Sunday, December 20, 2009

Mother and Baby Well (etc. etc.)

Spencer Joseph
Born December 18th 9:40 am
9 lb. (4100g) 23.5 inches (60cm)


Thoughts and Observations
  • I was not remotely surprised to see how muscular his skinny legs are.
  • Some babies are apparently born without eyebrows.
  • Always after spending so much time looking at my own babies in the hospital I am shocked at how cute other people's infants are when I look at theirs. Our babies just aren't that cute (and are often quite the contrary: proof below). But they are OURS. (and plus they grow out of it).
  • Spencer looks so much like all our other babies. I have not yet taken a picture that captures it, but they always look like wise old men. There is something in their eyes (and their bald and wrinkliness).
  • The above fact is rather fitting, since Spencer is named after two wise old men (as I knew them): Spencer W. Kimball and my Grandpa (Spencer's great-grandpa) Joe.
  • Spencer is sweet as can be.
  • I am extremely grateful about so many things over the past few days.
  • Greg and I thought bringing this baby home was the perfect gift for us to give each other on our anniversary today (12 years!).
  • Baby and I really ARE both doing very well.
  • For those with inquiring minds more details about the birth in an upcoming post.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Oh, Pickles!

You know how in What to Expect When You're Expecting they talk about your water breaking and tell the story of the lady who carried around a jar of pickles in case her water broke in public so she could drop the jar and pretend that that was where the liquid came from? I keep thinking about that.

I'm sure that's an extreme case, and I know that I'm a little on the opposite extreme when it comes to being easily embarrassed, but I have to wonder, do women actually worry much about their water breaking in public (beyond the obviously awkward "Now what do I do?")? If it happened to me I can imagine that I might think or exclaim any of the following:

"Woo Hoo! My water broke!"
"Aaaak! My water broke!"
or
"How about that? My water broke!"

But NEVER:

"My water did NOT just break. This jar of pickles, on the other hand, Whoops! That broke! And most of the pickle juice? Oh! It splashed right up on my crotch and down my legs!"

Never that.

And I'd be happy for my water to break anywhere just now. Preferably at the hospital, though. Within the next few hours. . .

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Polish Hospital-ity and Having Babies

No baby yet, but to refresh my own memory I'm reminiscing about this (in a sort of jumbled way):

Greg and I watch a cool Polish drama series that takes place during WWII. A lot of scenes are shot in a hospital and about half way through the series it struck me: They probably didn't have to do anything to the hospital or use special props to take it back almost 70 years. Nope, those are the same white-painted (and repainted) metal framed "beds" and side tables they use in most hospitals I've been to. Those tiny sinks with ancient faucets: same. Strange, thick, stained and holey sheets? Check.

When I was pregnant with David I went into pre-term labor. Of course this meant a hospital stay. The Mielec hospital had recently been renovated and the maternity ward was in a new wing. What this meant was that the halls were a little brighter and the paint was fresh. All the equipment was still old.

When I went to my room, besides surprise at the condition of the sheets and the uncomfortableness of the bed, and the fact that you wear your own pajamas, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a bathroom in my room. What wasn't so pleasant was the fact that there was blood on the toilet seat and everything else there was not clean, either. The little table at the side of my bed had sticky rings from other people's cups and was dusty and grimy.

My friend went straight home, got all her cleaning and sanitizing supplies and did quite a number on my room, top to bottom. After that I felt much better.

After a few weeks back at home on bedrest, David was ready to be born. We went to the hospital only to find that the maternity ward was closed. CLOSED. Why? Because they close it down twice a year for a week at a time for a thorough sanitization. I sort of wondered if this is why my room had been so icky: they knew they'd just be cleaning it within a few months anyway?

We didn't have a car at the time so I was driven by ambulance, which looked almost exactly like a station wagon, or a (small) hearse, to the nearest hospital in the small town of Kolbuszowa*. In the hospital we went to the elevator, opened the ancient, creaky metal gate covering it and then opened the swinging door to get in. This little hospital was dark and cramped, but the birthing room was spacious with a wall of windows overlooking the countryside.

What's more, the doctor was terrific. He mostly chatted to Greg and commented repeatedly about how well I was handling my labor (while I wanted to die). He loved that Greg wanted to be there for the birth and said they're trying to get more families to do that. They did a great job with the delivery and they even let me have my own room! Greg stayed with me the first night.

Aaron was born in the Mielec hospital and my midwife was great. The doctor on call didn't care to make an appearance until the baby was pretty much out, but I'm sort of glad because he didn't seem interested anyway and the lady there was very good.

I have felt very confident in the doctors here (in general). Despite some of the scary experiences I've had, I (obviously) don't feel terrified about having children here. People do it ALL THE TIME. So can I. (although not all the time, please. Once more will suffice for me)

Aaron was born at 8:30 am and I was starving. Lucky for me they were serving breakfast just then. I remembered after Evie had been born and they asked what I wanted to eat and drink. I could have pretty much whatever I wanted. Not in Poland, you get three "meals" a day, on their schedule.

So it was Easter morning, and I was beyond exhausted and starved and my breakfast came in the form of a stack of three slices of dry bread and one peeled, hard boiled egg slipping around on the plate (no butter, no salt, no fork or knife). Of course only hot tea to drink (this is all they serve), which I passed on, so it was my lukewarm water from my bottle.

This isn't meant to be a food log, but Greg went home and popped the caramely french toast dish (which I'd prepared just an hour or two before my water broke the night before**) from the fridge into the oven and brought me a huge dish of it, all warm and gooey and crisp and perfect. Which I ate with relish only two hours after the birth. Mmmmm. So strange the different forms bread and eggs can be served in. . .

They have ultrasound machines and some other decent equipment, but nothing like what is the norm in the US. I had an ultrasound at every doctor's visit. That's what you get when you get rid of insurance and have public health care! You also get everything else that's written in this post (except the french toast. You only get that if you visit me). (and of course America will never have holey sheets and poor furniture etc. I mean socialized health care in a poor country. I didn't mean to get all political!)

* We took my mother to see it and she was rather shocked, without even going inside. I have a picture that I need to figure out how to get up here.

**I had actually been cooking (cheesecake, seven layer bars and preparing that french toast) cleaning and filling and hiding Easter baskets right up until midnight, when I laid down in bed and my water broke. If anyone was leaving home well prepared, it was me!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Dry

Have you ever cried so hard and so long or so frequently that you found yourself constantly amazed that your body could produce so much liquid? Have you ever cried non stop for days, trying not to let the people around you see it, doing much of it from the inside? Have you ever wished that tears really were as precious as they are made out to be in poetry and that your abundant offering would somehow have at least some small impact on the people and situations you are crying for?

If so, I'm very sorry. I know how you feel.

I'm closing comments on this one. I'm okay, and I hope you are, too.