The Meaning of Life - Part III

Part III - After the Birth

Living in a (being generous) 10x10 hospital room isn't a fun thing to do... but even worse for Julie as she couldn't leave, or get out of bed much for the first couple of days.

The first night wasn't a lot of fun for us new parents. Here we are, in this room with this 8lb (1/2 ounce) baby that we'd been given no training for. I mean, honestly, they give you a manual the size of a toaster for, well, a toaster... but for a baby? Here's a couple of pamphlets and we'll be along to check on you. But Julie in bed, not able to move much, and me in my ever-so-comfy sleeper chair (see previous post) roughly 3 feet away from new Zachary. Any sound he made would get both of us up. Which cry is that? Does he need changed? How the hell do I do that?

Fortunately he was accomodating. As were the phenomenal nurses at the Ottawa General Hospital. I can't say enough good things about how great and supportive they all were.

I have new appreciation for my mother-in-law as well. I would do the overnight stay with Julie & Zachary and she'd arrive at around 9am to take over and let me go home to sleep for a few hours. My parents as well, thrilled beyond belief at being grandparents, would do the afternoon shift. Then I'd come back, with 'real food' for dinner instead of the hospital-provided food they brought Julie. Geez... it's like they want to keep people sick so they have something to do...

Somehow we survived though, learning to feed and swaddle... although I completely failed swaddling... no matter how many nurses tried to teach me. He'd always get free. I admit it, I'm swaddle-challenged.

When it came the day to leave the hospital, I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I couldn't wait to get out of that 10x10 room (including the bathroom) and into open freedom. On the other, it meant that all those helpful nurses and doctors wouldn't be a buzzer away. I couldn't believe they weren't following us out.

The first car trip and arrival home to meet his dog Ubu was entertaining. Ubu found this little creature to be mildly entertaining but, true to form, still focussed on her needs of attention, feeding and exercise.

Thus, life at home has begun for Zachary... and hopefully sleep is involved to a great extent.

The Meaning of Life Part 1

Part I - Prelude

I'm very pleased to report the arrival of Zachary James Frank Robertson... born here in Ottawa on Thursday August 17th, exactly 9:00am!

Now, 9am... immediately raising questions about whether or not he's really mine. However, there's enough of a resemblance so I can relax...

I tried, unsucessfully, to update this blog via email. Turned out, I had the email address slightly incorrect. So... here's the story, picking up from the last entry.

We did indeed go home following the inducement. Julie said her stomach felt tighter but didn't really think any contractions were happening. We didn't do much that night... thinking (as we had for a couple of weeks) that this was our last night of freedom. By the next morning, she reported her stomach getting pretty tight for about a minute and then it would go away. A couple minutes later, she'd report the same. I consulted the copious notes from the pre-natal class which described these symptoms as 'active labour'. Under the handy arrow drawings I did, it said to go to hospital.

We went to the hospital.

Once again at the triage station for labour/delivery, she was assessed on the monitor, eventually examined by a resident who agreed that yes, things seemed to be moving along finally so that they would admit us. Geez, the things you have to do to get into this club... We were advised to walk around the grounds for a couple of hours "to really get things moving" and then come back.

I got lunch.

I have to say... even though I grew up around hospitals (both parents nurses) and should've known what to expect, hospital food is every bit the stereotype it purports to be. This feeling would be re-inforced over the several days we were there.

Julie walked around a lot, the tightening seemed to be increasing and she was getting a lot of lower back pain. When we went back, a few minutes shy of the two hours, they got us a room... and after a bit of insistence, moved us to a room with a jacuzzi. The jacuzzi helped her back. I was discouraged from having a jacuzzi of my own. There was also much bouncing on an exercise ball, highly preferable to lying in bed. I'd brought 'Noble House' by James Clavell to read. If you've ever seen it, you know it's a sizeable novel. I got through a lot of it. After a few hours of this, not much seemed to be happening.

So they gave her a second inducement, this one via IV. Then more fun started...