He is my new Latin love, my little Argentinian Dulce de Leche. I would eat him up if my sister would let me.
Cedric is not mine. He belongs to my sister, Sally, and her husband, Gino. Cedric decided to join the world at 42 weeks! Sally was gracious enough to share her pregnancy with me, even inviting me to the birth.
I love birth. In my next life, I will be a labor and delivery nurse. I really tried hard to maintain space and boundaries. After all, it wasn't my birth. I was in awe of Sally as she crept past 11 days late. I even called her to make sure she was okay. Her level of zen scared me. Most women in her place are just a puddle of tears.
Sally and Gino went in over the weekend to begin induction. Her body seemed in no hurry to go into labor. I kept myself busy with my own family, waiting to hear that labor was at a point where my support would be welcomed. They went into the hospital at 8 am, but I didn't join them until 9:30 pm. Gino was a rock, taking care of Sally.
Sally was tired, but in good spirits. As the evening wore on, Sally's body continued to resist labor. At the same time, the monitors showed the baby's heart decelerating more frequently. I was really impressed with the midwife. She was so caring and earnest, not over-reactive, but as a new reality set in, she still gave Sally options -- a controlled c-section or a strong possibility of an emergency c-section. Sally was calm and rationale. She recognized that she was barely contracting, she wasn't in labor and that things were not headed in a good direction. The doula and I left the room so Sally and Gino could make a decision. The midwife joined us out in the hall.
When we returned, Sally was crying but knew that her baby needed her to have a c-section. I was surprised by how quickly the staff of the hospital mobilized.
This is me telling Sally that I'm so proud of her and that I'm so sorry this is happening right now.
The doula and Gino went into the delivery room. As much as I may have wanted to be in there, it wasn't my place. My camera went instead. I used the opportunity to sleep for a few minutes since it was 3 am. The doula took some great pics.
This pic of the three of them is one of my favorites.
I held back tears when the nurses wheeled Sally and Cedric into the room. Sally's first words to me were, "You can't hold him. I just got him." Duh. I wasn't going to even ask. I knew I would get to eventually when Sally was ready. It's HER baby. I was just so incredibly happy for the both of them. I gave Gino the biggest hug. I didn't have to wait too long to hold Cedric.
Cedric is beautiful. He also looks a lot life new born Robin, if Robin weighed 3 pounds more and was 2.5 inches taller. So, Robin on steroids? Either way, he looks like one of my babies which makes me love him that much more.
A c-section was the right choice. Cedric had pooped lots of meconium and was completely tangled up in his cord (hence the decelerations). Gino and Sally say that when he was lifted out he was holding onto his cord with his fist just like his gestational namesake, Tarzan. Cedric, formerly known as Tarzan, also proceeded to spray everyone with pee upon being removed from Sally.
The doula left a little bit after the birth. This meant is was my turn to step into a larger role. The first one was unofficial photographer.
In the morning, I made a run to Mighty-O Donuts for coffee and nutty french toast donuts. Gino looks like an old hand already--coffee, baby, relaxing.
I tried to help Sally and Gino as best I could, especially since her night nurse was not awesome. It's amazing how much giving birth and being a mom gets you over all sorts of body issues. I had no problem getting in there, grabbing a boob, and helping Sally nurse. My hardest job of course was holding and rocking Cedric while his parents got some much needed sleep.
Sometime during the course of the day, I lost my car keys. Dave had to drive home from work and then back down to Ballard to rescue me. The upside? He got to meet Cedric.
I'm so grateful to my amazing principal, who insisted I be with my sister despite not having a sub, as well as to him and all my co-workers, who covered my classes. My other big job was taking care of Pee Wee, the dog.
Pee Wee and I have a complicated relationship stemming back to when I was pregnant with Robin and he lived at my house. He pooped on my bath mats and purposely peed on my brand new mattress. He also liked to snuggle under my very pregnant belly. Pee Wee was so sad while his parents were gone. He could barely look at me or Eileen (one of his favorite people). Later visits involved lots of excited jumping and licking. Going over to grab packages and care for Pee Wee was a fun job for Eileen. She now has plans to be a zoo keeper.
Linus and Robin got to meet Cedric at the hospital. Eileen opted to stay home. She's more into animals than babies. Linus was in heaven. Robin refused to hold Cedric, but liked "playing with his little toes."
It's now been 48 hours since I held Cedric. There is nothing like a new baby to make joy radiate throughout your body. I'm going through withdrawals but I just remind myself that I need to give the new family space. It's exciting to have a nephew living only 5 minutes away. Sally and Gino will be wonderful parents and I'm overjoyed for them. Welcome Cedric Sebastian.
No comments:
Post a Comment