Welcome to the world, Camden

Camden Richard

September 15, 2012

10:38 pm

8 pounds 10.75 ounces

20.5 inches

My estimated due date was Thursday, September 13. I assumed I would go over since I was a full week overdue with Hudson.  I was right. We did not mind. I wanted to finish out the work week and go apple picking on Saturday. I was not uncomfortable at all. I started losing my mucous plug on Wednesday evening. I went to work the rest of the week. At 2 am on Saturday morning, I started having some contractions. They were kind of painful and 10 minutes apart but not so severe that I had to stand up. They were strong enough that they would not let me sleep. I read a book during them and it helped me take my mind off them. The contractions seemed to fizzle out around 6am.   

We went apple picking in the late morning and walked around.  Hudson walked around the pumpkin area, looked at all the animals, and ate some cookies. I was contracting on and off and told Rich I wanted to leave.  We left and ordered pizza as my last meal.

I tried to nap around 3. I started timing my contractions and they were between 6 and 7 minutes apart. They stayed that distance for a while but were getting more painful.  I took a shower to see if that would help the pain but it didn’t really help. I finally called my midwives and Elise was on call. I was glad because she had delivered Hudson.  She told me to lay down again, drink some juice, and do kick counts because the baby wasn’t moving a bunch. After about a half hour, I got up and the contractions were between 4 and 5 minutes apart and much more painful.  She told me to come in and that she would see me in the triage area before determining to admit me.

We had already called my inlaws who were at our house. Hudson started watching A Bugs Life and we left.  We got to the hospital a little after 9pm and Rich gave the car to the valet.  We got checked into triage at 9:27. I was 5cm dilated. My water broke at the next contraction. They ordered the antibiotic for me since I was Group Strep B positive.  The contractions came very close together and it was quite painful. I had wanted the room with the labor tub, but someone was using it. Yale only has one. We were going to wait it out. Rich was told to run to get our stuff from the car since our camera was in it. I thought they were being silly since it was 10 hours before Hudson was born when I was 5 cm.  

Rich got back to the triage area and we walked over to a room because Elise did not think I would make it long enough for the tub room.  They did some counterpressure on my hips during contractions which helped. I was only there a short time before I felt like I needed to poo. Elise said it was the baby and I was seriously doubting her since it was so quick. I painfully got on the bed on my side and she checked me.  At the next contraction, I was fully dilated.  Elise walked toward the door to turn on the light and I panicked and yelled “Where are you going?” For some reason, I thought she was leaving and I was going to shoot out a baby.

I pushed 13 minutes. He crowned on the first push but she had me stop pushing a little to help me not have another 4^th degree tear. I felt a burning sensation but not really pain. I couldn’t tell when I was contracting anymore. I was just hot and tired. He came out and there was a bunch of fluid that gushed out. He spun around in Elise’s hands and she put him on me.  They suctioned his mouth and he started to cry.  I had a very small 1^st degree. Rich had called my mother when we were in the triage area and they got there while I was being stitched up. I started bleeding too much but I thought I was just incontinent. I hadn’t said anything but when they checked me, they noticed. Elise took out some clots behind my cervix which had lowered.I finally went up to postpartum and they weighed and measured him. My mother and stepfather came up with us. My tailbone felt bruised but I was feeling fairly good, just tired.

I can’t compare which labor was more painful since Hudson was all back labor and took forever.  Camden’s was rapid and really intense.  Both of the boys stats were similar but Camden was in the correct position and so much easier to push out.

Hudson loves his brother and is very protective of him. He gets very upset whenever Camden is crying. It’s cute. 

Happy 2 1/2 birthday!

July 6, 2012

You are TWO AND A HALF! I can’t believe it. It’s crazy. It went by so fast.

You crack me up all the time. You are so funny and so full of life. You can be so intense and so gentle. You are going to be a big brother in a couple months. You talk about the baby. You ask if it’s “popped yet.” I am not sure what that means though.  You kiss the belly. It is really cute. You do not like to talk about sharing with the baby (or anyone else), though. 

In the past six months, you have grown so much. You talk well, you count, you recognize your colors (most of them) and letters. You love to do arts and crafts. You went to the recreation center and took a preschool type class and came home with a craft for me every Tuesday. It was great. You love to color, cut, glue, and play with playdough. You still love being outside and “riding” (more like us pushing you) on your bikes and toy truck. You are great with puzzles. You are getting so good at entertaining yourself. You will go to your books and pull them out and start reading them. 

You love your tools. You always want to help Daddy fix things around the house. He is working on making a big boy room for you and working on the baby’s room. You love to look in there and tell him to finish the rooms and want to “help.” You like to “fix” your toys when they “break.”

You still love the water. You were nervous when the first time you went in the pool this season because you weren’t sitting in your floaty. You now wear something that goes around your chest and arms. You didn’t want us to let go, but after 2 pool trips, you were okay with it.  You had a great time at the beach right before you turned 2 ½. You did not want to walk in the water by yourself though. You had a great time making sandcastles and digging in the sand with Daddy.

You still love fireworks. The loud noise does not bother you at all. You love when Poppie and Uncle Anthony set off small fireworks at Poppie’s house. You had a good time at the town’s fireworks display too, but you paid more attention to all the other kids than the fireworks.

Here are just some of the cute things you have said in the past few months:

In May, you woke up two days in a row asking for snow or wanting to build a snowman. You were not thrilled when I explained that there is no snow out in May (at least where we live).

You try to feed Elmo your food. Some days, he sits on the table and has pieces of food in his mouth.

You say, “I do MYSELF; I big boy!”  You say this about so many things.

You told me a story about your Vovo. You said he stuck tool in his eye; went to the doctor. Now he is blind. I cracked up. Turns out you had been told a story a while before that, when your vovo was young, he did get a tool or a stick in his eye and went to the doctor. He did not go blind. We think you picked that up because you’ve been told not to put things in your eyes or else you could go blind.

You made a stage and started singing into your microphone…VERY LOUDLY. If you are outside, you like to sing loudly too so our neighbors can hear how well you sing the “ABCs” and “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

When we tell you to do something you do not want to do (pick up toys or come to the table to eat supper), you tell us, “I can’t; I busy.”

You make us laugh. You make us smile. Mommy and Daddy love you!