Introducing Lucas Eric Hintze

A couple days before Lucas was born I had a doctors appointment.  I was super nervous about it because I wasn't dilated much the week before, and if I still wasn't, there would be no way they could induce me a week early like we'd talked about.  It was a Tuesday and my mom was flying in on Thursday the 6th in the morning.  After my exam the doctor let me know that I was dilated to a 1 1/2 or two.  I was so happy to hear this.  We sat down at his desk and he started making phone calls.  All our appointments were in Spanish and I generally understood very little of what was happening, so this was pretty normal, and was no exception.  Then suddenly he leaned over and said, OK so does tomorrow morning work?  We were in shock.  He had actually been on the phone scheduling things for a Wednesday induction.  We told him we'd really prefer to wait until Thursday, because then my mom could be here to take care of the girls.  He asked when she would get in and we told him Thursday morning.  He said he'd see us at 8 A.M. on Thursday.  We were again both shocked, but excited.  I was happy.  I'd been super worried that I wouldn't ever be dilated enough to induce and I'd go way longer than I should and have a huge baby.  As soon as he said it was happening though I also started to worry that maybe we were doing it too soon, and maybe the labor wouldn't progress fast enough because of that.  So basically there was no way to stop me from worrying.  At any rate I was excited to meet my little boy.

On Thursday the 6th of November we woke up early.  We got the girls ready and dropped them off at a friend's place who sends her children to the same school.  We had to drop them off around seven-thirty, and then she took them to school with her kids.  My mom's flight landed around nine and she was able to pick them up after school and spend the night with them.  After dropping off the girls we hurried to the hospital.  I wasn't sure what to expect being in a foreign country.  Things were a little different starting with the prep for delivery.  In the states I went right into a delivery room, I labored there and had my babies there.  Here I went into my room, as in the room I stayed in the whole time I was at the hospital.  They had to do a few things before we got started.  The worst was that I had to have an enema.  I'd never had one, and it was a scarring experience!  I don't know that I've ever felt that sick before.  Fortunately after about an hour I felt better and they started me on pitocin. 

The day was really long.  They came in every few hours to check me, but there was NO progress at all.  Finally around 5:30 my doctor came in and said that he was going to speak in a meeting close by and would be back around 8, but if I hadn't progressed at all by then they would have to do a c-section.  I was really worried at this point.  I was feeling a little stupid that I'd been so adamant that I needed to be induced early.  To me this was a sign that clearly this baby wasn't ready to come out.  Fortunately, by the time my doctor got back I had progressed quite a bit and by then I was almost a six!  About an hour in a half later they decided I was ready.  They made Marcus change into his delivery room attire.  Then they transported me down in my bed to the delivery room.  There were a ton of people and bright lights, and it was all a little weird, but I was excited that it was finally time. 

I had the most wonderful midwife with me earlier in the day.  She was the sweetest older woman.  I couldn't understand much of what she said, but she was so loving, and sweet to me her name was Mar.  Unfortunately my labor had lasted so long that her shift had ended, and I had a new midwife for the delivery.  The new midwife was also nice, but in the delivery room I felt like she was trying to kill me.  Every time a contraction would come they would tell me to push.  As I would start to push she would slam her elbow into my stomach to try to put pressure on the baby and get him to move down.  As she would do this though she would completely push the air out of my lungs, and it is nearly impossible to push without being able to breathe!  My last labor with Avery had been so simple.  I'd only pushed a couple times, and I was a little disappointed this one was much harder.  I thought maybe I wasn't pushing as well this time or something.  Finally after 30-40 minutes our little Lucas was born.  They promptly passed him over to me and I was in shock as I always seem to be after my babies are born.  I was able to hold him for a couple minutes and then they took him to weigh and measure him.  I told Marcus to go with them.  Marcus came back in the room with him bundled up in a blanket and said, "He's 4.36 kilos!"  I said something like "I have no idea what that is.  What is he in pounds?"  He quickly typed it into his phone and said, "9 pounds 10 ounces!"  My response was "What?!"  I knew he was big, but honestly I didn't think he seemed that big.  I didn't think there was any way he was going to be over 9 pounds when I was induced a week early.  Every one there seemed to be in shock of his size.  My doctor later told me that he was his largest vaginal delivery. 
(Yep...A title I've always dreamed of holding)  Fortunately I just had a stage 2 episotomy to prevent tearing in the same area that I had with Hailey.  Other than that everything was great.

It was really the best case scenario.  We felt so grateful for Doctor Lorenzo.  I really felt like he did a great job.  Even with ultra sounds at every appointment no one suspected that Lucas would be as big as he was.  He was measuring big all along, but they had estimated he'd be about 8 1/2 pounds.  I think I am still in shock I had a 9 pound 10 ounce baby!  While we were in the hospital I remember thinking maybe he wasn't really that big, maybe they'd mismeasured him, because to me he still looked like a tiny baby.  Every time a nurse would come in and hold him though and I'd see him in their arms he looked absolutely HUGE!  It was so funny to see. 

At any rate I fell hopelessly in love with my little boy the second I saw him.  I'm writing this about 2 1/2 months later and my adoration has only grown.  He is the sweetest little boy in the world.  He is absolutely beautiful.  One of the Doctors at the hospital said all the nurses were talking about him, and "to be careful with this one", because they all thought he was so handsome!  ;)  He truly is a beautiful boy.  We couldn't love him more.  Lucas Eric Hintze, our handsome little Spaniard!