Hannah: part three

So I waited seven painful hours in the hospital bed waiting for the time when I would be able to hold my baby. My hospital room had a DVD player, so Benji went and rented a few movies, I did crossword puzzles, slept a little, watched TV and just sat there. The day did go quicker than I thought, but then at about 4:30 they told us my doctor wouldn't be able to be there until 5:30. So we had to wait a little more time, but before I knew it they were wheeling my bed down the hall to the operating room. I don't know how many of you have been in an OR, but they are scary. It's freezing cold, the lights are unnaturally bright, everyone has masks on, and there is equipment everywhere. It's what I imagine an alien space craft to be like. Luckily though, I was surrounded by doctors and nurses and not aliens, so I felt a little bit better. A little.

Having planned c-sections are also weird because you go nine months worrying about the little child growing inside of you. You worry that they are healthy, you worry if they are moving enough, you worry that they might come too early, you worry if you miss one day of prenatal vitamins, you worry, worry, worry. Then they lift you from your hospital bed and place you on a cold, hard operating table and then it hits you, I AM GETTING SURGERY! And for a brief minute you worry about yourself, but mostly you are still worried about the baby.

The anesthesiologist started by giving me a spinal block. The first one I had was with Sam and it was fabulous, I might not be remembering correctly, but I swear it only took 10 seconds. This one took a little longer, which didn't bother me. What bothered me is that my anesthesiologist thought it would be fun to explain the whole procedure to my husband. THE WHOLE PROCEDURE! Including, how large the needle is, that blood squirting out is normal, that you have to feel each part of the spine and then from there it is guess work, you know when you hit the right spot when you see spinal fluid. As he is explaining this, the nurses are telling me to try to stay calm and not move. It was awful, but it finally worked and I was numb.

The actual c-section doesn't take that long, you feel a bunch of pressure and pulling and soon there is a baby. They brought here around the curtain so I could see her, and I couldn't believe how pretty she looked. This is an awful admission, but I didn't feel the same after seeing some of my children for the first time. They looked beautiful after they were cleaned up and had color, but for a few seconds I have thought my babies were not so pretty. Sorry kids.

I was able to hold her right away, which I haven't ever done before. Usually I don't get to hold them until I am in recovery.

Then she was whisked away to the nursery and Benji followed to get some photos. I love this picture of my boys watching their little sister for the first time. Jordan adores her, if you can't tell.

She was weighed, poked and prodded and then given a bath.

Here is Benji with Doctor Furgeson (and a nurse with Hannah).

They took me back to my room to recover, and brought my sweet baby in for some bonding time. I sent my dear family to get me a sandwich, soup and sugar cookie from Old Grist Mill and a pint of brownie ice cream from Walmart. Yeah, I was hungry, and I had been thinking about it all day!