The Birth Story (a.k.a my life over the last week)
So Monday afternoon I went in for a "post due" appointment, had my ultrasound, did my non-stress test, and was told each step of the way that baby was super healthy, in great condition, and that I looked great! THEN (after Eric left, no less) the doctor came in and hit me with a brick wall - baby was measuring 10 lbs 15 oz (plus or minus one pound) AND he was recommeding I have a c-section the next morning. The doctor was super concerned about shoulder dystocia, among other things related to the birth size.
What a flood of emotions! Eric and I had spent the last nine months reading everything we could about natural childbirth, natural pain management, how to deal with unexpected complications naturally, and we were (and still are) very informed. I was so confident I could deal with anything! We'd spent weeks gathering the support materials: packing lotion for massages, making playlists on the ipod, buying snacks for Eric, practing lamaze, attending birth classes, watching documentaries, etc, etc. etc.
So as you can imagine, I spent most of the afternoon in tears dealing with disappointment that I wouldn't get to labor in the way I'd wanted to, fear that if I didn't follow doctor's directions, baby might not make it through labor, and doubt - what if the measurements were wrong and he's only 8 lbs and I have a c-section for nothing! We came home, called the family, prayed, researched, met with the doctor a second time, and in the end decided that whatever my hopes had been for labor, they weren't worth the possible risks to baby's health. And now that our 10 lb. Asher is here, we haven't looked back and regretted it one bit - well, most of the time - but that's to be expected, I think.
Tuesday morning, we headed to the hospital at 7:00 a.m. for our pre-operation prep for our scheduled surgery at 9:00. Everything went super smoothly, except they had to give me two spinal shots because the first one didn't go high enough. Consequently, it took me a good 4-5 hours after the operation before I could feel my legs again, but who can complain when you labor pain free. Eric got to watch Asher being taken from the uterus, which I wish I could have seen, but hospital policy, no pics until the baby is out. Oh well.
We spent three days in the hospital, including Thanksgiving Day, but we had a LOT to be thankful for! Recovery went as well as could be expected, and we were well fed by two different Thanksgiving meals that friends and family brought in for us. The nurses were super helpful, respectful of our wishes, and we had an all around great experience at the Marshalltown hospital!
Asher @ 1 week
I realize it may just be a phase and that it could change, but thus far, Asher has been an incredibly easy baby. I'm praising God for his blessings, because it sure has helped make my recovery that much easier. Asher really only cries when we're changing his diaper. He wakes to eat about every 3 1/2 hours, which I've been told is really good. He's already staying awake for at least 20 minutes, and up to an hour, after eating during the day and then naps a good hour or two, most of the time. At night he eats faster, stays awake shorter amounts of time, and sleeps a better chunk of the time between feedings - we're really not feeling sleep deprived yet (partially thanks to having the grandmas here)! He's super strong and can already lift his head by himself for a little while. I'm telling you - easy baby! Don't worry, though, I'm counting my blessings while they last, knowing this may only be temporary! God is good, regardless of what the future holds!
Anyway, here's a few more pics of our sweet baby. One week old today!
No comments:
Post a Comment