Happy Birthday Rhett!

We have been blessed with a beautiful baby BOY! (I knew it! I knew it the WHOLE TIME!)

Rhett Onesimus was born at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 19th via C-section. He weight 4 lbs, 3 oz and is 18 inches long.

I thought I'd try to write down his birth story while it's still fresh in my mind. So here it is!

We went in for our doctor's appointment yesterday around lunch time. I went back for an ultrasound. The tech. looked at the baby for a good half hour. When she went to make her notes, the first one was that baby was COMPLETE BREECH. I think at that point, Josh and I both knew that a C-section would be inevitable. I thought I would go in the next morning. The nurse who has been doing my non-stress tests was at lunch, so they told us at the office to go walk around somewhere and come back. Not long after we left, they called back and told me I wasn't to eat anything. So at that point, I was pretty sure I was going in for the C-section soon. They called back just a few minutes later and told me I'd be having the baby tonight!

As it turns out, I was low on fluids. Generally, this would just mean an induction but with the baby being  breech, I was scheduled for a C-section at 6:30.

Going home for a few hours was slightly tortuous. I tried to dishes and straighten up a bit. Josh kind of froze up and paced around the house a lot. Just as we were leaving for the hospital, I got a text that said the high way was closed. So we quickly looked up how to get there on back roads. It was a stressful drive--we were so jittery and wanting to make sure everything was ok!

When we got into triage, I got undressed and started on an I.V. This was a rough time of the day. We could hear the heartbeat, and it kept falling. At some point, a doctor rushed in and put a mask on me because the baby's heart rate was so low. I was pretty nervous for the baby. They kept saying it must be a boy, because boys are troublemakers! The anesthesiologist tried to come in and talk to me, but there were too many people gathered around me worried about the heartbeat, so he talked to Josh instead and then we ended up going into surgery a bit early.

Josh didn't get to come back to me until the spinal was in place and they were all ready to go. He says this was the worst part of the whole birth. I have heard, and I agree that as hard as childbirth is for a woman, I think it is just as hard for the men who love us. Getting a gigantic needle put in my back wasn't nearly as bad as standing outside and having no idea how my spouse and child were for ten minutes. I don't think I would have handled that well.

The spinal was what I was most nervous for, but it wasn't so bad. There was a wonderful nurse who held my hand and talked me through it. They said I did a good job. I got numb pretty quickly, and from there, I was pretty damn helpless. Josh came in and sat by my head. I could tell he was relieved to be back with me. I was unreasonably nervous that Josh would accidentally see over the curtain and freak out. I kept telling him to look at me.

I didn't even realize that they had started the surgery until the anesthesiologist said he could see feet. They went on with it and I honestly had no idea what was going on. At some point I heard that the cord was wrapped twice around the neck. The next thing I heard was that it was a boy, but I didn't really know if I heard and processed it right, so I asked a few times... "a boy?" I was so excited when it finally hit me that we had a son! I have always wanted a first-born son. (and I KNEW it. I did!). They didn't lift the baby over the curtain and show him to us, which I knew was a bad sign. I kept asking if he was ok, and the anesthesiologist said he was, but I couldn't quite believe him when I couldn't see or hear the baby. They finally told me that he had been having trouble breathing, but they had taken care of it and he was pink and alert. They wrapped him up and put a cute little hat on him and brought him over to see us.

He is so cute! He looks like a wrinkly old man. I couldn't move to touch him but they held him out to be for kisses. He gurgled and fussed, but didn't cry much. His sweet little voice warms my heart right up! He's the best!

After that, I got taken to a recovery room and Josh got to go see the baby in the nursery. I was jealous that I didn't get to go to, but glad that Josh was with Rhett. Josh came in after awhile and showed me some video and photos he had taken in the nursery. It was so awesome to seem him squirming around.

The nursery nurse came by and said that Rhett's blood sugar was too low (way too low actually. He's suposed to be at a 40 and was only at 15). So they had to keep him in the nursery. I was wheeled back after awhile and I got to hold him. It was extremely awkward, because I was still unable to move from the chest down and we were both covered in monitors and wires. But it was great to touch him, feel his weight on my chest and tell him that I loved him.

Recovery hasn't been as bad as I would have thought. I already feel much better than I did last night. I'm sore, but not nearly as sore as I would have thought. Being stuck in bed is much worse than the pain.

I was told that he was too far up in my ribs--the doctor had to make a very high incision in my uterus. Because of the type of incision, I will not be able to deliver vaginally, ever. So I'll need a C-section for any future children as well. I'm doing ok with that. It was nice to be done so quickly, and it will be nice to have a date set for the other births. It sucks that I can't be with him, and that I was so helpless in the whole process. Everything was really scary, and it didn't feel like a 'special day' as much as....it felt like surgery. But I feel so blessed to live in a time and place where I can have a safe delivery. Rhett is doing well, and I can't ask for much else!

So....SORRY this was long, and I might be adding to it later (or getting JOsh to add from his perspective). My breakfast just arrived, but as soon as I'm done, I'll get some pictures thrown up.