Big Sis Gift

By now you know that I was pretty worried throughout my second pregnancy on how having a new baby in the house would affect our first born.  I wondered if our relationship would change.  I wondered how she would adjust.  I wondered how we would adjust.  We are still figuring these things out, but I have been very conscious to her and her feelings and have been trying my hardest to "get back to normal" so that it seems as if nothing has changed...well, except for the fact that we now have a sidekick!  I figure the sooner we jump in as a trio, the sooner it will become our normal.  So far, so good!

Over the last few weeks, prior to Maya being born, I had been collecting various items for a little gift basket for my big girl.  I was super impressed with how it turned out and had the intention on gifting it to her when she came to visit us for the first time at the hospital for becoming a big sister.  (I figured there was going to be a lot going on, so some much needed focus on her would be good.)

A collection of lots of her favorites!

Bundled and wrapped!

Add a cute card and BOOM!  Big Sister Gift Success!

When Brian's parents called and let us know they were coming to the hospital with Kate, we both thought it would be a good idea to send Little Sis down to the nursery.  That way, when Kate came in, we could discuss getting her together, if she wanted to.  So that's where Maya headed right before Kate arrived.

When Kate saw us, we were kind of standing in our room, right at the door.  We had just dropped Maya off and I was very conscious about sitting in the hospital bed.  I didn't want to scare her.  (I had tried to think of everything.  Seriously.  My brain hurt.)

Kate came running up to me and gave me a huge hug!  I picked her up and loved on her a lot.  All was normal, except we were at the hospital.  Brian got his hug while I was holding Kate.  She didn't want to let go, and after we showed her our room, we asked her if we should bring Little Sis down to our room.  There was no hesitation.  She said, "yes.".  [Insert my heart smiling here.]

We all walked to the nursery right down the hall, Kate was still in my arms.  It wasn't too far from our room.  There were two little babies in the nursery at the time and when we asked Kate if she saw Little Sis she said, "that one," and pointed to the baby that was not ours.  We all had a little chuckle and pointed to our real Little Sister and brought her out in her rolling bassinet.  We all went to our room and parked Little Sis next to the bed.  Kate sat down with me and got comfy and we introduced Kate to Maya and Maya to Kate.  Sisters forever.

This again.

We enjoyed the moment for a few minutes, answered any questions Kate had, who, by the way, was unusually quiet, and then gave her her big sister gift.

Getting excited at all the fun stuff peeking through!

Where to begin?!

We'll start with the bow!

Reading the card!

Diving in at all the fun stuff!

While Little Sis sleeps soundly next to us!

Speaking of sisters, Kate also came to the hospital with a little butterfly that she made for Maya.  I mean, it was the sweetest!  (Thank you, Mimi, for the help with this!)  We promptly put it in Maya's bassinet to let her enjoy and kept it there for the remainder of the time we were at the hospital.

Butterfly love.

I'm so glad we put this together for Kate.  It was a nice distraction for her and me and it was nice to spend some wonderful time with her.

Leaving the hospital was hard on both of us.  Kate was sad to leave the times that she visited and I was sad to see her go.  I did my best to be a strong Mama on the outside while she was with me but the moment she was out of the door, I lost it, both times.  I'm talking crying, sobbing, tears and tissues.  At one point, one of the nurses asked me if everything was ok and checked on me several extra times.  It was sweet of her but I couldn't even get out what was wrong.  I just cried.  Brian had to explain that our older daughter just stopped by and I was sad to see her leave.  Ahh, hello, Hormones.

Becoming a Big Sister is a huge milestone.  I know that Kate is going to be wonderful!  Maya is going to love her to pieces.

Congrats, Big Sister!

Round Two

After our second little lady, Maya, was born (hence the "Round Two"), we spent two days at the hospital.  She was born in the wee hours on Wednesday morning, so we stayed until Friday.  Brian and I have nothing but positive things to say about Riverside's Labor and Delivery.  (Aside from the triage nurse but I'm not even going to go there.)

This time around, we BOTH could order meals from the room service option.  When we were in the hospital nearly three years ago with Kate only I was able to.  The nurses and assistants that worked with us on the labor and delivery floor were all so nice.  It really was a joy to be there.

