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Announcing Amanda Rene Madigan December 17, 2006
Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to Amanda Rene Madigan, "Mandy" to you and me:
Seven pounds, three ounces and she already needs a haircut.
Ger woke me up around 4:45 Saturday morning saying that it was either time or she was having the biggest Braxton Hicks contractions of her life. What's more, they had started out about 10 minutes apart and were getting closer. A phone call was made to Ger's parents who rushed over to watch over a still slumbering Sam, and we took off as soon as they got here. Personally, I can't really think of a better time for Mandy to make her call, despite her being a full week early. There's not exactly a lot of traffic at 5:30 on a Saturday morning, so we jammed to the hospital at about 80 miles an hour. We were flying. We had purpose. We were going full throttle.
Unfortunately when we arrived at the so-called women's evaluation office per the instructions on our laminated flyer, the place seemed completely empty except for what might have been a fairly well dressed homeless person snoozing in the corner. We started urgent tapping on the frosted glass window in the reception area and after a moment the window snapped open to reveal the glowering, moon-shaped face of what was apparently the least friendly person the hospital could cough up. "Be with you in a minute," she barked, then slammed the glass window closed.
We just kind of stood there, stunned. It was like Ger was a very pregnant Dorothy trying to get in to see the Wizard. I was, perhaps, the Tin Man. Or Toto. I'm not sure which. Ger found her tongue, though, and after a couple of minutes of none-too-subtle complaining someone finally came to admit us and give Ger a bed. Soon after that the words "five centimeters" were bandied about and we knew we were there to stay.
After that, things moved kind of quickly. For a time. Sort of. We went up stairs to the delivery unit and they hooked Ger up to various machinery, including a machine that routinely took her blood pressure, a machine that monitored the baby's heartbeat, a machine that dripped delicious fluid into her veins, and a machine that administered her epidural medicine. I got a laugh out of Ger by telling her that the robot would be in shortly to deliver her baby. This, in turn, got us giggling as we intoned "Push... Push... Push... You. Are. Doing. Great." in a monotone, robotic voice.
In the beginning, everyone we talked to seemed to think that Geralyn was a fantastic pusher and that in just a few more minutes this baby was going to literally FLY out of her uterus, sail across the room, and land neatly in its warming bed where it would shout "TA-DA!" Second babies, the staff said, were a snap. They all were shocked and aghast when we told them that Sam had taken six hours of continuous pushing, an act that they assured us would never be tolerated at this hospital and surely wouldn't happen again.
In fact, things did not ultimately go that well despite the quick start. Geralyn pushed heroically for two hours but because of her abnormally narrow pelvis, the baby's location didn't change much as a result. This is the same pelvis that Sam somehow managed to get through, but the doctor here didn't like the chances of something bad happening if, for example, the baby's head popped out but her shoulders got stuck. We talked it over, and though we really didn't like the idea and it asked a lot of us in terms of adjusting our expectations for the day, we decided that a cesarean section was going to be best.
I'm not going to lie to you: there were some tears. Ger is squeamish enough about needles, and scalpels seemed a LOT scarier once we thought about it. There was also the extra recovery time and the fact that she wouldn't be able to get out of bed for over 24 hours. We had really wanted a vaginal birth. (And here I will say "vaginal" again because it's totally not puerile in this context and I can get away with it for once. VAGINAL. Hee hee.) Since that wasn't in the cards, though, we resigned ourselves and quickly got prepped.
I got to wear paper slippers and a funny mask, Ger got to have her uterus cut open. I pointed out that this hardly seemed like a fair deal, but I was told we could not trade. Instead, I got to stand right there next to Geralyn with my camera held at the ready while they put a curtain across her midsection to block the view. I should have left it at that, but I have to tell you: I peeked. I couldn't help standing on my tip-toes and peeking over the curtain. Truth be told, though, I was more fascinated than horrified by what I saw, plus I can now say that I know what my wife's innards look like. Geralyn handled it like the champ I knew she was, though, and got through it just fine.
Mandy came out fine, too, and one bittersweet consequence of the c-section was that this time I was the one who got to hold the baby first, got to coddle her, and got to show her to everyone while they fixed Geralyn up a few feet away. It was every bit as powerful as the last time, and I was once again stuck dumb by love and wonder as I whispered my first words to my new daughter: "Hi! Welcome to the world! Sorry about the mess. We're ...we're hoping you can do something about that when you're older."
