Tanner’s Birth

As the birth of our third child drew closer, I realized I had some emotional scarring from my birth experience with Ridge (and the two days after) that I had never really recovered from.  I was feeling pretty good about how this labor and delivery was going to go in America until about two months before my due date.  Then I started to get scared and anxious.  I ended up going three days past my due date, which I think was okay because then my mom was with me.  I can do anything when I have my mom!    

On November 13, 2013 I woke up feeling like the baby had dropped and my stomach had tightened.  I started timing contractions at about 8 a.m. I’d had braxton hicks for the past several weeks, so I wanted to make sure these were for real.  I decided I better get ready and finish packing just in case.  The contractions gradually started getting closer together and I realized this was going to be the day!  Cody came home from work and we headed to the hospital at about 10:30 a.m. when my contractions had quickened to about 3-5 minutes apart.  All of this was giving me flashbacks to my experience with Ridge.  The pain was all too familiar and I was ready for that epidural!  Once we arrived at the hospital, we only had to wait a couple minutes before we were admitted to a room at about 11 a.m.

 

The two wonderful nurses that were with me for the day moved quickly to get me set up and comfortable.  They were so friendly, kind, and helpful.  By 11:30 I was laying comfortably in a bed in a big, solitary room.  It felt good to be so pampered.  It felt good to have Cody by my side the entire time. 

I was definitely in labor but had only dilated to a 2 and 80% effaced.  I immediately told the nurses I wanted an epidural and would like it as soon as possible.  I remembered all too well what was coming and I didn’t want any part of it.  Cody and I told them a little about our Hong Kong experience, so they assured me it wouldn’t be long before they had the anesthesiologist in to see me.  In the meantime, the nurses were right by my side, coaching me through the breathing process during the contractions.  I wanted to cry, I was so grateful.  Once they had everything set up, the anesthesiologist came and stuck that blessed needle in my back around 12:30 p.m. 

After that everything was absolute bliss.  Really.  I napped for awhile, then the nurses checked me again around 2 p.m.  I was dilated to a 5 and 100% effaced.  Labor continued to progress smoothly and consistently.  I napped again for awhile.  Then the doctor came in to break my water at 3:20 p.m. I was dilated to an 8 at that point.  They said things would move quickly from there.  I was calm, relaxed, in really good spirits and excited about the experience.  Extremely contrary to having Ridge in HK. 

Throughout the day I felt so grateful to be giving birth in America.  My two nurses were so wonderful.  So loving and caring.  We even talked and joked with the nurses and shared stories.  One was from Russia and she said the nurses there would slap the women’s faces to get them to push harder.  And I thought the Chinese nurses were uncaring!

An hour later, at 4:25 p.m., I was dilated to 9 1/2 and at a +1.  At 5:05 p.m. the nurses put the stirrups up and I was fully dilated.  At 5:20 p.m. they said I could try pushing as they walked me through how I was supposed to do it.  After one “practice push,” the nurses told me I better stop and wait for the doctor.  She came in at 5:30 p.m. for me to start pushing.  It took pushing through one contraction and the head was out.  We waited for the next one and pushed out the shoulders and the rest of the baby. 

Tanner Paul Rowland was born at 5:32 p.m. on November 13, 2013.  He was 9 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long. 

 

 

I have several friends who have had horrible birthing experiences, so I feel bad saying how heavenly this day was.  But I also feel like this day did a lot to heal my past wounds and get over the painful and lonely birthing experience I had in Hong Kong. 

  

 

No one really talks much about the healing that takes place during the next two days in the hospital.  I think I’d totally blocked out the not-fun recovery process from my previous two deliveries.  Between the pain from healing and nursing, I decided the doctors should let us keep the epidural for those two days as well!  After having such a comfortable delivery, I wanted to keep things completely pain-free!!  Good thing we moms have a cute baby to remind us it’s all worth it! 

   

I was glad to have the care and medicines offered here.  Again, the nurses were great!  I didn’t have to walk down the hall to nurse my baby; instead I never left my room except to go have a complimentary massage.  Cody could be with me all the time, though he did go home to sleep at night. 

 

Best of all, my kids and mom could come in and see us too!

 

Though this picture doesn’t show it, Jade was super excited about her new baby brother.  Ridge… he didn’t know what to think.  He was sort of inspecting him and looking at his hands, wondering what was this little guy? 

 

Ridge lost interest pretty quick, but Jade wanted to hang around and hold her new brother. 

 

As I mentioned before, I was having flashbacks to Ridge’s birth this whole time.  I took a few pictures that some people might find strange, but I wanted to do a little comparison. 

The curtained off 1/6th of a room in Hong Kong vs. the private room in NJ:

 

  

The congee breakfast in HK vs. the French toast breakfast in NJ:

 

A meal in HK vs. a meal in NJ (actually this was just the delicious wrap they gave me after I had Tanner; the actual meals were an entire tray full of American food.  One night they even gave us a celebratory meal for the two of us that included a lemon chicken with rice dinner plus an entire pizza.): 

  

Even with the best care I could ask for, I was still ready to get home to my kids and my own bed at the end of the two days!