I'm going to keep this relatively short and load you up with a bunch of photos but there are three distinct things that I wanted to note from our stay and labor that I noted while we were there:

1. Not having an epidural was AMAZING.  I was up and at'em the very day I had given birth to Maya.  I was able to walk around, to shower, to get things on my own, to check out my sleeping baby in the nursery while she was being checked on.  I felt great!  Trust me, I didn't mind being waited on hand and foot but knowing I was close to fully capable too made all the difference in the world.  The spinal headaches that I had with Kate were so debilitating that I was crying the day we left the hospital because I was so fearful that I couldn't manage at home.  #iwasright  #kindof

2. I had two distinct feelings/thoughts when we were in the hospital.  The first was in the wee hours of the morning.  The sun was stirring to rise, but it was early.  I laid with Maya, and, for a moment, wanted time to freeze.  I thought to myself that these moments in the hospital, where it is just her and I and Brian, with no other responsibility, are very lucky ones.  For when we get home, the plate piles full with - Kate, Jack, household chores, duties, work, cooking, playing, keeping sane, etc.  I was so peaceful in that moment, with her in my arms, while Brian slept on the sleep-couch, and the sun was barely awake.  It was a wonderful feeling.  But, just two seconds after that moment, I felt a deep sense of guilt for enjoying a moment without Kate and with her new sister.  That was my second feeling.  So I told myself to get it together, gave myself a little slap on the face for being an imbecile, and tried to get back to my moment.  Of course there are going to be moments, individually and together, that I'm going to enjoy immensely.  Of course Maya, Kate, and Brian will all experience these.  Of course I love Kate to no end.  And Maya too.  And Jack...while we're at it.  Get back to the moment, Erin.  There's not much time before you are back home and in the full swing of raising a toddler and a newborn. 

3. About a month before I had Maya, I spoke to a friend of Brian's that recently became a doula.  She had said to me, "The first child gains from your attention.  The second gains from you experience.".  This hit a serious chord with me.  I am so thankful to have heard this little bit of knowledge because I had been worried my entire pregnancy just how I was going to do it with two kiddos - how I was going to love another, how I was going to manage, how I was going to explain things to both.  But all of that worrying was for nothing.  It all works out in the end, and Maya is certainly gaining from my experience, Brian's, and big sister, Kate's, without a doubt!  She is one lucky lady!

(Ok, maybe I won't keep it short...)

All in all, our hospital stay this go around was fabulous.  It was such a pleasure to stay at Riverside.  It was a pleasure to have Kate and a lot of our other family and friends come and visit us while we were there.  It was a pleasure to be waited on hand and foot.  And it was a pleasure to be able to share in some lovely moments together.  So, without further ado, please enjoy our hospital stay in photos!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015 - Maya's Birthday!

Mimi meets her newest Granddaughter!

Kate's first visit!  More on this later!

My girls.  Love this.

Love it so much that Brian edited it and made it his phone background.
#nowthatislove

Family of four!

Kate is concerned that Maya is crying.

She already wants to help with her little sis.  Love this too.

Kate shows Maya her new Frozen "sisters" necklace!

And her new Frozen bracelet.

My first little love!

And my second!

If I didn't know better, I would swear we were having
a conversation right here.

Thursday, July 23, 2015 - Family, Family, and More Family!

Aunt Judy makes a visit!

Mommy and Daddy love.

Gramma arrives!

Gramma and PopPop that is!

PopPop gets a snuggle with his third grandgirl!

Kate comes for her second visit!

And Mimi gets another snuggle too!

Kate learns the intricacies of breastfeeding.
Seriously, not quite 3 and very intrigued.

Skin to skin with my littlest.

Raw and real.  This is love.

Friday, July 23, 2015 - Going Home Day!

Tiny little love in the morning light.

So little.

Headed home from the hospital.

Just us three hospital room selfie!

Officially going home.  You'd think this is our
first child...

Buckled and ready to go!

Snuggle bunny.

Our welcome home sign.

And our beautiful flowers that smell AMAZING!

