Growing so fast! He is super strong and willing at “tummy time” compared to Maya. He’s still nursing a ton with neck/ chin rolls to prove it! I think he is getting more and more handsome each day as he becomes more alert.
2 week comparison with Maya
We posted updates when I was in labor, but I wanted to write down the whole story of Liam’s birth day.
I was supposed to be induced at 7:30am on June 1st, 2016, but the hospital called at 5:20 to tell me that all the rooms were full and they would let me know later when they had availability. This was nice in the sense that we got to go sleep a bit more and have breakfast with Maya, but it also left us pretty anxious waiting for that call. I knew my doctor was doing an afternoon surgery so I was worried that they might push my induction to the next day if my doctor wasn’t available when a room finally was. I called and left a message around 10am asking what the plan was, luckily they called back right away and a room was ready at 11:30! I tried not to let my emotions take over as I said goodbye to Maya and we gave her hugs and kisses as she played with blocks.
My dad drove us to the hospital since they needed to have our car. We checked in and I got settled into bed. 
They let me order lunch and I told Billy he should go get food too since it might be his last chance. The hospital was so accommodating with a welcome bag full of snacks and $40 for Billy to spend at the cafeteria. While he was gone, and in-between bites of lunch, my doctor came by to break my water. Only a tiny bit came out which was the same with Maya, the head was a cork in the way! Billy returned to the room and only a couple minutes later at 1:12, I had my first contraction. Now remember, I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for most of the month of May, but as soon as that first contraction hit I was like “Ohhhhh yeahhhhh, this is what the real ones feel like!”. While Braxton Hicks is an extreme tightening of the uterus, sometimes with cramps, the real ones are way more about the cramping sensation and I felt it all over my uterus, lower stomach and butt. There was also a lot more pressure pushing down with each one.
I decided to walk since that helped move things along and get my mind off the contractions with Maya’s birth. It really seems like Labor & Delivery units should have a track to walk on! I walked around the halls but there wasn’t too far to go. We were surprised at how quiet it was no screaming mama’s or babies, especially since they were at capacity! We later heard there were a lot of epidurals that day, haha! My mom arrived after about an hour of contractions which was when they were getting to be about 3 minutes apart. I knew I wanted an epidural for sure this time (last time I was going to “wait and see”). Billy urged me to ask for it sooner than later since last time I got it so late and it failed. So I requested it around 2:15pm and about 20 minutes later the anesthesiologist arrived. I had some really intense contractions during the wait and during the placement of the epidural. I squeezed Billy’s hand pretty hard and my mom put lotion on my feet. They were so nice and helpful, but I was so glad real pain management was coming! We set out a picture of Maya when she was born so I could remind myself of the end goal. I also had a necklace that was made by all my shower guests at Maya’s shower with an extra bead added that said “sister” from Maya.
As the epidural was placed, I tried to be extremely descriptive about what I was feeling so that if it failed again they could fix it! Luckily everything went perfectly and after a few more contractions it started to do its job.They give you a little button to push if you want more medicine and I think I pushed it 3 or 4 times over the next hour, I was still definitely feeling each contraction but without nearly as much pain. There were actually a few where I had to ask if I was having a contraction since they can see the whole thing on the monitor. I laid on my side since every time I went on my back I got dizzy. I also was having to blow my nose a lot during the whole labor due to the dang cold I had! I warned the nurse that I would most definitely be needing oxygen during pushing since I was so stuffed up!
About an hour after the epidural was placed my nurse checked me and I was 9cm. They called for my doctor to make sure she was out of surgery. The timing was perfect and when she arrived I was at 10cm! I remember remarking “all I had to do was lay here!”. I was so lucky to start the induction at 5cm already and to have only needed my water to be broken. Pitocin (the drug used to induce contractions) really sucks, not only do you have to drag the IV around if you want to get up, but it makes the contractions so intense and so close together to the point of overlapping. So my doctor arrived and I very quickly felt the urge to push. At first she was telling me when to push, but then I let my body take over and I was in charge. I remembered focusing too much of my push into my face and holding my breath during pushing Maya, it is so hard not to! So I tried really hard to focus the push downward. I was yelling”come out Liam!” and I was very focused on meeting my baby.
After about 20 minutes of pushing, his heart rate started to fall to the 60’s. At this point I was completely focused on pushing, breathing and mostly had my eyes tightly closed. To the others in the room, this was a scary moment. They had to do an episiotomy and then at the very end had to use the vacuum to turn his head. I pushed so insanely hard at this point, I was just remembering Maya’s birth and then they threatened the vacuum at the very end I was able to use all my energy to push her out. Not this time, but it didn’t matter, Liam was OUT! He was born at 5:04pm. Billy assisted in pulling him into the world and placed our son on my chest. The NICU team had been called in due to his low heart rate but as soon as he was on me he started to howl! They quickly left and he was assessed to have an Apgar score of 8-9/10, a super healthy baby!
