Notes from the hospital
(Looking for 7 Quick Takes Friday? Head over to Hallie’s place for this round!)
I’m exhausted and still here at the hospital, but wanted to say hello with a few pictures and notes about what we’ve been up to for the past couple of days!
Introducing Pamela Scholastica! She was born around 5:30 on Wednesday after about nine and a half hours of labor. She’s our shortest and heaviest baby so far, coming it at 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 18 inches long.
THE NAME
All through the pregnancy we had a different first name picked out, yet neither my husband nor I felt peace about it. We kept praying for clarity on what her name was supposed to be. Then, three days before her birth, we got it: We were supposed to name her for my mom, Pamela! We felt complete peace as soon as we considered that option. At first we thought about changing the middle name to, umm, something that might be a more natural fit with Pamela. But then we realized that Scholastica is just too awesome of a name to ditch, so we kept it. (If you’re not familiar with St. Scholastica, here’s her story.)
THE BIRTH
Me and epidurals. Why does this never seem to work out? I decided to get one fairly early on, but then towards the end it didn’t give me much pain relief AT ALL. The anesthesiologist was busy, so I pretty much got the, umm, full experience there towards the end — only I didn’t have the benefit of being able to move around to get comfortable. Overall, though, it was a good labor and I was grateful that nothing serious went wrong.
THE CONTRABAND
At one point early in the afternoon I heard some commotion out in the hall. I heard snippets of conversation like, “What was in the box? … Seriously?” Then, “Who was it? … Fulwiler?” A minute later a new nurse walked in the room and asked if I was Jennifer Fulwiler. When I said yes, she paused and said, “We have a situation…I have some bad news…” At this point I had been in labor for about five hours and immediately worried that it had something to do with my progress or the baby’s health. Instead, she said: “Someone tried to send you alcohol.”
“What? How could that be?!” I gasped, some kind of evolved instinct kicking in that prompts you to pretend like you’re not the type of person who receives gifts of alcohol during labor. While I put on my best “confused and surprised” face, I recalled a recent conversation with Hallie in which she asked what kind of flowers I would most enjoy receiving after the baby was born, and I replied with a dry joke that she send booze instead.
The nurse went on to inform me that the box was inspected, its contents discovered (a nice red wine), and it was confiscated by the pharmacy, not to be released to me until I’m discharged. The unspoken message there seemed to be that they imagined me yanking it out of the nurse’s hand, tearing out the cork with my teeth and upending it in between contractions. I’m guessing they’re going to be keeping a close eye on this shady Fulwiler woman for the rest of my stay here at the hospital.
THE HOSPITAL
This hospital is incredibly nice. My husband and I keep commenting about how lucky we are to have such luxurious medical care. The rooms are spacious and beautiful, with mahogany-colored hardwood floors and a surprisingly stylish guest couches and chairs. The beds have super-cozy Tempurpedic mattresses. Even the food is good! This morning for breakfast I had a tomato, mushroom and cheese omelette with bacon and hash browns with a yogurt fruit parfait. It was as good as anything you’d get in a restaurant.
And then there’s the free Wi-Fi:
I can no longer deny that I'm a Creative Minority Report reader now that there's photographic evidence.
The first night we were here my mom stayed with me, and instead of watching the TV in the room we streamed some favorite shows on Netflix. By putting it on full screen on my laptop, it was just like having our own personal television. Even as recently as 2004, when my first child was born, that would have seemed very futuristic and high tech to be able to carry around your own personal unlimited library of movies and shows.
THE ANSWERED PRAYER
By Thursday morning, I was in bad shape. Constant interruptions from hospital staff on top of long nursing sessions meant that I got almost no sleep the night before. That combined with some pretty intense aches and pains to put me in a miserable state. I was in such a rotten mood that I even cynically thought, I guess all the prayers didn’t work this time. No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I heard a knock at the door, and looked up to see Fr. Dean Wilhelm, our parish’s pastor.
I had included him on the birth announcement email, but had never thought to ask him to stop by — our parish is huge and he’s a very busy guy. Yet he took the initiative to find out which hospital we were at so that he could come by. We chatted for a while, he blessed the baby, then we prayed and he gave me Communion. I’d never received the Eucharist outside of church before, so that was really special for me — especially when I realized that it was the Feast of Corpus Christi!
