Thursday, February 6, 2014

Parenting: Hey, Hey, Hays!

Well, after 40 full weeks of waiting, plus one day, our latest bundle of joy has arrived!


And it's a boy!


Joseph Hays Rankin

We're calling him Hays.  Named for his great, great grandfather (Pat's mother's grandfather), Joseph Hays Cooling.  Pat has an early memory of riding the train with his grandmother to Kansas (where she grew up) to visit her parents, so Pat actually met the original Joseph Hays when he was four years old.

As with my other two children, I was induced.  This time it was the day after my due date.  After slightly tearing up when kissing Clara and Paul goodnight and tossing and turning for the four hours I tried to "sleep," Pat and I left the house at 3 am in twenty degree weather to get to St. Vincent's hospital by 5.  We were quickly shown to our room.  Within no time our nurse Teri had me all hooked up to the monitors and the IV.  Initially I was afraid we were rushing things.  Maybe we should have waited longer before deciding to induce.  It seemed Hays wasn't exactly ready to come out because he hadn't dropped very much even at 40 weeks and a day.  This pregnancy was the most comfortable one I've had - I could go a little longer before delivery.  But it was too late.  Things were in motion now.  



The labor overall went very well.  I got an epidural, like the previous two times.  I was bound and determined not to get a "boost" if the epidural wasn't strong enough.  I made that mistake with Paul (and was numb from the belly button down for hours afterward).  While I probably would have gotten a boost (had I not had my previous experience), I was SO glad I didn't.  Yes, I "felt" this labor more.  It felt like labor is supposed to feel.  It was work.  It wasn't excruciating, but pretty uncomfortable.  I pushed as hard as I could and was totally out of breath in the process.  Pat wiped the sweat from my forehead.  I felt the immediate relief as the doctor pulled Hays out and laid him on my chest.  It was such a rewarding experience.

He weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces, which makes him my biggest baby out of the three.
He measured in at 21 1/2 inches, which is half an inch longer than Clara was when she was born.

While I was told over and over that "third babies just slip out," that wasn't exactly true in this case.  Hays had his head turned slightly to the side, like he was trying to get a sneak peak at the world, which did make the pushing a little more strenuous.  With contractions starting at 6:30am, Hays was born at 12:39pm.


Some people say they see resemblances to Clara; others say they see resemblances to Paul.  I have seen looks that remind me of both.  But I think my babies all look a lot alike!  They all had dark strawberry-blond hair, dark blue-gray eyes, and rosy skin.  But the big question is: what does his feet look like?



We're excited to report that his feet seem long and narrow, at least longer and narrower than Clara and Paul's.  We are hoping for off-the-rack shoes for this child!  If you know anything about Pat's difficulties finding shoes that fit, then you understand why we are so excited about Hays'* feet.

I would miss a big part of this event if I failed to mention all the help we had with Clara and Paul through it all.  A big thanks goes out to Pat's sister Ann, who dropped everything at a moment's notice to watch the kids for two days while we were gone.  Another thanks goes out to Patrick, who stayed with them the night we had to leave for the hospital, and another thanks goes to my parents who changed their travel plans (and drove the 14 hours straight) to get to Alabama a day earlier than originally planned to relieve Ann.  It was wonderful to not worry about Clara and Paul while we were in the hospital.  When we called to check in, the kids were too busy having fun to talk!



I enjoyed the peace and quiet that I had during this hospital stay.  I really appreciated and noticed the quiet that I had. Yes, they wake you up every 4 hours to get your blood pressure and temperature, but that wasn't terrible.  I had 48 hours where I didn't have to worry about cooking, cleaning, or doing laundry.  My time was spent napping leisurely, reading magazines, and holding (and feeding) a tiny sleepy baby in between those nurse visits.  I definitely missed Clara and Paul, and there is nothing like your own bed, but I really tried to enjoy my time in the hospital as a retreat of sorts, and it was good.

In retrospect, it was great to have the induction procedure and not continue to wait for Hays to come on his own.  Why?  One: Hays probably would have gained another pound and might have been too big to come out the usual way.  Two: The following week we had "Winter Freeze 2014" where Birmingham was literally shut down for three days due to severe ice on the roads.  People were stuck at work or spending the night at churches and schools because they couldn't get home.  I wouldn't have wanted to get to the hospital or back home in any of that mess.

Welcome to the world, Hays!  We're so happy you're here safe and sound!




*Did you know it's grammatically correct to write Hays' or Hays's to show possession?  I had to look it up to be sure because my brain was a little fuzzy on that one.  Grammar Monster says to use just the apostrophe if you say it "Hays" and to use the apostrophe s if you say it "Hays-is."

























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