Meet Rio

Hello friends ~ so excited to introduce you to the newest member of our family! He showed up a few days ago at 7lbs 13oz, a little over a pound more than his sister.

Won’t go into many details like with Nori’s birth story, but I was a few days overdue, trying to get comfy in bed (an impossible task), when what I thought were Braxton hicks / practice contractions started to feel increasingly more painful. Not long after, I was hollering loudly from contractions every 30 minutes, while a groggy Nick uttered his famous last words “just try to relax and get some sleep…”

You’re usually advised not to go to the hospital until contractions are at a 5-1-1 frequency (5 minutes apart, 1 minute long, for 1 hour), and with Nori it took half a day at home to get that point. Nevertheless I barked that we needed to get going ASAP, and sure enough, by the time we checked into the hospital at 2AM, my contractions were ~ every 3 minutes and I welcomed that epidural with open arms!

My first time giving birth at this hospital, I was much too nervous to look at the big mirror they offered to roll into the delivery room. Curiosity got the best of me this time, and WOW…all I can say is our bodies are amazing and I can see why my husband looked so ashen!

Everyone kept telling me that pushing would be quicker the 2nd time around and that baby would slide right out, but my first was definitely the easier delivery ; ) I learned at the hospital that baby boy was positioned “sunny side up” or head down, but facing my belly instead of my back (which apparently can result in more intense contractions, and a more painful or prolonged birthing experience). The doctors tried manually turning him as I pushed, and I also recall a lot of olive oil packets being drizzled down there to facilitate the process!

All in all I’m grateful for a fairly straightforward labor & delivery – especially considering the additional precautions during COVID. For my hospital that meant you or your support person can’t leave your delivery room once you’re in, less hands-on interaction with postpartum nurses, and while I did have a mask on the entire time during labor and pushing I barely noticed it to be honest. Every hospital is different, so if you’re birthing this year definitely check with your hospital beforehand.

As far as recovery goes, oh how quickly we forget this stage … even though I knew what to expect, it hasn’t made it easier (especially since each birth can be quite different!). I do know to lend myself much more grace this time around, and having my mom here to help has been a godsend! Nori has been spoiled by her beloved “po po” with daily home baked goodies and trips to her favorite parks.

Big sister Nori practicing how to hold the baby!

Nick in a bit of disbelief that he’s now a dad of two!