As soon as he left I was able to get a short nap, and when I awoke I felt like a new person. My bad mood was completely gone, all the depression and negativity that I’d felt earlier replaced with joy and hope. It was one of my most intense experiences of the power of the Eucharist ever. So thank you again for all your prayers, to which I give full credit for making it happen!
THE OUTFIT
Having my new “postpartum chic” outfit that Hallie picked out for me at such great cost to her own sanity is everything I dreamed it could be. Check it out:
This is the only shot I have right now -- a better one showing the whole ensemble coming soon!
It’s just as comfortable as the pajamas that I’d normally wear during the day, but it lifted my spirits a surprising amount to feel like I was wearing a flattering, cute outfit when I greeted our many visitors.
THE KIDS
Speaking of visitors, the kids were too cute when they came to meet their sister. My six-year-old son had gone to work with my husband that morning, and since it involved going to court he had his little suit on. It was too precious to see him greet the new baby all dressed up like that. All the kids were just delighted to finally meet the baby. I felt unbelievably blessed as I watched our new family of seven all interacting with one another.
But I think the best part of the kids’ visit was when my three-year-old daughter walked into the room and, with wide eyes, looked right past her baby sister and said, “You have a rocket bed!” (that first word pronounced “wocket”). She proceeded to hop up on the bed and was thrilled and awed as I used the remote control to make it go up and down, then each one of the kids wanted a turn. It was the broke big family version of taking the kids to Disneyland.
—
Okay, the baby just dozed off so it’s time for me to sleep. I’ll probably be doing more resting than blog posting over the next few days, so I hope you all have a nice weekend. Thank you again for the kind wishes and prayers!
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Oh Jen she’s just beautiful–what a perfect little face! I have never seen a non-c-section baby have such a perfect, non-scrunched face! What a beautiful blessing for you and your family.
Loved your labor story and wishing you all that God wants for you this beautiful (but HOT–gosh it’s hot here in Austin!) summer day!
She’s beautiful; you look great. She’s got a great name to live up to, but I wonder if Yaya was on the list of options?
Congratulations!
sara recently posted..Yarn Along
Congratulations! You — and she — look beautiful. Sending up thanksgiving that all went well…
Julia at LotsaLaundry recently posted..Ten Things I Know About Parenting
Oh hon, thanks for the update! I have to admit, I’ve been checking your blog & twitter account most obsessively.
(Also, I hope you’ll forgive me for calling you “hon”. I’m using my best bedside manner to make up for those nurses who don’t.)
Still praying!
Margaret in Minnesota recently posted..Odds & Ends & a Pie in the Face
Jen,
another BIG HELLO from……… BRASIL!!!
What sweet from you showing us, your readers, this great and unique present of God to You and Your Husband!
You look So Beautiful in the Photos and Your Pamela Scholastica is just a princess (I have no doubt she is The Most Gorgeous Girl at the hospital!).
As I pray for, everything turned to be JUST FINE!
I leave in this comment my wish full of faith and joy that Pamela Scholastica will teach as many as possible the things of Heaven to you and your family!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Stay in The Love and in The Peace of God!
You, Your Husband, Pamela Scholastica and Your other Kids!!
~~~
Ana Paula~A Católica recently posted..Lidando com as Minhas Limitações
Your daughter is beautiful and you are looking as wonderful as ever! Congratulations. May Pamela Scholastica have a long, healthy and happy life.
PS. LOVE the name!
Margaret in Minnesota recently posted..Odds & Ends & a Pie in the Face
Congratulations on the beautiful addition to your family! I love the name more than I can say. I don’t think I would have the courage to use Scholastica but wish I were that brave because I think it’s wonderful.
And the outfit is rocking. You look like the favorite aunt in that photo, not the woman who just gave birth. You’ve inspired me to do some shopping between now and the arrival of number 7 in December.
the Mom recently posted..Give Away – Mom Cards!!!!!!!!!!
Overjoyed for you, Jen, and your whole family. Pamela is a beautiful name for a beautiful baby!
Congratulations!!!
Katherine recently posted..Moved!
I love this whole post. I was given the Eucharist in the hospital after a very traumatic birth that resulted in my baby being taken to the NICU in Fort Worth (we live north of there). The peace that brought me cannot be overstated. Thanks for the reminder to pray for more vocations so our priests can give this gift to more people.