All settled in at home as our best little sis.

Book A Hospital Stay

We were scheduled to be induced on Wednesday, July 22nd at 2 pm.  But Maya decided she wanted to come on her own time.  She was born that morning, the 22nd, at 3:56 am.  We missed our induction by 10 hours.  And when 2:00 pm that afternoon came rolling around, we were already holding our precious bundle of joy!

This is our labor and delivery story...Get some popcorn.  This is a long one.

If you recall, at our last appointment on Tuesday, my doctor said that we were a good four centimeters dilated.  By a "good four" she meant that we were nearly FIVE centimeters!  I had been having very consistent contractions all day, since 6 am that very morning, but they were very mild.  Our doctor reminded us that my previous labor was fast so this one has a very good possibility of being faster, so if my water broke or if I was having uncomfortable contractions for 30-45 minutes I was to head straight to the hospital.  She didn't think we were going to make it to our induction.  She thought we were going to go into labor that night.  And she was right.  On EVERYTHING.  This is why I love my doctor.  And this is also why I'm going to date and time stamp as you will see below.

On Tuesday night, Brian's Mom, Mary, came down to stay the night at our house based on the fact that my doctor thought we'd be going into labor that night.  Brian and I both figured that even if we didn't go into labor, at least Mary was there in the morning to see our normal routine.  It couldn't hurt to have her there, so down she came.

Tuesday, 07/21/15 - 7:30 pm

Kate and I were running around the yard, playing.  I was semi-chasing her, trying to get her ball and she was giggling like there was no tomorrow!  It was all a normal summer night at the Hendricks Household.  (I would end up watching this video and hearing her little laugh no less than 57 times at the hospital...)

We explained to Kate that Mimi was going to stay the night at our house tonight.  We had been very open with Kate about Mommy giving birth to Little Sister and that Mimi or Gramma would be here with her while Mommy and Daddy were at the hospital.  We let her know that Mimi would be with her in the morning if Mommy and Daddy weren't.  And if we weren't, that meant we were at the hospital where Little Sister was being born.

We got Kate to bed and we were all hanging out in the living room, cuddled on the couch, chatting and semi-timing stronger contractions!  Around 10:30-11:00 pm, we all headed to bed.  I think the last time I looked at the clock it said 11:05 pm.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 1:55 am

I woke up at the tail end of a pretty strong contraction.  My water had just broken.  I looked at the clock.  It said 1:55 am and I woke Brian up.  (Why do these sorts of things always happen in the middle of the night?!)

Brian went downstairs to wake his Mom up to let her know that my water had broken and we were headed to the hospital while I changed and breathed through a couple of stronger contractions.  They were already 3-4 minutes apart.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:00 am

We hopped in the car and headed to the hospital.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:12 am

We arrived at the hospital, valet parked, and headed up to the Labor and Delivery floor.  We got off on the wrong floor but then we made it.  I breathed through several more stronger contractions while Brian got us checked in.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:20 am

The nurses admitted us to the triage room where they were going to check to see if we were in "active" labor.  We both tried to explain that I had a fast labor the first time but no one listened.  There was one nurse that didn't want to hear any stories, she just wanted to know if I wanted an epidural.  My answer all three times she asked was, "I don't know.".  And each time she kind of rolled her eyes and walked away.

(Side note: I received spinal headaches with my first labor from the epidural that I received.  I hadn't wanted to get an epidural the first time but didn't know what I was in for and decided to get it.  These headaches were THE WORST and really put a cloud over what otherwise should have been one of the happiest times in my life for two weeks!  I didn't want to go through that again, but I still wasn't sure if I could have a natural labor myself.  I'll admit, I was downright scared of what kind of pain I'd be in.)

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:23 am

Brian and I took our last parents-of-one selfie together while we waited in the triage room to get checked out.  They wanted to see if my water had really broken and how far along I was.

Soon-to-be proud parents of TWO lovely girls!

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:25 am

I was dressed in my gown and my contractions were getting stronger.  I was getting nervous that we weren't in a real room and I was completely annoyed with the nurse who kept asking about the epidural.

Baby's a comin'!

