Lily & Leo

Our precious angel, sweet baby girl, arrived on June 8, 2012, at 7:30am, weighing 6 pounds 8 ounces, and stretches 19 inches long! This entry will document my whole labor experience, so if you don’t want to know the details, then just enjoy the pictures, and don’t worry about the text. After all, this blog is for Lily to read one day, so for me and Khoa to reminisce on our adventures together!

So on Thursday June 7th, I was starting to question what “real contractions” felt like. I  know everyone experiences contractions and labor differently, so even though people kept saying “you will know when you’re in labor”, I still didn’t really know! What I was feeling was really tight and hard in the stomach, so it could have been braxton hick contractions, but it felt a little stronger than before, yet it wasn’t painful. So I asked my experienced mommy friends, and they all either had pain or didn’t, so I figured I’ll just start timing and keeping track of what I was experiencing, and if it matched the criteria for the 511 labor signs (contractions being 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute for a whole hour), then we shall go to the hospital. If it ends up being a false alarm, then I will at least have answers and will know if what I am experiencing was the real deal or not, better safe than sorry too! So I told Khoa about what I was feeling and so we agreed to go to the hospital after he gets home from work.

So when he finally got home from work, his mom called and wanted us to pick up some food she made for us (so nice of her to keep making us food to help make our lives easier at this point in our pregnancy!). So not wanting to cause alarm or worry, we decided not to tell her (or anyone else) that we were going to go to the hospital. We told his mom we will pick up the food later, but she decided that she will drop off the food to us instead! So we waited, but she ended up running late, no biggie since I wasn’t really in pain. When she came by, her and Khoa started to have a LONG, conversation about cars! Khoa even started pulling up cars on the computer and they had what seemed the longest discussion on cars ever! I started to get more uncomfortable and was trying to give Khoa a reminder as to what our plan was today with my eyes, and finally he got the message after 30 minutes. So finally, Khoa’s mom left, and then I was still 50% thinking this might be a false alarm, so I decided that I had time  to take a shower really quick and brushed my teeth. After my shower, we grabbed out suitcase and headed to the hospital!

On the car ride there, Khoa was still excited about a car he wanted to buy, a Tesla, he totally missed the 55 FWY, so we had to take a little detour to get back on route. Khoa goes “How funny would it be if this is the real deal? haha” We both still feel it could be a false alarm, so we were pretty light hearted about this, and I said “Well, as long as we get there safely, it’s all that matters, and I’m not in pain anyways, so no rush.” We pass by a Del Taco on the way to the hospital, and I suddenly got hungry as well, and I really wanted to eat some chili cheese fries. I heard that when you’re in labor, you don’t really have an appetite, so that also made me think maybe it’s a false alarm, so I told Khoa if this was a false alarm, if we can get some chili cheese fries on the way home! He sweetly answers “Of course baby, whatever you want!” =) 

So we get to Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport around 9:30pm, and all I know is that I’m suppose to go to the 5th floor and my Dr. said my file is ready to go and so they’ll just be waiting for me when I’m ready. So I get to the 5th floor, I press the buzzer and said I wanted to get admitted. We have to fill out all this paperwork, sign here, initial there, answer questions, give them my insurance, etc. I was thinking man, if I was having so much pain, how can I answer all these questions and fill out paperwork?? When we did finish, another pregnant woman came in and boy did she look like she was ready to pop! She was walking super slow and was heavily breathing and everything! Khoa was like “If she gets sent home, there’s no way we will be asked to stay!” haha! So we finally get set up in our room and they hook up the monitors on me to monitor my contractions and the baby’s heart rate. We sit there for an hour, and I was thinking about how I can really eat those chili cheese fries right now, and Khoa and I were just talking about excited this would be if this was really it! We sit there waiting, checking out the monitor and watching the peaks go up and down from my contractions, and anxiously waiting for the verdict. The nurse came in after an hour (it’s about 11pm now) and saw that with my last contractions, the baby’s heart rate dropped really low, so from that alone, the nurse announced we will be staying and having this baby soon! I was so excited to hear that, we were surprised, but thrilled because that means Lily will be born the next day, Friday June 8, 2012!!!!!!! We asked how long typically it will take for her to arrive, and they said she will probably be her by noon if everything goes well!

