The Longshoreman

Some facts about Lauren – none of which are terribly important, but might make for some interesting stories down the road.

• Her name is misspelled on her birth certificate. Not sure what they made it out to be, but it’s wrong and now needs fixing. After all that time to come up with a name, it gets ruined in the official record. Lovely.
• We all know she got stuck on the way out. A turning 8lb, 15oz. baby can do that. It was her left shoulder that got lodged behind Jen’s pubic bone. With the help of both the midwife’s hands inside (halfway up each forearm), and an expertly located thwack by the nurse on Jen’s belly, the shoulder popped loose and out came Lauren – completely blue. In my mind she was blue forever. In real time it may have been only a few seconds. All I remember is staring in disbelief at my totally motionless child as the nurse rubbed her vigorously with a towel to the midwife’s mantra of “more stimulation”. It worked. She came around, turned pink and cried like a newborn.
• Lauren’s left arm has a splotchy/purple birthmark that goes from her shoulder to her hand. A keepsake from her entry into this world. In addition, the Dr. thinks she broke her collar bone too. Already healed by now, but there is a distinct lump on her left collar bone indicative of a busted bone. So she’s a bruiser from way back.
• Lauren’s placenta (which was HUGE as stated by the Midwife, nurse and Douala) was host to 3 amniotic sacs. One was obviously Lauren’s. The other two never appeared to have developed. So the theory goes Jen had a placenta near large enough for triplets. Maybe that’s why this pregnancy was so tiring over Abigail’s?
• She eats a lot – a whole lot.
• She sleeps better than Abigail did, if you’re holding her.
• Having two kids under the age of 2 yrs isn’t necessarily harder, but it’s definitely more work – lots more work. The newness of a newborn isn’t so new this time. There’s lots less anxiety this time around, so that part is easier.

There was probably more, but I’ve already forgotten it.

– b