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:35 am

The triage nurse confirmed my water had broken, thought there may have been a bit of meconium but she wasn't entirely sure and admitted us since we were in "active" labor.  No shit, Sherlock.  When she performed my internal exam she said I was SIX centimeters dilated!

Oh, side note, this same nurse poked me three times to get an IV started in me AFTER I mentioned that I have small veins.  (She sounds like a real winner, doesn't she?)

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 2:40 am

We were admitted to a real labor and delivery room.  Thank goodness, and got a real nurse who was so nice!  I breathed a heavy sigh of relief.  She also asked about my thoughts on an epidural.  When I told her my story, she respected that I didn't have a decision just yet and told me to keep in mind that it takes about 45 minutes for the anesthesiologist to come administer the epidural if I decided to get one.  That was fine with me.  She had said to just let her know if I felt the urge to push.

She was in and out of the room a couple of times, gathering supplies, checking on her other patients, and told us to make ourselves at home.  I continued to breathe through real contractions.

When she came back in and performed my internal exam I was SEVEN centimeters dilated!

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 3:05 am

Our labor and delivery nurse was checking us in, like, literally taking our information to be "admitted".  My contractions were very strong, but, unlike my first labor, I actually had a little break between them where I could breathe for a minute and regroup.  I was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed and could not get comfortable to save my life.  Brian said over and over, "In through the nose.  Out through the mouth.".  (I should engrave that on a bracelet with as many times as he said it.  I think I asked him to stop at one point but I think it was his own way of comforting himself too.)

Now, you'll have to excuse the time stamps because the rest was a complete blur to me.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - sometime between 3:11 am and 3:45 am

While our nurse was still checking us in, I had a particularly strong contraction.  And I had said to the nurse, that I would like to go ahead and get the epidural.  The last time I remember looking at the clock I think it said 3:11 am or some time around there.

I was laboring through very strong contractions when all of a sudden I felt an extreme urge to push.  I didn't feel that at all with my first labor, so this took me completely by surprise.  I had said to the nurse that I had to push, she was still admitting us, and she said, "don't push.".  She didn't want me pushing unless I was 10 centimeters and ready to go.  She attempted to check my cervix for my dilation but was unable because I was wriggling and trying to push...she called for another nurse to come in and help and that's when they realized that this baby was-a-coming. 

Our nurse said something into her little call button and out of nowhere there was a whole team of people in the room.  I want to say there were seven people, but I was pretty incoherent and had my eyes closed for the majority of this time.

At this point, I was pushing.  I felt every single thing.  The anesthesiologist had not yet arrived.  Through each contraction, I pushed a little more, and then our baby was born.

Just like that.

It was 3:56 am.  Literally, two hours and one minute before that I was at home sleeping in bed when my water broke.  Our baby came INSANELY fast and it made me feel so grateful that we live close to our hospital.

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 3:56 am

We delivered our baby.  There were still a lot of people in the room but oddly enough, once our baby was out of my body, every ounce of pain went away just like that.  It was incredible.  I just laid on the hospital bed with my eyes closed in exhaustion.  I had so many thoughts running through my head.  Mainly, "I can't believe I can't even open my eyes to see her [our newest baby]."  I felt so bad, but every time I tried I just had to lay back and close them again.

Right when our baby was born, I recall someone saying, "She's here!".  And I distinctly remember asking, "What's her name?".  At least in my incoherency I still had jokes.  That same person said, "You tell us!".  Brian, who was standing to my right, and I looked at each other and said, "Maya?", kind of at the same time.

And Maya it was.

❤  Maya Harper Hendricks.  Our little love.  ❤

Wednesday, 07/22/15 - 4:05 am

Another nurse came in and inquired about a call to the anethesiologist.  Our nurse had said to cancel it - the baby was here.  Shortly after that, the doctor on call arrived to deliver my placenta.  It was then that I learned that the resident on call delivered Maya.  We had gone into labor so quickly that the doctor didn't even have time to get to us.  Yes, you read that right.

