After a long first night in the hospital, the day had finally come to meet our baby! On the morning of August 31st, 7:30am to be exact, the nurses and doctors all strolled in to get me ready for the big day!
First things first, they finally took out the darn cervix balloon...what a relief!! I was finally at 4 cm (I am notorious for taking forever to dilate, it was what made Austin's and Brooke's labors take so long!), so we were good to start the induction process! They started my IV and got me going on the pitocin.
About 45 minutes later, the anesthesiologist and his crew of nurses came in to insert the line for the epidural. Thankfully, Taka was there to translate for me, as the doctor spoke little english and I really needed someone to walk me through step by step...I swear getting the epidural inserted is more frightening to me than actually pushing out the baby! Brian was still back at the apartment at this point (sleeping in from getting home late from the game the night before!), and I was getting more and more nervous, so I hollered at Taka to call Brian ASAP and tell him to get his butt over here now!! Taka laughed so hard, and had Brian at the hospital in no time! It was hilarious, I have never seen Brian move so fast, I think he thought the baby was actually coming! Brian missed the epidural, but thankfully I had my midwife with me (who was a saint, she was seriously the best nurse ever), and she held my hand through it all! I then sent Brian back home, as he came so quick he missed breakfast, and at least one of us needed to eat some food and have some energy for the day! I just told him he better be back quick just in case!
They were so funny about giving me the epidural. I had just learned that the hospital only started giving epidurals just last year...I hope they knew what they were doing!! They were SO concerned and cautious, it was almost like they were scared to give it to me!! They kept saying over and over how important it was that I had feeling in my legs and that I was only supposed to lose a "little" sensitivity. I was like HELLO!! I don't want feeling in my legs or anywhere in that region, that's the whole point!! They thought it was insane that when I had Austin and Brooke I needed help actually moving my legs after I had the epidural. To them, that was dangerous. To me, that was AWESOME! So, literally, every 30 minutes, the doctor came in and tested my "feeling" in my legs. He took a wet cotton ball and swiped it on my face and said, this feels like a 10. Then he would rub it on my legs and wanted me to make sure it felt more like a 5 or 6 out of 10. So, yes, I had an epidural, and it helped a lot, but it definitely was not like what they give you back home. Oh well, seriously, it was better than not having any at all, I really shouldn't complain! I just thought it was funny.
The next few hours were just a waiting game, the contractions started coming quicker and more intense, yet I was dilating slower than they wanted. Our doctor came in to check on me at about 1:30pm and told me the funniest (well I thought it was funny!) news. Apparently, if I didn't have the baby by 5pm that night, they were going to STOP the entire process and shut things down. The anesthesiologist goes home at 5pm, so if no baby by then, he can't be there to take out and monitor the epidural. Are you serious?!!! He can't hang around for a few more hours just to help a girl out?!! Too funny. And there was no way I was stopping this all and starting all over again the next day!! So it was crunch time. I had to dilate, and do it fast!!
So, the doctor stripped my membranes and looked at me and held both hands up with fingers crossed. And then left the room.
I kid you not, within minutes, my contractions got so intense, I knew something was happening. Just one hour later, it was literally GO time!! It all happened so quick!! My midwife, who was there all alone with Brian and I, no doctors or other nurses at this point, was like, "so you ready to push"?!! Brian and I just looked at each other like, "You going to call the doctor"?!! Which of course she did, but we found out that here in Japan, the midwife is the one who actually delivers the baby, as the doctor watches, and then the doctor comes in and does all the aftermath. Different, but as long as the baby comes out, I don't care who's doing it!
So we started pushing, and that's all I wanted to do...that baby was coming and coming quick, and I couldn't stop pushing!! They kept telling me to "Stop pushing, relax!," and I was like I'm not stopping, I want this baby out now!!! For some reason I got a little scared at this point, I don't know why, I just did, and I kept looking up at Brian, with this total panicked look I am sure, and he was truly my rock, he just kept telling me I was doing awesome...I seriously don't know what I would have done without him! He got me through it, and at exactly 2:50pm, our Natalie came into the world! I reached forward and grabbed her, and took one look at her, and thought (out loud actually) HOLY CRAP, she's HUGE!!!! I knew the minute I held her this baby was a big one. She just felt heavy, and her face was so big and squashed and she was just thick!! Brian and I just looked at her all wide eyed, it was so funny!! She was absolutely beautiful though and of course I cried I was so happy to see her!
