I can't write about just one of my baby boys' arrivals, now can I?
Little Guy had been a c-section, so Baby Boy's story starts off with a decision: VBAC or not to VBAC? Some people who end up having c-sections feel robbed of a natural birth experience but I am not one of them --I never felt a burning desire to try for a VBAC. Aside from which, my doctor and his 30 years of baby delivering experience had said that the likely culprit for my first c-section was the size of my pelvis. My anatomy hadn't changed since the first baby so I wasn't optimistic there would be a different result the second time around. Additionally, I had a friend who had tried for a VBAC and ended up having a c-section. She told me how much she regretted even trying for a VBAC in retrospect - how it just added anguish, exhaustion and recovery time to the inevitable for her. I didn't want to make the same mistake.
So a scheduled c-section it was to be then. One of the perks of this was that we had the luxury of picking Baby Boy's birth day. We were given a few days to pick from in the correct time period and we selected 5/4/9. The tipping factor for me -- it's a mathematically correct date! Hubby requested leave from work and my mom bought her plane ticket.
One month before the scheduled c-section Hubby's best friend flew up for a visit. The day of his arrival I ran around doing last minute preparations and in my haste I slipped going down the stairs in our house and fell on my back. My doctor sent me to the hospital to be checked and once there I started having regular contractions and earned myself an overnight stay in the hospital. I remember thinking -- well, if Baby Boy comes today his birthday will still be mathematically correct -- it was 4/5/9. By morning the contractions had stopped, though, and I was discharged.
My mom flew up a week before the c-section. We went on a trip to the zoo while Hubby was at work, but other than that I was all business. With my mom there to watch Little Guy I was finally able to finish getting everything ready for Baby Boy and for the other impending company. My mom kept telling me to sit down and rest but I had too much to do and hardly any time to do it.
On Monday May 4th we checked into the hospital at 9am. This hospital was much nicer than where I had Little Guy, and our room was enormous. I changed into a hospital gown, Hubby changed into scrubs, we signed some paperwork and before I knew it the time had come to go to surgery. That was a shock for Hubby and I - how quickly it was go time. I guess on some level we'd been expecting a long wait since with Little Guy we were at the hospital 23 hrs before I went to c-section.
I walked into the operating room and sat down on the operating table. The spinal sedation was administered (no ringing phones this time) and everything was calmly and methodically being set up around me. Hubby was again right at my side and we were both anxious and excited. My anesthesiologist was a lady this time, and she helped pass our idle time by showing us pictures of her dogs on her cell phone. My doctor and another performed the surgery. The other doctor commented on how thin I had become, how my belly was all baby. (7 months of morning sickness will do that to you!)
The surgery got started and both doctors noted how nicely my last c-section had been done and asked who had performed it. When the time came to remove Baby Boy he did not want to come out. He was up under my rib and I was jerked around on the table while they worked to get him out. But out he came! Like before he went to Hubby first who brought him for me to see. Amazing! Then, like before, off went Hubby and baby while my surgery proceeded. I think I remained conscious this time, though, since I vaguely remember waiting while they worked.
This time I was reunited with my baby much faster, and Hubby and I had some time alone with him. Later in the afternoon my mom brought Little Guy down and we were together as a family for the first time. It wasn't quite ideal -- Little Guy did not want to have anything to do with Baby Boy and wouldn't even look at him! Little Guy just wasn't prepared for the expansion. He focused very hard on his toys and tried to pretend Baby wasn't there. A few days at home together brought Little Guy around, but in the beginning he just wasn't into it!
We were now a family of 4. There would be challenges ahead but our hearts were filled with joy and love.
