Birth Story

Let's start with the day before. May 28th, I got the call from labor & delivery for my pre op instructions. Nothing to eat or drink past 8pm the nurse said. No big deal. I continued with my day as planned, went to my mother-in-law's house for dinner and cake/ice cream for my brother-in-law's birthday (which was the day before). My husband met us there since he was coming home from his work trip and all was great! We went home at a decent time considering we had a check in time of 4am. We put Nicolas to bed, I got some last minute items packed and ready to go, smoozelled with my husband who I missed terribly, and we were off to bed! Unfortunately my mind had other plans in store. I kept thinking..about EVERYTHING! Things that I still needed to pack, things that I still needed to do, things that could possibly go wrong. Like for instance, sometime during the night I heard my husband make a gurgling sound a couple of times. My mind instantly thought of a series of events that would possibly happen.

I'd have to take him to the ER because he was possibly choking.
Then I had to remember what hospital I would have to take him to (oh wait he has similar insurance to me and would go to Kaiser).
OH man! I hope he has his insurance card in his wallet!
At 4am I'd have to leave him to go check in for surgery!
That's in a totally separate building! Would they let me come back to him? No I would have just been cut open!
I can't be by myself!
He has to be with me!
Oh this isn't good, I hope he stops making those choking sounds!

CRAZY!

Anyway, 2:45 am was finally here and I had to get out of bed to start getting ready..yes to get ready! Makeup, hair, dressed (in yoga pants). I was meeting our baby girl and I wanted to be presentable! Before we left I made a point to scoop Nicolas from his slumber to give him a hug and kiss since this would be my first few overnights away from him! (ahhh!)

We left and were checked in at 4:10am. Leave it to us to be late on having a baby!

Once I got back to triage I had an ultrasound to confirm she was in fact still breech. YEP! Onward with surgery we would go. I got all prepped and soon everything was set and I walked with the nurses to the operating room (without Ryan)! The anesthiologist had me sit up with a curled back so he could place my spinal injection (which hurt and made me more nervous that I was husbandless at this point so I started crying). They got me all situated on the table, had the drape in place, and washed me down. Finally they called Ryan back to come be with me and they got started.

I couldn't feel any pain but I did feel like tugging and pressure against my stomach. About 20 minutes later the dr warned me that it would feel like an elephant was sitting on my stomach and that meant they would be taking the baby out!

EEEK!

Seconds later we heard the sweetest cry. A girl cry.

Before she was whisked away to clear her lungs of any fluid and to get cleaned off, the nurse briefly showed her to me and BOY she was small! I didn't know how small until they called out "6lbs 14oz! 18 3/4in long!"

WHAAAAT? How is that possible?!? Do you know how big my first was???

RAEGAN MARIE PETERSEN
BORN: MAY 29TH, 2012
WEIGHT: 6LBS 14OZ
LENGTH: 18 3/4 INCHES

We immediately did skin to skin while I was being "put back together" and it was absolutely amazing! I fell in love all over again! I not only am I lucky to have one product of both my husband and I but I now have TWO! Simply the best feeling in the world!

I was sent to recovery for about and hour or so while they monitored me and baby. By this time both our Momma's were here to check on me and gawk at our beautiful angel!

We were shortly moved to my post partum room and that is when the fun began. I got to hold my baby. I got to feed her. I got to stare at her. I got to kiss her endlessly. Pure bliss.

(picking up where I left off-day two) I'm ready to go home..today I took a shower, did my makeup and did my hair. I HAD to get out of bed. I had to get cleaned. BUT I do think I over did it just a little because tonight I felt the pressure of my incision and had a lot of gas build up to where I had a sharp pain in my right side where I felt like I couldn't take in a deep breath. I drank some nasty chalk medicine and some hot tea and that seemed to do the trick. Like I said though I'm ready to go home and sleep in my own bed and get down a routine with both my babies.

(I'll be posting pictures once I get home and settled. Even with my son I kept our hospital pictures private. I feel like because they are of their first few hours and days of their life, it makes them super precious. So I'll keep the same decision with our baby girl.)