He cried and cried forever! My mom noted that we were speechless, but it was only because he was commanding the room with his cries! We were able to FaceTime with Maya, but she was more interested in eating berries than talking to us! As much as I wanted to hold him, I also wanted to see him and this is so hard when they are so tiny and floppy! Plus with the IV on one arm and the blood pressure cuff on the other, it is so hard to maneuver. So I had Billy hold him pretty quickly so I could see our boy.
With Maya’s pregnancy, I had so many ultrasounds and monitoring, I really wasn’t concerned at all about her well being. This pregnancy was so “normal” and low intervention that in comparison it seemed like we didn’t know anything about this baby! It was truly a relief to see how completely perfect he was. We held him for 80 minutes before they took him to clean him up and measure him.
I had guessed he was 6lbs 12oz and he was 6lbs 15oz and 20″ long. His head was 13″ circumference and I’ll have to look up what Maya’s was to see if that made a difference in needing a little more help getting him out. We let my mom go home, we all couldn’t believe she would make it back in time for dinner! As soon as we were all cleaned, stitched, bundled and packed, they wheeled me down the hall to my recovery room and my dinner arrived shortly after! Everything about the timing that day was just perfect!
We are so in love with our new baby boy and despite a few scary moments, overall it was a very pleasant birth experience. I had heard that second births are often half the time as the first, and that was exactly right with mine! I am so glad I went with the induction. If my labor had started at home and progressed at the same rate, it only would have taken an hour for the contractions to be excruciating. Who knows if I would have been at the park with Maya, or if Billy would have been 45 minutes away at work, or if I wouldn’t have been able to reach my dad for help with Maya… I’m just glad it all went really smoothly. Â I’m also so grateful that my epidural worked this time. As I mentioned, with Maya’s birth I was going to wait and see about needing pain management. Since I really didn’t get it, I knew I wanted it this time. It just helped me so much to be in the moment and not absorbed with my pain. This is a day I want to remember every moment of, and during those insane contractions I was so closed off. Pushing is so much work and if I had been having painful contractions for hours leading up to pushing, it would have been so hard to summon the energy. So I am totally pro epidural now, it allows you to be present in one of the most amazing moments of your life.
So that’s Liam’s birth story. Pretty darn detailed, but that’s mostly for me and for him someday although I’m happy to share it here for the rest of you.
Tired, happy, sooooo in love
Lately whenever I turn up the radio for a good song, Maya tries singing a nursery rhyme at the top of her lungs! It’s pretty hilarious to us! The other day I was singing along with the radio and she was chanting “ba ba black sheep mommy!!!!” So I turned it down to sing her request but Billy and I couldn’t stop laughing because it was a total mood killer from an upbeat song to a baby song (it was Miley Cyrus, Party in the USA if you must know). I caught her singing in video yesterday. This time it was JT singing Can’t Stop the Feeling versus Twinkle Twinkle.
Also a quick one of her reading to Liam:
I took some with a cute background but he was screaming with his eyes shut, so this one is much better!
Maya 1 week:
On Sunday we had a visit from my grandparents or The Greats as we have been calling them. Liam is their 2nd great grandchild. That afternoon we had a quick visit from friends Stephanie and Jackson who brought a ton of those amazing lactation cookies. Stephanie’s recipe is even better than mine was and I see a lot more cookies in my future! That evening, the Maiolino family was so sweet to bring us pizza dinner and I had my first post-pregnancy glass of wine. 10 week old Nick seemed huge in comparison to Liam! It’s crazy how quickly they grow, it was definitely a reality check to savor these first few weeks.
On Monday we had a visit from our friend Shelley and son Ashton. They bought Liam his first little fancy outfit, complete with a tie! It was great for Maya to have a friend over and to get some energy out playing with him all morning. Ashton will be a big brother in a month so it was sweet to see him with Liam. Late that afternoon we went for a walk at the Grotto which we have a membership to. It is actually a Catholic sanctuary but it has great walking paths, huge trees and beautiful grounds & view of the Columbia river. Hardly anyone was there and it was a fun family walk despite the heat. And there was still enough leftover pizza so dinner was easy!
Billy had to work on Tuesday and I wasn’t feeling quite ready to handle both kids so my dad took Maya for the morning. Liam lost his umbelical cord overnight! I was able to FaceTime with Dana & Valerie which was great to catch up and have them cyber-meet Liam. That evening we went to my parents house for dinner. It was my first time driving both kids and it started with both them screaming (Liam hates the car seat and Maya seriously wanted to drive!). Billy met us over there and after nursing Liam I was able to run out quickly to Target and get Liam and I outfits for our family photos the next day. I had tried on shirts last month and tried to suck in (haha) but both the shirts I bought looked awful so I needed something new. I had had a hard time finding anything for a baby boy to wear but lucked out with a onesie with a little bow-tie. Girl photo accessories are so much easier! Just change the headband! We had a great salmon dinner and it was fun to have Liam see his grandparents. Unfortunately Maya didn’t fall asleep until 10pm for the 3rd night in a row!
