19 Days Old

Wow.  Nothing (yet) makes me feel more like an ass than my infant daughter getting a diaper rash in the first 3 weeks.  Lots of things can cause this.  We chose the cloth diaper route and discovered that if not laundered correctly, the diapers can lose absorbency.  But what it still comes down to is our daughter was sitting in her own human waste for too long.  So yeah… Welcome to Asstopia.

   Fortunately, I’m assured that every parent experiences this.  Or maybe that’s what everyone is saying to make me feel better.  Hard to feel better about this:

Okay, so she’s just being a little fussy here.  As you can probably tell by our snickering in the background.  But rest assured, I really DO feel like an ass when she is wailing to the point that she can't catch her breath.  I don't think I could bring myself to actually record that.  

   This was actually a couple of days ago and for those of you who were about to call Child Protection Services on me, she's already better now.

17 Days Old

Act V (The final installment)

   Having a home birth was not an option that even entered my mind until my wife brought it up months ago.  But I could not imagine doing it any other way.  We were fortunate.  Everything went exactly according to plan (except for the birth pool) and we were able to bring our baby into the world in the comfort of our own home. 

   I’m glad there are hospitals and procedures to save the lives of mothers and infants when necessary.  But after hearing the birth stories that take place in hospitals versus those taking place at home and witnessing my child being brought into the world under our roof, I am confused as to why more people aren’t informed and educated about the possibilities of home birth.

   Days after Von Bebe’s birth, our midwife informed us of the procedures that likely would have taken place had we chosen or ended up with a hospital birth.  The labor took so long and the contractions never got closer together than 3 or 4 minutes so it would have been classified as non-progressing and Pitocin would have been administered.  A C-section possibly could have resulted due to the length of labor.  Also, the baby was crowning for so long that an episiotomy would most likely have been done requiring at the very least stitches if not more intervention.

   It took a long time.  But our baby was born at home, drug free and only a minor second degree tear requiring NO stitches.  We were in our own bed within 10 minutes after the birth and she was kept warm lying on top of my wife giving them the chance to bond from the very beginning.

   No interventions took place.  No drugs.  No monitors making beeping noises.  No hands poking and prodding where they weren’t welcome.  No one telling us what we could or could not do.  No one forcing my wife into uncomfortable positions.

   In short, we delivered our baby daughter in our own home and I will never forget it.

16 Days Old

We have a fussy baby.  I know.  All babies are fussy.  It's just one more thing we're trying to figure out along with all the other parents throughout history.
  One of the most effective things I can do is to walk with her.  Fortunately we have a round round house so I can walk in a big circle.  Pacing one room would likely drive me more crazy than I am now.  
   Both of our dogs have been great so far.  We're being sure to pay attention to them so they don't feel kicked out of the pack.  We'd like to think they have fully embraced the new member of the family.  It seems like they are more protective when someone comes to the door.  Although the big one does appear to have some jealousy issues.  But that's always been the case between me and my wife.
   Here he is being really sweet.  

When calming our daughter by walking around in circles I am being closely monitored by the big dog.  We don't hesitate to anthropomorphize the dog by telling ourselves he's just looking out for his little sis.  But the truth probably is he just likes the way she tastes and would lick her nonstop if we let him.  Even the dog is an ass. But we still love him.
   

15 Days Old

Act IV

   A few minutes after the birth, the midwives helped us into our bed. We just glowed holding our brand new baby daughter.   About an hour later, the placenta was birthed and left in a metal bowl for us to admire.  It was still attached to our baby at this point.  One thing I don’t really understand in hospital births is how quickly they cut the cord after the birth. 

   It was good to see the organ that served as the continual link and filter between my wife and our daughter.  I couldn’t believe how beautiful it looked.  The colors were so vivid with life sustaining veins and arteries adding exquisite texture over the entire surface.  Am I lying?

And the cord was tough to cut.  I’m so glad I got the chance to do it.

   Time moves in funky ways at this point.  I don’t know how long we were in our bed before my wife mentioned needing something to eat.  It didn’t feel long, but I went out to defrost some frozen quiches for us only to find that our house had been completely altered.  Well… not altered, but cleaned.  While in our bedroom we had heard the midwives bustling about in the house but didn’t really think anything of it.  I walked into a house for which there was almost no sign of a birth having taken place.  The pool had been emptied and removed.  The laundry was going. (I don’t know how many loads were done) 

   And the midwives were preparing the placenta.  And by preparing I don’t mean sprinkling with a lemon sauce while sautéing in a skillet.  They cut it up into small pill-sized pieces which my wife has been taking with the rest of her supplements.  Lots of studies show ingesting the placenta reduces post partum.  Google it yourself, I’m not the one who needs convincing.  And side note, human beings are one of the only mammal species on the planet that doesn’t eat the placenta regularly after birth.  

   I brought the prepared quiche cakes back to bed where my wife and daughter were resting comfortably.  I settled in beside them and nourished my wife so she could nourish Von Bebe.  Thus begins the rest of our lives together...  and me trying not to be an ass.

Stay tuned for Act V, the final installment of my birth story.

14 Days Old

   Two weeks old and we're still here!  Tired as heck, but still here.  That's not too hard, though, when you have something as cute as this to look at all day long.

13 Days Old

  Daily Von Bebe of the day:

  She's smiling more and more every day, even if she doesn't know it.  And every time she does, it makes me smile right along with her.