By the time I was 39 weeks pregnant, I was READY to have our little one!!!! Not that I'm complaining about being pregnant (really, I didn't mind it that much, I was thankful every day for the little miracle!!!) BUT...It had been a long and hot summer, I was HUGE (though I only put on 27 pounds total...I just looked huge! I was all belly...I have stretch marks to prove it!!!), and I was having regular contractions that made me even more uncomfortable!
However, I was also very very very nervous to have the baby! I know C-Sections are standard procedures, I had been through one with Samuel, so I knew what to expect, but just the idea of surgery really terrified me. I think this is mainly because of my mom's surgery back in December where things just didn't go quite as planned (I know, her surgery was much different than anything I would have dealt with!). But, what choice did I have??? I was very pregnant, I knew there was no way I could push that baby out, and when I asked Dr. Hawa about the stork, well, he just laughed at me.
Thankfully, my momma came up to go with me to the hospital. So with Eric and Mom by my side, we said good-bye to my dad and sister who offered to watch Samuel for us!!! I wasn't able to sleep AT ALL the night before the surgery, I just laid there and laid there and laid there. Finally at 4am, I got up, put make-up on, got dressed, fooled around with my hair for awhile and waited for our time to leave! Surprisingly 5:30am arrived very quickly!!! While I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything, mom and Eric stopped at Sheetz for coffee. It seems to be a tradition with us...having a baby, let's go to Sheetz and not let me have anything!!!
When we arrived at Western Maryland Health System, we were shown to a very nice room, the nurses were so nice and friendly, so I started feeling more comfortable. Eric and mom chatted while I was prepped for surgery, hooked up to machines and monitors, did paperwork, had blood drawn, and had a consultation regarding my spinal. Talk about a fun morning!!!
Finally it was GO TIME! They asked me to walk down the hall to the C-Section room, I honestly felt like Dead Man Walking...but I did it! However, I was near tears when I was told Eric wasn't allowed to come in for my spinal. He was with me during my epidural, but it is a hospital policy. It went fine, quick and easy; but there is just something about a complete stranger putting needles in your back that just makes you nervous!
Here I was before the surgery! Nervous, but ready to go!
I really did have an amazing OB, Dr. Hawa. While I was sad that we switched from midwife to doctor halfway through my pregnancy, we made a great choice with Dr. Hawa! He is so nice, friendly, and a great surgeon. He knew I was nervous, and took a couple minutes to talk to me to make sure everything was good. He also reviewed the blood cord banking information that we had to make sure he did it correctly.
At this point, my blood pressure dropped and I remember getting dizzy and saying I was either going to vomit or pass out. But everyone was on top of it, and got me fixed up immediately and I felt MUCH better!!! Once everyone was in place, they finally brought Eric in to sit beside me. It was a huge comfort! This C-section was so different from Samuel's! The room wasn't as cold, my arms weren't strapped down, and I had a clear view of the baby area the whole time!
About 10 minutes after Eric arrived, Cora Dawn Raines was brought screaming into the world!!! It's such a welcoming sound hearing your baby cry!!!! They wrapped her up, put a hat on her, and handed her to Eric so we could admire her for a minute or two before they weighed and measured her!
The Nurse Anesthetist was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO nice and friendly!!! She took pictures for us after Cora was born!
Our little lady weighed in at 6 pounds 14oz and 19 inches. I was surprised! She was so petite!!! So much smaller than Samuel! Brown hair, blue eyes, and gorgeous!!!
After they got me patched up, they wheeled me into recovery where I went through a few rounds of sleeping, feeling like I was going to vomit, and trying to get my legs moving so they would send me to my room!
Eric and Cora came for a little visit before they headed to the nursery to get checked over!
FINALLY, I arrived in my room!!!! Eric, mom, dad, and Cora were all there waiting for me!!! I was so happy to be out of surgery and with my family, but especially happy to officially meet Cora!!!!
Here's my mom...she was in love with her from the go!!! Cora enjoyed Granny lovin'!
Can you tell that my parents love being grandparents...over and over again!
Eric's family came for a visit too! Unfortunately, the pain medicine that they gave me made me all loopy and I kept falling asleep...but I have proof that they were there! Even if I wasn't social and slept the whole way through!
Eric and mom did ALL the diaper changes for me while I was at the hospital! Good thing since I was stuck in the hospital bed until Friday morning!
Finally Cora and I got a few minutes to be together!!! I'm not quite sure why I was so worried about being able to love two children in the same way...but I loved her immediately and with so much intensity it was almost shocking! I just couldn't imagine loving something as much as I love Samuel, but apparently it's true, a mother's heart knows no limits!
After a nap, my sister and brother came for a visit!!!!!!!!!!! My siblings love being aunts and uncles!
We were all admiring how petite Cora is!
My mom graciously volunteered to spend the nights at the hospital so that Eric could go home and be with Samuel. We didn't want Samuel to feel abandoned! So mom took night shift!!! She changed diapers, got me something to drink when I was thirsty, and kept me entertained! Eric relieved her in the mornings!
I wasn't allowed out of bed until mid-morning Friday!!!
Letting the princess get some sleep!
I was so excited when my friends came for a visit!!! Chrissy and Kalen both came on Friday afternoon, and funny enough, they both said that they preferred holding other peoples babies than having more (Chrissy has 3 and Kalen has 4!)
A little family picture...sans Samuel :0/
I know I ramble about this a lot, but Eric's such a great dad. He's a natural at it! I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture, and he would never say anything, but he looks like he's about to burst from happiness!
A rare moment of her being awake!
Daddy cuddles!
On Saturday morning, Dr. Hawa said that I could go home!!! TWO DAYS!!! That's all I had to spend at the hospital! It was amazing!!! I loved his philosophy that a hospital is for sick people, and pregnancy and childbirth isn't a sickness!!!
So we got Miss Cora dressed in her first little dress. She was fine with getting dressed, but VERY VERY unhappy when I put a big white flower on her head! I LOVED IT! It was a moment I had been looking forward to for a very long time! I've stocked up on headbands and hair bows, and my friend Melissa gave me a huge bag...so I was so excited to try them out! She was not a happy camper though, so I had to take the big white flower off!!! She's much more willing now to wear them!
Snuggled up and waiting to go!
FINALLY! Let's go home!
Cora is amazing! After my 2nd miscarriage, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through another pregnancy and run the risk of another heartbreak, but I'm so glad I did! She is just so perfect in every way, yes, I know I'm biased!!! She is nursing great, sleeping pretty well, and Samuel loves his little sister so much!!!!
Welcome to the world Cora Dawn!!!
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Ah, I almost cried when I read this. She really is beautiful. Congratulations!!! I'm proud of you for being able to handle your husband not being there for the spinal. I had prepared myself for Rob not being there for mine and was so happy when they let him be in the room. I think I would have lost it completely if he hadn't been there. I am jealous though that you didn't have to have your hands tied down, that was awful. Overall though it sounds like it was a good birth experience and that you guys won the best prize of all, an amazing sweet little baby.
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