Today, Billy was back home and we had our family photo shoot. My aunt Tracie was sweet enough to come over to help wrangle Maya during the photos that she wasn’t in. It was definitely hectic but I’m hopeful we got some good photos of both the family and newborn shots of Liam. Three out of four of us were exhausted, but Maya decided to skip her nap which always makes for a very hard evening. Maya helped Liam do tummy time which was pretty cute. At least bedtime happened on time but she was so overtired and cranky. Liam seems to be having his first growth spurt so I know it was hard for her that I’m nursing constantly and can’t pick her up or run around with her.
So one week down! Liam’s awake times are increasing everyday and it’s been so fun staring into those blue eyes and getting to know this little guy. He still looks exactly like Maya when he’s sleeping, but awake he is totally his own guy. Maya has my brown round eyes and Liam’s are just like Billy’s, set further apart, longer and thinner and (currently) blue. It’s been a little stressful when both kids are crying at the same time and I know it’s hard on Maya to hear “just a second” all day long. Dinner time seems to be when everything kind of breaks down and Liam wants to nurse the second everything is ready. But we’re figuring it out and for the most part everyone has been happy!
Since Wednesday, I have been wrapping my head around how Liam’s birth stirred different emotions inside of me compared to when Maya was born. When Maya entered the world, I became a father. The emotions that washed over me as I pulled Maya into the world were something beyond words; something truly special. To be honest, I was really looking forward to feeling that rush of emotions again as Liam joined us. However, as I pulled Liam into the world, there was no huge rush of emotions.
I realized shortly after Annie started pushing that this experience was going to be different for me. As Annie prepared to push, her sacrifice to complete our family became more clear. As I stood beside my wife, I was in awe of her. I stood beside her in awe as I truly realized the sacrifice she made with her body. I stood beside her in awe as I witnessed the strength and determination she had while delivering us our son. I stood beside her in awe as I realized how lucky I am to call her the Momma of my children.
I instantly fell in love with Liam as I placed him on Annie’s chest, but the emotions I felt as Liam joined us had very little to do with me becoming a father again and everything to do with feeling a deeper love and respect for the person I am lucky enough to call my wife, my partner.
We’re home and resting. Billy went to get Maya and run a couple errands so I have about an hour until the chaos of 2 kids begins!
Now that I’ve had two babies and it’s fresh in my mind, I just wanted to jot down my list of hospital bag must-haves! I had consulted lists for this before both deliveries, but I had totally forgotten certain things/ ignored things on lists that would have been helpful!
The Bag:
There is no space for a rolling suitcase, I think a duffle/ weekender type bag works much better. I had mine packed with several different small bags (I used the thick plastic zipper bags that sheets come in but gallon/2gallon ziplocks would work) for things I would need at different times.
The small bags:
Labor & Delivery- sweater, slippers, socks, printed photo of Maya at birth (this helped me keep my eye on the prize during labor and was also adorable to compare likeness), focal point item (something to look at during contractions, I had a special necklace made for me at Maya’s baby shower), phone charger (you will need this the whole time but it’s in this bag so you have it first).
Recovery- dark colored nursing nightgown & robe (you feel so much better in your own clothes!)
Toiletries- minimal makeup, toothbrush & toothpaste, lotion, Chapstick (this could have been in the labor bag too), shampoo/conditioner/ body wash, deodorant, q-tips, hair ties, hair brush, non prescription meds (I take vitamins & probiotics, any perscription/pain meds must be supplied by hospital).
Baby bag- Going home jammies (we brought 2 just in case), hat, tiny nail file (we didn’t need it but some babies come out with really long nails).
Daddy bag- toothbrush, t-shirt, comfy pants, underwear, deodorant.
Going home bag- Loose pants, granny panties, shirt that fit mid-pregnancy.
Other items:
Things the hospital supplies:
Ok! That’s all I can think of right now.
Liam had a very busy first day of life! After being born yesterday evening he stayed awake to nurse, cry, poop and check out the world until 2am! He finally fell asleep without being held and we all got some much needed rest!
In the morning he had a visit from his pediatrician and my obstetrician. Then he had a very special visit from his big sister and his Grandma & Grandpa! We’ll post more pics from the camera once we are home. Maya was so sweet, she had her hands out ready to hold him and climbed up to my bed to see him right away. She was pretty fascinated by the phone in my room, but she still spent a while checking him out. It was so special to see our two babies meet!
Later in the afternoon he had a little photo shoot with the photographer here. She put the photos in a slideshow with the sappiest music which totally made me cry! We also had a visit from Great Aunt Tracie & cousin Jenna (who was delivered at the same hospital 16 1/2 years ago!).
We’re happy & healing, trying to rest as much as possible before the reality of home life tomorrow. The nurses were clear that we could go home tonight but we are enjoying the amenities and care so we’re waiting until tomorrow!
BABY HUME 