And that's where we are now. Geralyn and Mandy are both fine and recovering. The c-section means we're going to be spending a few extra days in the hospital, but we're looking forward to introducing Mandy to Samantha and the rest of Ger's side of the family later today and to my mom, sister, and brother-in-law later in the week.
Overall, I'm full of joy right now because hey --baby! But I'm also filled with trepidation for the same reason. I remember that it was a lot of hard work with Samantha, and that was only with her to deal with. I start to get anxious thinking about how much harder things will be this time around, but then I remember the dividends that Samantha has paid us for our sacrifices and I figure that there's got to be some kind of special multiplicative baby sibling math that means the payoff is going to be even better with both of them around. It's mathematically assured, people.
So bring it on, I say. This is so totally going to be worth it for everyone involved.
P.S., Thank you to everyone who left a comment or sent and e-mail in response to my post yesterday. They were all very much appreciated.
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Posted by shawn on December 17, 2006 9:23 AM:
Yeah! She is beautiful! We cannot wait to meet her later this week!
Aunt Shawn and Uncle Brent V2.0
Posted by Marla on December 17, 2006 10:40 AM:
She's beautiful! I figured something was up when I checked and there weren't pictures at midnight West Coast time. Everyone is going to do great..just one day at a time. Congrats! Congrats!
Posted by Techsplorer on December 17, 2006 11:13 AM:
Wow! And congrats. You have beautiful kids! As I read your post it brought the beginnings of tears to my eyes, remembering almost six years ago when my son was born. It's great to be a dad, ain't it?
Posted by Hellchick on December 17, 2006 11:47 AM:
Congrats to you, Ger, and Sam!! I'm so glad to hear that everyone is healthy and happy.
Posted by Malinda on December 17, 2006 3:11 PM:
Cute and Congrats, You are going to have a wonderful time raising your daughters.
Posted by bethany on December 17, 2006 3:15 PM:
Welcome to the world, Mandy! So glad you are here. I hope Geralyn has a quick recovery and that your fears and trepidations are needless, Jamie. I think you might be surprised at how much easier lots of things are this time, and at how much faster time is going to fly. And sure there will be challenges involved in having two kids, but there will be lots of joys, too. And you have a third person this time to help take care of the baby--Sammy will be a great big sister, I am sure. :-) God bless all of you, and Merry Christmas!
Posted by Steph on December 17, 2006 6:11 PM:
A great big congratulations to the entire family! My husband and I love reading Sam's stories and look forward to many more as she joins forces with Mandy!
Brought a tear to my eye too as we are expecting our second bundle of joy in early March 2007! Let us know how these first months go for you guys!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Posted by Angela Perry on December 18, 2006 6:19 AM:
Congratulations...and thank you for the story. It was nice to get the blow by blow details.
Glad all went okay and Mom, New baby, Big Sis, and Dad are all doing just fine. I'm sure everyone is in need of plenty of rest.
Happy Holidays!
Angela Perry
Posted by Monkee on December 18, 2006 6:22 AM:
Wow! Best Christmas present ever! Congratulations.
Posted by Karen Boulanger on December 18, 2006 6:43 AM:
Incredible narrative!! Congratulations to Geralyn and to you. Sounds like you get the nomination for Supporting Role. I'm guessing any change mgmt experience you've had came in handy after the two hours of pushing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Merry Christmas to all of you.
Posted by Brandon Bayles on December 18, 2006 7:36 AM:
Congratulations Janie and Geralyn. Wow----beautiful baby. Happy Holidays to you all!!!
Posted by Brandon Bayles on December 18, 2006 7:37 AM:
Ummmm----that would be JAMIE.
Posted by Jamie on December 18, 2006 10:15 AM:
Thanks so much, everyone! I've got entirely sporadic access to the 'net right now so it was nice to see all the comments and well wishes. Everyone is still doing well and Geralyn is recovering rapidly.
Also, Sam's weekly update is coming, but may not be up until late Monday or sometime Tuesday. She met her little sister yesterday.
Posted by Sylv on December 18, 2006 10:17 AM:
I'm envious. Girls in our family have never had hair like that at birth. What a beauty! Congratulations!
Posted by Patti on December 18, 2006 11:31 AM:
Oh, excellent news! I'm so glad for all of you! And Mandy gorgeous, just as much so as is her sister. I love the pic of Ger looking at Mandy. It's gorgeous (to overuse a word).
