The Nitty Gritty Details!

Ok, so here they are. The details and insights that some of you may or may not want to know about the birth of little Noah.

First off, the big day. We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 in the blazing morning. It sucked. lol cuz that meant I had to wake up at 4 to get ready and what not (I figured it was my last chance for a few days, and there would be many pictures. Turns out...it was pointless, by the end of the surgery I was a mess anyways.) so we could leave the house by 5. Our operating room time was at 7:30 so when we got there we just got all the paperwork done, got checked into our room, and got prepped. Miche got a wicked sweet pair of scrubs to wear. He looked like a doctor. lol

Family started arriving during that time. It was so dang great. I couldn't believe how many people pulled themselves out of bed and to Ogden Regional Hospital so early in the morning. It was awesome. My sister Carly Jo, my dad, my sister Amanda, Kevin's parents and two sisters Becky and Meg, and my best friend/Miche's sister Rachel and her now husband John all were there before I even went into the OR so that they would be there to greet us when we came out.

The prep was not so fun I'm not gonna lie to ya. They asked me a million questions, took tons of tests, shaved areas not so fun to have razored, poked me and sucked out my blood. And turns out, I'm a bleeder. Which, for those of you that know how I handle blood...was not in anybody's best interest. I was bleeding all over the place as the poor nurse was trying to get my IV in. And all the while Miche was trying to distract me so that I wouldn't pass out on her too. Poor nurse. Also throughout the little Q&A section, while we were discussing my family medical history, more specifically, Mom dying from cancer, I got a little lecture on how I need to get in as soon as I was done breastfeeding and get a mammogram or I was going to die. Ok...She wasn't that blunt, but seriously I did get a talking to. I'm only 23 for pete's sake! I suppose she was right tho...I'll get in soon I promise...Anyways!

At 7:15 they rolled us down to the OR. Once inside they told me to climb up on the operating table (aka metal hacking slab). Can I just tell you it is not the easiest thing to just willingly throw yourself on the operating table knowing full well they are going to chop away at you shortly? I just had to keep thinkin' "baby's comin, baby's comin". Once up there they told me to bend forward and hug a pillow and they were going to stick a ginormous needle in my spine. Yikes!!! Luckily the Anaesthesiologist (sp?) was super nice tho. It made the entire experience better honestly. He was great. And turns out, I have like ligaments (or tendons? I can't remember which it was he was poking at) made of steel because as he tried to put it in the needle bent! lol Poor guy. I wasn't making these people's lives very easy. When he finally got a needle big enough to stand up to my spine-o-steel, and got the spinal block in me, it went to work WAY fast. They had to turn me quick and help me lay down so I didn't fall right off the table. Then for the next few minutes they dropped water on me asking if I could feel it. They also had a student down trying to put in a catheter...that's right, a student...and mind you TRYING is the operative word here. It's seriously a good thing that I couldn't feel anything because it was taking her FOREVER!

Then they raised up a curtain in between us and set to work. I was terrified. For those of you that don't already know, being conscious while someone is slicing into you is SO incredibly terrifying. You can still feel everything that is going on. Tugging, pressures, stuff like that. They only make it so you can't hurt. The anaesthesiologist had told me before hand that if I get too nervous that he would give me a sedative to help me calm down. Well, I was going to try so hard not to, I wanted to be brave. But I started freaking out. Like I said, it was terrifying. I tried to wait I really did. But I tell you, as soon as he got that stuff into me, it became a much more enjoyable experience. (lol I understand why people are druggies...kind of). I went seriously loopy, the doctors were laughing at me actually...lol. But they focused my attention when they lifted Noah out. And I'm not gonna lie it wasn't pretty. lol Purple, gooey, ick. lol But still an awesome moment. Then Miche left to go do the Daddy things for Noah, put on his first diaper and such. And I got a little nervous again left all alone. I actually asked the anaesthesiologist to hold my hand...lol thank you drugs... But soon Miche was back with our little one. They were still working to stitch me up so I couldn't sit up yet, but Miche brought him to me so I could see his sweet little face. What a cutie. :)

The whole process took all of maybe 20-30 min. Then they lifted me back onto the hospital bed and Miche held Noah and walked beside me as they wheeled me back to the room. All our family was waiting there to greet us. (well...mostly Noah) They all huddled around Miche, and I started to get a little jealous. I hadn't even got a non-medicated look at him yet. The sedative had all but worn off by the time we were in the room so I wanted my baby! I asked the nurse if I was ok to hold him, and yelled at Miche to bring him to me. He was such a cute little newborn. Chubby little cheeks and his cute little nose. Holding the little creature that has been pokin' and kickin' around inside you for the first time is such an amazing moment.

Over the next hour or two there were lots of pictures, cuddles with the baby, and 3 dirty diapers. That's right 3. This kid is ridiculous with the nasty diapers I tell ya. Still! But still no name. We studied him and knocked down some of the names that we were sure weren't meant for him. And ended up being stuck between Noah, and Scott. It was a tough choice. He looked like he could be either. We didn't end up deciding until like 8 that night. Noah it was. :)

Those few days in the hospital are WONDERFUL! I will always tell new mom's to stay as long as you can. It really eases the transition. You have nurses popping in and out, making sure both you and the baby are ok, no guessing like at home, they know. They are also there to help as you start breastfeeding. I called one in every time I had to feed him to help me and make sure I was doing it right. And I tell you what, I wish I would have had one of those at home! It's so hard and it's so hard to know if you're doing it right. Anyways, they also bring you meals, so no worries there. Visitors are popping in and out to see you and tell you how beautiful your new baby is. And it's just for the most part a good, stress free time to get to know your sweet little baby, memorize his face, watch him sleep, start to build that awesome bond. And...maybe the part we missed the most when we left...you can send him to the nursery for a few hours at night when you just NEED sleep. I know some people hate to do this, but I promise, he was fine. And we got some much needed sleep. You don't get much that first little bit, and it takes some getting used to. And with him out of the room we were able to really relax and sleep instead of waking up everytime he stirred or squeaked.

All in all I am not disappointed with having to go with a c-section in the whole ordeal. Sure, I still wonder what it would have been like to do it naturally, and I know aspects of it would have been very different. But to be honest, I think I prefer the c-section. I still have my baby just like everybody else. And honestly, I felt little to no pain at all from any of it. The surgeons were AWESOME! My incision was made perfectly to allow for little pain. And the nurses were so great to watch after me and making sure I was gettin the pain medication before I started to hurt, so there was less stress on the wound. It worked out great. And they say your recovery time is much longer, well, I was up and walkin' around just fine in a day or two. And feeling all but better after a week. Easy peasy.

So there ya have it. That's the whole "birthing" story for ya (any of those people who actually took the time to read this novel lol). Finally here after 3 1/2 months! lol ( I know, can you even believe it's been that long??????) I'll post this and get to work on the post about breastfeeding...the one I've really been forward to getting out in the open. Hopefully it will be up soon, Noah willing. lol