Sept 18th 2007

September 18th is Hunter Thomas Jacks' BIRTHDAY! Yes, that is the name of our new baby boy! He did not come "down the shoot" as we'd hoped, though we labored all day (the 17th) with a pitocin drip (which causes contractions) and then in another last ditch effort, broke the water manually <-- which, by the way, causes MUCH stronger contractions! Anyhow, Krista only dilated to 1 cm, 50% effacement the entire day --so we knew it was just not happenin'. So, before the water was broken (and hence a commitment made to have the baby one way or another), the doc gave us a choice to go home and see if we went into labor spontaneously within the next week OR to go ahead with a C-section. We chose the latter, OF COURSE, because we had it in our minds that we'd be going home with a baby!

We entered into the O.R. around 1:00 AM and Hunter arrived at 1:12AM! He arrived healthy as an ox, measuring 20 in and weighing in at 8 llbs and 15 oz <-- uh, let's just go ahead and say he was a 9-pounder and maybe a vaginal delivery was never quite meant to be for me! ;) When he gave his "lusty cry" Charlie brought him over to Krista, who TOTALLY out of it on drugs (we came to learn I am VERY senstitive to them), still managed to say, "Shhhh it's your Mommy, don't cry, I love you..." and you know what? Those baby books are RIGHT -- babies do know their Momma's voice right away -- and sure enough, Hunter was soothed and quieted right down!

So... the good news is that Hunter is healthy... the downside is that Krista is struggling... First, like I said before, narcotics and I don't go well together. I was extremely nauseous before the O.R. and after the O.R., vomiting several times... also the epidural didn't go smoothly as the anesthesiologist brushed a nerve and gave us a scare with some involuntary spasms and nerve pain in my right foot... to counteract the pain he game me more narcotics... in turn, the narcotics made me nauesated. Then, because the pitocin drip ran all day, my uterus didn't contract as it should have after the C-section and so Charlie and the doc tell me that I lost A LOT of blood in the O.R. which now has made me anemic. (Thanks to our parents, both sets of Hunter's grandparents, for being there for the middle-of-the-night delivery; Charlie was grateful to have their company as he waited for me while I spent 2 hrs in recovery.) Anyhow, the effects of anemia are lightheadedness, nausea, and generally feeling WEAK. I have had some pretty good success breastfeeding but it also wears me out further b/c of the anemia... I am trying to keep my head up and say "this too shall pass" but it's hard since I just want to be there for my son and yet I don't feel anywhere near to myself <-- not that anyone does 5 days after having a baby... Still, I anticipated the sleep deprivation; I had NOT anticipated the curveball of being anemic: nausea/ no strength.

But alas! THANK GOD for a husband like Charlie -- he has been absolutely AMAZING... So loving, so hands-on and so supportive despite the lack of sleep! (I am only able to write this entry b/c Charlie made some food for me that helped with the nausea; and he helps me get my meds. God bless him!) Charlie and I also VERY much appreciate the love and support of our family and friends! Thanks to all who called, visited, and wished us well, (i.e. sending flowers to the hopsital: Hil, Lisa, Jen Z. & Barbara & then brownies n' cookies, yum Lyn & Mona, and balloons, Karen...)

We were SO glad to be going home yesterday, Sept 22nd! You have NO idea... the hospital staff was GREAT but our stay at the hospital seemed to be one big revolving door of interruptions to our sleep (and poor Charlie had to sleep on that horrible fold out bed made for someone 5 ft tall, not 6 ft 2, for five nights!) And we had not seen the "light of day" since last Sunday! We went home on Saturday... felt like we'd been captive at the hospital forever... But also, maybe it felt like forever b/c we now wonder: WAS THERE LIFE BEFORE HUNTER? It seems so (according to our years of photo albums of Life Pre-Hunter) but we were NOT prepared for the overwhelming sense of love we felt for our little boy until Hunter actually arrived. We'd never really known what we were in for, but we knew we'd love the little guy... BUT the fierceness of that love took us by surprise & it is something else. (Charlie said he hasn't cried this much in 30 years! I, personally, just cry even more now...hee hee). You peeps who already were a part of the "Parent Club"... WE GET IT NOW ;)

Sorry for the LONG entry but we had almost a week to catch you folks up on.
We will update you more on homelife in our next entry!

Love to all,
Krista & Charlie & Hunter
p.s.
We didn't go home on Fri as we thought we would; instead we went home Sat afternoon. Besides Krista's anemia, Hunter was slightly jaundiced... so we thought IN CASE he needed bili lights blanket to help him, we'd be better off just staying another night. Turns out he didn't need any medication/procedure to turn himself around; he just needed to flush it all from his system over time. Yay :)