And then there were three

Colette Frances Rigby arrived just before 6PM on Thursday, October 6^th, 2011.  She arrived with a head full of brown hair, weighing a solid 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20 inches long.

This is the short story of her arrival:

We took a cab to St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, which is near Columbus Circle in Manhattan, at 6PM on Wednesday night so that I could get induced.   It was weird to sit there next to Jeff with an empty car seat bouncing around in the back of the car, knowing there would soon be a baby in it.   I was more nervous about not being able to eat once we arrived at the hospital than labor itself, so I snacked on a Snickers bar, while we sat in rush hour traffic.

We got to the labor and delivery waiting area, and I realized we might be there for a while. Patients are admitted based on priority, and there were many women in active labor or with emergency issues who were certainly going to be seen before us.  Jeff and I played Scrabble and read magazines for nearly four hours before we were brought to a room.   Once in the room and settled in, I was given Cervidil, which is supposed to dilate and efface the cervix.  Jeff slept surprisingly well in a hospital chair/bed, while I tossed and turned most of the night.

My OB, Dr. Paka, came in the next morning at the start of her shift and said I had not made any progress.  At that point they started me on an IV drip of Pitocin, which is supposed to increase the frequency and intensity of the contractions (I was having mild ones one my own).  That started working immediately. By 1PM I was wincing in pain, and telling Jeff not to talk to me during contractions.  I always new I was going to get an epidural, but I wasn’t sure when would be the best time to get it. I wanted to feel some labor pains, but just enough to say I felt some pain.  I asked the nurse for advice and she politely hinted to me that it would be a good time to get the anesthesiologist.  Shortly after, the anesthesiologist was in the room, I was hunched over the bed, Jeff was in front of me, and I was numb from mid-back down.    Wow…. epidurals are AMAZING.  From that point on, I felt pressure but no pain or discomfort, not even for Colette’s exit.

Having a contraction without epidural (I was not watching TV)

Around 3PM my OB came back in, said I was making great progress, and broke my water. She returned at 5PM, said the baby’s head was right there and I could start pushing in a few minutes. Even though Dr. Paka’s shift was over, she stayed late to deliver my baby and that thrilled me. Just before I started pushing, Jeff confirmed, that there were 8 couples vying for 5 of the remaining private rooms, so if I could push quickly, that would be ideal.   I put on my game face and my hair up in a ponytail. 

Dr. Paka just told me I was going to start pushing.
Game face. 

 With Jeff, the nurse, and Dr. Paka’s help Colette arrived after about 12 contractions and 30 minutes of pushing.  It’s an incredible, empowering and intimate experience.  They put her on my chest immediately and she cried for the next several hours.  Jeff and I were teary eyed but we never cried. I was thought she was beautiful and perfect right away, just like a good mama should.  

Eying my beautiful baby and the burger behind her. I was HUNGRY!

Then we made our way, to the private (hell ya!) recovery room, we’re we stayed for the next 48 hours.  It was awesome.

I can’t believe that was two weeks ago! 

PS - This blog won't be entirly about Cole from this point forward, but it might be for the next few posts.