The Birthday: Part 2

Note: many of these photos were taken with a phone. =( In the rush of getting me to surgery we forgot the big camera. 

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As with most of my surgeries, the staff was incredible. They chatted with me, made bets on whether it would be a boy or a girl, and eased my nerves as much as possible.

Aside from having a healthy baby, I was worried about 1) bleeding out (due to some previous issues) and 2) feeling the whole thing like I'd been feeling everything else. There wasn't much I could do about the first one but I asked them over and over again to make sure the spinal would function appropriately. They assured me it was working just fine (even though I could still feel that dang catheter) and it was. =) 

It was the weirdest feeling though!

A little while later (7:17 p.m. to be exact) I heard "look at all that hair!!" "and that head... gasp... no wonder!!!" Then a couple minutes after that, I finally heard that it was a boy. A completely perfect baby boy! He had Dac's face and biiiig hands and feet!

He weighed in at 8lbs 14oz and measured 20.5 inches long.

I barely had the strength to hold him, which is why that nice lady's hand is on him. =) I was worried about him falling.

Our new family.

Dac was so proud.

He texted everyone in the waiting room plus a few others to let them know it was a boy. We had shared our name ideas with anyone that asked but we had not made a final decision until that morning on the way to the hospital. =) He didn't text them that part though - we decided to wait until they met him in person to formally introduce him. ha! I'll go ahead and tell you now (since you already know...duh). We named him Reid David. Reid - just because we liked it and David because that's Dac's dad's name AND Dac's real first name. 

Being wheeled back to the room... both of us looking stellar! =)

When we got back, I was exhausted but on cloud nine! I wasn't feeling the surgery pain yet and was so dang happy to have that sweet baby boy in my arms! Even though the day didn't go as planned (it sucked, ok?) it ended just like I'd hoped... with Reid and I both doing well. What else matters really? Nothing I tell you. Nothing. To say we are thankful is an understatement!

We did about an hour of skin-to-skin and I tried nursing (more on this topic later) and we just loved the heck out of our little guy and enjoyed it just being us for a bit before our family came in.

One thing I was surprised about was being able to soothe him right away. It was like I naturally knew exactly what he needed right when he needed it. I didn't even need to think about it. Weird but cool! I was his mama! And Lord have mercy, somebody wash mama's hair!

And get her a nap...

After a while, they gave him his first bath. 

He was all cleaned up and ready for visitors. There could only be four people in the room at a time so we told them to decide how they wanted to come in. Grandmas came first. Anyone surprised by this? =)

Grandma Terese

Grandma Terri

Then Grandpa Lon

and Grandpa David

Side note - the Grandpas hands down won the sap of the day awards! =) They are still ate up with the little dude.

Aunt Val

Uncle Austin

I think everyone approved. =) 

After they all met him, we got wheeled up to what would be our room for the next few days. It was pretty late by that point and I was starting to hurt. I took some meds, we watched a safe sleep video, and slept. (Except I didn't really sleep. Dac, however, was a zombie. It was unreal. Nurses and doctors came in a zillion times and he never once woke up. Poor guy was tired I guess. Meanwhile, I was getting poked and prodded, belly "massages" - ouch - and was hearing all of Reid's little sounds.) 

More tales from the hospital stay, etc... to come!