isn't hot. It's unbearable being in the heat lately so eating hot food sounds quite unappealing lately.

What I miss?My chin. Holy smokes. I want my normal face back.

What I am looking forward to? Being done of course. But I'm just trying to take one day at a time so I will repeat my response from last week and say date night with Jay. It may be our last one for a while (oh dear, I hope so!).

Milestones: Well, I am actually full term today, which is wonderful. There is zero medical reason for baby to need to bake any longer, which is a relief. And based upon my very different experiences with Joaquin and Noemi, I am grateful to get to this point. I am hoping that Cayetano takes after his big sister and is a good eater and sleeper and generally makes life easy on us (well, in realistic baby terms anyway).

What I'm nervous about:Where my water might break. Haha. I am constantly planning for that happening. I am even driving around with a doggy pee pad on the seat of my car. I'd really hate to ruin my brand new (to me) car!

Appointment Update from Yesterday (TMI Alert)

Still 1 cm. Sigh. My OB stripped my membranes (you can google that if you want to, but there's a reason I'm not giving all the details here). I felt crampy and had a few other signs of possible labor last night but no such luck. I'm back at work today and hoping not to be here next week.

Single Digits!

I'm one day late on this post, but woohoo! Single digits until my due date. Today I have only 8 days to go. But let's be honest, I'm hoping for 1 or 2.

38 Weeks

At 38 weeks pregnant, Cayetano is as big as a winter melon. Baby is about 19.6 inches long and his head is about the same circumference as the abdomen. Average baby weight at 38 weeks is 6.8 pounds. Baby may have about an inch or so of hair already. Baby's also slowly shedding that white goo on the skin (called vernix caseosa).

How far along? 38 weeks

Weight gain/loss: 38 pounds. Back on track with that 1 pound per week pattern. Oh well.

Sleep? Eh. It's been worse this week. Between the heat and my discomfort and late pregnancy insomnia I am fairly tired.

Best moment this week?It's not really a moment. Since Monday, I have been virtually back/pelvic pain free. I swear, it's the closest thing to a miracle I've experienced. I really thought I was doomed for severe pain with every step until this baby came and then all of the sudden I have been able to move about freely (well, as freely as one can when a 38 pound basketball is attached to them). I need to bring that physical therapist a bottle of wine!

Movement:Yep, but nothing new here.

Food cravings:Anything I don't have to prepare. I am not at all in the mood for cooking or even preparing food these days.

What I miss?Mezcal. My ankles. Energy. Yoga. Running. Sore muscles from a good work out. Good coffee. Can I keep going?

What I am looking forward to? Well, it's Friday so I will focus on date night tonight!

Milestones: Each week is a big one now. Plus, now that I am not in huge pain I am hoping to get one more week in. So, I guess the milestone is moving away from the whole LET ME BE DONE NOW attitude I had a week ago. It's nice to be a little more relaxed about things. Don't get me wrong, I'd be fine if he came tonight.

What I'm nervous about:Transitioning at work. I still have a few items on my plate to deal with and setting another person up for my job is a little awkward. I am hoping the transition goes smoothly for everyone and that I am not the cause of too much stress.

One Belly Pic

This is the only one I've posted of this pregnancy. I'm not a huge fan of myself in pictures pregnant. This was 37w4 days.