First, I want to mention how we truly didn't take having this pregnancy and birth for granted. Perhaps because I found out I was pregnant earlier than with the other pregnancies, or perhaps just because I'm a little older, I was paranoid about losing this baby. I had four friends lose babies during this pregnancy. My heart ached for each of them. Then when I went in for my pre-op labs the day before my c-section, something interesting happened. I arrived at admitting and was told that we were going to skip labs because they had pushed my c-section up to that day (the 9th) at 4:30 pm. I had recently got a phone call from the doctor's office telling me they had pushed my c-section up to 7:30 am from 10:30 am on the 10th, but they hadn't mentioned moving it to the 9th. I was confused, was thinking about how we'd need to arrange things so that we could pick up my parents, and wondering if there could be a mistake. I mentioned the phone call from my doctor's office and how they told me it was only pushed up to an earlier time for the next day. The lady in admitting called someone else in the operating room, confirmed that Ms. Gale was on the schedule for the same day, and then suggested I call the doctor's office. I called the office, but was told the nurse was in the room with a patient so I'd need to wait until she got out of the room. So we waited. It wasn't too long, however, until admitting realized their mistake. There was another lady with the same last name who saw the same doctor and had been scheduled for her c-section the next morning at 7 am. However, she had just learned that the baby had died and they pushed her c-section up to that day to deliver the stillborn. Same last name, same doctor, and likely the same due date. My heart ached for her. I cried a little for her. I was reminded throughout the pregnancy that I shouldn't take it for granted.
I ended up having my pre-op labs on the 9th and went in for the c-section the morning of the 10th. It was odd feeling so prepared. With Allie, we hadn't known what to expect. She was our first c-section, our first baby. With Rachel, we were planning on a VBAC but hit a deer and ended up with a c-section at a different hospital than planned and a totaled car. This time, my parents were at home with Allie and Rachel, and Jared and I were able to head to the hospital by ourselves, knowing what to expect. Buddy seemed confused as we left early in the morning, but otherwise everything was calm.
We arrived at the hospital, got changed into a lovely gown, got my IV, and waited until go time.
I have had spinal blocks (vs epidurals) for each of my surgeries. They seemed to put more of the numbing agent in this time because I was getting tingly up into my armpits. I didn't necessarily like that, but it was okay. I still had the odd yet wonderful sensation as they pulled our baby girl out. She was born at 7:41 am. We heard her cry. It's such a beautiful sound, a sound that pulls at your heart as you hear your new baby for the first time. Jared didn't watch the surgery, but he snapped this picture without looking right after she came out. They cut the cord and then lifted her up over the blue screen so I could see her beautiful face. They hadn't done that for Allie and Rachel. I loved it. I didn't see them until they were wrapped up in a blanket with a hat on. But I got to see this precious girl. She had such a cute little face, with chubby cheeks and a small chin. I wasn't sure who she got her nose from, but I knew she was beautiful.
After wrapping her up, Daddy got to meet her. I love Jared's smile. It is full of love for his newest daughter.
And Daddy brought her to me so that I could meet her. I was smitten.
This picture isn't much different than the one above, but you can see that Jared and I were looking at each other. We brought this beautiful baby into the world together.
She seemed ready to eat. She kept sucking on her hand. One of the things I dislike the most about c-sections is that I don't get to breastfeed immediately. But I did get to have her by me for several minutes before they took her to the nursery to measure, clean up, and dress.
She seemed so tiny. Rachel had been a big baby, and this baby girl was definitely smaller. The doctor and nurses all guessed that she weighed around 7 lbs. We were all surprised to hear she was 7 lbs, 12 oz. I think the fact that she was short threw everyone off. She was only 18 inches, our shortest baby.
Her first bath in the hospital
Jared went with our sweet girl. I obviously stayed put as the doctor sewed me up. For the first time, I got nauseated in the operating room. I actually threw up. It was rather unpleasant. But once they finished closing me up, they took me to recovery.
My main complaint about our experience at the hospital was that recovery was downstairs. Because of this, they could not bring my baby girl to me like they had done with the Allie and Rachel. They just kept her in the nursery. Poor Jared couldn't even stay in the nursery with her, and he didn't really know where I was, other than "recovery". I was in recovery for three hours. My uterus didn't seem to want to firm up well, so they gave me some meds to help with that. Those three hours seemed like an eternity for both me and Jared.
All Jared could do was sit, wait, and look through the nursery window at our sweet baby girl.
I was finally brought back upstairs, and we were all reunited. We then let Grandma and Grandpa know that we were ready for them and the girls to come.
We didn't have the camera ready, but the smiles on Allie's and Rachel's faces as they walked in the door and saw their new baby sister were priceless. They kept commenting on how small she was and how cute she was.
Grandma and Grandpa Bobbie got to take turns, too.
They came to visit us at the hospital twice on the first day, again on the second day, and then we went home on the third day. With how crazy everything was following Rachel's birth, we didn't take a family picture in the hospital. I didn't want to forget this time.
Jared is such a wonderful father. I love watching him hold our babies.
We had no idea what we were going to name our baby girl. We had checked out a baby name book from the library. We went through it and made a list of 45 names that we liked. Two nights before having her, we figured we should probably narrow the list. We went through it and got it down to 35 names. We really didn't have a forerunner, either.
When we had family prayer the night before she was born, Jared prayed that we could know what we should name her. Then after the prayer, Jared started herding Allie and Rachel to their room, and my mom said, "Miriam." The name popped into her head. She hadn't seen our list of 35 names, but I told her that it was actually on our list. Then after Jared, our baby girl, and I were all back together at the hospital, I asked Jared if he had had any names come to mind. For both Allie and Rachel, I felt that I knew what they should be named, but I wasn't feeling anything this time. Jared replied, "I was thinking maybe Miriam Louise." I let the option roll around in my head and then asked Jared, "Do you really want Miriam or are you just saying that because my mom said it?" I didn't want Jared to feel like he had to pick the same name she had. But then Jared completely surprised me by asking, "Your mom said Miriam, too?" I then told him how she had it come to mind after his prayer the night before. He hadn't heard her say it since he was busy with the girls. We then felt that Miriam was what she was supposed to be named. My mom and Jared and both received the inspiration this time, and little Miriam Louise's name was chosen.
And one more picture of Jared holding Miriam. I love this picture.
