It's a YEAR!!!!!

Baboo is ONE YEAR Today!!!

I can still clearly remember almost every bit of detail (as much as my sedated mind can recollect) even today...Giri and I started tracking back time since last evening. I had blogged about it long back but had decided not to publish it...but now WTH!!!! She is one...

I wanted to blog about Sanjana's arrival before I forget most of the important details...not that any of it is easy to forget but time has a way with memory...

As most of you know Sanjana was due on October 8, 2007 and was scheduled for an induction on October 10, 2007 should she miss the due date...but then the smart Alec me decided to postpone the induction date to October 17, 2007 buying both myself and Sanjana a week to try and make it out the natural way...and Sanjana decided that she would indeed stay inside me till she was forcibly induced...guess she loved being inside me so much that she did not make any attempts at coming outside whatsoever.

Actually my water broke on October 5, 2007 night (early Oct 6th) when I was alone. I did talk to my doctor about it on my October 10th appointment and she told me to confirm the same through a sonogram on October 11th. The sonogram said that there was nothing to worry about and I got back home feeling better and happy that I had postponed my induction date to the 17th.

I also went to work on the 15th of October after initial doubts and then decided that I would take off the 16th and spend some ME time before heading out that night for the induction. I cleaned the house, I cooked and slept a little before the evening came. I was still hoping that I would at least be dialted one centimeter by the evening if I did all the work...Girish came home from work and the two of us along with Girish's parents headed out for a walk at Addisson Park and got back home for dinner. Giri took a quick shower and the two of us headed towards the hospital at 9.30pm from our house...we stopped by at the Quick Trip gas station on Plano Parkway and Girish picked up a Blazing Hot Cheetos packet for snacking through the night and we headed to the hospital. I was a bundle of nerves and was crying on and off through the short trip.

We walked into the labor and delivery unit in Medical Center of Plano at precisely 10.00pm and got myself admitted. I was shown into LDR Room No.23, changed into hospital garb and was ready for nurse Sara to come and walk me through the procedure of getting induced. First there was a bunch questions...and then there was the preparation for IV...it was not that bad and it was one of the things I was freaking out about. Then she told me to relax while she prepped to soften the cervix...She got me ready at 11.20pm and at 12.20am I started getting my first real contractions and boy did they hurt...at first not so bad but as the night progressed it just got worse...Around 3.00am I was hurting and around 4.30 I was screaming every few minutes...but the good news was that I was dilating and heading in the right direction...

Around 6.30am Tracy took over Sara and she gave me the option of taking IV Nubain a mood altering drug to keep me cool in between the contractions and I gladly agreed to try it out...and it really did not help me much other than putting me to sleep in between my contractions. The pain was still there...

At 8.00am the doctor came for a visit and decided that after using the internal monitor my baby's heart rate was not looking very stable during contractions and that I have to be cut to deliver as the baby might not take the pressure of making it out naturally...in a few minutes I was getting a fresh batch of shots and this guy walked in with a trolley and got to work on my back while I was writhing in pain through contractions...he was getting me prepped for epidural and in two minutes he was done and gone and I was in cloud nine not feeling any pain any more...I did not feel anything in my lower body as well...

Tracy then decided to do something different and took me off the internal monitor and hooked me back up on the external monitor only to show that the baby was not doing badly during contractions. So she called the doctor and passed on the information and the doctor came by to check it out and agreed that I did not need a C-Section and that she will try natural delivery instead.

Around 1.15pm on October 17, 2007 things started moving real fast. Tracy had the room loaded with trolleys carrying different things and then she and Girish together helped me learn to push the baby out...the pushing was so difficult considering I have no idea where to put the pressure considering my lower half of the body was completely asleep...and it took me about 6 to 7 turns before I got to push the baby's head out only slightly before which the doctor was called in and the NICU people were also summoned for...a few more pushes and then the baby's head was vacuumed out ...and in a couple of seconds the doctor threw the baby on my tummy...I could not believe it...

I had to know...yes...the gender of the baby...that was my first question to the doctor and when she said it was a girl, I could not believe my ears...very quickly the NICU people came and took the child away for inspection while I was lying there getting all stitched up and cleaned...Girish was on the phone and I heard Girish tell one of the NICU physicians that the name of the baby was going to be Sanjana...at that time I knew that there was no changing and that is what she was going to be called for ever...

Once she was cleaned up and all Girish held her in his arms for the longest time and then I was allowed to hold her for sometime. I tried to feed her but she was not in a mood and was cranky...then the nurse from the nursery took Sanjana away for further inspection and bathing.

I was given some fluids to drink and some rest while Tracy cleaned me up more and packed all my things. She brought in a wheel chair and a trolley. Girish loaded our bags onto the trolley and me onto the wheelchair and off we went to our post-delivery room.

I was tired as hell but could not sleep because people were coming in and out of the room but there was no sign of Sanjana. Then Girish told me that there was some oxygen problem and they were going to keep her in the nursery for longer. I took a mini-nap and then Girish took me in the wheel chair to see her in the nursery for about five minutes. Then we were back in the room...

First Rajeev and Vardhini came, then Sammy came and then Charlie came...Girish took all of them to the nursery. Ali, Fatema and Mustu came. They saw Sanjana getting her bath and all of them left without seeing her up close.

Megha and G came, and just as I was getting ready to go to the nursery the baby came in! I was so happy!!!! Then Girish got mummy and pappa, and RJ, Sameer, Sonika, and RJ's mom came. The place was full and everyone was happy to see the baby...The last to come was Shahid and it was already late and I was getting groggy. The nursery people took the baby away and I slept for two hours before being woken up for feeding...

Thus started Sanjana's journey into this life...

So there it is all out...I did not want to gross anyone out and neither did I want to forget it...but now she is one...all big and grown up...I am scared to write more here...everytime I write something about Baboo I have jinxed it and she has always fallen sick following it...it is one of the reason why I have stopped even mentioning about her here...Let me see how this goes and then maybe I will start writing about her...

Anyways y'all take care...I have tons to prepare for the big day! Already baked and decorated her cake...but major food cooking, picking up my parents and all that are happening...till I write back...

Toodles.
ART