Once Maya was checked over, they gave her to me, bundled us both up and we had a lot of skin to skin time!  Girlfriend was already hungry because she started suckling on my collar bone while we were snuggling and left me two little hickey marks while my placenta was being delivered I was being stitched back up.  I had a second degree laceration, the same as when I gave birth to Kate, and I figured I'd hold off on breastfeeding until my nether regions were done being fiddled with.  I can't believe I just typed that.  I figured one thing at a time.

Maya took to breastfeeding right away and stayed cozy in my arms for the next hour, aside from Brian having a little hold!

Daddy's second little girl!

When I started asking questions, I learned the following:

-When the second nurse came into check me, Maya's head was visible, so there was no checking needed, just anyone who could spare a hand, and that is who was called to our room.
-The resident on call delivered Maya.  The doctor was still on her way.  Maya came faster than the doctor could be called to get to the room.
-The resident on call was attempting to deliver my placenta.  I don't even remember if it was a he or she, but I remember quite a bit of uncomfortable tugging and pulling.  When the doctor got there, there was a little lesson on placenta delivery.  She had explained to the resident that the way he or she was performing the placenta delivery prior was incorrect and the cord could easily break off leaving the placenta inside me.  The doctor had a much smoother approach and delivered my placenta intact and showed the resident the proper way of placenta handling.  #thanksdoc

Dr. Melissa Boyles was on call and she was also a wonderful
doctor.  Like I have mentioned, every doctor in this practice
is top notch.

-Apparently I pushed for three minutes and out baby came.  THREE MINUTES!  My body was made for babies.  I am so thankful and grateful for this.

Everything happened so quickly.  It was a complete 180 from my previous birthing experience, but as it should be.  When I had Kate I did receive an epidural.  After I had received the epidural, I didn't feel a thing.  It was peaceful and serene and quiet.  When the doctor told me to push, I pushed.  I was coherent.  The lights were low and out came Kate.  I was able to watch the whole thing.

The only word I have to describe Maya's birth is barbaric.  Yes, barbaric.  Sorry, love.  I didn't have an epidural.  I felt everything.  I couldn't open my eyes.  I was not coherent.  And then we had our baby, and all the pain melted away and all I felt was love.  Pure, unadulterated love.

It took me a little while to regain lucidity after she was born.  I recall laying there with my eyes closed with Maya on my chest - just soaking up each other's warmth and reconnecting after such precipitous trauma.

Reconnecting.  Love.

There is nothing better than this.

They weighed and measured her at 5:17 am.  Neither Brian or I were sure why they waited to do this, but she weighed in at 8 lbs. and 3 oz. and she was 20" long.

My baby.

An hour after I gave birth to Maya, our nurse asked me to get up and use the bathroom.  Literally, an hour.  I remember this clearly because I remember looking at her, like, "Lady, do you know I just had a baby?!".  I got up out of the bed with her assistance, walked over to the bathroom, and went.  She had said that she wanted to make sure that I was able to urinate before they took us to the postpartum room.  I was appreciative that she was being thorough.

We got to our postpartum room and Maya was sent to the nursery for a bath and a once over.  It seemed like forever that they had her down there.  Both Brian and I inquired as to where she was.  She was in good hands but they weren't our hands and we wanted her there.  As soon as she was done she rarely left our side.

Around 7:15-7:30 am, while Maya was getting her bath and check-up, my normal doctor came in to check on me since her shift had just started.  She checked my incision, asked me how I was, checked my legs for any blood clots, and pressed on my abdomen to see if my uterus was contracting back to its normal size.  All looked wonderful and when she read how quickly Maya was born she said, "If you guys decide to go for baby number three, just book a hospital stay!".

Book a hospital stay.  We laughed but then agreed.  They say that subsequent labors tend to go quicker.  Our first labor was 5-6 hours.  Our second was 2.  I couldn't have said it better myself.

So there you have it.  Our labor and delivery story.

When Maya was ready to be born, she and I worked hard together to make it happen.  There was no turning back.  I am extremely proud and impressed with my ability to handle childbirth naturally and should a third baby grace our lives, I would like to say that I wouldn't even consider an epidural.

...But we'll cross that bridge when we get there!

Our second little love!  Welcome to the world, Maya.
WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!