Now we are 6!

Mary entered the world on March 6th at 9:07 a.m. She weighed 5 lbs and 9.6 oz and is my tiniest baby so far. Andrew was 6 lbs 5 oz, Lucy was 6 lbs 12oz, and Patrick was 6 lbs 6 oz. We love the newest addition to our family!

The whole birth story is below for those interested enough to read it.


On March 4th, the weather predictions for the 5th were for anywhere from 4-8 inches of snow, starting at some point in the morning and tapering off around 9 at night. With the c-section scheduled for March 6th at 7:30 a.m., I was a little concerned and thought numerous times about calling the hospital or my doctor to see what would happen if we were unable to make it out of our neighborhood or if the other roads weren't actually cleared. I ended up not calling either. My husband said he wasn't concerned about the snow in terms of getting to the hospital so I decided not to continue worrying unless the hospital or my doctor were to contact me. Later, I received an automated phone call from the hospital reminding me about my scheduled c-section so it reaffirmed my husband's apparent unconcern.

My sister, who would spend the night with the older 3 children, arrived on the 5th around noon in the early part of the snow. She took Andrew and Lucy outside to play a little later during Patrick's nap. While dinner was cooking, Chris went out for a first round of shoveling and then after dinner, he went back out to finish shoveling, to clear off his car, and to salt the driveway so that it would be clear in the morning.

We went to bed around 10 p.m. because we wanted to be somewhat rested for our early wake-up. My mom had asked me earlier that day if I thought I'd be able to sleep. I thought I would be able to, but I definitely struggled. It took me at least an hour to get to sleep and then I woke up multiple times before the alarm went off at 4:15 in the morning.

We were on the way to the hospital at 5:05. All of Chris's shoveling and clearing of the car made getting out of our driveway easy. The local roads had been plowed a few times, but they were still difficult to drive on. Regardless, when we made it to the highway, two of the three lanes were great. We made it to the hospital around 5:35, checked in, and then went to prep for the c-section around 6. I was hooked up to the monitors, got my first IV without trouble, and had numerous other preparations. The second IV (in case there was an unexpected complication with the placenta previa leading to too much blood loss) took three nurses to put in my right arm. As we moved from 6 to 6:30 to 7, I was eager to get it started.

However, as we approached 7:30, my nurse came back in and said we were bumped, for likely an hour. My doctor came in not long after that, confirming that we were pushed back and hoped that the doctor wouldn't take two hours. He said he'd be done in 35 minutes. I grew increasingly anxious. I was hungry, I'd had a few contractions (the first few I hadn't even noticed, but the nurse had pointed them out on the monitor), and I kept thinking about how I was going to be cut open in an hour. I got out of the bed twice to use the bathroom just to move and to not think about the now-delayed c-section too much. I also prayed that I wouldn't start going into labor, which had been my prayer over the previous few days. Granted, I realized it was only an hour... but at the same time, it was an entire hour! I should have been done by 8:30. I also realized that the woman who needed the c-section then actually needed it then, and I didn't have the immediate need. But, as I told Chris, I felt done.

Around 8:30, Chris put on his scrubs and then the nurse came back and said we could start moving to the OR. We got in the room at 8;40, I got the spinal (which hurt, but hurt less than I thought it would), and they quickly moved me into position on the operating table before most of my body went numb. The numbness was weird. I hated the feeling in my legs and my feet because they were heavy, but I couldn't move them. I also hated the mid to upper chest numbness; I felt as though my head was tilted backwards even though it was, I think, flat. My mouth was also really dry and I desperately wanted to drink something, but couldn't. Instead, I was given oxygen to help me breathe which did actually help a little. I also shook a lot (really could only feel in my arms, shoulders, and head) from being cold and possibly also the anxiety.

Surprisingly, the c-section itself was fine. There weren't any complications and I wasn't bothered by the tugging at all. Baby girl was pulled out at 9:07, and I was relieved and happy to hear her cry almost immediately after. I was shown her, dripping in fluid, and said that they could go clean her up, that I didn't need to try to hold her now, that her crying had been enough at the moment (especially with my shaking). When they brought Mary back, Chris held her next to my face, partly on my chest, so I could see her little head. My doctor quickly sewed me back up, I was rolled onto a hospital bed, and then we were on our way to the recovery area at 9:30. I was introduced to a new nurse who helped me sit up, gave me ice chips, and helped me start feeding Mary, who latched on quickly.

By the time we left recovery, I still couldn't feel my legs and wouldn't until later in the day. The feeling in my right leg returned before the feeling in my left leg. I disliked the feeling of not being able to feel my legs, but it wasn't that bad overall once the anesthesia started wearing off. Once the feeling returned in my stomach, I thought about not taking medication, but accepted a low dosage. I switched to a higher dosage after the catheter came out, because walking even the short distance to the chair in the room or the bathroom really hurt around my incision. It's only almost two weeks later where the pain is almost gone at the incision and there's limited pain in my sides around the incision (which when I sneezed last night, hurt a lot). I've had to sleep on my back for almost two weeks because trying to sleep on either side has hurt; I also relegated myself to the couch because I can sleep at an angle that has made it easier to sit up. The first night and following day out of the hospital resulted in, what was to me, extreme swelling from feet, though the calves, and up to the thighs. I'd never experienced any of these pains before with my non-c-section deliveries.

My mom and sister along with Chris's mom brought the older three kids to the hospital to visit in the early afternoon. Andrew and Lucy were really excited about their stickers and meeting their baby sister.

Andrew meeting Mary, 03.06.15

Lucy meeting Mary, 03.06.15

Patrick, having had fallen asleep on the way to the hospital because it was naptime, wanted nothing to do with her. The next day, and most days since then, Patrick wanted to "hold it" (he hasn't learned male or female pronouns yet).

Patrick meeting Mary, 03.06.15

Patrick meeting Mary (take 2), 03.07.15

Chris spent two nights at the hospital with me and changed a lot of diapers during that time. I spent the third night by myself after an evening visit from my mom, watching the Lady Terps win the Big 10 basketball tournament. Mary and I left the hospital on Monday, the 9th.  She had dropped to 5 lbs 3 oz as of then and as of the 10th when we saw her pediatrician, had dropped to 5 lbs 2 oz. Fortunately, by the time we went back to see her pediatrician when she was a week old, Mary was up to 5 lbs 8 oz.

She is so precious.

We are so thankful for our newest addition and for everyone who helped or prayed for us along the way.