More about Ainzlee

I suppose I should give more details about how my little one came into the world. I guess that as far as the doctors are concerned, it was pretty mundane, but it's not something that I do every day.
Of my three c-sections, this one was by far the easiest. Probably because I knew what to expect, and while I knew it wouldn't be pleasant, I didn't have the unknown to be frightened of.
I think that one of the hardest parts of the whole ordeal is the waiting for it to start. The actual surgery was scheduled for 7:30am, but they asked us to arrive at 5:30. The first 20 minutes or so was spent verifying paperwork and literally signing my life away. Then, they put in an IV (very painfully I might add), and pretty much left us alone for about an hour and a half. That gave me plenty of time to TRY not to think about what was going to happen.
It was during this waiting period that I started to majorly freak out before Ady was born. I told myself that I was NOT going to do that this time. Thanks to an AWESOME Sunday School lesson the week before, I kept repeating in my mind "Faith before Fear". I knew that if I had faith, everything would be fine. So, I did my best to let faith replace the fear that I was feeling. For the most part it worked pretty well.
They took me back into the OR. They wouldn't let Brandon into the room until I had the spinal in and was all prepped. Thankfully, the surgical assistant was wonderful. He held my hand and told me to squeeze as hard as I needed to while the anesthesiologist put the spinal in. One of the worst parts of the whole process. Then they got everything else ready, and had Brandon come in. I think he was a little surprised that I was as calm as I was.
The actual surgery is surprisingly painless. That spinal does the trick, I guess. But it is pretty uncomfortable. They put up a big paper shield, so I can't actually see what they are doing. I'm sure that's a very good thing. I can feel pressure and feel things moving around, but that's about it. I also try very hard to forget that I am lying naked in a room full of people.
Then, they told me that it was time to push. (With a c-section, it's the doctors that actually push the baby out.) This part is VERY uncomfortable for me. First, I heard them say "look at that blond hair!". Then, "It's a girl!". And then, the most beautiful sound of all. Ainzlee's first cry! So sweet! I couldn't help but cry too!


At that point, Brandon left my side and went to where they were taking care of the baby. I couldn't see her at all from where I was. The doctors were still busy putting me back together. I started to shake uncontrollably. I'm sure that happened with the others. In fact, I know it did. But, for some reason, that's when the fear crept in. I was lying there, feeling completely alone (irrational, I know), and every part of me that wasn't numb from the spinal was shaking. Hard.
For a few brief moments the thought crossed my mind that I was dying. That I'd never actually see my baby. Crazy, I know. At last they finished sewing me up. They told me that the shaking was completely normal (although I didn't believe them at first) and took us to our room.
Finally, one of the nurses took pity on me and gave me something that stopped the shaking. What a relief! However, whatever that was, and a few other narcotics I was given (something about being 7 times stronger than morphine) made me a little incoherent. I know that we spent some time in a recovery room. I think I called my mother. But, I don't really remember much of it.
Then, we were taken to a room that would be our home for the next few days. I had told Brandon that I did NOT want him spending the night. I needed to be able to sleep, and experience has shown that it is impossible for me to sleep in a hospital with him snoring across the room. Besides, I knew that the nurses would be there and I would be taken care of.
For the most part, our stay was uneventful. The first night, I did have a nurse that I refer to as the Nazi nurse. She was very insistent about sticking to her schedule. Which was rather unfortunate. I called for help a couple times, and she didn't come because it wasn't my "scheduled time" yet. Thankfully, it wasn't anything really pressing that I needed her for. I just wanted help getting the baby out of her bed since I could barely sit up - she went back to sleep after only a few minutes of crying. *sigh*. Once I did get her, I decided it would be easier on everyone if she just stayed in bed with me.I think that with any hospital stay, you always end up with one of "those" types of nurses. All the others that I had were wonderful and very helpful.


My time at the hospital was "almost" like a little vacation. I got room service - they actually have wonderful food there. I didn't have to clean up after anyone, except for a few diapers. And I got to spend that special time getting to know my little princess.
Brandon did come and visit me during the day, of course. And his parents brought the kids to come and see me and their new baby sister. The room was not designed for that many people, and the kids got bored there very quickly. But, I was glad that they got that experience.



We now are all back at home, and trying to adjust to life with a new baby in the house. She is really doing well. She loves to be held, and we don't mind that one bit. (yet) Even nighttime isn't too rough. Last night, we went to bed after I fed her at about 11:30. She didn't wake up again until 3:30. She did stay awake for about an hour - but I got some online shopping done (heh heh heh). Then she slept until Zander woke us up at 7. I can live with that.
We are looking forward to watching her grow up!