blind insight

Introducing . . .

The baby formerly known as Crusher! Milo Felix Cohen Freiburger entered the world at 7:19 p.m. on August 27, 2007. He weighed 6lbs, 13 oz, and measured 20 inches long. He is absolutely gorgeous (according to his completely unbiased parents and grandparents), and has spent his first few days eating like a champion and sleeping reasonably competently.

A full birth story is forthcoming, but suffice to say that labor and delivery were intense, exhilarating, and one of the most incredible experiences of my entire life. Steve coached me through four hours of strong, Pitocin-induced contractions, massaging my painful hips and back, keeping me focused, and reassuring me that I could keep going, even when I thought I was ready to demand an epidural. He then supported me, both physically and emotionally, through an hour of hard-core pushing. Just when I thought I couldn't keep going, Milo emerged into the world and landed in his daddy's waiting hands.

Much credit is also due to an amazing medical team, particularly nurse Karen, who was a constant supportive and helpful presence, better than any doula I could possibly have hired. Thanks to the OB and nurse Karen, I had only a couple of tiny internal tears, which are mostly healed already. We arrived home yesterday afternoon and are all settled in. We've even gotten a little sleep, thanks to my mother's extraordinary overnight support. Milo, mom, and I went for a long walk today, and I feel fantastic. He's sleeping contentedly in a Peanut Shell now, giving me a chance to bring you up to date.

Here is a first look at our sweet boy. A full set of shots from his first few days is available here.

Putting the "E" in EDD.

That's Estimated Due Date, for those of you who don't spend your time obsessively reading about all things pregnancy- and baby-related. Estimated, because the majority of babies decline to emerge on the magic, appointed day. In my family, the tendency has been to show up early, and somehow I never fully accepted that the 40-week point would arrive with a baby still safely ensconced in my belly. Crusher, however, is clearly his or her father's child, and is in no hurry to vacate its comfy quarters.

And, why, yes, we have tried _______ (insert your favorite natural labor-induction method here). Any and all of which have triggered sporadic, relatively painless contractions, but no meaningful uterine activity.

Today, instead of having a baby, we slept late, went for a nice long walk, trekked out to a bike shop in furtherance of Steve's goal of demoing every possible high-end frame and component set-up available in the Metro area, and bought an iPod speaker docking thingie for the labor room. I ate eggplant and pineapple, and drank raspberry leaf tea. Nope, still pregnant.

Tomorrow, on the other hand, is August 27. For years, a widely believed hoax has been circulating about that magical date, on which Mars supposedly will be extra-close to the Earth.  My mother-in-law called me today to announce that tomorrow would be the day, courtesy of the double phenomenon of the impending full moon and the (alleged) Mars Spectacular. The full moon does have reputed labor-inducing powers, though, so perhaps she is right. I certainly wouldn't complain.

For now, I'm lazing about, feeling tired and cranky and increasingly anxious to get this baby out of me already. Here's what it looks like:

UPDATE: Still Estimated, but awfully close. My water broke at 10:30 p.m. last night! Now we're just waiting for the contractions to ramp up, and trying to get some sleep. Not doing a very good job of the latter, at least on my part, as this update reveals. But, wow - we're having an actual baby, and soon!

Waiting for Crusher.

Maternity leave is fun! At least, maternity leave without a baby to care for is fun, filled with leisurely lunches, late morning walks, piddling around the internet, and playing mah johngg with my mom's friends. I suspect that a few weeks of this would drive me bonkers, but the last few days of rest and relaxation have done wonders for my stress level and have me feeling mentally and physically ready for Crusher to turn my world upside down.

Things wrapped up nicely at work, with my docket well under control for the next few months. I'm monitoring my cases and intend to continue to do so (though certainly with less zeal and obsessive frequency, I'm sure), and have already dashed off some client correspondence from afar. I'm trying to keep the lawyer part of my brain functioning even while the mommy part kicks in. We'll see how that goes.

And now, the real waiting game begins. My brother and I cooperatively arrived quite early, as did my nephews and most of my cousins. Crusher seems to be on a slightly more leisurely schedule, apparently taking after Daddy's side of the family. At D-day minus 4, my doctor says everything looks optimal for labor and delivery, but I have yet to experience any real contractions. Once we get some of those going, the show should be well on the road.

This is one of the most surreal experiences I've ever had. Right now, I have an enormous belly, from which strange, angular protrusions emerge throughout the day, along with assorted minor aches. At any given moment, all of this could shift into acute labor pains, followed (hopefully quickly and with little ado - a girl can dream, anyway) by the arrival of an ENTIRE BABY, who will come home and live with us. So weird.

And so thrilling. I've spent most of my pregnancy actively forbidding myself to imagine how labor and delivery will unfold, or to develop expectations for what my child will be like. For a control freak planner like me, this is probably excellent training for parenthood. But now that L&D&baby are almost here, I'm just itching - tingling - with anticipation, and so, so curious to finally know how it's all going to happen.

I'll keep you posted!

Long overdue.

Nope, no baby yet. My blogging neglect cannot be attributed to any such worthy excuse. But, wow, have we been busy. Between putting the finishing touches on our pre-baby house projects, work, family visitors, and assorted social obligations, Steve and I have been spreading ourselves pretty thin. As a result of all this chaos, I've decided that next Friday will be my last day at work until December 3. Now I'm counting on Crusher to wait at least a few more days so that I can catch up on sleep, get my hair cut, and get just the teensiest bit bored before he or she turns our world upside down forever.

And, happily, things are pretty much done. We have a few little things left to do in the nursery, but it's certainly baby-functional at this point.

We've been generously showered by family, friends, and co-workers, and have acquired a wealth of hand-me-downs that will ensure that Crusher is fully clothed until he or she is at least 6 months old. As we get closer and closer to the reality of parenthood, I realize more and more how fortunate we are to have this incredible community of people around us, ready to welcome our child into the world. Crusher will be surrounded by so much love and joy, from so many different and wonderful people. What a lucky little baby!

Changing gears, I know that I promised ages ago to tell you about some of the Foundation Fighting Blindness's research that has tangible promise for my eyes. Here are just a few of the projects the FFB is funding:

• An FFB-funded study a few years ago led to the identification of the gene that causes my specific form of Usher Syndrome. My family and I participated in that study, which identified the Usher Type III-causing gene particular to Ashkenazi Jews

• Researchers funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness are having great success in preclinical studies of stem cell therapies to make photoreceptor cells, which are essential for vision, and to enable those cells integrate into the retina.

• An FFB-funded research team from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Utah has used human neural stem cells cells derived from the brain to rescue vision in rats with retinal degenerative disease.

• An investigative team funded by the FFB has demonstrated that nanoparticles may be a safe and effective way to correct genetic variations that cause RP and other retinal degenerative diseases. The researchers have used nanoparticles to restore vision in mice with RP. The nanoparticles were produced by compressing DNA with the corrective gene and coating it in a waxy, slippery substance. These particles were then injected into the retinas of the mice to deliver the gene. The treated mice showed both functional and structural improvement in their retinas.

• An FFB-funded investigation has used human umbilical cord tissue (a substance that is normally discarded after birth, so does not generally raise ethical concerns) to rescue vision in rats with retinal degenerative disease.

These are just a few of  the FFB's ongoing efforts. More information on these and other research projects is available at www.blindness.org. And of course, if you'd like to contribute to our fundraising efforts for VisionWalk 2007, just click here.

I have a feeling I won't be posting much (again) before the baby arrives, although I may manage a post or two. But I promise (FOR REAL!) a full report, photos included, once the kiddo is safely in our arms.