The biggest issues had to do with sleep or the lack thereof, and milk production... or the lack thereof. Baby jane was not getting enough to eat which led to endless crying which led to sleepless days and nights which led to all the adults in the house going completely mad. This is really an incomplete, light-hearted picture of the situation, but there's really no need to dwell on the specifics of the ensuing drama. Nevertheless, our family regained sanity once we began supplementing baby jane's diet with a bit of formula now and again. It wasn't the solution we had hoped for, but it was the only solution available. Needless to say, the kid pulled through and has grown into this ridiculously bright and joyful young lady who devours books and puzzles, draws like a maniac, and favors the musical stylings of brian wilson and paul mccartney.
Fast forward to the eventful eve of our son's birth. Smooth sailing was the name of the game, and it was mama jane who was at the helm. Two and a half years after our daughter was born, she walked into the labor & delivery ward and told them the way it would be. Asap, she was on her feet walking the halls to move labor along. She handled contractions like an olde pro. She demanded a jacuzzi of warm bath water to alleviate some of the pressure right before getting down to brass tacks. She spent less than twenty minutes pushing our boy into the world and celebrated the accuracy of her predictions regarding his boyness. She did all of this and more with no epidural, no pain meds, no tearing, and still remembers the details of that climactic moment of nolan's birth.
I may be somewhat biased and have certainly never been in the delivery room with another woman while she delivered a child, but i have the praise of medical professionals to back this claim up: my wife is a child-bearing champion. At least in a teaching hospital in downtown indianapolis, indiana, u.s.a., planet earth, milky way, she is acknowledged as a remarkable woman who has given a select few the rare opportunity to behold such a natural birth of a child. I will say it again as it is our son's namesake: a champion.
A while back our absolutely amazing friend, miss renee furrow who has been by our sides through the births of both children, had stumbled upon some research providing information which would possibly be helpful with the milk-supply issues this time around. So far, the mama/son nursing situation is running like a well-oiled machine. Mama is up, moving around, and feeling good. We're slowly starting to venture out of the home. Life as we know it is slowly turning upside down all over again.
There goes my hero.
