Welcome Jason!

As those on Facebook now by now, we welcomed baby Jason Lawrence Berger into the world one week ago, at 2 PM on Thursday, December 8th!  Jason weighed in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long.

After over a week in early labor, I started to feel more intense contractions last Wednesday, the 7th, when I was exactly 38 weeks along.  I decided to head to the Del Amo mall to see if I could find some Christmas gifts and also see if the contractions subsided with walking.  They did not and by the end of my short trip to the mall, I was pretty sure that I was in labor for real this time.  I picked Lily up from aftercare at 5, fed her & bathed her quickly and then took a shower myself so I would be fresh and clean for the hospital if it came to that.  As the night went on and contractions became more intense, my Mom came over and Matt and I left for the hospital at around 11:30.

Since I was finally further dilated than before (I hadn't been at the prior day's checkup), they admitted me to the hospital.  We were relieved that we weren't being turned around again!  I labored on my own for the rest of the night and got my epidural at around 10 AM.  Honestly, it's all kind of a blur so I'm a little hazy on timing.  All I know is that the doctor who gave me the epidural & my 2 nurses, Heather and Leah are goddesses.  The staff had a slight scare when I fainted due to a blood pressure drop after getting the epidural but Matt (and then I, once I came to) assured them that fainting wasn't really that big a deal for me and has become sort of par for the course when I'm sick or dehydrated.  The rest of the morning felt almost divine since I wasn't in pain or even discomfort and didn't have to pee for the first time in 9 months!  My water even broke on its own (it didn't with Lil), which was a weird and funny experience.

I woke up from a nap at around 12:30 feeling like we were getting close to pushing time, only to find my nurse and Matt gone.  Apparently I was so fast asleep that Matt took the opportunity to go grab a sandwich for lunch.  I texted him to get back quickly so we could get going.  We let the nurse know at around 1:30, started pushing at 1:49 and Jason was born at 2.

They put him on my chest immediately and he was perfect!  But mothers' glasses are apparently rosy because Matt said it was clear right away that he was pretty blue.  The nurses started rubbing him with blankets and trying to warm him up but his color wasn't improving so they took him to the little cradle and tried some more tricks to get his circulation going and also get him to cry (he came out quietly, just like his big sis) and clear his lungs.  However, he was resistant so they called in the NICU nurses as a precaution.  For about 15 minutes the NICU nurses tried to help him in the room but he still wasn't improving.  They let me hold him for another minute and then whisked him away to the NICU.  I had to stay behind for recovery but Matt was able to go with him and hold his hand.

I wasn't clear on what was going on so I expected to have him brought back to me imminently.  Unfortunately, Matt texted me that there was no ETA since his oxygen numbers were still low even on the nose canula.  I was starting to worry but Matt clandestinely Face Timed me so I could see that he was OK, even with the nose canula, a small tube in his mouth and an IV in his arm.  By 3:30 we got the news that Jason would need to stay in the NICU for 12-24 hours.  Luckily, I was able to go to the NICU and see him shortly after then.  It was really hard to see him hooked up to all of those tubes (especially the mouth tube because he was clearly uncomfortable and trying to choke it up) but he was so chunky and healthy otherwise that we knew he would be OK.  The nurses were really positive from the start but they did warn us that his stay could be up to 5 days because he may need a full course of antibiotics to ward off infection from the fluid in his lungs.  Lily came to visit with my parents and was really bummed that she couldn't see him (kids weren't allowed in the NICU because of flu season) but I was able to get some cuddles in with her.

Matt and I slept in my room on Thursday night and were able to see Jason on Friday morning.  I was even able to nurse him a bit.  We saw him throughout Friday and on Friday night got the good news that he would be able to go home on Saturday, when I was due to be discharged, if his chest x-ray and a few other tests came back normal.  On Saturday morning the doctor told me that he was cleared for discharge except for 2 pending tests which she expected would be normal.  I was so happy I started crying.  I can't say enough wonderful things about the NICU and Labor & Delivery staff at UCLA.  They were just phenomenal.  In particular Jason had 2 nurses, Pat and Cheryl, who traded shifts with him, who were so caring and loving with him (and with me!) that we felt almost good about the whole situation.  Of course we would have preferred to have him with us but they made a bad situation seem better.

We spend Saturday with him, holding him, nursing and waiting and finally at around 4 PM got the good news that he could go home with us.  By the time we got to Hermosa it was already almost 6 PM.

Seeing Lily with him for the first time was amazing.  She was so taken with him and I swear, he could recognize her voice. He opened his eyes and looked straight at her with wonder.  She gave him a bottle right away and even sang him a special song that she and Grandpa Tom had written for him.

The week since has been pretty amazing.  Jason is a great eater and sleeper, aside from a few fussy patches here and there.  I've even been able to get a few hours of work done each day this week.  I didn't expect to check in at work at all for at least 2 weeks but he's been so easy that it hasn't been a big deal at all.  We're starting to get into a rhythm and gearing up for the holidays!  Lily and Matt have a daddy-daughter date to see the new Star Wars film tonight; Lily is too excited for words.

Holding him before they whisked Jason off to the NICU.

Love at first sight on Saturday evening!

Giving Jason a bottle on Sunday morning.  We had to supplement with formula before my milk came in to show the NICU staff that he could eat on his own, without the IV.  I was a little bummed but it ended up being nice because Lily and Matt were both able to participate in feedings for a few days.

On Sunday, looking a lot like Daddy in my opinion.

Giving smiles after nursing on Sunday.  This baby smiles a lot!  I don't remember Lily smiling until she was about a month old but this little guy seems a little more happy-go-lucky than his contemplative big sis.

Milk coma yesterday morning.

Rocking the baby sling yesterday.

Family selfie this morning.  I love how we all so tired.  No one in this family is a morning person!

Taking Jason for his first walk this afternoon when we met Jim for lunch at Malibu Fish Grill around the corner.  He slept the entire time!  I felt like a normal adult again, talking about firm stuff, politics, holiday plans and things other than the timing of nursing, the color of Jason's poops and whether Lily's homework was done.  It also felt nice to get moving again after a fairly sedentary week of recuperating from labor.  I'm still not 100% but I'm off the painkillers except for the occasional motrin, so I'm getting there.