Charlie's Birth

I am writing this account of Charlie's birth solely for the purpose of keeping a personal record.  I realize it may be a boring (and LONG) read for some...but for me it was one of the most special days of my life, and I don't want to forget a single second of it.

At my final doctors appointment, our baby was still in a breech position.  Head up, feet up, and bum down...folded up like a little taco.  So it was decided that we would move ahead with a scheduled c-section.  Despite all my planning and hoping for a natural v-bac, I was really quite peaceful about the decision.  It felt right, so I spent very little time fretting over "what could have been".  I am so thankful now that I was able to go into my birth experience with feelings of contentment, when it would have been so easy to start out feeling disappointed or sad.

My c-section was scheduled for 7:30 in the morning, so we had to be at the hospital at 5:30 am.  It was so surreal driving through the dark streets with Matt, so early in the morning, knowing that in just a few short hours we would be meeting our son.  I had butterflies in my tummy during the whole car ride.

We got to the hospital, checked in, and got settled in our room.  The next 2 hours are a bit of a blur.  I know they started my I.V. and monitored the baby's heart rate and my contractions for a while.  Even though I knew I was having a c-section, I still wrote a c-section specific birth plan.  I am so glad that I did.  I was able to go through the birth plan with my nurses, the baby's nurses, the anesthesiologist, and my o.b.  They all answered my questions, and asked their own questions...so that everything in my birth plan would be clarified before the c-section took place.  It was so nice to know that we were all on the same page, and that the people helping us that day were committed to helping me have a positive birth experience.

When it was time, I walked myself to the operating room.  Matt was dressed in his white surgical attire, and he came right in to the room with me.  They sat me on the table, and had me lean over with my arms around Matt's neck (he was sitting right in front of me), while the anesthesiologist gave me the spinal.  It may sound silly, but this was a really sweet moment between Matt and I.  I buried my face in his neck and whispered that I was scared.  He held me tight, and told me that everything would be fine.  He reminded me to breathe, and told me that he loved me.  He kept telling me that Charlie would be here soon.

The spinal started working immediately, and I couldn't even get my legs up on the table myself when it was time to lay down.  When they laid me down and put up the curtain, I realized that I had forgotten my music.  So Matt asked if he could run back to the room really quick and get my phone so I could listen to music during the procedure.  While he was gone I started feeling really nauseous.  (As a side note, I threw up during my c-section with Aubrey...and it was so miserable).  I told the anesthesiologist how I was feeling, and he put some magic potion in my i.v. that made me feel better right away!  Matt came back with my phone, turned on the music, and laid it by my head so I could hear.  This was the first song that came on, then this, and then of course, some of this.

Once they began everything went really fast.  While I listened to the music, Matt rubbed my face with his hand, and kissed my cheek.  He kept asking me how I was doing.  Then the doctor told Matt to get the camera ready, because he would be out really soon.  She also told us that he had turned at some point because he was head down, but that he also had the cord wrapped around his neck twice.  She held him up over the curtain so I could get a good look at him.  He was so cute!  And I distinctly remember thinking..."Wow!  There really was a baby in there!"

They brought him over to the little warming bed, which was right next to me...so I got to see everything.  Matt went over and was taking pictures.  Charlie was crying like crazy, which was a real relief for me.  I loved hearing his powerful little cries.  But he was really blue, and they kept him over there for a little longer than I had hoped because he needed a little bit of oxygen to help him pink up.  But as per my request, they wrapped him up and let Matt bring him over to me before they weighed and measured him or gave him any eye ointment.

Matt held him up to my face, and I kissed him, and put my hands on him, and let him hear my voice.  I told him I loved him, and how we had waited so long for him to get here, and how happy I was that he was finally here.  Matt and Charlie stayed with me the entire time while they were closing me up.  Finally they took him over to weigh and measure.  9 lbs 12 oz, 20.5 inches.  Big baby, but not as big as Aubrey!

Then, they got me onto the regular hospital bed, put Charlie in my arms, and wheeled us both to the recovery room.  And he didn't leave my side again.  This was a huge difference between his birth and Aubrey's birth.  When Aubrey was born, I had to wait a good hour alone in the recovery room before she was brought to me.  With Charlie,  I was able to hold him skin to skin right away and try nursing him for the first time right when we got to the recovery room.

While this was not the birth story I always envisioned writing, it was still an absolutely beautiful experience worth remembering.  I should note that even though he had turned before he was born, I still feel very peaceful about the way he was born.  After my doctor told me that he had been head down, I never once felt betrayed or bitter.  I still felt like he was born the way that he needed to be born, and I was just infinitely grateful that he got here safely.  And I sincerely believe that these feelings are a gift from my Heavenly Father, who reminds me that all things happen for a reason.

And so, here I sit with a new baby boy, wrapped up like a little burrito and sleeping in a bassinet just a few feet away.  I have a son!  He is beautiful, and angelic.  He nurses like a champ (although it took a few days to get it right), he smells like heaven, and he looks like me.  His sister worships him, his Daddy adores him, and he makes everything in our home feel more special.