Sideshow Attraction

It was 1 am the morning of May 5, 2010. Mr. Bean was sleeping on the couch/bed in the room and I was breastfeeding Jelly Bean by the glow of the television with the reading lights on overhead. I glanced down at my child who was a mere 42 hours old when I noticed a weird shadow across her face. I moved her position but the shadow line did not move. I started to laugh because the line down her entire face was so odd that it struck me as funny. (Side note: It is interesting how as a second-time mom things don't freak you out like they would have if the same thing happened to your first baby.)

I kept staring at the line down Jelly Bean's face and finally decided I was either going crazy or something weird was happening with her body and either way I needed a second opinion. Mr. Bean hadn't moved despite my audible laughter, so I paged a nurse. She came in and said, "Oh my! That is weird. I have never seen a baby do that before." After some discussion and convincing her that I was not freaking out over the odd coloring, the nurse took a walk down to the nursery to talk to the newborn nurses to ask them if they needed to see Jelly Bean.

A couple of minutes later, the same nurse burst into the room and hurriedly took Jelly Bean to the nursery while yelling over her shoulder for us to join her as soon as we were able. Mr. Bean was stumbling to wake up from deep sleep, and I was just fresh from a Cesarean Section.

Upon arrival at the nursery, I was asked all sorts of questions about the weird coloration on Jelly Bean. By the time she had arrived in the nursery, her coloring was normal. They had her under the warming lights and stripped down to just her diaper. Another nurse was on the phone with the on-call doctor who insisted she be monitored for the duration of the night.

I returned to my room and consulted with Dr. Google. His diagnosis was that Jelly Bean had a rare condition called harlequin effect. It is a benign condition where the immature vessels over dilate when a baby is placed on her side. It can take several minutes or just a few seconds. Whichever side the baby is lying on turns red and the top side goes pale. A sharp line forms between the two from the forehead down the entire length of the body.

Several times throughout the night I was able to get Jelly Bean to change colors when I nursed her. The nurses insisted I let them know when she did it so they could chart the symptoms. Based on their reactions when I alerted them to the harlequin effect, I think they really wanted to know so they could call every nurse within yelling distance to check out the sideshow act going on in the nursery. Of the approximately 30 nurses on staff in the Maternity ward of the hospital, only one had ever seen this before.

For your viewing pleasure, we took a photo for you to see and enjoy this sideshow attraction for yourselves. Please excuse Jelly Bean's jaundice which seems severe next to my pale skin which apparently has not seen the sun in several years.

Photo taken May 5, 2010 in the wee hours of the morning in the nursery of the hospital where Jelly Bean was delivered. Jelly Bean is a few hours shy of two days old.
Photo by Mr. Bean

I am told it takes up to 3 weeks for the harlequin effect to disappear when the newborn's system matures. Jelly Bean is 2 weeks old today and we have not seen her "go harlequin" on us in a few days, so she has apparently grown out of it!

Week in Review

It has been a whirlwind week as we welcomed our newest Bean to the family. Here are some of my favorite photos of the last 7 days! Enjoy!

Ready to go to the hospital. 40 weeks on the dot.
Photo by Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean waiting for the action to begin.
Photo by Mandie

String Bean meets her little sister for the first time!
Photo by Mr. Bean

String Bean ready and waiting to give Dad the diaper. A very willing assistant.
Photo by Mandie

Sisters!
Photo by Mr. Bean

She's Here!

The newest member of the Bean family arrived at 8:02 am today. She's got a very long tongue, dimples, long toes and hair! I am waiting for Mr. Bean to return from her bath so I can cuddle her a bit more.

7 pounds, 15 ounces
20 inches long

This makes her smaller than String Bean. We'll see if the trend of high metabolism continues with this one!

Photo by Dr. Said the anesthesiologist

What I've Been Looking At

I have not been on this blog much lately because of the pain I've been experiencing. It takes longer to do everything so when I sit down, I don't always want to think about what to write.

Here are some things I have found around the web this week that have captivated me:

Tragedy strikes a middle school a few miles from my parent's house.

Kelle's birth story. This blog post is long, filled with beautiful photography, and shouldn't be read without a box of kleenex nearby. It chronicles the emotional roller coaster of having a baby and learning to accept, love, and be blessed by her birth.

