How HE Got Here...

Well he's here! And here's how it happened:

I had a C-section with Eva and my doctor told me that she would support me going through with a vaginal birth for Thomas, but there was a catch: I had to go into labor on my own. She didn't feel comfortable inducing labor. This news pretty much sealed the deal on getting C-Section #2 because the whole reason why I had a C-section with Eva is because of my "failure to progress" in labor. Anyways, there was still a small part of me that was hoping and praying that I would go into labor the week before my planned C-section. Unfortunately, nothing happened, which meant that on December 8th and 9:30 a.m. Brad and I walked calmly into the labor/delivery part of the hospital when there was no labor/delivery going on with me.

Despite the fact that I will never get that womanly labor experience (which actually bugs me a lot more than I wish it would) I am so happy with the way things went. I got checked into the hospital and calmly went through all the questioning/information section and got my IV and waited for my doctor to arrive. Then, the nurse wheeled me into my surgery. I was most nervous about getting the spinal tap. With Eva, my epidural ended up dropping my blood pressure so low that I nearly passed out and we lost Eva's heart beat for a bit, so I had some worries about what the effects of this spinal tap would be. However, my worry was for nothing. It all went smoothly. My anesthesiologist was a pro (and coincidentally his name was Thomas, which we laughed about when my Thomas was born). He was so comforting and the nurses surrounded me and gave me much needed words of encouragement and held my hands. Once it was all done there was a glorious feeling of nothing. I was completely numb and relaxed.

At that point Brad got to come in to the room. I made him talk to me about random nothings to take my mind off of the pulling and tugging that was happening to my tummy. Yes I was numb, but I could still feel the pressure. There was a lot of pulling and tugging. I just did all I could do not imagine what exactly was being pulled and tugged. Finally, there was a deep cry, so much more manly sounding then what I remember from Eva's. And there he was. A thick, chubby, purple baby. They held him up so I could see him and then Brad went off to get pictures and video while they checked all his vitals.

My little champ scored a 10/10 on the apgar test. I don't know much about that test, but it's just basically a check on sound, reflex, breathing, coloring, etc. of the baby. An 8 or 9 on the apgar is considered really good. A 10/10 is a rarity. My nurse told me she had been there 12 years and had never seen a baby score 10/10. My nurse anesthesiologist thought that a 10/10 was not actually even possible. He thought it was just a score that babies never actually got. Knowing that Thomas was healthy right away was a huge blessing.

I spent the rest of the day extremely exhausted. I think it was a mix of drugs and relief to finally be done with dreading the surgery. It was all over and I had a beautiful, and large, baby boy. He weighed in at 8 lbs 7 oz and was 20.5 inches long.

Brad stayed one night with me in the hospital while Eva stayed the night with some good friends (thanks Gross family!). I spent the rest of the days in the hospital snuggling with my new baby and getting visits from Brad and Eva and a few friends. I spoiled my little baby with snuggles because I just kept thinking of how Eva grew through the new born phase too fast, so I was determined to soak up every minute of it with Thomas.

One thing that I did different with Thomas then I did with Eva was that I made sure to stay on top of my pain meds. I didn't try to tough anything out. And I also stayed the recommended amount of nights (3 nights) even though I was starting to feel pretty good after 2 nights. With Eva I was so anxious to get out of the hospital, but I was in a pretty good amount of pain still. I'm so glad I stayed that extra night with Thomas. It was nice just to relax with some mommy and baby time.

At this point, Thomas has had his Thyroid and hormones tested 3 times. With each test we get better results, showing the trend that his hormone levels are all normal. He is probably going to need one more test in about a month to ensure that his levels are at the level the endocrinologist likes them to be at. However, because of the tests that have been done, I am feeling confident and blessed that he does not have thyroid issues. This is a huge relief.

Before Thomas was born I was a little worried that there was no way I would or could love him as much as I love my Eva Girl. I was so wrong. I love both my babies so much and am grateful to my Heavenly Father and I am just in awe that He has blessed me with a family that I love so much. My husband and children are my world. I am so glad that Thomas is here!