Pamela is beautiful! (that’s my sister’s name and I never abbreviate it) Selfishly, I would love to see a picture of your other kids showing her the love that only a bunch of busy young kids can share.
I hope things continue to go well.
Congratulations! She is beautiful!
And you look very good too, in your Hallie-inspired ensemble.
Congratulations on the beautiful new baby! You look smashing, the baby is fetching, and the name choice is perfect. (Though if she ever goes to work as a housemaid, beware of conniving nobility.)
WOOHHOO! Congratulations Jen!
Congratulations! Mama and baby look beautiful! What a happy, exciting time for you all!
Grace in my Heart recently posted..Thoughts for Thursday
She’s beautiful with a perfectly round face. Congratulations!
Linda recently posted..Friday 7 Quick Takes vol 48
No one who just had a baby could possibly look so great! Mommy and baby are both beautiful. Thank you for the update. Blessings to you and the whole family.
Oh! How beautiful! You, the baby, thestory. Thank you.You reminded me of all those precious times. I am a poor epidural person as well.:P But God richly bless you, as He has been doing. I pray you have many blessed days ahead with your new family constellation!
Kelly recently posted..pride and humility
Congratulations, Jen! What a beautiful daughter! And I like the name! It has a ring to it to have those -a endings (atleast I hope so, since I have that, too!).
Seriously, if I’d intercepted some wine, I think I’d wait until labor, hand it to you, and say if I saw the slightest sign of drunkeness I’d be stalking you, but have a toast.
…but maybe I’m all loose and lushy from living in Russia (where I’ve had champagne forced on be *before* evening work). A toast to the Fulwiler family!
Nzie (theRosyGardener) recently posted..Seven Prayers for Seven Gifts
So many congratulations Jennifer! She’s beautiful and you have that lovely new baby glow.
I was moved to tears when I read about receiving the Eucharist while in labour – how beautiful for Pamela too! What a blessing…
I have been praying for you from over here in London…
God bless you all as you adjust to your new chapter in life.
She is beautiful. And you look great, and the outfit is just as fab in real life as it was on Hallie’s storyboard! Looking forward to more pics of Pamela and her stylishly outfitted momma!
Who would have thought a gift basket had such rich humor potential?
Anne @ Modern Mrs Darcy recently posted..7 Quick Takes Friday
Congratulations! Thanks for posting pictures- you are both beautiful! Enjoy your “babymoon”, and be assured of my continued prayers.
Adorable! Pamela AND you! A thousand kisses from me and Baby Tess!
Abigail Benjamin recently posted..This Bald Baby
Congratulations, Jennifer! What a beautiful baby girl and gorgeous Mom. When you’re up for it I’m happy to come by for newborn/new family photos
Congratulations! She’s just beautiful! I love the outfit, too!
Congratulations! What a beautiful baby. So glad everything went well for you both.
Sarah recently posted..Uncertainty and through a glass darkly
Congratulations Jennifer, I don’t think I have ever commented before, but I just joined the Catholic Church last Easter Vigil after a life long desire. I really enjoy reading your blog and especially about your children, I think my favorite was the post about taking the children to mass and all their shenanigans. Pamela is beautiful and I am so happy for you. Look forward to reading more and would love to meet you one day. Take care of yourself!
Oh, congratulations! Such joy! Beautiful baby, and lovely name. Scholastica is a fabulous middle name. So glad that all went well, and that you were able to receive communion in the hospital. Last year for my brain surgery my priest came to the hospital every day for six days. A blessing indeed when priests are able to do such.
Ellie recently posted..letters & friendship & tables & time
Dear Jen,
She is so beautiful! She may have the most perfect skin of any newborn I’ve ever seen. God bless you and yours.
Susan
Oh Jen, she’s so beautiful! What a blessing.
I love the rocket bed, disney world comment. Hilarious. You’re lucky the bed is comfy for you. The bed at the hospital where I delivered was not at all. By the time we were discharged, I could not wait to get home just to sit somewhere comfortable!
Hope you enjoy the booze.
Sarah recently posted..God- He’s In Our Bedroom and Our Bank Book – Part I
She’s so beautiful!! I’m glad you are both doing well! Congratulations!
Christie recently posted..7 Quick Takes
Congratulations!!! She is beautiful. You look wonderful…so glowing.
