Maximus Craig Arrives

As most of you have probably heard, our second son, Maximus Craig, has arrived!!

MAXIMUS CRAIG MCDOUGLE
BORN: February 2nd at 1:20am (Ukrainian time)
WEIGHT: 8 pounds, 2 ounces
LENGTH: 20.87 inches
HEAD circumference: 14.57 inches

Sunday night, I was feeling a little strange. Just a bit sick and tired. But I had been feeling like this off and on for two weeks, so it wasn't too new. Around 10:30pm, Dougle and I noticed that I was having some contractions, but I wasn't feeling them. After a short lecture from Dougle about not wanting to deliver a baby at our apartment or in the car, we decided to try to get some sleep, figuring I'd wake up if my body was getting serious about having a baby!

About 11:15 I started feeling some contractions. After timing a few at 4 minutes apart, I woke up Dougle and we texted my doctor. She recommended that we come in to the hospital and she would meet us there. So we called David and Olivia, who thankfully live around the corner from us, to come stay the night with Canaan. Once they arrived, we headed off for the hospital. It was about midnight when we left; it was snowing and there was not much traffic. And, just like on TV, we were pulled over. I don't think Dougle had broken any laws, but we were just being pulled over for being one of the few cars out in the middle of the night. Dougle quickly told them that he had a pregnant wife and we were on the way to the hospital, to which the police man just told us to be careful and let us go. About 45 minutes after leaving, we arrived at the hospital. There was a small hang up with the fact that I had forgotten my maternity paperwork; I don't know how we managed to forget those, since we know how important paperwork is here. However, we did! But once my doctor arrived, she was able to clear the way for me. I changed clothes and was taken to the delivery room, where Dougle soon followed after changing too (though it seemed like an eternity before he got there). About 30 minutes later, Max was born! It was a completely natural birth, no pain meds or anesthetics! He just came fast. From the time I started feeling my contractions to the time he was born was about 2 hours.

Right after he was born, they cut his umbilical cord and plopped him on my tummy. It was so quickly after he was born, I didn't realize at first what the warm, slimy thing was that they put on my chest! They didn't clean him or anything, they just put two blankets over him after placing him on my chest. And there he stayed for two hours. Just a few minutes after Max was born, Dougle was sent home to get my paperwork. About two hours after he was born, a nurse came in and took him to a corner of the room to clean him up, weigh him, and measure him. Then they took us to our room where we stayed for the next few days. Max never left the room I was in. The doctors and nurses came in and did all necessary checks in the room. We had a private room, with just me and Max, which meant that someone was able to stay with me in the hospital all day and overnight. It is very uncommon for husbands or others to stay with the new moms in the hosptials, but I can't imagine having to take care of Max all on my own right after giving birth! Dougle stayed with me the night he was born and the next night and Mom (who arrived just 12 hours after he was born!) was able to stay and help the last night there. It is also very rare to have visitors, but we were able to have one person at a time come up to the room and see Max and I.

While our stay was very nice and all the people were super kind to us, there were several differences between the hospital and procedures in the United States and here in Ukraine. The biggest difference is that you must bring everything with you to the hosptial. Everything includes sheets, blankets, forks, plates, cups, bowls, all toiletries (including toilet paper), and even your own drinking water. Another difference was with the food. Our hospital was different from most here in that they actually served food (in most hospitals, the families bring food everyday for the patients). For breakfast, we were served hot tea, bread and macaroni; for lunch we received a soup (borsh or vegetable) with a large helping of rice with some meat (a hot-dog type meat) and a fruit juice; dinner was light, just a large plate of buckwheat with bread, though one night they added shredded beats to the buckwheat, but no drink. A final difference was just in some conditions that we consider normal, but that aren't always available here. One night we lost lights and power for a little over an hour, and one day there was no hot water available. These are just some things that we took for granted in the States, but since living abroad, we've learned that these things aren't something everyone can enjoy as consistently and convieniently as we've been accustomed to!

Overall, we were really satisfied with our experience with the hospital and our care. God blessed us so much and answered all our prayers for a safe and healthy delivery. We are so grateful for all your prayers leading up to this! We will be posting more pictures and Max stories as our lives unfold as a family of four now!