Liam's Birth Day!

I'm writing this up from the hospital on day 2 of recovery...can you believe it?! Things are totally different this time!

We checked into the hospital at 9 am on Monday morning. Not going to lie...I was fighting the tears saying goodbye to Ava - it was crashing down on me that life was about to change and that things would never be the same. I was so nervous and excited and my heart was pounding as we walked in! I hardly slept the night before.

I spent about an hour and a half in the recovery area hooked up to an IV for fluids and then they monitored Liam for about another half hour. It was kind of a long, boring 2 hours - it was hard to keep my mind occupied!

Then they came back and told us it was time to go! We walked back to the OR and I got my spinal while Chris got dressed up. It's crazy how fast the spinal works - I felt the warmth race down my leg, into my buttocks, and then the other leg. It happened so fast I was pretty numb before I could even lay down on the table! There were quite a few people in the OR, prepping everything. I got all laid down and a drape was put up and then Chris came in. The nurse told me step by step everything that was happening and that was going to happen. She said the doctor would begin poking at my belly to be sure I couldn't feel sharp pain. I could still feel pressure and mild sensations. The nurse chats with me and the next thing I know she's saying that the doctor is going to break my water - what?! I had no idea!! Couldn't feel a thing and I didn't realize it progressed that fast! A few moments later, I'm hearing the gargling cries of baby Liam! Chris is standing up and taking lots of photos over the drape - he watched pretty much everything! All the staff told Liam "Happy Birth Day!!" and remarked at how cute he was! I got a quick peek at him over the drape and then he was off with daddy to his little newborn bed to get suctioned and wiped down. Meanwhile I had tears streaming down my face into my ears while I listened to him cry! The most tugging and pressure was after Liam was out - the removal of the placenta and then the replacing of my uterus (apparently it is removed from the body cavity and then placed back in?! Crazy!) There were first year med students in the room, so they were all very interested to observe my bicornuate uterus! "Amazing!" and "beautiful" were some of the comments they had! It didn't take too much longer for them to stitch me up. I honestly don't remember much after that - it was all a blur! Liam needed a bit more suctioning for one side of his lung, so I got a quick snuggle and they were about to take him up to the NICU just to be cautious. But I guess they decided he sounded clear because they brought him to meet me in the recovery room! There we got skin to skin time and a chance to nurse. Then he got his first bath! We were then taken to our room to get settled. 

What. A. Rush!!

It was so hard to wait around for surgery, but once we got in the OR it went really fast!! It was not nearly as scary as I thought it would be! It was just an intimidating feeling to walk into the bright OR filled with tools and know you are getting cut open and are awake for it!

C-sections are amazing! It is so incredible to me that a baby can be surgically removed while you are awake. It blows my mind, actually! My belly is held together by glue. GLUE!! I had dissolvable stitches last time.

Recovery has been great so far, all things considered! It didn't take long for my pain level to get to a zero. I had a hard time tolerating any type of liquid afterwards, though. Even the tiniest sip brought on a wave of nausea that subsided just a few minutes later. I was shaky and weak from not eating for so long! But once that subsided I was able to eat normally. Cautiously, but normally! 

It's now Thursday and my pain is wayyyy more tolerable this time! I'm not on Percocet, just alternating Tylenol and Motrin. I've pooped twice - don't care it that grosses you out, it's a big deal! - and I can actually get in and out of bed by myself, which is something I couldn't do for about a week after Ava was born! I can stand on one leg to put pants on and get in and out of the car. Chris and I are in disbelief how much easier things are going this time!

My hormones aren't nearly as crazy this time around - I actually feel pretty normal. Liam appears to have a little day/night confusion as he has 2 sessions of being wide awake in the middle of the night. But he is definitely a more sleepy baby than Ava, so it has been easier to do things besides sit on the couch all day and nurse the baby! He seems to be laid back like Ava - not much crying, except for when he realizes he is most definitely hungry, and then he starts to squeak and squeal! We had his photos taken today, and he was so cooperative!

My milk came in already and Liam has gained back 4 ounces in just over 24 hours! He went from 8 pounds, 5 ounces at birth to 7 pounds, 10 ounces at his doctor's appointment yesterday. We took him in to get weighed today, and he was up to 7 pounds, 14 ounces!

Overall Ava has been doing well with the change. She doesn't really pay much attention to Liam, other than to approach him and poke his cheeks and facial features. I think a little bit of jealousy is starting to come out. I can't pick her up and hold her nearly as much, so I think she is missing that. We are making it a priory to do things with her while Liam is sleeping so she doesn't have to share us with him.

We just can't believe it. We have 2 babies!!!!! I'm so happy and thankful! I feel like my hormones are allowing me to enjoy this much more this time. I was such a mess, in every sense of the word last time. Maybe its a combination of things, like the fact that this is our second child or that this was a planned c-section. I'm so much more relaxed and I've learned from last time not to fuss over every single sound that the baby makes!

Here are a few pictures from Liam's big day!