Birth and Recovery

Suffice it to say that every aspect of this delivery and recovery went more smoothly than the last, but I suppose if you want more details than that, read on... :)

At about 4:45 on Monday morning, after a long night and sleeping about 1.5-2 hours thanks to illness, we got up to start our exciting day.  We got everything together, got the girls' food and milk ready, loaded and started the dishwasher (I know, I'm a mess), and were out the door at exactly 5:30am.  The girls were extremely excited to go to Nana's and that later that day, Baby Brother would finally be born!

I don't know if it was the logistics of also taking care of the girls, the previous week of illness, or what, but I wasn't feeling anything I expected to feel.  I was excited, but mostly kept feeling as if we were going on some vacation - not as if our lives were about to change in this incredible (and incredibly huge) way.  I was slightly anxious, but not about the surgery or new baby.  I was anxious about my emotions after.  I joked about having "advanced nostalgia", worried that I'd actually (to my own shock) miss having a baby in utero, that I'd (I will) meltdown with time passing too quickly, etc.  Now don't get me wrong - I was definitely done with the pregnancy and ready to meet our newest addition, but it was different than the first.  With the girls, I think I merely "survived", never having much of a positive connection with the pregnancy - other than the final outcomes, of course.

We got checked in without a hitch and were taken to the preop room.  Everything went smoothly there, and I once again noticed how incredibly different I felt.  We were a little bored and very comfortable.  I did experience a minute of PTSD when the belly band and monitors were put on, what with the PUPPP tempting me to hurt someone last time...  We talked, joked about having a 12.5-pound baby (ultimate pregnancy weight gain this time around), and - again - noted just how surreal this felt this time.

A little before 9 I was taken back to the OR.  It was at this point with the girls that it all became real, and I admit that for a second or two I found myself thinking, "Hey, we're actually having a baby.  Like, in a few minutes" - but never cried or anything.  Everything else went very smoothly and the anesthesiologist was fantastic.  We were really put at ease that he would do everything possible to not push anything to cause a reaction similar to last time... and it was perfect.  No major hypotension, no vomiting, and most importantly, I was actually "present" for Nolan's arrival and the subsequent hours.

Now, there was no mirror this time which was kind of disappointing, but the rest of the day (week) made up for it.  I watched, cherished - and remember - what took place.  I am so, so thankful to have experienced those first few special moments.

Mr. Nolan showed off his lungs in record time, pretty much as quickly as his face was out.  He continued to scream as the rest of his body was delivered :) and did wonderfully as they checked him out.  As mentioned, he weighed 7lb, 7oz - but when they brought him to me all I could think was, "He is so tiny and sweet!  How in the world were the girls 2 pounds smaller?!"

The remainder of my surgery went well, with everything going much more smoothly than the first time around.  Have I mentioned that? :)  I got 1/2 to 1/3 of the Pitocin I did the first time, needed a lot less IV fluid, and even still everything tightened up as it should.  We did find out that my uterus, between the twin pregnancy and two c-sections, was "extremely thin".  She asked if we were planning to have more kids.  We probably could, she said, but I would be monitored extremely closely and would deliver no later than 36 weeks.  I suppose it's good that we are pretty sure we're done, because Dr S's repeated relief that I hadn't labored any more than I had was a bit scary.  Or would be the theoretical next time around - because this time it was just another example of God's sovereignty.

The two hours in recovery were also perfect, if you ask me.  Nolan stayed by our side the whole time, though admittedly we were a little annoyed we only had one baby we had to share. :)  We got to give him his first bottle, watch his exam and hang out to get to know our sweet baby boy.

We called the Elise and Avery, who were extremely excited that their baby was finally born!  Once we were transferred to the Family Unit, I couldn't wait to see them.  I ended up throwing up a few times back in the room, but a dose of phenergan took care of that pretty quickly.  Around 2pm, the girls would finally get there to spend our first afternoon together as a family of five!