In my last post I talked about how we were going to wait until a couple days after my due date (Aug. 29) to go back to my doctor so they could measure her again and decide from there what to do. Well, we went to my appointment that Thursday and Naomi was measuring about 10.85lbs which was really close to the cut off weight of 11lbs. to be able to deliver naturally. Our doctor was really concerned about me getting induced and even trying to labor because she hadn't even dropped at all yet and she wasn't sure I'd even be able to deliver a baby that big. So, after some initial fear, research, more fear, tears, and questioning our doctor, we decided to schedule a c-section for that Saturday, September 3 at noon. Throughout my pregnancy I just "knew" I wouldn't have to have a c-section. In all the books I had read, I would always skip over that section because 'that wasn't going to happen to me'. HA! God sure is funny sometimes :) Needless to say, I felt completely unprepared for what was about to happen in just couple of days and was very fearful of the recovery afterwards. I talked with one of my aunts later that day who had a c-section 16 years ago and she was extremely encouraging about how her experience was great and recovery was no big deal...and she's a big, big baby :) So that definitely made me feel a little bit better.
My mom and youngest sister came down the night before Naomi's birthday and I was so glad to have them there. We all went to bed around 11 and Matt and I made our last video log (we had been shooting videos the last couple of weeks about the pregnancy and anxiousness to meet our sweet girl) as a married couple without children. It was bittersweet, actually, because as excited as we were to become parents and hold and kiss our sweet baby, this chapter of our lives where it was just us was coming to an end.
Matt got up extra early that next morning to go into work to get some stuff done and I got up and around as normal, except that I couldn't eat breakfast which is hard for me since I love me some breakfast! I remember that morning I felt so excited and nervous to know that in just a few short hours we would have a human being to take care of forever. Finally, Matt came home and we packed up the car and headed for the hospital. We got to the hospital around 10am and they got me into a room and into the hospital gown. A few moments later I had a thing around my belly that monitored Naomi's heartbeat and then came the IV. The c-section was scheduled for noon, but I guess there had been a couple of unplanned ones that morning, so mine was pushed back a little bit. I think it was around 12:45pm that the nurse came in and told us it was time to head down to the operating room. Matt's parents and sister and my mom and sister had been hanging out with us that morning in the hospital room, and at this point gave us hugs and kisses and headed off to the waiting room anxiously.
As we entered the operating room they were still preparing the table for me so we stood there for a little bit nervously asking each other what we were thinking and feeling. Matt was scared for about what was to happen to me, but I was completely calm about it since I knew I wouldn't feel a thing and I just felt really excited to meet Naomi. They finally got me on the table and threw open my gown so I could get the epidural. I have always been pretty modest, but I guess at some point in the pregnancy I just lost all care for modesty since my doctor had to feel me up every week, so at this point I didn't care about being exposed to all 20+ people in the room! Well, kind of...
The anesthesiologist was very nice and informative about what was about to happen. He tried a spinal tap first, which didn't end up working. I kept feeling shots of sharp pain going down one side of my body or the other, so he ended up doing an epidural higher up on my spine. Trying the spinal tap was probably the most pain I felt throughout the whole process. The numbness started to come on and then the loopiness :) Matt started video taping me during this time asking me how I felt as they were sawing into me. He wasn't allowed to actually video the surgery part, but he could look over the curtain to watch and when he did he was extremely grossed out by what was happening. I kept asking him to tell me what they were doing and he would say, "Are you sure you want to know?? It's really gross!" I did though. I didn't feel any pain and my eyes felt extremely heavy from the morphine. After about 15 minutes, our doctor said it was baby time so Matt could video Naomi being born. Watching the video afterwards, I was amazed at how violent c-sections are! It looks like they pull open your stomach and all this fluid and blood gush out! Sorry for the visual :) After a few moments of the doctor digging and pulling, a head appeared and they started suctioning out her mouth and nostrils so she could breath. Obviously, I couldn't see any of this, but I remember looking at Matt as he saw it and began to cry. Then, I heard her cry for the first time and I can't even begin to describe the emotions I felt. Relief, joy, elation, excitement are just a few I remember. They whisked her over to the warming station and Matt went over to see her and touch her for the first time as I lay strapped to the table. I wanted to see her and hold her and kiss her so bad, but had to wait a while. Finally, they let Matt bring her over to me so I could see her. I was so drugged up it was hard for my eyes to focus which made me mad. All I wanted to do was hold my baby! After they got me all sewn up, they took me to a recovery room where I finally got to hold my sweet girl for the first time. She was/is absolutely beautiful and perfect with ginormous cheeks, sweet little lips, long fingers and toes, gorgeous eyes and barely any hair! Thank God! Haha! I had always wanted a bald baby :) As I nursed her for the first time in the recovery room, Matt and I took in all that had happened and this precious girl we finally had. We were in awe of this miracle from God and in love with her.
Naomi turned 1 month old yesterday and it has been one of the best months of my life, truly. It has been really hard at times frustratingly learning things for the first time, being unsure of almost everything, postpartum hormones, etc., but loving on her makes all that disappear. Seeing Matt love on her just melts my heart. He is such a good daddy, but I knew he would be when I married him :) We love you Naomi Claire!
Love your pictures and your detail about the birth. I'm glad you did this so I will remember to do it for ours! So happy for you and your beautiful family. Love you guys.
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