Welcome to the world, Baby Adam

I don't even know where to begin! This past week has been the most wild and rewarding ride of my life. It's hard to believe that our little man was born a week ago (and some change) already. They aren't kidding when they say that time flies when it comes to your children. I just keep staring at Adam so that I don't miss a minute.

This post has the potential to be long, so I'll split it up so you can skip parts as needed. :-)

Pre-labor

Well, I suppose I could start with last Wednesday -- the day after I said here that I was sure I'd be pregnant forever. I actually woke up with contractions quite close together (though I wasn't timing them) early in the morning, but I wasn't positive that that's what I was feeling. I walked around, felt great, and decided I would go to my yoga class. I continued to feel contractions throughout class, but I brushed them off as they were neither regular nor severe. I came home, ate a snack, and went to pick up Miss A from school around 12:15 because it was an early dismissal day. Exhausted and a little uncomfortable, J and I thought it'd be best if I picked him up then so he could take the car and I wouldn't have to worry about driving later in the evening. As I was driving, I noticed that the surges that I'd been feeling were about five minutes apart. Even though I was four days overdue, I was in denial that this could be the real thing. After all, at my doctor's visit the day before I was still not dilated at all. I continued to time them all the way to J's job -- still every five minutes. On the way home, every five minutes. But they were so bearable that I still thought, "No way." J was dancing around, getting excited ... I was still in denial.

I timed the surges sporadically. I drank water, laid down and at one point I even filled out my NCAA bracket (which might explain why it looks the way it does right now!). Instead of going back to work, J decided that, in light of the contractions I was blowing off, he should probably stay. I called my mom, who was on standby to hop a plane as soon as she got word. I was still unconvinced, but she and J urged me to call the doctor's office to confirm whether I was having real contractions. I finally called around 3:45 p.m. and they told me to come in -- immediately!

The three of us left the house with our overnight bags, just in case. The doctor checked -- I was definitely feeling contractions, my water had started to break and I was finally 1 cm dilated. He sent me to the hospital -- straight to the hospital; do not pass Go; do not collect $200. We were definitely going to have a baby. But, we still had Miss A in tow! So, instead of going to the hospital just a couple blocks away from the doctor's office, we first battled rush hour traffic to meet up with the family who'd be taking care of her. We also called my mom to tell her to get on a plane and get ready to meet her grandbaby. It was finally starting to hit me.

By the time we made it back to the hospital, a staff member told us that the doctor's office had already called to see if we'd made it. LOL. We were quickly admitted and assigned a room. It was so surreal. I walked around, rested, loaded up on water. The surges were still quite mild and they weren't doing much to really get labor going.

Kick start

We were watching the American Idol results show by the time the doctor came to check on me. He was the third doctor I'd seen that week since my doctor was on vacation and he just so happened to be one I hadn't met yet. I was trying to pay attention to what he was saying, but Stevie Wonder was performing on the results show and there was a certain contestant I really wanted to get kicked off! (He went home this week instead.) Anyway, Dr. T helped move labor along and I finally started to really feel the contractions. J and I walked around the hospital some more.

...

This is getting long, so to make it short(er), at about 2:00 a.m. I happily accepted the dreaded epidural that I'd previously sworn off. It helped me sleep off the long day that I'd had and let my body finish doing its work. Besides, we knew we were in for a long night.

I had to lie on my left side for most of the night because the baby's cord seemed to be getting clamped with each contraction in any other position. As J tells it, there were some nerve-racking moments, but alhamdulliah, the baby was OK. By 9:00 a.m., I was finally fully dilated and the doctor gave me the go-ahead to push. I was so excited! Also, I knew my mom was landing any minute and there was a chance she'd be there in time for the birth.

Despite the epidural, I could feel all of the pressure of the baby's head and I was able to push with what Dr. T and the nurse called "tremendous effort." However, after three hours, the baby hadn't budged. At all. Knowing that I really wanted a normal birth, the doc and the nurse encouraged me to keep pushing if I wanted to, but they started hinting at the "C" word. I asked J to call his frat brother who's an OB just to get a second opinion, and as I suspected, he agreed. He said that if the baby hadn't moved by then, it probably wasn't going to happen. He also said that I'd be surprised at how quick the recovery would be. I could push if I wanted to, but ...

So, I shed a few silent tears and then decided it was time to meet our baby. The nurses prepped me so quickly and the OR was ready to go before we were. I was wheeled down the hall and lifted onto the table. A bunch of friendly eyes peered out of surgical masks and muffled voices introduced themselves and said what role they would play in the operation. I was doped up, the drape was lifted and J was brought in. At 12:49, the most beautiful little conehead I'd ever seen was held over the drape for me to see. J finally was able to release the secret he'd been keeping since Week 20, "It's a boy," he said. Then he proceeded to repeat, "He's a monster. He's a monster!" It was because of the baby's size, and he did look big. I heard little Adam's lungs working in perfect order as he cried over the hustle and bustle of the OR. I heard J quietly recite the Adhan (call to prayer) to the baby. And I heard Dr. T and the rest of the staff talk amongst themselves. I couldn't see anything.