They took her and put her on the scale, and I SO wish I had this on video, all the nurses and doctors literally shrieked/gasped in Japanese as they weighed her!! The scale read 4656 grams. Brian and I looked at each other like what the heck does that mean?!! We were trying to do the math in our head, so he ran and got his IPhone and googled it, and looked at me and said "Sandy, you just gave birth to a 10 pound 4 oz baby, way to go babe!" The nurses literally weighed her over again 3 separate times and even calibrated the scale just to make sure. Sure enough, her weigh never changed, she was one big girl!!
We got a lot of "Oooh, Big Baby!", and "Biggest baby I ever seen!" It was funny! Other doctors even came in to see her just to check it out! We later found out that we now hold the record for biggest baby born at the hospital! Now, the hospital in only 3 years old, so I am sure we won't hold it long ;) Seriously though, I knew I had gotten huge these past few weeks, but I never thought she was going to be so big, she literally weighed 2 pounds more than her brother...poor Austin, at 8 pounds 3 oz, he was the runt of the family!! His sisters both showed him up!!
Not long after having her, my mom showed up with Austin and Brooke, and the look on their faces when they saw their new little sister was priceless. They just took to her so fast, they are absolutely fascinated with her!! They couldn't stop smiling and touching her and they couldn't leave her alone!! It was adorable, they were so happy to finally meet her too ;)
We got to spend about 2 hours with Natalie in the labor and delivery room. She ate for the first time...she took right to nursing, this girl was hungry!! Thankfully, just like her brother and sister, she had no problems what so ever latching on and just got right to it! Then the nurses even "marked" her for us...they literally wrote my name on her leg with permanent marker in Japanese as if to not be confused or mixed up with any other baby! We got a kick out of that, as if she would be mistaken for any other babies born there! ;) I am sure we were the only Americans there! Then they had to take her away to the baby nursery for some tests and stuff for the next 3 hours. At this point, they wheeled me up to the recovery room where I got all settled in for my big 5 day stay.
All in all, it was definitely a different experience than what I had gone through with Austin or Brooke's births and there were for sure some things I am still trying to figure out, but it really went pretty well. I can't complain one bit, all my fears and anxieties about having a baby in a foreign country were all for not. They were so great to me and it all went so smooth, it was truly a unique and wonderful experience. We are just so lucky everything went well and we have a happy, healthy baby girl who we just adore. So...would I have another baby here if it ever came to it?! Definitely.
Welcome to the world Natalie Jane...we love you so much already...
Morning of delivery...nurses kept telling me my stomach looked like it had a watermelon or basketball stuffed in it! It just poked straight out and was rock hard!
Here she is!!!!!
Our daughter, Natalie Jane!
Check out that plump face!
4656 grams...10 lbs 4 oz!
Even has leg rolls already!
Falkenborg in Japanese!
Absolutely exhausted...absolutely in love...absolutely love being a mother.
Can't take my eyes off her.
Brooke meeting her sister for the first time!
Love this picture...Brooke is all about the baby, and Austin is all about the IV wires! Such a boy!!
Checking out Natalie's feet, they couldn't believe how small they were!
Proud Grandma, brother and sister!
No one could stop looking at Natalie!
That's my midwife in the background with the glasses, she is a champ, I was so lucky to have had her!
They couldn't have been more excited to see her!
Very proud dad!
Ok, so the excitement wore off for just a second! Keeping each other entertained while the doctors do their stuff!
This is what makes those 9 long months worth every second of it.
Just love those cheeks ;)
Proud parents...
Natalie Jane Falkenborg
August 31, 2011 2:50pm
10lbs 4 oz
23 inches
Fukuoka, Japan
Welcome to the world baby girl, isn't it beautiful!
(FYI...It was only Brian and I in the delivery room, so not only did he have to be there to help me out, but I made him be the picture taker...he did an awesome job, but I realized he's not in any of the pictures because of it!)
