Eden will be a month old in just a few days! I've been busy with a newborn and a toddler so I am excited to finally have time to write her birth story!
Before long it was time for Nathan to change into those awesome blue scrubs -- the "one size fits all but hugs your man parts too tightly" kind. He looked great! ;) After all the prep work was done, they gave me some medications and it was show time. I walked to the operating room holding my gown shut in the back, while Nathan and the family stayed back for a while. From the pictures that were taken during that time, it looks like daddy and Cale were having a great time while they waited.
The operating room was freezing as usual. I sat up on the tiny little bed while the anesthesiologist started the spinal. I was amazed how fast it worked. With Cale I had an epidural which took a while to kick in. The spinal worked before I could even lay down and they had to help me so I didn't fall. Almost immediately I began to get sick. Awesome. I rolled my head to the side and they gave me a little bowl to throw up in. I couldn't stop! I was so frustrated that I felt so awful, but they gave me something to ease the nausea and I started to feel better.
At about 12:30pm, they brought Nathan into the room. He sat by my head, and I again started to feel sick and threw up a few more times. After a little more medication I was doing better and the surgery was underway.
My c-section with Cale went very quickly, but Eden had plans of her own. She absolutely refused to come out. It took four people pulling and tugging for at least 15 minutes before she decided to make her entrance. I didn't feel pain, but I could feel all of the pressure and tugging which was significantly more than I felt with Cale. When she was ready to pop out, they lowered the surgical sheet so I could watch her birth. (This is not normal practice, but I insisted.) My huge belly was in the way and I didn't get to see much, but my little girl finally came out, and they raised her up so I could see her.
This was when I expected my little girl to be brought to my chest so I could hold and nurse her...but Eden was not breathing. She was a little bit gray colored and very limp. I tried not to panic (Cale came out screaming so this was new to me) and they took her over to the baby warmer to try to get her to breathe. It seemed like an eternity. I watched her across the room as they did everything they could and she wasn't making progress. I had insisted before the surgery that unless something was wrong with her, that she was not to leave that room, and they agreed to honor my wishes. But when she wasn't breathing I heard the nurse say, "There's no way she can stay here." I was devestated and couldn't believe what was happening, but before I could worry any more, my baby girl suddenly let out a cry, and I was so relieved. I didn't know until later, but Nathan was pretty worried too. He's a good man for not telling me that in the moment.
Luckily for us, after that first cry Eden began to breathe very well and her condition improved quickly. She pinked right up and got some good, productive screams out. They never had to remove her from the room. After a couple minutes they brought her to me and I got to kiss her sweet face.
Eden Brooke Carlson
June 21, 2012
12:47pm
8lbs 0.6oz (8lbs 1oz officially)
20.5"
Nathan, Eden, and I stayed there as a family for a long time while they stitched me up. At the very end, they asked if Nathan and Eden could leave the room since I was about done with surgery and it was hard to fit everyone in the tiny room at once. I agreed, and that was when Cale got to meet his baby sister for the first time.
About 10 minutes later we were reunited again in the recovery room. The spinal wore off as quickly as it started working, and I was in a world of pain. The move from the surgical bed to the recovery bed was excruciating and I'm sure the whole maternity ward heard me screaming.
Eden Brooke, 19 hours old:
We were released from the hospital almost exactly 48 hours after Eden was born. The discharge paperwork listed her APGAR scores as 5 and 9. I feel very lucky that they were able to get her to breathe after such a traumatic delivery.
Life with a her has been amazing. Eden is such a good baby (much easier than Cale was,) but she's very much a momma's girl. She doesn't like daddy to hold her much, which frustrates Nathan, but we know it's a normal phase. She sleeps like a DREAM. She wakes up only twice at night, usually at 2:30am and 5am, but sleeps perfectly other than that. She nurses like a champ, and she's growing like a weed. At 3 weeks old she was 9lbs 1oz, a full 2lbs more than her brother was at that age. I love my little chunk!
6 days old (my original due date!)
Saturday she will be one month old. Where has the time gone? We are so blessed to have such an amazing family.
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