Finally, J brought our son over to me, a few pictures were snapped, I kissed the baby on the forehead and they were whisked off to the nursery.

I sort of dozed off as I was put back together, but I could still hear the doctors and nurses chattering. At one point, they took a poll guessing how big Little A was. After I was all stitched up, they recalled their guesses as one nurse called the nursery to see who was closest. "8 lbs 1 oz," she announced. Dr. T was high by 7 oz and I was still in shock that such a big boy had been living inside of me. (Explains the intermittent back pain!)

Recovery

I was stuck in the recovery room for at least an hour, but it seemed like an eternity since I couldn't talk to J or see the baby. The nurse at my side was friendly and told me how she fell in love all over again with each of her three sons. I am definitely starting to understand what she meant.

The three nights in the hospital were the most physically demanding I've ever known. I was scared about not being able to move around much and doing so with pain when I did. But the nurses were awesome, though the clear-liquids-only diet was not, and J and my mom took shifts to stay with me and Little A. We were kept entertained by the NCAA tournament and the hospital's very informative baby channel. It was great "rooming-in" with the baby; it was a nice chance to bond under the care and supervision of knowledgeable hospital staff. I was so excited and nervous to go home, but it was a relief to get out of that building and be somewhere more familiar.

Home at last

Each day is getting better and I think I'm slowly getting the hang of this mommy thing. J is the pro I knew he would be. I couldn't have asked for a better labor coach. He kept his cool and kept me calm, focused and encouraged. Now that Adam is here, it is a blessing to see J interact with his son. He is so patient and gentle. Of course, he is still trying to do too much and be Superman, but that's what makes him even more special. He always goes above and beyond. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but seeing them together now really makes me excited about watching Adam grow up with such a great father, insha'Allah. Little A also has a great big sister who has been more patient and understanding than we could ever have asked for. Sometimes it's hard to remember that she is only six because she can be wise beyond her years. We don't give her the credit she deserves often enough. She is very loving and always shows her concern for my recovery and for the baby. And what can I say about my mom? I don't know what we would have done without her help. My recovery is taking longer than we'd anticipated because of the c-section. Her presence has been invaluable.

We're all just taking it one day at a time and adjusting to our new life. I'm getting sort of Miss America-ish with my acknowledgements here, so I'll wrap it up. I just want to thank everyone for their love, well-wishes, words of encouragement and prayers. They mean more to us than you'll ever know. Little Tater has graduated to the world outside and he is thriving, alhamdullilah.

Read more here ...

Checking in

I'm in the midst of writing an epic-length post, but I'm getting sleepy so it'll have to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime here's a picture for your viewing pleasure. :-)

Sending our thanks westward

Late last month, my dad was called into a meeting by some of the members of his staff. But to his surprise, and mine, it wasn't a meeting at all. They threw him a Grandfather's Shower and loaded him up with baby stuff!

Thank you so much to everyone who took part in this special surprise. We just can't express how appreciative we are to all of the admissions office for thinking of the new grandpapa and our family and for blessing us with your generosity! I can't imagine how thrilled he must have been to be remembered like this. I'd been waiting for pictures to share before I posted, and now I have them. There are a few here, and be sure to check out our album for even more.

Pictures

Hi all! Mommy is very, very tired, but she wanted to post some pictures of her growing boy! We are all doing very well. Thank you so much for all of the prayers and well wishes. I promise I will update soon with the details. But, for now, I'm going to catch up on some rest while I can.

Finally, a baby!

Alhumdulillah, Allahu Ar-Razzaq, Al Khaliq (Praise God, God the Provider, the Creator) has bestowed on us a healthy baby boy. We are happy to announce the birth of our son and baby brother, Adam Yusuf. He was born at 12:49 pm, March 16, 2006. He weighed 8 lbs 1 oz and was 21 inches long. It is eerie, he looks just like K's maternal grandmother. Thanks so much for the prayers and good wishes throughout this journey.

As you mothers know, labor is rarely an uncomplicated process. We had some tough moments, but baby and Mom are doing great. I will leave it to K to give a more detailed description later if she likes. She has done such a good job expressing our prayers, hopes and frustrations throughout I dont want to interrupt the flow.

This picture was taken about 5 minutes after delivery. We will post more pictures soon God willing.

JT

We're here!

We finally checked into the hospital at about 5:00 pm today! K has been feeling contractions since ~5 am. The doctor advised us to go to the hospital once they could be felt for one hour at 5 minute intervals. However, Mrs. Abiade decided to endure ~5 hours of contractions 4-6 minutes apart! Keep us in your prayers. Insha'Allah (God Willing) we will have a bouncing baby boy or girl in the morning.

