Delivery was an awesome spectacle. I don't have any younger siblings, so I've never been involved in the process on any level (other than my own birth). Mandi was having contractions and they progressed rapidly. Before she got her epidural (which are AWESOME btw), she was having some initial buildup contractions. Without the epidural, it would have been a pain-o-rama. By the end, the contractions were double what she had felt initially (judging by the graphs). She only had to push for 25 minutes, which is sprinting in baby-delivery terms.
David came out at 37.5 weeks, just a touch early. Apparently caucasian males are nicknamed "Wimpy White Boys" in Labor & Delivery circles. They have a hard time with breathing and they are a little lazy getting going in general. David had to be observed in the nursery as he transitioned into the air-breathing world, but was fine in a couple of hours. He then spent the rest of the time with us in the recovery room. I have never lost so much sleep in my life.
He had jaundice, which is a high level of a liver biproduct called bilirubin. This is basically due to a blood type conflict between the baby and mother, although there are some other reasons that it can happen. He had to be placed under fiberoptic lights to help break down the bilirubin (Billy Ruben, not akin to Paul Ruben), so he looked like a glow worm. he had to be blindfolded so the intense light would not damage his eyes. It was sad to see, but they kept checking his levels and the rate of increase eventually started to recede, so he was taken off of the lights after 24 hours or so.
We went home late Wednesday evening and tried to get settled. Since then we've gone through about 60 diapers (about 1 every 2 hours or so) and he has started to establish a good rhythm with eating, sleeping and pooping--something I still haven't quite figured out myself.
At this point, Mandi hasn't gotten more than 3 hours in a row of sleep since the baby arrived last Monday. The baby eats every 2 hours, so she's up feeding him a lot. I know some of us have aversions to that, but I can now tell you that it is an amazing thing to see mother and child bond so naturally through this process. This and other things-you-thought-you-would-cringe-at sort of melt away when the time comes.
It was a surreal experience and he has been a very mello baby (so far). It just keeps getting more fun the more he perks up.
Ben
