It's crazy to think it's here. This is my final pregnancy and my final pregnancy update. The next time I blog or post a video I'll be a momma to three beautiful babies! I'm so excited we get to meet Baby Caleb on Friday. Everything and everyone is all packed up and ready to go!
Since this is my third pregnancy, I already know it will be my third Cesarean as well. I've learned a lot about them in the past couple years and I wanted to share some tips that I've learned. Having a Cesarean is not everyone's ideal birth but you know what? It is for me and below are a few of my tips for how to handle the before, during and after effects of the surgery.
One of the mom's I talk to on Twitter asked me to help guest on her blog by writing my Birth Stories for the girls. Since my last post included the birth story for Savannah I thought I'd post Hannah's. I love my girls and typing these stories takes me back to that exact day and moment and everything I felt for them and how much it's grown over time. I can only imagine telling them about their birth when they get older and them seeing how emotional it makes me and hope that they know how much I love them and how much I anticipated their arrival into this world.
So here's Hannah's birth story, without further a due:
We
checked into Labor and Delivery a little before 1:00 AM, we had wanted a
specific room but someone was in it already so we got settled into
where I would deliver Hannah. After being hooked up on IV's and Pitocin
started it was just a waiting game. I was less that 1 cm dilated so I
knew it was a waiting game. 2 hours went by, nothing, 5 hours, nothing,
then there was a doctor shift change. They came in re-checked me, no
change, well let's keep trying. I was having contractions and to be
honest I slept through almost all of them. David told me at one point a
nurse came in and asked "is she sleeping? no way, her contractions
should be killing her". And there I was out like a light!
After
the 3rd shift change my doctor came in. She said we had 2 options, we
could disconnect everything, let me shower, eat and sleep and start
again tomorrow or we could go forward with a C-Section. My mom had had a
C-Section with me and she hated it so it was my last resort but I was
tired and I so desperately with David wanted to meet her we moved
forward with the C-Section. Once the decision was made they told us it
would be about 2 hours before I could go into surgery so I sent David
with his brother to get some food. He was gone 20 minutes and when we
came back they were wheeling me out! Poor thing had to rush and throw
on scrubs and he was sweating, worrying he'd miss the birth, which of
course he didn't.
I cried so hard during the surgery, I
was so scared, I just wanted her to be okay. We were very thankful we
did do the surgery though, while delivering the doctor noticed her
umbilical cord was only 6 inches long! She couldn't have come out if she
wanted to! Needless to say on July 19th at 8:16 pm I delivered a
GORGEOUS 6 lbs 8 oz 21.5 inch long baby girl named Hannah Lynn. The
chaos never stopped, of course I couldn't hold her so they sent David
back to our L&D room while I got fixed up. When they wheeled me
back we had like 15 people in the room! Everyone couldn't wait to meet
her! My parents, his parents, family friends, brothers and all so
excited for this little bundle.
The first time I held her I was shaking so hard from the drugs, I couldn't stop, I was overwhelmed with emotions. She was so perfect and little and sweet. She cried and cried and cried and finally I said "it's okay Muffin" (that's our nickname for her) and she stopped crying. It was like in that moment she knew she was mine and I was hers and it was okay to just "be" in this moment.
I've been blessed with both my girls beyond any
comprehension. They are healthy, happy and beautiful and so utterly
perfect that it hurts. Those are my birth stories and I wouldn't change
a moment of either one for anything. They make me and my daughters who
we are and define my endless love for them.
So here's Hannah's birth story, without further a due:
Hannah's
arrival was probably the most anticipated in family history. Her due
date changed by a month within the first 8 weeks of telling family, she
was a big baby in ultrasounds but a small baby when born. I had
prepared her nursery MONTHS ahead of time, she was due in July and her
"room" was ready in April. I remember obsessing for hours over who she
would be and how much I would love her. At about 28 weeks I was
diagnosed with high blood pressure and needed additional monitoring at
Maternal Fetal offices. By 32 weeks I had been put on bed rest, which
wasn't exactly what my work wanted but oh well, on disability I went.
At
my 36 week check up my doctors decided my blood pressure wasn't going
down and they would induce me at 37 weeks and 3 days. It was nice
knowing that I had a closer due date but I knew that came with it's own
risks. All I could do was wait for the date and see what happens. We
were given an induction time of 1:00 AM on July 19th. The night before
we packed up the bags, got everything ready, car seat an all. We even
had my brother in law meet up with us and we got David his celebratory
drink as a "dad to be". I remember walking out of the restaurant/bar
and a girl making a snide comment of "she's so pregnant, why is she
here?" and our waiter who we had told was like "don't be rude, she's
having her baby tonight and she wanted to get her husband a drink".The first time I held her I was shaking so hard from the drugs, I couldn't stop, I was overwhelmed with emotions. She was so perfect and little and sweet. She cried and cried and cried and finally I said "it's okay Muffin" (that's our nickname for her) and she stopped crying. It was like in that moment she knew she was mine and I was hers and it was okay to just "be" in this moment.
