After 9 months and 1 day and 22 1/2 hours of labor, we are proud to announce the birth of our baby son:
Kyle Li-Shan Tien
Born on September 24, 2001 at 10:21 PM
Weight: 7 lbs and 5 oz.
Length: 20 in.
Mommy, Daddy and Baby Kyle are finally home after being in the hospital for 4 days due to Mommy's C-section.
We apologize in advance for not returning any calls right away. We also look forward to welcoming visitors to our home in a few weeks after we've had a chance to adjust to being first-time parents. In the meantime, please feel free to e-mail either one of us, or you can also leave a voicemail message on Mae-Ling's new cell phone: +1 408 828-2269.
FYI, in case you were wondering the results of the name poll, it was last at:
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Austin
(56%) |
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Ryan
(23%) |
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Kyle
(19%) |
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225 total votes |
Hey, remember our disclaimer "Though your opinion is valued, it may not be used in the actual naming."
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| 01apr-ultraso... 4/25/01 10600 Bytes original ultrasounds |
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01sept-babyky... 9/25/01 24684 Bytes Proud father- in-law |
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September 23, 2001
Mae-Ling feels minor contractions all day. Alan finishes packing up all the bags before heading to bed.
September 24, 2001
2:30 am Mae-Ling's contractions start becoming regular
3:30 am ML wakes Alan, "Sweetie, I've been having regular contractions for the last hour. Alan hears the magical 5-1-1 (contractions 5 minutes apart for 1 minute long for the last hour) and remembers from child birthing class that this is when it's time to go to the hospital. Alan jumps out of bed and gets dressed, only to find ML laughing at him. "We're going to labor as long as we can at home."
8:00 am ML can't sleep through the contractions any longer. She's using controlled breathing to get through them. Alan has the car all packed.
9:00 am ML gets the ok from Dr. Hill to go to the hospital. How do you know when? When the pain of the contractions are too great to walk or talk through them. Yikes.
9:30 am ML's admitted to the hospital. Dr. Hill examines her and discovers ML's amazingly already at 5-6 cm (FYI, for those of you without kids, hospital doesn't like to admit mothers before 4 cm and 10 cm is delivery time. 5-6 cm is quite far along.)
noon ML gets to 7 cm. Pain getting more intense. ML holds off on the epidural because she doesn't want to slow down the labor. Alan getting nervous.
3:00 pm The pain gets quite intense at 8 cm, and ML understates, "It's not fun anymore." Although she's confident she could bear the pain through the most painful "transition" period at 9 cm, she decides to get the epidural so she would have the energy for the final pushing phase.
3:30 pm ML gets the epidural just in time, as the contractions really start getting intense. The nurse, seeing the graph charting her contraction pressure, asks ML if she felt that strong one. ML asks, "What contraction?" Looks like the drugs are working.
4 - 6 pm ML gets some much needed rest. Alan writes a fictional short story Sharing the Pain, inspired by his wife's amazing strength and determination to deliver a healthy baby.
6 - 9:30 pm ML starts pushing as she gets to 10 cm. However, 3 1/2 hours of pushing can't get the baby out. ML even tries the exhausting "straddle" technique for 45 minutes without any success. Dr. Hill advises ML that the pushing is futile and that she should get a Cesarean. Despite her desire for a vaginal birth, ML realizes Dr. Hill is right.
10 - 10:21 pm ML gets a C-section while Alan tries to distract her by telling her the story he had written. ML is rewarded with a healthy baby boy!
September 25, 2001
Midnight We're amazed to hold our baby son in our arms. ML attempts breastfeeding for the very first time. Minor success.
1:30 am We finally get to our "Mommy/Baby room," a new concept at El Camino Hospital where the baby is kept in the room with the mother 24 hrs/day instead of being sent back to the nursery. We're so exhausted that we opt out the first night and request the nursery to hold our baby for the first few hours.
5:00 am Unmercifully, the nursery wakes ML up at 5:00 am for our second breastfeeding experience. Wow, is this parenting stuff hard!
6:30 am The nursing staff and the pediatrician start making their rounds and we're harassed for the next few hours with tests, breakfast, more breastfeeding, diaper changes, etc.
Basically this goes on for the next 4 days. We get used to it with the fantastic help of the nursing staff.
September 28, 2001
We finally go home! Whew, the trip is just beginning...