Gauge's Birthday

David Gauge John

Born October 5th at 2:18 PM

Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, CA

Oh my goodness! I ended up the very same weight as both my other pregnancies. The first I ate like a pig. The next I watched what I ate. This time it was some where in between. I'm a believer it doesn't matter what you do you are predisposed to a certain pregnancy weight. Or at least I seem to be. Oh well it's a good excuse to get to the gym and eat right once I get breast feeding all figured out.

Soon to be a daddy of three. We had to show up at the hospital 3 hours before my scheduled c-section so we drove up the night before and stayed in a hotel. It was nice to have to time to ourselves before the big day. We made it to the hospital in the morning on time. A little early I think. They gave me a lovely gown, a hard bed, hooked me up to machines and had us wait for 5 hours! It really wasn't their fault. An emergency c-section had to jump ahead of us. It was just frustrating that they have you come so early to sit.

Ian was having a harder time waiting than I was. I wasn't in any hurry to go have surgery. I think I was looking at the situation wrong but my baby was happy and healthy right where he was so I could wait. Would I rather wait in my own clothes and not in a hard bed? Uhhh yes! Once I started using the heart rate monitor on my finger as puppet to talk to Ian I think it was official I had lost it. I started laughing so hard I snorted and the people behind the curtains across from us were laughing too. At least it was some form of entertainment.

Finally we got into the O.R. after one false start. Apparently one doctor thought we were good to go so we went. Then a nurse came and said the other operating room had not been cleaned yet so we would have to wait. So we waited. When I got the spinal put in it hurt a lot and I jumped. It had never hurt that much before. I was reminded not to move. The anesthesiologist was very nice and after the last one I had I was very grateful that he seemed to care about what he was doing. With Jade the guy talked on his cell phone to his daughter through my surgery. Nice! So I was ready to write this one a thank you letter.

Right before Ian came in I got very sick. I heard something said about my blood pressure but I was doing all I could do to get through it. I was taking really deep breaths and having such bad pain in my shoulders. It should have been scary but I was sure it would pass any minute. I was given some white fluid in my IV and then I was positive I was being knocked out. They had done that with Teagan. I was a little sad because I didn't want to be put to sleep again. As I was thinking through what that would mean and expecting to go to dreamland any moment I started feeling better. A lot better and fast. Right after that Ian came in. I always feel so relieved to see him. I hate that they make him wait outside while they prep me for surgery.

Ian comes and holds my hand. I can feel the pressure of the cutting. Then tugging and this horrible pushing that was new to me. They were pushing down on me so hard they were smashing my lungs. I look at Ian surprised but he has no idea that anything is different. They keep pushing really hard and I have to catch my breath. The doctor assisting my doctor asks for a stool and pushes some more. Apparently they can't get the baby out. After more pushing that is uncomfortable even though I can't feel anything from the waist down they call over a nurse. A really big nurse. I would say at the very least six feet tall and broad shouldered. She pushes pretty hard too but is successful.

The first comment made is that his head is big. Yes thank you. Then there are the comments about how big he is. The way they were going on I was sure he was absolutely huge. Gauge doesn't cry. For a long time he doesn't cry. Too long. I get a little concerned but then he cries. Not loud but crying. Ian goes with the baby while they weigh, test and clean him. He snaps pictures and cuts the umbilical cord which I could literally hear. Deep breaths again. I'm waiting to hear what is score is but he is perfectly fine. He is just not a big crier. They bring him to me and I want to give him a kiss but they have an oxygen mask on me this time. He is cute, a little chubby and most importantly healthy. I'm couldn't be happier.

Gauge is exactly the same weight Teagan was 9lbs 1oz. We spend the next two nights in the hospital. Right after my surgery until the next morning I itched like crazy. The affects of coming off the morphine after surgery. All the nurses were wonderful except the very last one we had. Even she wasn't so bad she just wasn't as good as the others. We must be very lucky because it seems everyone I know has a bad story about Desert Regional but we have had really great staff all three times. Each time a new nurse would come on I would make her assure me the itching would be over soon. I was looking for a deadline because the medicine they gave me for the itching didn't work. Every new nurse would talk about how big Gauge was. They must see a lot of small babies.

Gauge was a little famous for his bruising. Every new nurse had also been briefed on his bruises. In the picture of him on the scale you can see how purple his legs and feet are. Over the next few hours the bruises really showed up. Apparently getting him out he had been quite beat up. He also had the normal purple from poor circulation but when the bruises darkened you could really see the difference. Because of the bruising he had to watched for jaundice. He did turn a little yellow but we made sure he was getting plenty to eat. We even supplemented the second day and the rest of the week at home. One of the baby nurses thought she heard a murmur. The pediatrician agreed and a sonogram was ordered on his heart. Turns out it was just a valve had not closed completely which was no big deal. I wasn't too concerned about a murmur either considering I had one and I'm fine.

I was not allowed food for a day after my surgery. I was fine for a while though. Even when Ian brought in pizza and cookies for himself I didn't have much of an appetite to be jealous. At some point my blood sugar got really low and I was given a 4oz. juice. I wasn't able to keep it down but what I did keep down was enough to make me feel better. When we weren't sleeping Ian and I watched food network. Gauge was wonderful. He only cried when absolutely necessary. We stayed on schedule to feed him. I say we because Ian took charge of tracking the time and the diaper changes. Ian was wonderful too. He brought me umpteen cups of ice the first day and was at my beck and call for anything I might need including the baby. Also look at the flowers he brought. I love you hun!

The last day it took forever for us to be released. Remember we had the not so great nurse that day. If Ian hadn't wheeled me out himself I'm pretty sure we would have been there a few hours more. We had some things to get at Costco and Gauge needed to be fed so we stopped there on the way home. Picked up what we needed, got my prescriptions and had a late lunch while I fed Gauge. I was a little cranky until I got my pain pills. The not so great nurse was not so good with my medication. All the waiting left me hurting and not so nice. Once the pain pills kicked in I was able to relax and enjoy spending time with Ian and our new little sweetie.

We picked up some flowers for Denise for watching the kids for us. I sure missed them. When we were checking out at Costco a lady was admiring the baby and mentioned that she had no kids. Ian said more than once how sad he thought that was. Not to her of course but to me and his parents. She was a gorgeous lady that had obviously at some point made a choice not to have children and possibly not a husband either. I thought it was sweet that Ian appreciated us so much that he felt sad for her for having made the choice not to have what he has in a family.

Finally we got home with the baby. Denise brought the kids to us and they admired their brother. Teagan didn't want to hold Gauge but Jade did. He had no problem holding Jade but he said he dropped her and didn't want to drop Gauge. None of us have any memory of him dropping Jade but I'm sure if it happened we tried not to make a big deal out of it. Jade would say, "I gotcha" when she wanted to hold Gauge. She would sit on the couch holding him and dodging his swinging arms. We are all very much in love with our new little sweetie. Welcome to our family David Gauge John!