So now knowing this is NOT a false alarm, I realized I won’t be getting my chili cheese fries, but I will be get something better, a baby girl!! We started to tell our family the news that we’re at the hospital, and then we got transferred and settled into our new Labor and Delivery room! When we got there, they hooked me up to the monitors again, and hooked me up to an IV, drew some blood, and asked if I wanted an Opana drug. It supposedly keeps you calm, helps with the pain, but makes you really woozy and dizzy, but really helps you sleep, and is administered through the IV. So I figured even though I’m not in much pain, it could get more painful later, and I could really use the help to fall asleep so I can have energy for the pushing later on! So I said yes to the Opana, and then Khoa and I got ready to sleep! Shortly after they gave me the Opana, they came and broke my water to speed up labor, it was like a warm gush of water flowing out of me…very weird feeling I must say! I knew that once your water breaks, contractions will be infinitely more painful, so I decided to sleep while I can! After 2 hours with on the Opana, it wore off, I was 4cm dilated, and about 90% to fully effaced! I finally felt the pain of the contractions, boy did it hurt! They gave me another dose of Opana, but it didn’t really help anymore, but luckily I only had to endure about 20 minutes of pain. During those 20 minutes though, Khoa noticed I was doing the deep breathing method for contractions, so he asked if I needed him there to get through them. I told him that I’ll be ok, and that I wanted him to sleep to get his rest so that he can be there for me for the pushing cause I hear that’s the hardest part. So after 20 minutes, I finally got the epidural! I could have gotten it sooner but the anesthesiologist had to give 2 patients that were much further along than me, the epidural first. The process of getting the epidural was not so bad at all, mostly because I couldn’t see what was going on, but also, but it happened so quickly. I only felt a small sting from the numbing needle, and maybe some pressure later, but that was it! The epidural is truly magic! I felt great and slept for 3 hours straight!

The nurse woke me up around 5:30ish AM to check up on me and see how far along I was. She then asked me if I can give her a push and see how it goes. So I tried, and she goes “Yep, it’s time to push!” They gave me an oxygen mask though because the baby’s heart rate still kept going down with every contraction, so they figured maybe I needed more oxygen. So when Khoa woke up from the news that it’s time to push, he was a little drowsy and saw me with the mask and panicked, but I told him not to worry, it’s all good! So we just had to wait for the doctor, which took about an hour or so, before we began to push. Khoa got super excited and decided to record the event with my camera and with his tablet as well, to have different angles, all from the non private parts angles though, so one on my left side and one on my right side haha. Earlier, Khoa and I discussed if he wanted to watch the baby come out, and he said no, he’d rather not see that, and then didn’t seemed too enthusiastic about cutting the umbilical cord, so I thought that was plan. Oh how quickly that changed! When the Dr. arrived, (it was Dr Hargrove in place for my usual doctor, Dr. Ricci since Dr. Hargrove was already nearby), we quickly started to push. I made Khoa in charge of holding my mask in place on my face because it kept slipping. Once a contraction came, the nurse told me to push, and then right away the nurse was like “WOW you can already see her head!” Immediately Khoa dropped my oxygen mask and run over to the other end and was like “Where?!” What happened to not wanting to look? Haha! So during the break between the first and 2nd contraction, when I was catching my breathe, I asked Khoa “Can you please hang on to my oxygen mask this time?” haha! So 2nd contraction came and she ALMOST came out, so close!! 3rd contraction came and with one last push she was out, June 8, 2012, 7:30AM!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILY!!!!!!! (check out our winking angel at only 14 minutes old!)

