Baby Khaleesi's Birth Story

I am loving the feeling of a sleeping baby on my chest while I take some time to update my blog.

Warning: you're about to read a bit of a horror story about Khaleesi's birth but I can assure you, I am better and out of the woods now.  Before I continue, please know that my caesarean section with Joaquin was not bad.  I recovered quickly, had great nurses and anesthesiologists etc.  I did spend the first 24 hours being nauseous from the epidural and narcotics but that happens to me with any surgery.  However it was hard to not be able to hold Joaquin the first day because of the constant nausea and vomiting.  The shaking of my arms in the operating room was also a little much.  But really, the good won out with a great hospital, a supportive husband and I don't even remember the pain of the epidural!

Khaleesi's ceasarean yesterday was quite different.  Let's start with the good news.  My friend, Anjela, is a doula and introduced me to something called gentle caesarean or family centered caesarean.  There are new approaches to help moms experience something closer to a natural birth and less like a surgery.  I learned so many cool things and came up with a birth plan implementing things to do differently and my Anesthesiologist and Doctor were on board with all of it!  For a couple examples, Jesus got to be with me for the epidural and they didn't strap my arms down during the surgery.  So I was very appreciative of all the understanding.

I also wanted skin to skin ASAP in the operating room but because of my low tolerance for drugs, that did not happen.  Everyone on the team was made very aware of my nausea and they tried so many things to help me not have a 24 hour nauseous experience like I did with Joaquin.  The good news is, my nausea did get under control and I was able to hold Khaleesi more than I held Joaquin by evening time.   I was even able to speak and get words out during yesterday without almost hurling every syllable!  The bad news however is how many drugs they gave me to keep the nausea at bay.  While it was better by night, it did not stay at bay during or after the surgery.  I threw up several times in the operating room and then even more in recovery.  Recovery normally takes 45 minutes but I was there almost 4 hours while Jesus and the baby were back in their room.  Not only did I have nausea but my limbs were shaking uncontrollably from all the narcotics.  Then my blood pressure was too low so they gave me medicine for that.  By now I've had an epidural, nausea meds, blood pressure meds, and meds to stop the shaking and this was clearly too much for me!  Next thing I knew was the feeling of my heart beating out of my chest and hearing the beeping of my heart monitor racing in pace with red lights flashing.  Suddenly there were three nurses at my side and the doctor was called immediately to get to me!  While my heart rate is normally in the 80s-90s, it spiked to 212!  All I can say is how grateful I am that I am alive and that I didn't die in the recovery room while my husband and family were somewhere else!

Oh another tidbit of the surgery was a shooting pain through my shoulder, into my neck and at the base of my head.  Like a torn muscle or something.  The anesthesiologist said sometimes this happens when there are tools going into your stomach causing pain to travel to higher muscles...or something.  The doctor however never saw this happen with someone's shoulder.  While the pain was excruciating, it was finally put under control too but only after they refused me more drugs to not cause more nausea.  I also really do love my doctor.  As she was sewing me up after the baby was out, she begged her co-workers to play some music and she was so funny making sure it was "good" music that she or I would like.  I thought it was a sweet consideration.

So now I don't know what to do for a future caesarean.  Whats's worse?  24 hours of nausea without holding the baby or 4 hours in recovery and a racing heart rate?!  I don't know but it is clear that I have drug sensitivity and there is no magic cure so good luck to me I guess!

It's day 2 and I feel so much better!  I've been keeping food down and my hear rate is normal!  And...we have a new baby!  She is beautiful and I'm so so happy to give Joaquin a little sister.  He was a bit nervous at first to see me in the hospital and it was difficult to understand that baby was no longer in my tummy. But again by day 2, he did so much better while visiting the hospital and even brought Khaleesi a toy.

 I love my little family!  Newest member: Khaleesi Jane Gonzalez.  6lbs. 15 oz. 19.5 inches long.  Born 7-29-15.

Preparing for surgery!

A realistic photo of emotionally seeing the baby for the first time but just after after the vomiting has started...enjoy!

Family visit

Meeting grandma after we surprised her by giving our daughter grandma's middle name.

Big Brother

Utah-Summer-2015

It's only been a month or two that my husband's dear mom has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.  So far, she is battling hard and doing OK but please feel free to read her story on our Go Fund Me page by clicking here.

With this news, my husband knew it was important to get to Utah as soon as he could to support her and her husband and what better time than when he could get some extra work off for the Independence day holiday!  So beginning our journey while I was 35 weeks pregnant and returning at 36 weeks, off we went a road trippin'!

We made the drive in two days driving 10-12 hours a day.  Sure, it should have been 9-10 hours a day but with a pregnant lady who needs to walk for circulation every few hours, a husband that loves stopping for coke and an occasional diaper change for the two year old (who did amazingly awesome), it all just took time!  But we made it.

On our way there, we went through South Dakota which surprisingly has lot of little tourist stops!  We stopped at the Oasis to see the buffalo statues and at Mt. Rushmore where we stayed the night.  We drove through Wyoming the next day and drove through nothing but beautiful planes and mountains (still boring but beautiful).  Although we did see lots of Mormon Pioneer stops but didn't work them into our schedule because we didn't realize we'd be passing them. We caught a little history about them at one of the rest stops which was cool.

