Man oh man. Life is busy these days friends! My laptop and memory card have been broken, so I haven't been able to introduce you to our latest love. Although, if you're on instagram, your feed is probably filled with pictures of him! I want to get his birth story down before I forget, so I have all the details to tell him one day before this mama brain fails me!
As many of you know, I really wanted to attempt a VBAC with baby #2 for many reasons. I was really disappointed with my first C-section, and I hated the recovery process afterwards. My dr. has told me that many OBGYNs advise you to only have three C-sections before you compromise your uterus; Matthew and I would love to have lots of babies and I didn't want another C-section to play a part in determining our family. My dr. stated that with all the small issues Eli had during labor, I would only be a good candidate for a VBAC if a. I went into labor naturally before my due date, b. I had none of the same complications, and c. this baby was smaller than Eli was. Early on, we knew this baby boy was going to probably be bigger than Eli, since I measure about a month ahead every visit and the ultrasounds confirmed the same thing every time. My dr. also told me it seems that my body knows nothing about preparing for labor, b/c I never dilated or effaced with Eli, and didn't with this one either. SO! Towards the end of this pregnancy, I just had to really give up my plans to God and let this baby come whichever way was deemed best for mama and baby, and trust that if the Lord has a big family in the works for us, He will make it happen. :)
On March 7, we got up bright and early at 4:30, and had plans to leave Eli with my Mom and Aunt who had come the night before. Eli ended up waking up around 4 that morning, so I got some good cuddling in in his bed before we left to have his baby brother. That is still a sweet memory in my heart- I got to tell him one last time how much we loved him and how we would be in the hospital for a few days, but couldn't wait for him to come visit and be a big brother!
We got to the hospital a little late, but were the first section of the day, so got situated pretty quickly. We were scheduled to have him by 7:30, but a main water line had busted down the street and the hospital's water was off, so we had to wait until the pressure was back up so the doctors could all scrub in for surgery. :) Plus, it gave us an extra 30 minutes to finalize our name decision. Yes, it took that long! We have had Shepherd on our list for a long time. We loved that it was a little different, a little southern, and our personal nod to a biblical name, as we pray Shepherd will be a gentle humble leader among his peers and be an encouragement to others in their walk with Christ. Fox is a family name on Matthew's side.
Around 8:15, I was wheeled back to the OR, and Matthew waited outside while they prepped me for surgery. I always hate that part- I get really nervous waiting for these procedures, and I wanted him right by my side the whole time. I had the spinal administered and everyone commented on just how big my belly was. I started to feel really sick as soon as the anesthesia was in, and almost threw up. I got really sweaty and pale, and they quickly pumped meds in me to help. In a way, that part helped me not be so nervous b/c I was so focused on not throwing up!
Matthew got to come in once they were ready, and had the video camera going the whole time. I could see my OB working and it made me feel a little more involved in the experience. This section took a little longer than Eli's, and they had a harder time getting Shepherd out. His head was lodged in my right side, and no where near engaged in my pelvis, so they had to cut a little farther over and vacuum his head over to get him out! There was a lot of tugging and pushing him out just like with Eli- I couldn't breathe and had bruised ribs after!
As soon as he was out at 8:30, everyone in the room started commenting on his size, and making guesses on his weight. I heard everything from 8.8 to 10 pounds- Matthew and I had already placed our bets with eachother- mine was 8.11 and Matth's was 8.8. He was 8.14 and 20.5 inches. I couldn't believe how big he was, even though he measured so big my whole pregnancy. He was really quiet in the beginning and they had to suction two syringes of fluid out of him before he really started wailing. He had a little trouble breathing at first, and they placed the oxygen mask over him for awhile while I just repeatedly asked everyone if he was okay and when he would cry. :)
I thought right away that he looked NOTHING like Eli and couldn't believe his dark hair and tan skin! His head shape, lips, nose, everything was different from Eli's. He actually looks almost identical to Matthew's baby pics. He finally started wailing and I just started bawling- the sweetest sound in the world to an anxious mama!
I wanted to study his face and hold him so badly and kept telling Matthew to get him closer so I could cover him with kisses. I remember the nurses saying to each other how nice it was to see a couple who was genuinely excited and full of love for their baby, which made me kind of sad to think they didn't see that all the time.
Right away I felt a lot of pain in my stomach and started telling my dr. something wasn't right. It truly felt like I had been cut open without any medicine and quickly they gave me some pain medicine. Later they told me that the usual pain medicine they give you through your iv was on backorder nationwide, and everything else used as a substitute just didn't work as well! The next few days in the hospital were awful recovery wise. The medicine would wear off long before it was supposed to and I would be in sobbing pain every three hours or so waiting on the next time I was allowed to take more. I had to have a test done to see if my ureters were cut in surgery where I had to lay flat on my stomach while they pumped iodine in me and took x-rays. I pretty much cried through that too b/c of the pain. Finally on the third day, my doctor came up with a new regimen of medicine that got my pain under control. Amen! Another reason I hate C-sections; I felt like the first few days where I just wanted to study Shepherd's sweet face and hog him all to myself were spent more on being in too much pain to think about anything else.
We were finally ready to go home that Saturday and took one of our first pictures as a family of four- Eli wasn't ready to cooperate! Eli was not too into his brother right away, or me either for that matter. He really wanted nothing to do with the hospital, and didn't want to hold or touch Shepherd for a few days. Once we got home and it was just us four, he quickly warmed up and held, kissed, and talked to him right away!
There is so much more to say, but I wanted to give a little update on our precious new blessing. We are loving being a family of four, and I feel so blessed and lucky to have these three handsome boys to call my own.
