May 10th

Chris and I barely slept the night of May 9th, anxious about what was about to happen.  I think we woke up around 3am on May 10th, and just laid in bed and talked.  At around 4:30am we finally decided to get ready for the drive to the hospital.  Chris made a quick trip to get some breakfast and we left the house for the last time as a family of two.

My Mom followed us to the hospital and we arrived just before 6am. 

We went in through the ER and walked to the Labor and Delivery unit.  I was immediately turned off as the nurse who showed us our birthing room just basically pointed at us and the room we were going to.  No introduction or "Hi" "Hello".  Once we got in the room she told me to undress and pee in a cup.  Chris inspected the room and asked the nurse when she returned when the last time the bed was cleaned.  The nurse couldn't give us an answer, so we requested to be moved to another room.

Once we got situated in the new room a steady group of nurses and doctors came in and out.  It was no surprise that it took 3 nurses to find a vain for my IV which started my tears.  I'm not a fan of needles and having someone come in to try and poke me was a dose of reality that I was about to go in for surgery.

Before we knew it we were up and walking towards to the operating room.

Going to the operating room

Walking to the operating room

It was scary.  I had a serious case of the shakes throughout the whole thing, which is a common side effect, and Chris and my doula Josie were kept outside of the operating room until right before the surgery was set to start.  I didn't know this would happen, so during my spinal tap and prep I had no idea where they were.  Seeing Chris enter took some of my anxiety away.  It was a surreal feeling knowing I was being cut open and not being able to feel it, but still being wide awake and alert.  Chris kept looking at me and kept me calm, and my doula kept me up to date on what was happening.

Surgery is about to start

Before I knew it they had Chris stand up to announce the arrival of our DAUGHTER at 8:18am!  It was a euphoric moment seeing Chris stand and announce "It's a Girl!"  Our baby girl came out SCREAMING!  I had been warned that most c-section babies don't come out screaming, and it takes a little bit of time to hear that first big breath, but not my baby girl.  She made her presence known right away, which was such a relief for me.  I was frustrated because I couldn't see her where they were wiping her down, but thankfully my doula was taking pictures and showed me a picture of her on the camera.  Plus, the whole time I could here her screaming, and that was a huge comfort.

First picture of Helena Grace

Chris then was able to trim the umbilical cord.  And bring her over to me.

Happy and healthy baby!

My arms weren't in restrains, but my right hand had my IV, and my left had the blood pressure cuff, so I couldn't really move them to actually hold my baby girl.  But she was laid beside me and I feel in love.

Mom and daughter

We are a family of three

Chris then took the baby to our birthing room where my mom was awaiting to hear the word, so she was able meet her Granddaughter right away.

Proud Dad

While they were meeting I was still in the operating room getting stitched up and put back together.  Thankfully Josie stayed with me, and she was a constant support during the whole process.

For the most part the nursing staff was amazing.  Specifically post surgery.  Everyone instantly was in love with Helena and how beautiful she is.  I got up and walking to the bathroom about 24 hours after my surgery, and was able to take a shower on Sunday afternoon, and a walk around the OB unit.

The next day Dr. Jones (my main doctor, and the doctor who did the surgery) came to check on me, and I asked her if she was surprised by her size....considering we really were prepared for a 10 pound baby.  And she said that she was.  Even my doula said that it looked like Dr. Jones questioned if a c-section was the right way to go, since she wasn't even 8 pounds.  I obviously can't change anything about her birth now, and her birth to me will always be exactly that.  A birth, not a surgery.

This picture is out of order: This is right after Helena's birth when I couldn't yet see her.  Chris was such a strong comfort during the whole procedure.

Sometimes I still can't believe that I have this little precious life that God has trusted me with.  I've always wanted to become a Mother and now that I am, I almost can't believe it.  I pray that God will guide me to be the best Mom that I can be.