Welcome Jasper!

This past Monday, February 9, 2015 at 2:12pm our son, Jasper Vincent was born.

50cm long and weighing 3.49kg (7.69lbs). 

It was quite an interesting story as well.

I completed my final day of work the Friday before.

Monday at 5am I woke up to go pee and it just kept coming.  Since I had been peeing so little this concerned me. Every time I thought I was done and stood up there was a little more. I called my mom who suggested I call the hospital. I did and they told us to come in. I was also speaking with my best friend and sister in law about what was going on as well.

I woke up Joseph and he got things ready for us to leave. Taking care of Eddie, etc. Thank goodness I had everything all packed ready to go.

Wearing the biggest pads I had we left about 5:30am to the train station. Every so often a squish of liquid would appear. This has to be my water breaking.  Right?

Joseph got us tickets and off we went. An hour later we are in Seoul and I am waddling to the taxi with Joseph.

We get to the hospital 40m later and head to the maternity ward. The residents checked me out and said it wasn't my water that had broken.  They did a litmus type test and the water wasn't acidic enough. Right. Okay. So what's all that stuff, my imagination? I kept asking when they would call Dr. Oh and they said they just had to check things first. I stood up after the exam (the most painful part of being pregnant by the way) and what was left of my water gushed out all over the floor.  I looked at the residents and asked if they had a litmus test for that. They called Dr. Oh straight away and got me in a bed. Joseph had to go admit me and so it began. No contractions but minor mini cramps. They hooked my belly up to a fetal monitor to monitor the baby's heart and then got IV's started in my arms.

Dr. Oh arrived a little later and we joked this baby was not cooperating with our plans of February 23rd. She said we would have the surgery that day about 2. It was about 10am now. They wouldn't let me up to pee so I used a bed pan--not unpleasant--because it was either that or a catheter. I chose the bed pan. Duh. 

About 1:30 or so the nurse came back in to put the catheter in anyway because I was having surgery.  Everything I had read said they put it in AFTER you were given pain meds so I was a little concerned.  I told her this was my first one and to be super gentle. She was and it didn't hurt. It was a relief actually. My pee was in a plastic bag. Weird.  

I was wheeled in bed to the outside of the OR which was just a few steps from the room I was in. The anesthesiologist came to make me sign my life away, literally, and tell me about all the side effects, etc. of all the drugs. I half listened because really, at this point, I didn't have much of a choice did I?

They wheeled me in the OR and strapped me down to the table and put the spinal in. So strange and a bit painful. I was hugging the nurse like I was supposed to and my legs were twitching involuntary. Joseph came in all decked out in his garb and sat next to me. At one point I told Dr. Oh I loved her and she said it back. They took out Jasper and there he was.  Joseph took photos of everything he could-without looking over the curtain-and I was feeling very tired so the anesthesiologist put me to sleep for about 10m.
After 30 or so minutes I was sewn up and taken to recovery. An hour or so later they wheeled me into our "room" to share with 5 other couples. 

Originally there were no rooms for us except the 1 private room but we could not afford that so they found us another option.
Lee Ann and her husband came to visit us that evening about an hour and then about 3 or 4am I had the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. Easily a 10. Joseph got the nurse and they gave me a shot of something in my bum that burned like fire but after a bit the worst of the pain went away and I could sleep.

Kate came the next day and stayed about half the day. It was so nice. Family! We watched a movie on the laptop and Kate and Joseph went walking around the hospital at some point for lunch or something. It was really nice having family there. We wish the rest of our family could have been there too.
Jasper roomed in with us the entire stay. They only took him about 3 or 4am for a bath each night and to weigh him and check him out in the nursery.  

He cried a lot and Joseph changed all his diapers and walked him around the floor. I literally could not physically get out of bed until the day after the surgery about mid afternoon. Getting out of bed. Agonizing. I could barely stand and not straight up. It took about 10 minutes to stand up and then sit down again. I repeated that as often as I could. I used a walker to shuffle around and I could not even lift my feet but needed to slide with socks on.  We walked slowly around the floor as often as I could. By the next day I could stand easier and walk easier but was still slow. Not as much pain at all actually. By the next day I felt restless--we both did-- and just wanted to take Jasper home.

Thursday came and we were told we could go after lunch. They asked us about his birth certificate and we said we wanted it in English. They had to print it a few times because they had our names mixed up a bit and it is very important they match our passports. 

They brought the bills. We were a little nervous.  This is a private hospital in the most posh and expensive neighborhood in Korea.  My bill was a total of about 1100$ and Jasper's was about 270$. TOTAL. So our total hospital stay of Monday to Thursday plus a c-section and all the drugs for that plus our room, 4 meals a day--excellent meals. The total price is about 1300$. Both of us did the silent happy dance in our cubicle.

I think we remembered everything.  Sorry I didn't turn some photos. Jasper woke up.

train tix to Seoul

almost to the hospital!

I do not remember this

Jasper

Proud Joseph

time of birth

proud daddy!

Lee Ann

delicious 4 meals a day: Korean

tired daddy

mommy and Jasper--few hours after he was born

Aunt Kate

when they first brought him to us after I came from recovery

our bills. top middle is where the price is located

Joseph, me, Jasper, Dr. Oh, head nurse, no idea who the last one is

ready to go home!

rocking the pink

our room we shared with 5 other couples

walkers and maternity ward

our cubicle

first train ride

going home

Welcome Home Jasper!

first night home as a family

first night home