Before time blesses me with forgetfulness, I thought I would document the events of my life that have brought me my greatest joys, or bliss. For the most part, those times are when a child came into my life. Over the years I've been blessed, humbled and brought to tears from joy, sorrow and probably some of the most comical events one could imagine.
When I was a little girl I saw the movie, Cheaper by the Dozen with David Niven. I LOVED that movie and all I can remember now are the scenes from around the dinner table with 12 kids and all that chaos. I wanted it! Of course over the years I've learned that reality is much different than it is on the big screen or flat screen...I think it's better! But, it can be filled with some of that same chaos!
It was 1980 when I learned I would become a new mom for the first time. Being a mother was something that I had dreamed about for years and I couldn't wait to have a baby of my own. I was so excited but I would soon learn that the daddy wasn't as excited as I was. I would become a mom all on my own. I was determined and not afraid, that I can remember, and was eager as ever to be a mommy.
When I found out I was expecting, my doctor, Dr. Spangler, told me that my baby would come in February 1981. I asked, "Well...when in February?" To which he relied, "when he or she is ready". That didn't set too well with me so I prodded for something more definitive. "Okay, sometime in the middle of February," he said. Fine!
Around Thanksgiving 1980 I went into labor...pre-mature obviously, given that I wasn't due until sometime in February. I was admitted to the hospital and put on meds to try to stop the contractions. Fortunately, I responded to the meds rather quickly, but there was this other girl in a bed nearby who was screaming out of control. The nurse told me that she wasn't as lucky as I was with stopping the labor...sad. I was sent home on complete bed rest to take meds for the remainder of time that I was pregnant. I also got these two injections that would rapidly progress the maturation of my son's lungs. No, I didn't know at the time he was going to be a boy...but, I kind of felt like it was a boy.
Life on bed rest and being single and without a car was rather unfun to say the least. But, when one lives in Hawaii, it can only be so bad! I sat outside when I left like I needed some sunlight, but longed for the beach. I had also been sleeping on the floor on a pile of blankets and to my surprise a mattress was donated by some sweet souls who felt bad for me. It was like heaven to have that extra padding!! I hope they've been blessed by their goodness!
I made it to January 2, 1981 when I awoke thinking I had wet myself. Being my first time to have a baby I initially didn't think anything other than I dreamed I was in the bathroom and just went! By that time I was getting up multiple times a night so it didn't surprise me that I could have an accident. Anyway, after I got up and relieved myself, I realized liquid was still coming out even when I wasn't trying. Ah hah! My water broke! I called the Dr. and he said to head to the hospital to which I asked, "you mean I'm going to have a baby??"
I called my good friend, Nancy, for a ride to Kapiolani Children's Hospital. The labor set in pretty fast on the way there and I wasn't prepared for such pain! I already knew that I would most likely have a C-section, because my boy was breach and, because he was so early they didn't want to risk his head getting stuck. My poor friend was so patient and tried so hard to comfort me while I was prepped for surgery...it took forever! At one point she tried to tell me to take deep breaths and I looked at her and screamed, "It's too late! It's too far gone!!" I have no idea what I meant, but it was hurting and I just wanted the pain to stop! I can still remember it all very well!
Eventually, that baby was born and he was beautiful! He weighted 4 lbs 13oz...not much of him. Back then it was standard procedure for all C-section babies to be incubated for 24 hours...so, I slept and waited for him. The next morning after I delivered I was awakened by two nurses aids who came in to give me a sponge bath. They spoke no English and I spoke no Filipino so I laid there while they tossed me back and forth sponging me. It was probably the strangest thing I'd ever experienced! It was like I wasn't there, or at least I wasn't a human being laying there and it would've been no different had they just changed the bed linens...which they also did while I lay there! Amazing!
Finally, after 24 long hours my baby was brought to me! He was perfect...in every way! I knew I wanted to nurse him so when the nurse handed him to me I asked what to do. She looked at me like I had asked something in a foreign language. Then, she said, "you just hook him up!". Oh! Yah...that's right...just hook him up! We eventually figured it out.
When we were released to return home my boy had gone down to 4.7 lbs...so, he was scrawny! As a matter of fact he was so tiny, he couldn't be circumcised. So, that procedure was delayed until the doctors had something to work with.
My mom flew from Alaska to be with me and help me out and it was so nice to have her with me! Everything was pretty new but she helped me out a lot! I learned later on, when I went through nursing school, that some of those helpful hints weren't really suggested in the medical world. I also learned in nursing school that it was completely normal for a baby to nurse every 2-3 hours in the beginning. My mom was convinced I was starving my baby and he wasn't getting enough to eat. She was sure I just needed to drink a few beers to relax me so my milk would come in. Also, she recommended cereal because he was obviously not getting enough milk. I'm so grateful that my son survived! When she left, I quit feeding him cereal and drinking. It was only for two weeks so I'm sure it didn't effect him...right?
When my boy was a month old, he had doubled his weight! I'm sure it was from that two weeks of cereal and wheat and barley milk! I think he developed a lot of gas because he cried a lot! He cried so much! One day I discovered an extra lump of something near one of his testicles. It turned out he had a hernia. Until they could get him in for surgery I had to push it back up where it belonged every time it popped out. Gross!! He still cried a lot. I was told that if it ever got to the point that I couldn't push it in, I'd have to take him in immediately and they would do an emergency surgery. Eventually that happened. Handing over your 8 lb little baby to a nurse isn't easy!
My boy survived and he was probably the luckiest boy alive because while he was under, they also performed that circumcision that they couldn't do right after birth. So, he had no pain with that! He recovered well and that crying stopped. My poor baby was finally feeling better! I was told how to care for the surgical sites and his circ. I was told that the gauze on his little weenie would eventually come off and there wasn't anything else for me to do. But, after awhile I started to think I let that gauze stay on that weenie too long. So, I bathed him and gently pulled it off. Only to my surprise I saw what appeared to be little pieces of gauze stuff around the top of that weenie. I gently pulled on them but the wouldn't come off. It made my baby cry! I thought, "Oh my heck! I left that gauze on so long that it grew into his weenie!" So, I immediately took him into the doctor only to give the doctor the laugh of the day, or perhaps his career! It turns out that what I was trying to pull out were his little sutures! Thank heavens I wasn't successful at removing them!
My boy survived his first month of life with his new mother.
