Tomorrow my beautiful little boy will be a month old. It's safe to say that I did it! I am still pinching myself and awakening with a smile on my face when I see my perfect little son safely sleeping at my side. There's no words to describe the happiness and the peace I feel in my core since his arrival.
So his birth story must be told!
I went in for my scheduled c section having spent a sleepless night watching my belly roll and my pelvis take its final kicks... All the while hoping he had flipped which of course he didn't. I was at the hospital at 5.30 am and on the 3rd attempt they got the IV in. (I still have a bruise from one of the tries!) I had my final ultrasound. Butt down confirmed. Off I went to the OR for my spinal. To say I was petrified was an understatement. My surgeries consist of egg retrievals, a D&C and a small breast lump removal as a teen. The thought of having my abdomen cut open terrified me even though I knew the reward was worth it!
I had a wonderful anaesthesiologist who talked me through everything. The spinal was uncomfortable, painful even but not for long. The feeling of your legs going numb is horrible, like your body is dying and there's nothing you can do. People around you moving you, inserting catheter, putting those sticky monitor pads on you and painting you orange! Then they brought my mother in and the tugging, pushing and pulling began. My Mum was great at distracting me but I am not gonna pretend that I was fearless! Finally my anaesthesiologist told me he could see the babies bottom emerging so it wouldn't be long. A few minutes later he emerged and I saw his legs as they whizzed him across the room to make sure he was ok. I had very distinct wishes for skin to skin right after but it turns out that both of our temps had dropped during the birth and he needed to be under a heat lamp while they tried to get my temp up too. They had him propped up under the lamp for a moment so I could see him but it was quick and I had no idea what was happening. I sent my mum to go and look at him to check he was ok. She had said she wanted me to see him first which was so sweet but it was more important right then that I knew he was fine! So she was with him while I went through the shakes (didn't last long at all) and craned my neck to get glimpses of my son as they tugged and pulled at my insides some more!
Finally he was brought to me and placed on my chest. This stranger who I already loved so much and who's face I hadn't yet seen. I wasn't allowed to look at him because they had us covered in blankets so I could just see the top of his head and his nose. I was finally distracted from my abdomen and was wheeled into the recovery room where an hour and five minutes after his birth my baby breast fed. Like a champion!
The day passed in a happy haze. Our temperatures stabilized after a few hours. I sent out just a couple of he's arrived type texts to family and a couple Single Mom friends. I just wanted the day to ourselves to gaze in wonder at my son.
I was lucky. My little took to the breast and the hospital had lactation consultants on hand whom I called in every time I fed for the first 24 hours. I was determined to master it and by day 3 we had it down! My night nurse let me co sleep with him from the 2nd night so I had 7 hours sleep that night and 8 on the 3rd night! I was having to set an alarm to wake him to feed! I feel so fortunate that they let us sleep this way as we continued it when I got home. Skin to skin for the first 3.5 weeks. I just put him in pjs a couple nights ago as it got cold. He's never been swaddled... He's taking Up as much space in the world as he can already! He's remained a good sleeper albeit I'm up twice every night for feeds but it's less than the pregnancy insomnia I suffered before. He also doesn't cry. He lets out a squeak if he is hungry, dirty or wants to be burped. He will turn this into a cry if he's in the car seat and can't be catered to but his crying is short and easily sourced and fixed.
So all in all a dream baby, but let's face it, I was going to think anything was a dream baby. I just think that I relaxed so much as soon as he was on my chest that he sensed it and responded in kind. My struggles are over and I got my dream. He can scream, cry, poop, tantrum all he likes and I'll still have hearts in my eyeballs and think he's cute. I'll revisit this post in a couple years but for now here he is... My lovely gremlin.
I had wanted to share these with you last time but I wasn't able to upload to blogger from ipad... but here he is. My perfect little human being on the day he came out!