You know who took our photo here?  Another family on the road that lives 15 minutes away from us in Minnesota....weird!

A Wyoming sunset

In Utah, we stayed at one of the Canyons Resorts in Park City and boy do I recommend it!  Do you ever go to different places and think to yourself "I could live here!"?  Well I've never felt that when visiting Utah until Park City.  It's so beautiful there way up in the mountains!  Our resort had a lovely cabriolet to take people part way up the mountain that we could ride for free.  It also had lovely pools from the adults only serenity pool to the outdoor pool hopping with kids like Joaquin.  It was so relaxing to be there.

Olympic Park 

Riding the Cabriolet

Downtown Park City for a sushi date with Jesus's best friend from college!

Each day we drove down to Salt Lake City to be with Jesus' mom.  She was only in the hospital one day while we were there and the rest of the time we were at home.  We invited her and her husband out to our resort for a weekend overnight.  We visited together, took photos at Temple Square and ate at Tucanos Brazilian steakhouse to name a few highlights.  Minnesota friends: if you like Fogo De Chao, you'd love Tucanos because it's just as, if not more, delicious and way cheaper!  We also ate at Cafe Rio which everyone and their mom loves in Utah but it took me a while to jump on the bandwagon.  This time I finally figured out how to order.  I had to get a salad so I could really taste the fresh made tortilla bowl and I had to add the dressing that everyone raves about.  Now I'm on the bandwagon and told Jesus we should buy a franchise and bring it to MN!  Think Chipotle but with handmade tortillas, way more salsas, yummier meat and a bigger menu.

Holding grandma's hand-adorable!

Salt Lake LDS Temple

On our way home, we decided to drive the Nebraska/Iowa route which was a half hour longer but seemed more populated than Wyoming (although less beautiful).  It was a long hard trip with lots of back pain but it was so worth it.  It was such a nice time to spend with Jesus's family.  His niece was even able to be there at the same time as us which was even more fun. I'm glad we're all back and resting before the new baby comes but so glad we had this adventure!

Second Baby Syndrome: Reflections of 2nd and 3rd Trimesters

I've been the worst blogger lately!  I've even had things to write about and just haven't written them down.  My life has been having a lot of whirl winds and craziness lately and the busy-ness has sadly distracted me from being able to focus on my baby coming and this pregnancy as much as I would have liked.

But for those interested or other pregnant friends wanting to relate, here's what's been happening.

Trimester two:

• After being nauseous through trimester one, I finally felt like myself again!
• My biggest craving was steak fries.
• I could literally feel the right side of my stomach get hard while the left stayed squishy because the baby was growing all over my right uterus.  (Yes there's two...you'll have to back track my blogs to read about that).

Trimester three:

• So much for feeling like myself again!  This pregnancy has been substantially more difficult than my first.  My friend says I'm experiencing "second baby syndrome."  Or I'm just more out of shape?!
• The back pain I had with Joaquin from a crooked belly and a baby crunched all on my right side has returned with a vengeance for baby number 2.
• It hurst to walk because my muscles feel so sore all the time.
• Pepcid AC is working much better for my acid reflux than Tums...not perfect but better.
• I feel bigger than I ever did with Joaquin but people still say I look small and I measure small...believe me that doesn't matter, pregnant is pregnant!
• I wear dresses now...on weekdays!
• Traveling in the third trimester is nerve wracking but totally doable.  Sure I got motion sickness on my flights at 30 weeks and my feet swelled like balloons on a two day road trip at 36 weeks but both trips were more than worth it.  Watching one of my best friends get married in New York and then visiting my mother in law in Utah were both necessary and lovely vacations.
• Two of my doctors have been almost positive the baby is head down and up until two days ago I was planning for a VBAC!
• Two days ago, the ultrasound found the baby was breech and it's looking like I'll have another c-scetion.  The downside is the more c-sections you have, the more scar tissue you get which increases risk of rupturing each pregnancy and I want more pregnancies (but really I know plenty of people who have had plenty of c-sections without rupturing).  The upside is we can schedule our c-section and plan for exactly when this little girl will come!  I got to have Joaquin at 39 weeks and IF the doctors let me do that again, I will have this baby out of me in two weeks!
• At the beginning of my pregnancy, I switched doctors just to have the baby at the hospital 30 seconds from my house.  How convenient for my husband to take my son back and forth!
• Last week, I received a call that the hospital 30 seconds away is closing their labor and delivery unit and I now have to deliver at the hospital further away.  BUT this further hospital is opening a brand new mother-baby center partnering with Childrens Hospital of MN on July 27 and my husband is hoping we can schedule our c-section opening day and be the first baby delivered there!  Is that wishful thinking or will it really happen?  Time will tell once we sort that out.  
• I'm so grateful to everyone who has given me hand me down baby supplies and bought be me new clothes for this baby girl!  While I started with just a few things I saved from Joaquin, I now believe I have everything I'll need for a baby girl and her wardrobe is looking adorable!

Well I just wanted to document some memories so there you have it.  Let's hope my next blog about this baby is my birth story!  Here's a few shots from our maternity session with Megan Ashley Photography MN.