Wishing you a blessed babymoon.
Congratulations! She is a beauty.
(And how much do I love that even though this isn’t a Quick Takes post, you still managed to put it in 7 sections?)
Diane recently posted..Thoughts that might run through your head at 3AM when both of your children spike a symptom-free fever
Congratulations. She is beautiful.
I love the outfit, looking forward to seeing the complete look.
Congratulations on the baby! She is beautiful with that dark head of hair! Hope you get some rest this weekend!
Liesl recently posted..7 Quick Takes Friday 26
CONGRATULATIONS!! Pamela looks beautiful and you look great in your new outfit. Enjoy your babymoon!
Congratulations on Pamela Scholastica! She’s beautiful. I have felt for a long time that Pamela is a very mystical name. I don’t believe it’s a saint name and may even have originated in a novel. But the meaning is “all sweetness” and it makes me think of the holy hour acclamation: “You have given them bread from heaven having within it all sweetness.” So Pamela is a name honoring Christ and the Blessed Sacrament in a way. Were you thinking along those lines?
Congrats! This is all such a great story too, I love the contraband gift, ha ha! I always get cruddy epidurals too, what’s with that? I’m having my 4th in January and not sure what I’ll do about that this time.
She is gorgeous!
Your story telling of the booze busted me up!!!! That must have been the funniest thing ever.
congrats to you and your family!
Elizabeth C. recently posted..pretty- happy- funny- real
Congrats Jennifer! Pamela is beautiful!
Headless Mom recently posted..Obnoxious Commercials 2
Ok, have to stop laughing to post a hearty congratulations on the birth of that beautiful baby but I won’t be able to stop long. The wine story Cracks.Me.Up!
Have a restful weekend and hope things just bop along splendidly for the rest of your stay.
Beautiful Baby, Jen! Nice work! Love the name, too.
Rest well.
Michelle recently posted..7 Quick Takes 6
Congratulations! Glad to hear that all went well. I hope that you get rested up nicely over the next several days.
Congratulations!!!! to you and all your family. She is just beautiful!
She’s such a sweetie! For someone as tall as you, you make smallish babies – what a blessing! I’m thinking this little one inside of me (my fifth too) is going to come out much bigger than that…but we’ll see. You look awesome, and I hope you put away the computer and really get some rest. Congrats!!
Congratulations! You look beautiful in your pictures and Pamela Scholastica is perfect!
Paula Gonzales Rohrbacher recently posted..New blog post!
Many years to Pamela!
I love the name combo- and I love that the broke family’s version of Disneyland is a postpartum hospital bed!
as my mom would say, drink your water
priest’s wife recently posted..PrettyHappyFunnyReal Films
Congratulations, Jennifer! She is beautiful and you look radiant. So sorry about the wine…that is just too funny.
Father DEAN!!! We love Fr. Dean; he baptized our #3. I had a similar hospital experience where I was just in bed crying and then a Eucharistic Minister walked in to bring me Holy Communion. I was SO grateful! Our hospital has EMCs that come daily; it’s really nice.
Blair recently posted..7 Quick Takes Friday-Crawling 9 month-old Edition!
Congratulations! The rocket bed sounds like a blast!
Young Mom recently posted..The Fun Mom
Congrats on the new little person! Awesome name and the last sentence about the broke big family left me roaring!
Congratulations, Jennifer!! You both look beautiful. Enjoy getting to know her and recovering. Prayers will continue for you.
Congratulations! I’m playing hookey for a few minutes in the office and you brightened my day with the beautiful pictures and inspiring words. God bless you and your growing family. (btw the outfit looks terrific. Very chic!)
Congratulations, Jennifer! Your beautiful girl is a smile from heaven. Blessings for you, your husband and all of your kids.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! I can’t believe you were on the laptop at the hospital – I think all I wanted to do was sleep when I wasn’t feeding the baby. Though I also never stayed longer than 24 hours after having the baby. Our first daughter was born on a Sunday, so my hubby went to evening Mass at church and brought back the Eucharist for me; so wonderful to have it, as you say, in such a situation. Blessings to you and your Pamela Scholastica!
Bonnie recently posted..Why Are Some Catholic Priests Married?
Congratulations, Jen! What a sweet little girl. Blessings to you and your family.
She’s beautiful! I like her name, too!
