Evelyn is a month old. This time has flown by so fast! She's already changed so much- she's much bigger, of course. But she's also awake for good portions of the day. She smiles all the time, especially at her brother. And she's starting to lose some of that hair! Drew's paternity leave is already over- he went back to work Monday. We're all sad about it, me because life just got REALLY hard (I cant believe I ever complained about the difficulty in raising ONE! Because seriously, when it's just me & Evvie, it's a CAKEWALK) and Griffin because he lost his buddy & partner in crime. You should have SEEN the sheer happiness on his face when Drew walked through the door last night.
In the spirit of this one month milestone, I figured I'd finally write Evvie's birth story. Hers is far less dramatic and interesting than Griffin's was, and that is a GOOD thing, but it was no less beautiful and powerful!
We went into this delivery knowing it was going to be a c-section which saved me a LOT of heartache. That being said, I was TERRIFIED of the process because of what I went through last time. I spent my entire pregnancy trying not to think about it at all, but when it would pop into my head, I'd immediately be filled with dread and anxiety. Until the day before she came.
Easter Sunday was a gorgeous and laid back day- perfect in every way. We got up with Griffin and helped him find his Easter basket, then had a nice breakfast at home. A few hours later, Betsy was here and we spent some time chatting. That afternoon we had dinner at my parents' house, and then took Griffin to play at the park by their house. And then we were back home to finish packing, chat more and relax. I tucked Griffin into bed, read him some stories, and told him he'd always be my baby boy. And that was that! I thought those evening hours would be when I really got scared, but instead it was the opposite. I was no longer avoiding the thought of my impending delivery, instead I welcomed it. And instead of terror, I was filled with calm and excitement. I was ready.
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| coloring Easter eggs! |
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| last photo as a family of 3! Just as we left for the hospital. I was GIANT!!! |
The calm extended into the next day- Evvie's birthday! We woke up early, got Griffin ready for school, and drove to the hospital. Things moved pretty quickly from there- I got checked in, my parents showed up, I got hooked up to the IV and monitors... and all the while I stayed perfectly cool & collected. It was like I was a different person. I think it helped that my nurse, OB, and anesthesiologist were all AMAZING and kept me feeling happy & informed every step of the way. And then it was time!
Once in the operating room, it was immediately time for the spinal. Although I was ready to take it like a champ, I'm not gonna lie- that thing HURT. WAY less than full on, pitocin spiked labor... but NOT a pleasant feeling. After that, I started to have some kind of reaction to the medication. They brought Drew in, and he held my hand and smiled at me, but I started to feel really light headed and nauseous. When I let the anesthesiologist know, he discovered my blood pressure had dropped significantly so he gave me some other medication to offset it & then had me smell rubbing alcohol to help "wake me up". It worked! After that, I was numbed up but felt completely fine. Then the surgery started. I trusted my doc implicitly, and Drew was a huge comfort, but after several minutes, I felt like something wasn't exactly right. Griffin was born SO fast... and everyone that morning had told me it should only be 5 minutes before Evvie would be there, but it seemed like they were going and going and I wasn't hearing any crying, wasn't feeling any tugging... it was eerily quiet. Then I smelled something burning and I heard the doctor comment to the nurse that I was full of scar tissue from my previous infection & that there was some adhesion to my abdominal wall, so they needed to take time to carefully separate it (that was the burning I was smelling. so gross.) I started to freak out about it, but almost immediately after he said that, he turned to me and told me to get ready for some pressure because she was almost here, and just a minute or two after that I heard those precious first cries- finally! My daughter had arrived safe and sound!
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| the very second of her birth! |
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| first time in my arms |
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| with her mama & daddy |
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| father & daughter |
In the two years since I had Griffin, the hospital had changed its policies. Instead of whisking the baby away immediately after birth and sending the father along with them, they have realized the importance of immediate skin to skin contact for mother-infant bonding. So once Evvie was born and had her airway suctioned out, they put her right in my arms. It was the most amazing and sacred moment- something that is NEEDED as a mother, and something I missed when Griffin was born. I got to hold her, snuggle and kiss her the entire time they sewed me back up. It made that part go by so much faster, and unlike the first time, since Drew was with us too, I didn't feel scared or alone at all.
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| hanging with her grandmas right after surgery |
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| getting ready for her first bath |
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| some mama time |
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| happily out of the recovery room & up in the regular hospital room! |
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| meeting her big brother for the first time |
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| tired but enjoying the morning sun |
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| my favorites |
My recovery this time was also WORLDS different. Of course I had initial pain and discomfort, but much less. And since I was far less exhausted to begin with, I was able to manage it much better. Between that and the fact that Evvie was so healthy (no jaundice to deal with this time!) I was able to happily keep her with us the entire time in the hospital instead of needing to have her sleep in the nursery. My milk also came in almost immediately (instead of a few nervous weeks later) which made for a MUCH easier experience. Within a day or two I was up and walking around the hospital. Within a week, I was managing most things for myself at home, and now I feel for the most part just like my old self! My incision is healing beautifully, and I feel healthy and strong. I've already dropped most of my pregnancy weight- my body just needs to reconfigure itself a bit. I couldn't be happier or more thankful. This experience was as nearly perfect as possible. All I am left with now is this gorgeous and complete family. Such an amazing blessing!
