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April 20, 2001
Today is my due date and my daughter is already 11 days old. Wow!
Ashleigh Renee was born at 12:27pm on April 9, 2001. She weighed 6lbs, 3 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. She has dark hair and big blue eyes (which of course may change to brown in the coming months).
As I had written before, I was scheduled for my c-section. My mom, Brendan, Greg and I were ready to go at 9:20 and we all made the trip to the hospital. While we were checking in I felt very teary. I was nervous and anxious and a little sad that my pregnancy was almost over. Of course I was thrilled that I would meet my daughter in a few short hours, but this was the last time she was all mine and I knew I would miss her kicks and pokes.
I waited in the lounge with my family. The waiting lounge is great. It's set up for kids so Brendan was having a great time. I was on the floor playing with Brendan when the nurse came in to get me. She was looking for a pregnant body and she almost missed me sitting way down on the floor.
Greg and I were led to a room just two doors down from the lounge. They usually move c-section patients up to the fifth floor after surgery, but the nurse said they were already full on fifth so I would be allowed to stay on the maternity floor in the nice birthing room for my entire stay. Hooray. The birthing rooms have showers and tubs and the bathrooms on the fifth floor only have toilets. I was so glad I wasn't going to have to troup down to the community shower like I did with my first c-section.
The nurse went over lots of paperwork with me and monitored the baby. She took blood and started my IV. Then I had to drink some alka seltzer and I was told about the spinal that I would be given in the operating room. I requested that my catheter be put in after I had the spinal and they were fine with that. The really great thing was that they knew from my chart that I had had an awful c-section experience the first time (wasn't given the right pain meds after the surgery) and every person I saw mentioned in and assured me that this would not happen again. In fact, they knew that I had thrown up during my first c-section and they gave me some medicine in my IV right away to keep me from being sick this time. I was still nervous, but I felt like I was in good hands.
At noon I was wheeled into the OR and the whole thing began. Greg was given scrubs and told he had to wait until they had administered the spinal and had me strapped down to come into the room. The room was freezing and they put warm blankets on legs. There was a nurse in front of me that was counting all the surgical equipment and that gave me the creeps. I didn't want to see all the things they would use to open me up. Yuck.
The novacaine that they gave me prior to the spinal really hurt. The spinal just felt like pressure in my spine. The hardest part was leaning over my gigantic stomach. My legs started to feel warm and heavy almost immediately and the nurses laid me back on the table and strapped my arms down. They also put an oxygen mask on my face and then they checked to be sure that I was completely numb.
When Greg came in I was so relieved. He sat right by my head. He had the camera and I had given him instructions of what pictures I wanted. I told him I wanted a picture of the incision, the baby being pulled out, my uterus (when they put it on top of your stomach to stitch it up), the placenta, and the doctor stitching me up. I missed out on so much last time that I really wanted pictures of everything. At first Greg was telling me what they were doing, but I knew I couldn't handle a play by play so I asked him just to sit with me. Then suddenly Greg started getting really light headed. I could tell right away. I could only see a little of his face with the surgical mask on, but what I could see was completely white. He sat down and just looked at me for a minute and then he looked over the drape and said, "Here she comes!"
Then I heard her cry. It was the best sound in the world! I cried a bit and one of the nurses was wiping my eyes for me. Greg went over to the baby and then brought her to me. The whole time they stitched me up I got to look at her sweet face. I could tell that she was smaller than Brendan had been. My doctor had predicted that she was 8-8 1/2 pounds. She was only 6 pounds, 3 ounces!
Greg brought the baby into the recovery room with me and I had the best nurse who offered to give her a bath right in the recovery room so I wouldn't miss out on anything. It was so wonderful.
We were in the hospital for three days. The recovery wasn't fun, but the nurses were always making sure I had the proper drugs and that I was doing alright. I got up the night of the delivery and stood by my bed and was up and walking the halls the next day. One of my nurses told me that I was one of her most agile patients after a c-section.
Ashleigh is just wonderful. She seems to have her days and nights a bit mixed up, but she is the happiest little thing. She did have some congestion while we were in the hospital and a little jaundice, but both are gone. She has her two weeks appointment on Monday. I can't wait to see how much she weighs. She is nursing wonderfully and often. She also has a messy diaper everytime she eats! We have already been peed on and seen projectile poop several times. I thought little boys were supposed to be bad, but Brendan only did that twice and Ashleigh has made messes much more than that. I have to be quicker with that fresh diaper!
Brendan has been a great big brother. He doesn't like to hold her very often, but he likes to look at her and touch her head. When she was looking orange due to the jaundice he said that she was orange just like a BNSF (his favorite train). He is also very impressed by the umbilical cord that she just finally lost last night. He always wanted to see it when we did a diaper change. Now that it's gone, he likes to look at her belly button. He always gives her a kiss goodnight. Oh, and he still calls her Rosie. Now we're all doing it so I guess she has her first official nickname.
I have twelve weeks off before I have to go back to work. I am dreading it already. Does anyone know of a legitimate work at home opportunity? I really want to be at home with my kids, but we can't afford for me to stay at home without an income of some sort. Help!
Enough of that depressing topic. We are so thrilled that our daughter has joined our family. We feel so much more complete now. I still would like to have another baby at some point, but two is wonderful for now.
Love,
Anne and Ashleigh
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