Our Family is now a family of five! Woohoo! Addie made his grand entrance on Friday, January 15 at 9:44 in the morning. It was an interesting journey that ended (though it has really just begun) with all the excitement that you would expect from the birth of a baby boy... and then some!
When we went to the hospital early Friday morning, I was convinced that there was NO WAY they would send me home after having contractions that had begun the evening before and only intensified to an incredible pain just after midnight. Afterall, I had a c-section scheduled for the very reason that the doctors didn't want me laboring on my previously disected uterus. Of course, as soon as I was hooked up to the monitors, my contractions subsided; I only had two in the hour they had me strapped down. The midwife that was on call in triage told me it was a result of my body producing adrenaline and that it was quite common for contractions to stop after coming in. Nevertheless, she told me to get dressed- I was going home. "You'll likely labor for several days before it's time," she told me. I couldn't help but cry.
"But I'm a c-section," I protested as she left the room.
A few minutes later, I heard her talking to the on-call doctor just outside my door, following which she stuck her head in the room and said, "Get your gown back on. You're staying to have your baby!" Apparently, a shift change had occurred and the information that I was a repeat c-section had not been shared with the new shift. Needless to say, I was elated that I wasn't being sent packing!
It was only another hour before the were wheeling me into surgery. The real excitement was about to begin. I patiently awaited the sounds of my baby boy's cries with my husband at my side. I caught a glimpse of the surgery in the reflection of the lights and watched as Addie was delivered. To my delight, he was handed off to the pediatric resident, Dr. Kari, who happens to be a very good friend of mine. It was good to know someone WE knew so well was taking care of our baby.
They announced he was a healthy 7 lbs 8.5 oz and doing well, though he was having a bit of trouble breathing- a problem common with babies delivered via c-section. After an hour or so in the NICU on oxygen, he was doing great and on his way down to the Newborn Nursery.
Meanwhile, back down in recovery, CJ had just been brought in to where I was and Kari had come in to give us an update on Addie. Suddenly, CJ dropped to his knees and hit his head on my bed, splitting his forehead open. I didn't know it, but he had taken some cold medicine before we left home at 4:30 a.m. and had absolutely nothing to eat or drink since. (It was almost 11:30 a.m. by then.) Kari and the Recovery Room nurse took him down to the Emergency Room to have stitches. Luckily, Dermabond did the trick. After getting some food in his belly, he was better and back by my side in no time. When we made it up to my room, the news of CJ's fall had made it around the hospital, much to his dismay. Every nurse that came in was just as concerned for him as they were for me. It was really quite sweet, but I think HE found it to be a bit embarassing.
After a whirlwind of five days in the hospital, both Addie and I were on our way home. It's a good thing, too- I was ready to hang curtains and move the furniture around in my hospital room. I was truly climbing the walls, but I did my best to take advantage of the staff and their help.
It's been a little over a week since Addie arrived and we are quite the happy little family. I'm recovering well and Addie has made himself very comfortable amoungst the chaos of our household. Adjusting to three kiddos has been much easier on all of us, even Juju and Coco, than two ever was. Clearly, we've been busy or I would have posted this little announcement sooner, but thus goes the life of a family with a newborn, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment