On April 29th, 2009 at 9:56 am, after more than a month into my maternity leave, we finally welcomed by cesarean section our second beautiful daughter, Madeleine Meilan Yun. Madeleine weighed in at 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 19.1 inches long. Like her elder sibling, her arrival into the world was not without some drama:
Since Bella was born by c-section, I opted to have a planned c-section for this birth. Earlier in the pregnancy when we were scheduling the surgery, I was not optimistic that I would even make it to my original due date, April 27th. But my OB convinced me to schedule the c-section on the only day she was on-call, two days later, on April 29th.
The month of April was filled with anticipation and multiple episodes of false pre-term contractions. Once, I even called Jin during his class presentation for business school to meet me at the hospital where I thought I was going into labor. "Get your butt over here now!" I yelled into the phone as I left a voicemail message. "And next time I call, you'd better pick up your phone!"
Needless to say, Jin tore out of class leaving his group-mates baffled and confused as he rushed to my side in the hospital.
Four hours and one IV bag later, we were cleared to go home with Baby still snuggly situated in my belly.
For the remainder of the month, I waited eagerly, preparing meticulously for baby, and patiently waiting for true signs of labor. I even made my parents come 2 weeks earlier to help in hopes of having the baby, but nothing else happened.
Then, finally the day came and Baby was still showing no signs of wanting to come out. We were instructed to come to the hospital for prepping by 7am so Jin and I awoke early, packed up the car, and prepared to leave the house by 5:30am. Unfortunately, Jin had too much pent-up excitement and reversed off the driveway too quickly and ripped his front bumper clear off the car. Normally, he would have thrown a fit and cursed like a sailor, but too much was at stake that day so he calmly duct-taped the bumped back on and off we drove to hospital...
Those close to me know that this pregnancy was completely different from my first, which made the suspense of not knowing the baby’s gender all the more exciting to us! By all accounts, I definitely had a tougher time carrying this baby. I experienced horrible morning sickness, throwing up several times and even loosing weight my first trimester. I carried the baby much higher and outwards than with Bella, which led to constant backaches due to my lopsidedness. I craved sour tart treats rather than sweets; all signs that led me (and others) to believe that I was carrying a boy…
The month of April was filled with anticipation and multiple episodes of false pre-term contractions. Once, I even called Jin during his class presentation for business school to meet me at the hospital where I thought I was going into labor. "Get your butt over here now!" I yelled into the phone as I left a voicemail message. "And next time I call, you'd better pick up your phone!"
Needless to say, Jin tore out of class leaving his group-mates baffled and confused as he rushed to my side in the hospital.
Four hours and one IV bag later, we were cleared to go home with Baby still snuggly situated in my belly.
For the remainder of the month, I waited eagerly, preparing meticulously for baby, and patiently waiting for true signs of labor. I even made my parents come 2 weeks earlier to help in hopes of having the baby, but nothing else happened.
Then, finally the day came and Baby was still showing no signs of wanting to come out. We were instructed to come to the hospital for prepping by 7am so Jin and I awoke early, packed up the car, and prepared to leave the house by 5:30am. Unfortunately, Jin had too much pent-up excitement and reversed off the driveway too quickly and ripped his front bumper clear off the car. Normally, he would have thrown a fit and cursed like a sailor, but too much was at stake that day so he calmly duct-taped the bumped back on and off we drove to hospital...
Those close to me know that this pregnancy was completely different from my first, which made the suspense of not knowing the baby’s gender all the more exciting to us! By all accounts, I definitely had a tougher time carrying this baby. I experienced horrible morning sickness, throwing up several times and even loosing weight my first trimester. I carried the baby much higher and outwards than with Bella, which led to constant backaches due to my lopsidedness. I craved sour tart treats rather than sweets; all signs that led me (and others) to believe that I was carrying a boy…
So as I once again laid arms stretched out on the operating table with the sterile drape separating me from the OB, I could think of nothing else than what I was going to do with a baby with a little penis. What did I know about raising a boy? Nothing. At least with a girl, I had past experience with Bella. And before her, well, I’m a girl. It was easy. But with boys? Are they just simpler more immature versions of their grown-up father? An acquaintance of mine once explained to me the epiphany she had about her son and husband. As she observed her 3-year-old son’s primal behavior, she realized that she was watching her husband trapped in a boy’s body. If this were true, then having a boy was gonna be fun, I thought. I imagined my young boy moving with jerky birdlike movements, swinging his arms wildly as he walked, just like dad...
But as God would have it, we wouldn’t have to worry about these things, at least not now. That didn’t stop me from questioning the doctor again after she announced that Maddie was a girl. “Are you sure, doc?” I asked. “Jin, take a look!” Sure enough, she was a girl. And a beautiful petite baby girl she was:
Baby Madeleine in a Burrito Wrap (she hates having her arms tucked in)
Proud Papa and Big Sister Bella
Proud Grandparents
First picture of Mommy and Baby
After three days and two nights of cuddling in the hospital with my new beautiful baby girl, we were cleared to go home. Grandma and Grandpa Chou and Bella eagerly waited to finally see Baby Maddie at home. When we arrived, Bella was napping but we were greeted at the door with beautiful heartfelt drawings that Bella had created with Grandma:
Jin and I held back our emotions through the entire birth ordeal until that moment when we saw the pictures. We both broke down crying…Thank you Bella. My two beautiful baby girls. How can one mother be so lucky?
Bella and Maddie, I love you both dearly from the depths of my heart, forever. Xoxo, Mommy
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