Birth Story
It
all started on Tuesday, October 9th at my weekly OB appointment. Rob
came with me, since we were already over 40 weeks. My doctor had been
telling me for a few weeks now that she had a feeling baby girl was
measuring pretty big. At her 36 week ultrasound, she measuered 8lbs 5
oz (I don't think i shared this on the blog because of the betting
pool). Of course, ultrasounds can be off as much as a pound either way.
But still! Needless to say, she was worried about it. Also, my cervix
was still completely closed and I hadn't had any signs of labor. Barely
experienced any Braxton Hicks. Soooo, she booked us an induction for
Friday (which we reluctantly said ok, for now) sent us to the hospital
to do standard testing and an ultrasound to see how big she was.Welp, they said she was already 10 lbs, *give or take a pound* Holy mama! No biggie, I had already had a few pep talks with my doula to prepare myself.
That's not all.
Her chest/tummy area were measuring abnormally larger than it should. Since this was my first birth, my doctor said "Even if you can get her head through, I don't think you can safely get the shoulders through and the baby may get shoulder distocia. We need to do a c-section. blah blah blah" I say blah blah blah, because the minute I heard c-section, my eyes welled up and I started to shake. I barely heard the rest of what she said. This isn't what I had been preparing for, in fact; this is what I've been preparing to avoid. Next thing I know, the nurses say they have an opening at 9 am (18 hours away). I told them we need a few minutes to let this sink in and call our doula. Amanda (our doula) was such a great support and provided us with the knowledge we needed to make this decision. I also trust my doctor, and her reputation for natural births and balancing conventional and homeopathic services. I asked the nurses (who were excited to hear I was going med-free before the news) and asked them to be straight up honest. They said c-section will be the safest way to get her out. My mommy instincts were telling me the same. Last thing I wanted was to try and be a hero and go for it, only to end up in an emergency c-section after 30 hours of labor. Ultimately, my goal had always been: whatever it takes to safely have a healthy baby.
So we made the decision. Scheduled c-section @ 9 am the next day. I think we got 4-5 hours of sleep, and both woke up at 3 am with anticipation and excitement knowing that in approximately 6 hours, we get to finally meet our miracle baby. We did some last minute nesting, double checked our overnight bags, and made our way to the hospital. Amanda met us there and hung out with us during triage while we got prepped for surgery. I don't know if I really digested what was to come, but I know that I was nervous. I've never been in the hospital and the worst thing I've experienced is a sprained ankle (knock on wood, and super thankful) We could only have one person in the operating room, so we said our goodbye to Amanda as she joined our parents in the waiting room.
I was so scared and nervous, I was shaking. Not to mention the room was freezing, which made getting my epidural a feat for the doctor. Took him a couple tries, as I arched my back over my big belly, focused on my breathing, and held on to a nurse. She really got me through that part, and I was really grateful for that (rob wasn't allowed in until I was prepped). The surgery was super short, maybe 15 minutes? It's the weirdest sensation being awake and alert, numbed from the chest down while they operate on you. Tugging and pulling and pushing her down. Finally, the anesthesiologist asked Rob if he had a camera because it was time. Once I heard she was coming, I had a mini flashback of our 2 year journey to get to this moment and I couldn't help but cry. Then, I heard her strong lungs crying out and my tears just came faster. Our baby finally made it safe and sound! Born at 9:59am, 9lbs 2 oz and 20.5 inches long. Whoa mama! Rob left to go cut the cord and play camera man again. I wish they would have let Amanda be there, but it was ok. Rob came over to me with our precious Sofia and put her cheek to cheek with me. She immediately stopped crying when I said "It's ok baby, mama's here."
After they stitched me up, they took me to a temporary recovery room so I could establish breastfeeding (i made it known this was very important to me) That nurse was super helpful and was respectful about what we wanted to do as far as newborn procedures were concerned. I recommend to any first time moms to research what is necessary, and what you can skip entirely or wait on. I also asked for either one of us to be present when any procedures were done. It's already a scary world for babies as it is! Not to mention, she was pretty noisy (lotsa crying) the first few hours after birth. Can you blame her? She was probably mid-nap when they yanked her out of me vs a baby that instinctively knows to make his/her way down the birth canal. I should mention that her head was perfectly round and not "molded", as my doctor put it. And as I mentioned earlier, they had to push her down (that took my breath away, ouch!) In other words, she was nice and comfy in my belly and didn't even try to make it down the birth canal. Who knows how long I would have gone past my due date. It made me feel better about our decision.
Proud daddy:
We didn't make it to our actual recovery room until around noon, and after that it was visitors galore. We feel so blessed that our baby is so loved! Thanks to everyone who came to visit us and helped with meals, our pups, and anything else. We stayed at the hospital for 3 nights, and I can't express how great the entire hospital staff was while we learned on the fly. I'm also extremely thankful for having such an awesome husband. I was impressed with how natural it all came to him. Watching him with our daughter made me fall in love with him all over again. He took care of us both. After major surgery, it was like a 30 minute field trip for me just to go potty. He became the ultimate diaper changer and burp master. We definitely needed that extra night, and left with a lot more confidence.
Here are the proud grandparents:
Can't forget about the proud Aunts and Uncles:
Our first week home has gone by pretty quick, and it has been a learning experience (duh!). We have a pretty nice setup in our room. Bassinet right next to me, changing area on top of our dresser, and our awesome gliding chair. All I need is our mini fridge and I don't need to leave the room! Haha. First few nights, Rob had to help me a lot more since it was difficult to get in and out of bed with my incision. Aaaand we were put on a strict feeding schedule since she lost more weight than normal. Feed every 2 hours, feed pumped breast milk, supplement with a little formula, and pump for 30 minutes (for next feeding) That left me with maybe an hour-ish to sleep. Man oh man, that was challenging. All things considered, can I just say how lucky we are?! Sofia is such a good little baby *knock on wood* She is a happy baby with simple needs, and she makes me feel like I know what I'm doing! Hehe. I'm also really surprised at how it's been easier than expected to function off of such little sleep. There's gotta be some sort of science behind that right? After those first 2 nights with Rob's help, I decided to try and do it on my own. Kind of a preparation for when he went back to work. My mom also starting coming over in the mornings to help with housework and the baby, which has been really great. I'm sure Nana is lovin all the quality time with us too. Thanks Nana! Also, thanks to our family and friends who have gone out of their way to bring us dinner. It has been super helpful and made this transition that much easier.
I can't wait to start writing more about our precious baby girl. It's amazing how much she has already changed our lives. It's true when they say you will never really know until you experience it for yourself. And that all the pregnancy discomforts, pain that comes from birth, and other sacrifices made are worth it. I have so much love in my heart for this little being, that I'm overcome by emotion. I'm noticing her grow up before my eyes and wish she would stay this little forever. Yes, I'm that kinda mom! Of course I am excited and curious to see what kind of little girl and young woman she will become. But every time I look at her, I just wish time could stand still, because she is so perfect in that very moment. le sigh
Photo Bomb time!
First night home:
First sponge bath:
First visit to the doc:
Here's one of my faves, thank you instagram for making me a professional photographer (totally kidding!)
First smile caught on camera:
Daddy burping his baby girl:
One last one, since it's rare she is awake and we get to see those pretty peepers:
Mmk, time for me to get some sleep. Things to come include: newborn photo shoot this weekend with Monique Hessler Photography (she did our maternity pics) and I plan on finding something cool to share baby stats, kinda like I did with the belly stats.
Besos,
Baby Mama Lex
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