~J

It's official

Yup. I'm going to be pregnant for the rest of my life. I'm going to be taking Tater to kindergarten in my belly. I'm convinced.

So, yeah, we had another doctor's appointment today and the full moon is tonight and there no sign that Mr. or Miss Tater wants to join us out here yet. S/he is chillin'. Actually, s/he is dancing in my pelvis ... but baby seems to be quite comfortable in there. The full moon didn't even work in our favor tonight. (Not yet anyway!)

Get this: the ultrasound estimate puts the baby at 8lbs 8oz!!! Can you imagine? It almost made me reconsider waiting this thing out! But, I've read that the later ultrasounds can be less accurate, so we shall see.

But seriously, the baby looks healthy, thank God, and we are super happy about that! There is plenty of fluid to support baby and it seems that we can make it until next Saturday if we need to. I'm still going to be out walking like there's no tomorrow though. I'm am going out of my mind with eagerness, but I'm trying to be patient and accept that this is completely out of our hands!

Further, I've decided that "due dates" should be banned. I mean, how many moms give birth on the actual due date? They should give you a range, like, "You can expect to give birth sometime in 2006." That way there is no disappointment as each day past the due date comes and goes. OK, maybe just giving a year would be too broad, but it might make sense to say "sometime in mid- to late-March." I could handle that. So, our due date is no longer March 11. Our expected time of delivery is sometime this month, insha'Allah. How about that?!

Wasteful baby

OK, so I'm still waiting. In the meantime, I've been giving a lot of thought to how another human -- no matter how small -- can have a really big and really negative impact on our environment. :-( According to the Sierra Club, one American consumes as much energy as:

- 2.1 Germans
- 12.1 Columbians
- 28.9 Indians
- 127 Haitians
- 395 Ethiopians

I believe it. The temperature crept toward 80 degrees today and I rushed to blast the A/C! I'm sure that even our new little American will outdo most of his/her global counterparts in the consumption department, despite our best efforts. Our lifestyle just makes us so numb to how much energy and how many resources we use.

All of the baby books say that a newborn can use 10-12 diapers in ONE day! That's as many as 372 in one month. 372!!!!!!!!!!! Can you imagine how much plastic and cotton that is?!?!?! What'ts more, most of these disposable diapers have these special gels that do wonders locking away wetness from baby, but they also do wonders preserving baby's #1s and #2s for decades and decades! I don't know ... the idea of my child's waste still being locked up in little diaper nuggets in some landfill when my great-great-granchildren are alive is a little unsettling. :-( Even the environmentally friendly brand Seventh Generation makes diapers that seal away and preserve. (Their environmental angle is their chlorine-free status.)

Of course, there is always cloth diapering, but you still have to consider the amount of water waste and the amount of laundry detergent that will end up in rivers and streams. What's a mommy to do? I know it's silly, but the diapering issue is really weighing on me. I guess I'll chalk it up to that liberal California upbringing I had! LOL

Well, there are always these cool flushable diapers -- even though they are nearly a meeeelion dollars! Gah! I'm definitely going to try them when I get to Cali, though, even if I can only afford a week's worth!

Well, there's full moon tomorrow, so send us some labor vibes! Ha ha! Until then, I'll be calculating the environmental impact of wipes, diapers, detergent, baby clothes, bibs, cotton balls .... blah, blah, blah, blah. :-)

Still going!

Hi all. 40 weeks today and still pregnant. I'm exhausted but otherwise doing very well. We're super eager to meet this child, but it's not unusual for pregnancies to continue to 42 or even 43 weeks! (Oy vey!) I'll post an update Tuesday. :-) Nighty night!

Week 40 Developments

Baby's Age: 38 Weeks
Baby's Legnth: 19-21 inches*
Baby's Weight: 6 ¾ to 10 pounds*

*If Tater is a boy, then he is most likely on the larger side of these ranges, because on average boys are bigger than girls.

Baby’s bones have become hard, with the exception of his/her skull. The bones in the skull need to remain soft and pliable for delivery so that they can overlap as they pass through the birth canal. Because a newborn’s skull is designed this way, baby’s head may have a cone appearance for the first several days of life. (I guess that's why they say c-section babies have prettier heads. LOL) The baby will actually have two soft spots, or fontanelles, on their head which allow for an easier delivery. The front fontanelle will become hard between the eighth and fifteenth month of life. The back fontanelle becomes hard between the third and fourth month.

The waiting game

OK, the baby must have heard me say that I can wait for his/her arrival. J, Tater and I went to the doctor today and there is no sign that the s/he is coming by Saturday, the original due date. The funny thing is that the doctor is going on vacation for a week starting Monday, and we may even be able to hold out until she returns!