Posted by Marie on December 18, 2006 12:14 PM:
Congrats Jamie, Ger & Sam! Glad to hear you're doing well.
P.S. Jamie, follow your own rule...don't apologize for not updating (especially under the circumstances). :D But, I am looking forward to hearing how Sam reacted.
Posted by Cheryl on December 18, 2006 2:41 PM:
Congratulations. She is so sweet. How I miss the newborn days (my baby is 8-months now!).
Posted by Kizor on December 18, 2006 6:58 PM:
Shall I say it?
Yes.
BOOYAH!!
Posted by Jason on December 18, 2006 8:35 PM:
Congrats, Madigans!
Posted by Shelli on December 18, 2006 8:56 PM:
Congratulations! My second baby was by C-section after having the first vaginally. My first was a handful (is to this day and she is 20 years old). My second was a dream child from the beginning (and she is to this day at age 14). My third was born v-bac. He's somewhere in between the two as far as personality goes. Just goes to show you that they are all different and you never know. You love them anyway. Congrats again and have fun with your growing family.
Posted by LJP on December 18, 2006 9:07 PM:
How cute!!!
Posted by Darren on December 20, 2006 2:47 PM:
Let me add my belated but heartfelt congratulations! Mandy is a beauty, just like her older sister and mother. :-)
Posted by Tiffany Tatad on December 21, 2006 11:52 AM:
Congratulations Geralyn! What an amazing surprise! I didn't even know you were having another baby! She is drop dead gorgeous! Your husband's writing was such a pleasure to read! He seems like a talented writer! I hope the baby brings you nothing but great happiness! I bet she'll be sleeping through the night in no-time! We miss you here in San Diego!
Take care and God Bless you and your family!
Sincerely, Tiffany :)
Posted by Diane on December 21, 2006 4:12 PM:
Congratulations to you all! What a breathtakingly beautiful little girl!
Diane
Posted by Ellen Kappes on December 21, 2006 10:24 PM:
Geralyn, Jamie, congrats to you both! She is beautiful and I too enjoyed reading about how she made her entry into this world. It brought back many of my own memories. It is wonderful that you have documented the experience so well. Before you know it the girls will be 5, 6, or 7 and you would hardly remember all the details if not for this website. Enjoy this special time. We miss you in San Diego!
Ellen
Posted by Robin Jones on December 22, 2006 7:46 AM:
Hi Geralyn & Family!
Congratulations on your latest Madigan addition! She seems so content already. I'm sure Sam is excited about being a BIG sister!
Happy Holidays!
Robin
Posted by Julianna Haase on December 22, 2006 9:29 AM:
Congratulations Geralyn, Jamie & Samantha,
The pictures are amazing and Mandy is so beautiful! Jamie, don't you worry... when it comes to your kids, you have 100 % to give each of them. Plus the love they will give to each other! There will be so much love in your house you won't remember why you ever worried about it in the 1st place. What a great way to start the new year. Best Wishes from the Haase family!
Love,
Julianna
Posted by Margo Bule on January 2, 2007 9:02 AM:
What a wonderful story and photos! We're very happy for you. Amanda (Mandy) is a perfect name as that's my daughter's name too. Enjoy all your new adventures!
Posted by Gary and Jennifer Hunt on January 2, 2007 11:44 AM:
Congratulations! After you and Geralyn "recover", we will have to come over for a visit and see Mandy.
P.S. Sorry to hear about the gout flare-up. I hope the gout stays in something of a "remission" for awhile.
Posted by maggie on January 2, 2007 4:57 PM:
Congratulations! How wonderful! I was just telling the folks that "number two" should be here soon!! haha. Also saying how Sam is like Geralyn with reddish hair :) (how cute) I don't check my yahoo mail too often and did today to get the right e-mail address - - to ask for your phone number....and....surprise!!!!AMANDA IS HERE!!So beautiful! Sorry, didn't bring my phone book with me...left it in Spain!Must get on the ball if we want to do our own little "exchange" programs!! Please let me know your new number, can't wait to talk to you! (rita and al send their love)
Posted by Brandi Rodrigues on January 6, 2007 7:22 PM:
Congratulations! It is so fun reading your story and looking at your pictures. I am so happy for you and the new addition to your family. Take care!