Roan was born on 9/22/2018

Roan Taoran Attenberg (若恩。陶然。爱丁堡) was born on 9/22/2018, 3:28pm EST. Weigh 7lb 10 oz. length: , head circumference: .

Here is a timeline of what happened on the day and the previous day. 

Sep 21, Friday,

Morning: We did ultrasound and NST, everything is normal. Did NST for half an hour, and found out that I had 2 contractions 12 minutes apart. I was shocked to hear that as I can't feel anything.

Afternoon: Went to do acupuncture, then walked 3 subway stop from cornerstone healing to home 

Evening, ~10:50pm: I was at the bathroom taking some last minute pregnancy selfies, my water broke. the amount of water was so significant that there was no doubt about it.  it was clear. but a large amount flows out whenever I change a position.  So I woke up Josh and told him that we need to go to the hospital now.  he was in disbelief. Also, text my doula Myla, she suggested me to stay at home a bit longer and told me that I can try to do some cat/cow position to get the baby to the right position. I tried a few on the yoga mat, but so much water flows out whenever I change a position, so I gave up and decided to go to the hospital right away. We took an uber and arrived at the hospital at midnight.   

Sep 22, Saturday, 

midnight: arrived at the hospital (Presbyterian Lower Manhattan). After a brief wait at the door, I was let into the triage room. Got hooked onto NST. No feelings of contraction yet. 

~12:45am: A physical assistant did a vaginal check and said cervix was only 1cm open.  Small contractions are observed on the NST. 

2am: they put Cervidil inside to soften the cervix.  Cervidil is a prostaglandin suppository that releases prostaglandins to help get cervix ready for labor. It can stay in the vagina for up to 12 hours but will be taken out if I need to get epidural. 

~4:20am: contraction is about 3-4 minutes apart. It was painful, though bearable. but I have already worked out the reasoning in my head that there is no point to wait for epidural later, I should do it now to reduce my pain.  So I texted my doula Myla to ask for her opinion. 

~6:50am: Myla arrived at the hospital. She helped me through the contractions with breathing and positioning. I had been lying on my back before she got there. After she got there, she helped me to lie on my side, which was a more comfortable position to endure the contractions. But I never had the courage/strength/willpower to stand up and get on a birth ball. 

~7:30am: I requested epidural. The contraction at this point was pretty painful already, although it was still bearable, it was quite painful, and I reasoned that I will need to get epidural eventually, might as well just stop the pain now.

~8am: Got epidural, pain relieved immediately. To get the epidural, they must take out the Cervidil. So at the same time of taking out the Cervidil, they also did a vaginal check, I was 3cm open and Cervital is 90% soften. I was told this is great progress, and I responded to Cervidil very well. 

I asked the attending anesthetist to administer the epidural per the suggestion of Myla. She helped me to go to the bathroom and told me that this the attending anesthetist who showed up a few minutes earlier was very good and I should stick to him. She was totally right. the process was smooth. And I was instantly relieved from pain. 

~7:30am: Soon after I got the epidural, I was moved into the delivery room. I think it was nurse Mary who pushed to the operation room, which I lied on the bed, pain-free, but no longer able to move my midsection much. 

~9am: Got pitocin. After "negotiating" with Dr. Fridel on how much pitocin to get, I got pitocin. She wants to start at 1 and increase by 1 every 20 minutes.  I asked whether it's possible to increase by 1 every hour.  She was a bit annoyed and said we are not on a marketing buying a jacket here. We are not trying to make a bargain.  Eventually, we agree that it's will be increased as needed.  My nurse (Mary Ji) said she is the only person who can change it, and she will see it as needed. She is a great nurse. 

~2pm:  vaginal check: 10cm open, baby head is at +2. So we are ready to push, I asked to wait for my mom to arrive. Between 9 and 2, it was uneventful. I was mostly sleeping, except for one time I throw up everything in my stomach, emptying all the breakfast that I ate, and some wanton I ate the night before. Josh and Myla also got some rest. We only needed to add Pitocin to 2. I felt a few big contractions when the pitocin was at 2. It was then turned off for a while, then back to 1.  Myla helped me to change position every once in a while, from lying on my back to my left, then to my right, then to back again etc.  The nurse can monitor the baby heart rate through NST and my contraction.  I pressed my epidural button once to increase the level. There was no pain, but I can still move my feet and toe quite easily I thought. 

~2:30pm: mom arrived. 

~ pm: starts pushing. Pushed through 5 or 6 contractions. The pushing was easy. I didn't even need to use all my might.  I got a mirror so that I can see where the baby head is appearing so that I have a target to push toward.  At about 5th or 6th push, I can feel the baby head crowning. Then everybody told me to hold off for the next one. So I stopped pushing actively, but the contraction itself is doing some pushing, and the doctor was saying to me "don't push yet" as she was putting on her gown. I was like "But I'm not pushing". Then after she got the gown on and table ready. She said, ok, now you can push at the next contraction. So I did, and I see the baby's head coming through, and I can feel the baby head coming through in my body. Then everything was a blur and the baby seems to be out immediately. But later I was told by Myla, the doc did a great job protecting my perineal area when the head was coming out, so there was no tearing when head as coming out, but the shoulder was a little bit too low/out, and because doc and PA was worrying about upper shoulder was stuck behind the pubic bone, so there was less attention given to the perineal area and the lower shoulder tore it open, leading it to a 2nd degree tear in the end. Doc informed me of the tear is 2nd degree, and she commented on maybe I won't have a tear for the next baby. I said something like I don't think I'm going to have a second baby.... She said something like you never know....

~3:28pm: baby was born. Baby weights 7lb10oz, length: head size: . Healthy! 

~ : PA(Jane) and Dr. Fridel sewed up the 2nd degree tear.  Mostly it was Jane doing it, under the guidance of Dr. Myla said she did a good job. 

sometime after they finished mending the tear, someone put the baby on my chest and we snuggled a little bit. He was cleaner than I expected, cause I think someone already cleaned him up. 

~ Evening: Released from Delivery room to post-partum room.  Right before leaving the operation room, Nurse Mary helped me to go to the bathroom to pee at the operation room. Then I got on a wheelchair and she pushed me to the post-partum room. It's a shared room, but there is nobody in the other room.