I’m writing this before the bris, so we’ll refer to Baby Boy Rosenhouse with the nickname I’ve been calling him, Muggsy.The Feeling
It started Thursday morning, when we visited Dr. Pinell’s office. He said Amanda was a centimeter dilated, but that didn’t mean she was going to labor. Many women are a centimeter dilated for a week before things start happening. So, Amanda and I both went to work. At 3:30 that afternoon, she messaged to say “Not to scare you, but I think I’m having some contractions. They are not painful or regular.” Well, she didn’t scare me, but that did get the butterflies going. Around 8 p.m., Amanda noticed a change “down there,” and the contractions were starting more. By this point, my gut said this would really be happening. I got home at 10:30, and felt much better being with her again.
At 2 a.m., I woke up to Amanda calling her Aunt Bonkie to say it was “go time” and we’d need her to take care of Sophie. 30 minutes later, we were in the hospital at a maternal assessment, where they check to see if it’s really happening. The nurse said Amanda was between 5-6 centimeters dilated and we’d be going to a labor and delivery room.
Amanda immediately asked for an epidural and that happened around 4:00 in the morning. The goal was to try and rest after, and at 5 we tried to sleep. 25 minutes later though, Amanda didn’t feel right. The doctor came in and explained it was likely because she was now 10 centimeters dilated and it was about time to push!
They say the second baby normally comes out faster and that was definitely the case. I think Amanda only did three or four rounds of pushing, and there he was! A little baby boy, all pink, blue, and purple. They cleaned him up, I cut the chord, and then he was immediately on Amanda. Of course, I cried, because that’s not tough for me! Muggsy arrived at 6:01 am, 8 pounds, 3 ounces, and 21 inches long.
As for the postpartum stay, overall, it was much better than the first go around. I think this is a combination of factors, but the main two are Amanda’s pain being less and our different approach. With Sophie, Amanda was in a lot of pain, and we had committed to only breastfeeding. This led to a lot of stress. This time, we mixed in nursing with pumping and formula. It’s allowed Amanda to catch some sleep at night and overall, has made everything smoother. Muggsy seems to be a pretty hungry boy, and if we’d only done nursing, it could have been another tough time.
Big Sister Sophie
Sophie has been great! In the middle of the night Friday, I told her we had to get up and go to the hospital because baby brother was coming. She didn’t cry or anything, even telling me we “can’t wait” to leave. When she left with Bonkie, she put up a little fight, because she wanted to go with us to the “hop-sid-al.”
I picked her up on Friday afternoon from school and brought her to meet him. She was so excited! Her walking in and getting to hold him was absolutely precious! My parents took her to Tot Shabbat the next day, and she proudly told everyone his name was Muggsy. What a good secret keeper! She then spent the day with my parents, before coming to visit the hospital around dinner time. Again, she really wanted to have him sit with her. She is definitely showing signs she’ll care for him (wanting to give him a nippy, seeing if he’s crying, etc).
***
Wrapping this up by saying, our world has definitely changed, and I believe it will continue to be in a great way! Amanda seems to be in a good mood and managing the pain well. Sophie has had her moments of agitation, and while I know there will be more tough parts in the transition, hopefully it’ll be smooth overall. We’ve been so thankful for everyone who has offered to help out. It takes a village as they say, and thankfully, we have one.
And for some fun .... Guess Who is Who???? (answer below)
(Top Left-Sophie, Top Right-Michael, Bottom Left-Amanda, Bottom Right-Muggsy)
