Her birth day started very early as we checked in L&D at 5:30 am to prep for surgery. The pre-op process was pretty seamless - IV and cath -- and some actual legitimate contractions that started about 40 minutes before I walked into the OR! I take it she was coming that day regardless.This C-section was similar, yet very different from Lucy's. I felt a lot less pressure and pain physically, but that feeling of when I heard those first cries = the same euphoric feeling. As the doctor pulled her out, Wes was able to snap photos on my phone, and I heard the doctor say "Wow, look at those thighs!" They made a comment about the cord being twisted, but said it wasn't anything to worry about. They brought her over to the warmer but I couldn't really see her. Luckily Wes was there cutting the cord and taking photos of her getting evaluated and checked. The scale read 9 lbs 4 oz which honestly floored me a little. While we knew she'd be bigger, I was thinking somewhere in the 8's! They brought her over to me to do skin to skin as I got to lay eyes on her for the first time. There are really no words for the first time you get to meet your baby. She was all chub, roly poly thighs and arms.
Wes and Molly were able to go to the recovery room while I was getting stitched up. After I was wheeled into recovery, Molly and I were able to breastfeed for the first time. I was so thankful for this and the OR skin to skin time as Lucy and I were separated for what seemed like aeons until I was in postpartum.
We stayed in the hospital until Thursday afternoon, receiving many visitors and learning about each other. Big sister got to see her about 4 hours after. To help myself recover I sent Molly to the nursery overnight for small clips so I could rest. It was insane how much I missed her when she would get wheeled back to me -- this little meatball who I knew for all of a minute. I loved moving my hand over her soft head, arm rolls, chubby thighs and the familiar feet that I often pushed down with my hand while they were in active in utero. She took to nursing rather well and loved resting on top of my bare chest.
Toward the end of our stay, two health issues popped up for her -- billirubin levels and losing more weight than typically recommended. I spent day 3 and 4 with her on this plastic mat biliblanket which made nursing incredibly harder. Also on day 3 of our stay I had more pain and sore breasts. By discharge I was anxious to go home and worked up in tears over her weight loss and jaundice issues. But we got to all leave together Thursday afternoon -- a milestone we missed out on with Lucy's birth. Bringing her home was so surreal -- there was an entirely NEW person living in our house making us a family of four finally.
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