Our beautiful precious baby girl now laid in my arms! She big glistening eyes and eyebrows with a a ca-lick at the ends (just like her daddy), and big luscious red lips, pinchable chubby cheeks, and cute little button nose! She has long pretty fingers and toes, and long arms and legs as well! I was so overwhelmed with happiness and joy and love, and also shocked this all happened so fast, that I was just so speechless and in awe when they places my precious Lily on my for the first time, just seconds after she was born! I got really emotional and cried a little, tears of joy! Khoa almost cried as well, but the Dr. asked if he wanted to cut her cord and instantly he was like YES! Again, how things change haha. Lily weighed in at 6lbs 8oz and stretches 19inches long. They quickly cleaned her up and then Lily and I had our golden hour and we just laid there, skin to skin, blissfully in peace, just the two of us, and Khoa at our side holding my free hand. A warm sense of completeness came over me, and the word happy was a serious understatement. My heart was overflowing with love for this little angel in my arms. Nothing else in the world existed except for the 3 of us, life was perfect!

Our experience at Hoag Hospital was absolutely wonderful! All the nurses and staff were super friendly and made us feel like superstars! We had such great pampering that when I got home, I really missed being at the hospital for 3 days! haha! We got 3 meals sent to us daily (Khoa gets 1 meal but the second day he got lucky and got 3 meals too!) On the last night we were there, we got to enjoy a Celebratory Dinner and it’s pretty much just fancier food (like filet mignon wrapped in bacon) and they gave us two cute little apple cider bottles and little fancy cups too. Steve worked his charm on the nurse and managed to get us more apple cider as well, so we got 4 bottles, yummy!

Thank you to all our family and friends who came to visit us and Lily at the hospital! That also contributed to our wonderful experience at the hospital! Our private rooms were very well insulated so you can’t hear any noise from the other rooms, and they didn’t regulate how many visitors you can have at a time. Our room was like a party room with all the guests that kept coming in and out, and all the smiles and laughter that was continuously filling the air! Lily was so good to and just slept while she was being passed along, without a worry or care, what a sweet mellow baby!  I got super spoiled too with having Lily in our room the whole time.  I just can’t get enough of her cuteness, her smell, her cute little noises she makes, the sound of her cry, her movements, everything!  I would always keep her bassinet right next to me so I can look at her all the time!  I would wake up in the middle of the night and just look at my cute little angel and it just floods my heart with warm fuzzy feelings!

Before we left the hospital, we put Lily in her onesie that Alvina made for Lily from the baby shower!!  As you know, auntie Alvina was the winner of the onesie contest so Lily was suppose to wear this onesie home.  Unfortunately, the onesie is a size 9 month onesie, so it’s way too big for her to wear.  So we still put it on her for a photo so that she can wear it at the hospital.  The next photo is her actual outfit on the way home, her first outfit out in the real world!

Sunday morning we got discharged from the hospital, and I wanted to go straight to Khoa’s grandparent’s house so that his grandfather, Lily’s GREAT grandfather, can meet Lily! Lily’s first car ride wasn’t too bad! She’s so tiny, so to me she looked quite uncomfortable in the baby sit, and she cried when we first put her in the seat, but once the car started moving, she just knocked out and slept the whole way! It was a very nice moment for for the whole family, and we got to take pictures of all 4 generations! Also, for the car ride home, and having optometrists for an aunt and uncle, we had to make sure we protect her eyes from the sun, so we put on her stunna shades from auntie Jennifer and Uncle Andy! No cataracts for this baby!!

We left our house to go to the hospital as a married couple, but now we arrived home as a new family!  Thank you everyone for all your love and support! We are so blessed, lucky, and overjoyed for our precious baby Lily, and we can’t wait to share our new adventures with her, watch her grow, and love her more and more each day! Lily’s auntie Jennifer made a really sweet and thoughtful video documenting our whole pregnancy experience. It’s really touching and so beautiful, I can’t wait for Lily to see this one day! Thanks Jennifer for your hard work!! Enjoy everyone!!

Lily’s Arrival from J.N. on Vimeo.