In the meantime we've got an ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday and another test scheduled for next Thursday, just to make sure that everything is A-OK. We're even on the books for an appointment on the 21st! I am really thankful that Dr. C is willing to hold out until 42 weeks because I am really trying to avoid induction. The idea of synthetic hormones to get things moving is not one that settles well with me. (Plus, I've heard it is quite intense!) I'd really like to give the baby the opportunity to do his/her thing, even if it means waiting until March 25. Also, it seems that c-sections occur more often after first-time moms are induced, and that is something that I really don't want.

But, enough about what I don't want! I know that the most important thing is that the baby is healthy, so I need to be less rigid about my wants and just trust that God has this all planned out. Thankfully, everything is good health-wise with the baby and with me. That makes it much easier to wait and feel like we have the freedom to be flexible. I pray that this span of well-being continues.

Having said all of that, I'm starting to feel like I'll be pregnant forever. Right now, it's really hard to imagine being any other way. I know that eventually this baby will come, insha'Allah. But, the day seems so far. My mom points out that that could be because I have been couting down to Saturday since September. Perhaps. But, it also means I'm going to have to wait even longer to know if this baby is a boy or a girl. I don't remember signing up for extra weeks of suspense!

So, yeah. Still pregnant. Unless something drastic happens soon, I'll be here -- still blogging.

I changed my mind

I think I'm going to miss being pregnant. I'm no longer in a hurry to get this baby out. Pregnancy is such an amazing time for bonding -- such an intimate, undescribable experience. I'm not sure I'm ready to move on to the next phase just yet! Besides, every parent marvels about how quickly kids grow up -- one day they're born, the next they're off to college. So, no rush, kid. Take your time. I'm going to savor these last few days and do my best to take care of us both while we figure out how to pay your tuition! Ha ha!

Week 39 Developments

Baby's Age: 37 Weeks
Baby's Weight: 6.5-8 pounds
Baby's Length: 18-20.5 inches

Tater is continuing to grow and working on the layer of fat underneath his/her skin. This is an important part of baby'’s ability to regulate his/her body temperature once they are born. Baby is also beginning to form new skin cells which will replace older skin cells. At this point, your baby is ready for life outside of the womb. He or she actively practices sucking and breathing reflexes.

Still pregnant

I went to the doctor yesterday and, yes, I am still pregnant. Part of me was hoping that they'd send me directly to Women's Hospital. :-) But, I don't even seem close! Baby and I had a long talk yesterday morning before our appointment and I really thought we had an understanding, but I guess not. It's funny ... who do I think I am believing that I'll go early with my first baby? Everyone always talks about how first-time moms are typically late ... so it could be a minute. Gahhhhhh!

It's starting to look and feel like Spring around here. Some of the trees have pretty little white and pink blossoms and the temperature has been comfortable in the 70s. No rain and a nice breeze that floats through our open windows. Seems like a great time to bring a baby home, doesn't it?!

(By the way, my rib doesn't feel broken anymore. Hooray!)

OK, it's March

I really never thought I'd reach the point where I would be saying, "I'm soooo ready." But, truthfully, I am. I mean, you're never fully prepared for something like childbirth and parenting, right? So, we might as well get this show on the road! I know throughout this blog, I've been inconsistent and infrequent with my posts, but now I must feel like if I blog every other day, the baby will come sooner. LOL

First, I am too eager to meet this little child who has been residing within me. I'm ready to identify him or her by name and not "It." Plus, a little Gap package that J ordered arrived last week and I am not allowed to open since it would give away the secret of Tater's gender. Then another truth-telling package arrived today. I know it was my decision not to find out, but it's taking a lot of strength not to cave and rip the packages open!

Second, the poor kid seems to be running out of room and I know I am running out of space for him or her. I feel little stretches as if Tater is trying to break out but then just gives up. :-( Also, if either of us grow much more, I'm going to have to wear J's shirts. The few that I can still wear don't seem to have much more room to give.

Third, I'm getting a little stir-crazy. OK, there is a pile of dishes that I could tend to, but aside from that I'm a little bored. I'm sure there are things that I could do, but I don't really want to. I've washed, fluffed and folded all of the baby clothes and blankies and all of the baby's things have been organized and re-organized. Sooooo...now all we need is the baby. LOL. Besides, because of my ginormous stomach, it hurts my back to do dishes these days. :-)

Fourth, things -- like sleeping, walking, yoga -- are getting hard. I struggled though yoga today. It's really hard to make the "mind/body" connection when the body doesn't want to cooperate. (The next frame after this picture, I ungracefully teeter to the left -- still biting my lip. LOL) And I'm really looking forward to getting good, comfortable sleep, even if it is only for one or two hours at a time.

That's enough rambling for one day, I suppose. I know I'm singing a totally different tune than before. Maybe after tomorrow's doctor's appointment, it'll be something else entirely.