My former pastor's nephew tragically passed away.

The government has your baby's DNA. That's a bit scary.

Two Years Ago Today

This day two years ago both my parents and my in-laws were waiting as my due date for String Bean came and went. I remember going to the OB that day and being told that I was not in the least dilated, the baby had not dropped, and they didn't suspect I'd be going into labor any time soon.

6 days later, I was induced since there was still no sign of an impending arrival and String Bean had gotten too cramped to do much moving anymore.

After 26 hours on pitocin and zero contractions (and saying farewell to my father-in-law who had to get back to work), I was wheeled into the operating room and we welcomed String Bean into the world. She was worth the wait!

True Confessions, Part IV

All of my life, I have wanted a daughter. When I was pregnant for the second time, after having already had a son (who I adore), I *really* wanted a daughter. I remember one particular conversation I had with the Lord, in which I informed Him in no uncertain terms, that this baby I was carry had better be a girl, or I was going to be really mad. I probably don't need to mention that this was a one-sided conversation or that this is not my proudest moment. Then I went into labour almost 7 weeks early and was in the hospital for days trying to keep this baby inside to cook a little longer. After three days of total bedrest in the hospital, the baby wasn't doing so well and the doctor said "Call your husband, the c-section starts in 40 minutes." Filbert made it just in time and as I lay there waiting for my second child to be born, I didn't care anymore if it was a boy or a girl, I just begged God to let me hear my baby cry when it was born. The tiny cries of my 3 pound, 13 ounce son are still the sweetest sound I have ever heard.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Peanut! You are my heart and my joy.

On Becoming a Mom

Everyone has heard the clichés about motherhood:

• My whole world has changed.
• Once you see that baby, nothing else matters.
• You’ll never knew you could love someone so much you just met.

With my baby now approaching her first birthday, I feel like I’ve got some “motherhood” experience under my belt and with authority I can tell you--all the clichés are true.

My whole world has changed. Who would have ever thought I’d care about how snug the straps on the car seat are with each and every trip? Where did I lose my ability to sleep in with ease on days I am not working and replace it with an uncanny ability to provide excellent nutrition to those in my household? (Well, not for me, but for my kid!) Where did I become the official “safety inspector” in each and every situation where my precious child ventured? Why do I suddenly get brave in a room full of strangers who have their eyes on me--oh, their eyes are on my baby! Even better! Somewhere in the last year, I have lost parts of the “me” I knew and replaced it with this cliché you call “Mom.”

Once you see that baby, nothing else matters. It is 3 am. My dear, sweet husband who is a much lighter sleeper than I am brings me a screaming, and apparently starving, baby. I wake up, sit up, latch this starving little child on and breastfeed. I’ve done this countless times today. I’ve multi-tasked while doing it. My e-mail is always returned on time. My TV shows are not missed. The phone rings, I talk. I used to prize my sleep above all else. On many days, I still do. But somehow I find myself looking at this baby, who has just interrupted my sleep, contentedly eating a meal. She looks up at me, grins, and goes back to her meal. It is as if the entire world has stopped and it is just she and I sitting there in my bed sharing a special moment. Nothing else matters.

You never knew you could love someone so much you just met. I learned the reality of this cliché before we left the hospital. String Bean had a problem digesting and did what most babies do--she spit up. Not only did she spit up, but with such force that the spit up went into her sinus cavity. I was holding her at the time and felt completely helpless watching this 2 day old baby turn purple as she was unable to breathe on her own. My heart sunk in my chest, I screamed at my dear husband to call the nurse for the love of my life (sorry husband you’ve been replaced) was not breathing! Don’t worry. The nurse took care of business and I later learned that babies do this a lot and it’s nothing to get all worked up over. Easy for you to say crazy pediatrician! I am a new mom! I have pregnancy and post partum hormones racing through my system. This little helpless, defenseless baby that I have completely fallen head-over-heels for has only me, ME! to help her, guide her, love her. I mean, my husband is there, too, but give me a break--like I said, hormones.

God truly gave us a gift when he gave us motherhood. Children are a blessing. Shame on me for forgetting that God gave me this special blessing. Shame on me for getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and not enjoying this little life to the fullest.