I can’t believe they confiscated your wine. That’s so bizarre.
With my last birth (early 2010) the hospital room had a DVD player, and we watched Harry Potter 6 and the new Star Trek movie. It was great!
The outfit is a good idea. Usually I hang around in pajamas, but this time around (late 2011), I should think about bringing a cute outfit to wear.
JoAnna recently posted..7 Quick Takes Friday – June 24, 2011
Oh, also — my last baby was born on a Friday in Lent, and our priest (despite his busy schedule) also came to bring us the Eucharist. It was indeed a lovely experience.
JoAnna recently posted..7 Quick Takes Friday – June 24, 2011
Jen,
Congratulations! I am so happy the delivery went smoothly and Pamela is just beautiful!
I hope they really do return the wine when you are discharged.
My heart is full of joy for you!! She is gorgeous, like her mama! And, I am jealous that you are getting a vacation (yes, being in the hospital is a vacation for me).
Leila recently posted..Who is obsessed with sex?
Congratulations! She (and you in your cute new outfit) are beautiful!!
At the risk of being unoriginal, beautiful beautiful beautiful! Congratulations
Mike recently posted..This is so sick
She’s gorgeous. Your alcohol story is just hilarious, and I can’t stop laughing about it. I’m so glad everything went well. My hospital is nowhere near as nice, and I wish I could deliver at the nice hospital, but I have a great Catholic NFP doctor that I just can’t replace, so I suffer with the hospital choice. Sigh!
You look great, congratulations!
Kara recently posted..Charlotte’s check ups and other stuff
Congratulations, Jen!!! How beautiful she is!! And you are, too. Not fair, I might add. lol You look great especially for just having a baby!
Technology can be pretty grand. I wish we had wifi and a laptop when our kids were born. The hospital tv was always either boring or depressing. Heck! I would have been giddy with just a portable dvd player and some Star Trek!
Love the story about the red wine! LOL!!!
I’m sorry that the epidural didn’t work out. Did you listen to your rap during labor like you said you would?
My friend Melissa got me hooked on your blog and I wanted to drop in and say congrats on the new baby.
Kelly Jung recently posted..215.365
Congratulations! She is beautiful! And thanks for entertaining us with your stories even during your hospital stay! You rock!
She is beautiful! Congratulations! You look maahhvelous, daahhhling…thank you for taking time to share…good times!
Congratulations, Jen! Pamela Scholastica is beautiful, as are her name and her mother! The “contraband” story is hysterical. I’m hoping you get it back soon!
The outfit looks really cute. Hallie did a most excellent job coordinating it!
So happy that our prayers were answered. They’re still coming! God bless!
Louise recently posted..7 Quick Takes Friday: Things I’ve Learned About Motherhood Edition
Congratulations, Jen!! And I love the name! Enjoy your BabyMoon, with or without confiscated alcohol!
Karianna recently posted..7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 2)- The Sleep Edition
Congratulations! She is beautiful!
Congratulations!! So happy things went well. She’s beautiful. Wonderful that you received communion right when you needed it so much.
Becky D. recently posted..7 Quick Takes 25th Anniversary
I’ve been checking your blog a couple of times a day to find out if there was any news of that little one. So excited for you and your precious family! Make sure and REST!
Jackie @ Family Daze recently posted..Just go ahead and bulldoze it!
Just beautiful – both Mama and daughter! You look fabulous in your Hallie created outfit. So comfy looking.
That hospital room with a bed that’s comfortable – that’s worth the price of admission! Too bad they have nurses coming in and out every two hours waking you up. It’d almost be a like a vacation. I remember when we went for my son’s surgery (cleft lip revision), they were in and out all night long doing this and that so the poor little guy just couldn’t even really recover. Sheesh!
I’ll enjoy a glass of wine for you tonight since the mean nurse confiscated yours. Happy, happy day!
Kimberlie recently posted..Where I’m From
Awesome! Congratulations Jen to you and your family.
Congratulations Jen to you all:) Enjoy your precious time with your babe, goes so fast. It was only 3 months ago I was sitting in a hospital bed with my little ones playing with the bed remote, best thing about visiting mum besides the baby:)
Erin recently posted..7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol 86)
Congratulations – what a pretty little girl with a pretty name! Love the photo where she’s a little huddled lump. Gotta love good birth stories.