Cruzin' With Tyler and Emma: Emma... Long Overdue Post

In just 3 days, Emma will be turning 7 months old. I have no idea where the time has gone, but I figured it's about time I did a proper birth post for her. Second children don't get quite the same attention as the first born, but that's not to say that she isn't loved just as much. It's only that there are so many hours in the day 2 kids requires a lot more time and energy than just one.

So, let's document Emma's birth story. To say the least, it was completely different from T's since we had her via planned c-section. That was the advantage of having T by c-section - we were able to decide whether to schedule her birth or wait it out. Because we needed to make sure T was taken care of, and because his birth was somewhat traumatic for me, we opted for the "easier" route and scheduled Emma's birth. We tried to schedule her birth for 11/11/11 since planned c-sections are usually done 1 week prior to the estimated due date, but that date was a semi-holiday (Veteran's Day?) so UCSF did not have any planned surgeries. Thus, our date to meet the little lady was set for 11/10/11.

The day before the "due date," I went in for my pre-op. I remembered not being able to carry heavy objects after having T, but didn't recall how much weight I wasn't allowed to carry and for how long. The answer I got at pre-op made me almost change my mind about having a planned c-section. The doctor told me I wouldn't be able to carry anything over 10 lbs, definitely not T, and that I would have to wait about 6 weeks. 6 weeks?! How was I NOT going to carry a demanding toddler for that long?? As I sat around for all the pre-op tests to get completed, I went back and forth in my decision, but I figured that with Obachama coming from Japan a week later to help us out and staying with us for a month, things would work out.

So, the morning of 11/10/11 rolled around and Anna come to watch T while Mommy and Daddy went off to UCSF to meet the little gal in my belly (Lolo and Lola had just gotten back from somewhere the night before so they were going to come over later that day to be with T). We left with a few names in mind, but nothing set. We never thought we would be those parents who would wait to meet their baby before naming, but we couldn't decide so didn't have a choice. I cried leaving T behind - it was all a little overwhelming. How would T react to a new sibling? How would our lives, which had finally gotten into a good rhythm, change? So many questions.

Going to the hospital to have a baby without being in labor was different from going while in labor. We walked in, got settled, signed papers, and got prepped. I think our scheduled time was something like 9:30am, but because of some emergency deliveries, we had to wait. Daddy and I played Scrabble, I made sure I had some make up on, and finally, when the doctors were ready for us, I walked into the operating room, laid down on the table, got hooked up to machines and IVs, and talked to the anesthesiologists and Daddy while the OB/Gyn folks did their thing. It was completely different from an emergency c-section where I was rushed out of my delivery suite into the OR, and T was taken out as quickly as possible. This time around, especially since we were at a teaching hospital, everything was happening slowly, people were talking, everyone was relaxed. I was initially hesitant about going to UCSF since I knew a resident would most likely be performing the surgery (and, since I know what residents can be like in their personal lives thanks to hanging out with Daddy and his friends while he was in training), but, it was great. Because I could hear the doctors talking, I felt somewhat in the loop and I knew that they were thinking about what they were doing which I felt meant less room for error.

I don't remember how long the whole process lasted, but the delivery was uneventful. Daddy peaked over the curtain at some point and apparently saw my uterus on my stomach, and he also got video of the placenta (which is enormous!), so that's interesting. We did later find out that Emma had the cord wrapped around somewhere, but it was something that we saw in the discharge notes and didn't know about for the 4 nights we were in the hospital so didn't inquire further since she seemed perfectly fine.

Like any delivery, once Emma was born, she was brought over to me and this time, unlike when T was born, I was able to appreciate her. Unfortunately, with T, I was exhausted from the long labor and unsettled from the emergency aspect of the c-section that I don't remember much. Not to mention I couldn't see since I didn't have my contacts in or my glasses on. But, with Emma, the moment I looked at her, I knew she would be named Emma. Apparently Daddy knew she should be Emma as well. I guess there's something to be said about naming a child after seeing them.

Emma got taken to be checked and cleaned and Daddy went with her to videotape everything while I continued to lie on the table to get stitched up. Not fun. But, after that, the 4 nights I had at the hospital were pretty easy. Because it had been less than a year since I stopped nursing T, my supply came back in quickly. And, unlike T, Emma didn't have any problems with feeding. She would only take about 10 minutes to nurse each time (a significant difference from 45 minutes in the being in T) and I knew to send her to the nursery whenever possible so I could get rest. So, every day, I felt good enough to make myself look presentable and didn't feel like I was in a total haze.

T didn't come to meet Emma until the day after she was born. We wanted him to come when I no longer had any IVs in so I could hold him and he wouldn't be scared. We also made sure that Emma was in the nursery when he came so that I could have a little time with him. When he saw Emma for the first time he said, "baby." Lolo and Lola and taught him that word the day before when they were showing him pictures of Emma. It took awhile before he learned to call her by her name instead of "baby." His initial reaction was confused. He was interested, but then was not. I am sure he was having a hard time processing. Daddy went home after the first night to stay with T since we wanted to keep his life as "normal" as possible which I think helped.

I'm not sure what to say about T's reaction to Emma coming home though. We had a couple of days as a family of 4 before Obachama came and I think things seemed ok. He definitely wanted me to carry him, but I couldn't, so whoever was around would take him instead. But, once Obachama came, T started to act out. His anger seemed to be mostly aimed at Obachama and Emma. Most likely because these were the 2 people who appeared out of nowhere. He would throw tantrums around Obachama, refuse to have her hold him, and he would hit her as well as Emma. I am sure that he felt Obachama was around to take my place since whenever he wanted me to hold him, she would try to instead. Sadly, it took almost the entire month that she was with us for him to warm up to her and Emma. I can't imagine it was easy for Obachama to have him be so mean to her, but I don't think we would have survived that first month without her help. And, I think that when we see her again, he will be fine. Especially seeing the way he is now with Emma, you'd never guess he acted out so much against her.

That pretty much wraps about the day Emma was born. It's a lot more than I expected to write, but at least it's now documented. =) She has grown so much already since those first days - sitting up, talking (loudly), eating solids, crawling backwards, going from tummy to sitting (which she started yesterday), playing and laughing with T, etc. We didn't know what to expect with T in terms of development, but with Emma, we have been comparing her milestones to T when he was her age. Because we now have some idea of what to expect, it makes us realize how quickly the time is going by. We can't help but remember T at his first birthday party, walking around with a lumpia in his hand, checking everything and everyone out. Emma's not crawling yet properly yet, but she seems eager to stand and walk, so it's very possible that in 5 months, when she turns one, she will be doing the same thing at her birthday party. We are trying really hard to savor every moment while we can. Even though every stage is wonderful, it does feel like the kids are growing up too fast and our baby Emma is no longer a baby already.

Looking at Emma's growth in pictures really shows how much she's grown. Yes, we have been trying to take her monthly photos just as we did for T. We can't slack on everything. =)