Charlotte’s birth story-
Leading up to Charlotte’s delivery, I had lots of pressure
and sporadic Braxton Hicks contractions.
I was only 1 cm dilated at my last appointment, but 70-80% effaced. Dr.
Boes had been making comments for weeks about how low the baby’s head was. On Wednesday 2/26/14 Dr. Boes “stripped my
membranes” to see if that would spark any real signs of labor. On the overnight of 2/27 into 2/28 I began
having timeable contractions at about 1 AM.
This lasted for hours. I woke TJ
up and we called the on-call doctor at approximately 4:30 AM. Dr. Clinger asked us to keep timing
contractions and to come in if I had at least 10 contractions in the hour. I
got up and showered, only to have the contractions slow way down. They had been as close to 3 minutes apart
before our phone call to the doctor. All
was quiet for the rest of the day on 2/28.
On 3/1/14 I checked in at 6:15 AM for the scheduled
c-section. The staff was prompt and had us prepped for surgery by 8 AM. At 8 AM, I walked into the operating room.
Dr. Zart assisted Dr. Boes and Dr. Malec was the anesthesiologist. The nurses were all supportive and helpful.
The anesthesiologist told us jokes to pass the time and to keep me from getting
nervous (what do you call a dog with no back legs and balls of steal? Sparky, apparently. Also, Cleveland is so cold that when
President Obama came for a recent visit, he had his hands in his OWN pockets.)
Hmm…
Right as the surgery started, TJ and I both found ourselves
crying quietly. I think it was just the
buildup of excitement and knowing that our lives were never going to be the
same. At 8:38 AM, we heard Charlotte’s first cries. The doctors announced “it’s a girl!!” much to
our surprise. TJ and I both predicted
that this one was a boy. She was a
whopping 8 lbs, 6 oz. 20 inches long. Perfect in every way! The doctors held
her up over the drape so I could see her face.
I thought Charlotte was gorgeous! I didn’t expect her to weigh 8 lbs, 6
oz because she looked so small in the quick glimpse that I got of her.
TJ was able to leave my side to watch the nurses clean her
up. He cut the cord and kept repeating
how pretty she was. I was having a bit of difficulty breathing during the surgery. I felt a lot of pressure on my chest, which
was a result of them sewing things back up.
I also felt nauseous and had to close my eyes while TJ was away with
Charlotte. I don’t remember it being
that rough the first time around, but we were told that there was quite a bit
of scar tissue from my previous c-section.
The anesthesiologist was able to give me something for the nausea and by
the time TJ returned with Charlotte, I was able to open my eyes and enjoy
her. My arms were unstrapped so I could
touch her and pose for photographs with TJ and Charlotte. It was difficult to see her face, but it felt
so nice to have her by my side and not in my tummy!
By 9:00 we were wrapping up in the operating room. Charlotte, TJ, and I returned to the recovery
room where I was able to breastfeed before having visitors. She breastfed for approximate 45 minutes. TJ
announced Charlotte’s arrival to our family in the waiting room by 9:45
AM. TJ brought Amelia back first to meet
her baby sister. Amelia was sort of like
a deer in headlights. I think the whole experience was a bit overwhelming to
her, but she was eager to see her mom and her baby sister. She posed for a few photos and even drew a
few pictures for Charlotte before the rest of the family came back. Both sets of grandparents, Kate, Anne, Rob,
Chris, Kourtney, and Kayleigh all came in the recovery room to say “hi” and to
meet Charlotte. Initial reactions are
that she looks like a Hazel baby.
Charlotte continued to thrive while in the hospital. In the first 48 hours, she tried to eat A
LOT. My milk came in sometime early on Monday 3/3. Charlotte initially failed her hearing screen
in her left ear, but passed before we left. We weren’t alarmed by this as the
same thing happened with her big sister and we were told it happens often in
c-section babies (lots of fluid still not pressed out of them). She also had elevated bilirubin levels so she
was monitored but not treated for jaundice.
We were discharged from the hospital on 3/3 (Charlotte’s due
date). Grandma Toni and Grandpa Woody
stayed with us for that night and made us dinner. They left on Tuesday 3/4 to go back to
Cincinnati. On Weds 3/5 we learned that
Charlotte’s bilirubin levels had increased after leaving the hospital (from
10.8 to 13.8) so she was treated for 24-hours with a biliblanket. Since then, things have been smooth
sailing! We are just getting to know her
beautiful personality. She’s a very calm
and easy going baby (unless she’s hungry!)
She is now a week old, and we aren’t sure what her temperament will be
like. She sleeps a lot, but is a very
sweet baby so far! We love her to pieces.
Even big sister Amelia likes to be involved providing lots of hugs and
kisses.
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