Back when I had my very first ultrasound for this pregnancy my doctor, Dr. Laden, discussed with me my plan of delivery. After having a c-section with Payton I had hoped that I would be able to have the rest of my deliveries VBAC. But after discussing the complications that arose during my delivery with Payton she highly advised that I have a scheduled c-section with this one. My heart sank and I was a little upset, but that only lasted for about a minute. Once I realized I wouldn't have to go through labor and CONTRACTIONS then I was all for the scheduled c-section. Yes, it's still not the "ideal" situation, but in reality the ideal situation is for a safe and healthy delivery for both baby and momma. And after talking through all the complications during Payton's delivery and the risks of having a VBAC I felt 100% sure that the safest delivery for both baby and me would be c-section.
My pregnancy with Beck was very easy for the most part. I had some minor nausea during my first trimester. I felt great during my second trimester. I probably felt my worst during my third trimester. Around weeks 25-30 I was super uncomfortable and I constantly felt like my ribs were being pulled apart. And then around week 33 I began to feel very weak and tired All. The. Time. I could have taken a nap at any time of the day. And while I used to love to get out of the house and take Payton on walks or go to the park, I no longer felt I had the energy to do those things. I'd convince her to stay home and inside by turning on a show on Netflix or getting out coloring books.
Some time during the third trimester we scheduled my c-section. They gave me the options of April 6th or April 9th. I like the 6th better for some reason, but the 9th worked out better for Nick's work schedule. So once we scheduled it for the 9th the countdown to baby Beck's arrival began. And I began praying that he didn't try to come sooner!
The closer April 9th came the more nervous I got. And depending on the day I was nervous about something different---having a newborn again, raising a toddler while also raising a newborn, getting the house and everything ready to have a newborn, the whole idea of going through a c-section and getting cut open again, and how my recovery was going to be this time around. The thing that I was most nervous about was taking care of a newborn and toddler while recovering from a c-section. My recovery with Payton was awful! I was extremely sore from the surgery and I had the baby blues. Poor Nick had to sometimes deal with a crying baby and a highly emotional/crying wife :) Luckily that didn't all last forever, but it was certainly a difficult recovery and it wasn't something I was anxious to relive with Beck.
The morning of April 9th we had to be at the hospital at 5:30am...my appointment for the c-section was for 7:30am. I made sure to have Nick give me a blessing before we left the house to go to the hospital. I'm so grateful we thought of doing that because I know it really helped me to stay calm through everything. When we got to the hospital I filled out a little paperwork and they took me straight to the recovery room where they had me put on a hospital gown. I got into a bed there and they started taking my vitals right away and put on one of those belts with the doppler to track baby boy's heart rate. The nurse asked me lots of questions about my health. While she did that another nurse came in to put in my IV. That was probably the WORST part of everything. I'm serious. I hated getting my IV put in when I had Payton and this time it was probably even worse. It hurt to put it in and it continued to hurt after. I think 10 minutes later I was looking at it and tried adjusting the tube to release a little pressure and I began to feel really nauseous and lightheaded. So I turned to my side and closed my eyes and about 10 minutes later I began to feel better, but the burn of the IV was still there.
So for the next hour or so nurses and doctors and anesthesiologists were coming in to check on me and to inform me of what was going to happen. Meanwhile, I was getting more nervous/anxious with each passing minute, but I managed to stay calm. Nick had passed out in the operating room when I had Payton and I think he was starting to feel a little anxious too...he was a little afraid the same thing was going to happen this time. So we kept talking to each other to help keep each other calm.
Around 7:30am they had Nick put on his paper jumpsuit, booties, cap, and mask and they had me walk into the operating room without him. He wouldn't be allowed into the room until they were ready to begin the actual surgery. When I walked into the room there were two words that first came to my mind: Bright and Cold!!! They walked me to the table and I hopped on. The anesthesiologist Dr. Osborn came in and introduced himself and began prepping my back for the spinal. His assistant was in front of me to help me hold still and stay calm and then I felt the needle. Beforehand everyone told me it would feel like a bad bee sting. I wouldn't even say it was that bad! It surprisingly didn't hurt at all.
Once Dr. Osborn was finished they turned me and lifted my legs up on the table and I lied down on the table. Very quickly my legs began to tingle and feel very warm and they gradually began to feel very heavy. It was a very odd feeling. After just a few minutes I couldn't feel a thing from my waist down. I couldn't even move my legs or feet even if I really wanted.
During all of this I felt very cold and I had to remind myself to breath. My body would shake and I had to consciously keep my upper body still. They eventually gave me oxygen and that helped to calm me. I realized they had music playing and it was Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo. What a blessing that was. Seriously! And then Nick came in and sat down beside me---that combined with the music was like a huge weight lifted off of me. All of my nerves washed away and I became anxious/excited about meeting my baby boy.
Dr. Laden had already tested the area to make sure the anesthesia had worked so the procedure began. Almost immediately I knew this c-section was going to be worlds better than my first. While they describe the "feeling" of having a c-section is a lot of pulling and tugging and not really painful, my first was actually really painful. This time around it really was just some slight pulling and tugging. And after maybe 10 minutes I felt a little out of breath while they pushed down on my chest to be able to pull baby out of me.
And then all of a sudden there was a cry! And it wasn't a soft cry. It was loud! This little boy had a set of lungs. And before I knew it I was fighting back tears and my heart was full of joy. They took him for just a moment to wipe him down and wrap him in a blanket and put him right on my chest. That was amazing! I wasn't able to do that with Payton. Right when they put Beck on me he raised his head a little and everyone was a surprised. He stayed there while they sewed me up and he raised his head up again, but this time he raised it all the way up! When that happened you could hear a resounding, "WOAH!!!" by all the staff in the room. Meanwhile, I was soaking in this sweet new little baby boy fresh from Heaven and taking note of his soft skin, sweet smell, and squishy adorable facial features. I was looking down on him and to me he looked JUST like Payton as a newborn.
After about 20-30 minutes Dr. Laden was done with the surgery and I was all stitched up. A nurse took Beck so they could check all his vitals and they moved me into the recovery room. Once they determined how perfectly healthy Beck was I got to hold him again, but I quickly handed him off to Nick. My mommy heart was about to burst when Nick held Beck for the first time.
Here are some pictures of our perfect baby boy and his wonderfully special birth day!
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