Monday, December 22, 2008

Now Introducing Baby Caitlyn

Have I mentioned yet that I officially suck at this blogging thing? I can never seem to keep up with it and by the time I decide to update, a year has passed and I have too much to say and not a big enough attention span to sit here and type it all. So needless to say it's been awhile, and a few things have happened. I regret that I didn't keep up with it all since the biggest thing to happen was the newest addition to our humble little family, baby Caitlyn.

Caitlyn was finally born on December 1st, 2008 at 1:13 pm. She weighed 8 lbs 6.6 oz and was 19" long. She has just turned 6 weeks old this past Monday. She is beautiful and amazing I am still completely in shock over it all. We were expecting Caitlyn to come on her own sometime during the first week of December, but of course things never turn out how you expect them to. Around 36 weeks we found out that Caitlyn was still lying in a breech position, and since she was already weighing in over 6 lbs (and we expected her to be a pretty big baby), our OB prepared us for the big possibility that Caitlyn might never turn on her own. For a week or two, I tried everything I could to get Caitlyn to turn. I read up on different methods that included crawling around the house, lying with my rear-end propped up on about a foot and a half of pillows, and placing a bag of frozen vegetables on the top of my abdomen. You can imagine what Danny must've thought when he found me in the room one day with my butt propped up, frozen peas and carrots on my stomach, and a flashlight and radio in between my legs. When we found out at our next appointment that she was still lying upright, we opted to have a procedure called external cephalic version done to attempt to turn her into a head-down position. During the procedure, I would be put on meds to relax my uterus so that the Dr. could try to manually turn her from the outside. I was told the procedure had a 50% success rate, but also had risks including kicking my body into premature labor, placental abruption, fetal distress, etc.. If the procedure failed, and Caitlyn remained in a breech position (50% likely), I would need to schedule a c-section. Because I wanted to have a natural birth I decided to try, and the external version was scheduled for a week after my appointment. That weekend, however, I read into it more and also watched a few videos of it being done. I realized that if any complications arose, I would need an emergency c-section which meant I would be put under general anesthesia and would be knocked out while my baby was born. Also, because I would be under general anesthesia, Danny could not be in the room. Given that there was still a 50% chance that the procedure would fail and I would need a c-section anyway, I quickly changed my mind and decided that if God intended Caitlyn to be born vaginally then He could certainly make her turn. If not, there had to be a good reason why I was to have a c-section. So I cancelled the external version and grabbed my peas and carrots. At 38 weeks, Caitlyn was still stubborn and so a c-section was scheduled (after much much drama with the scheduler) for December 1st. The c-section was difficult, I'm not gonna lie. The epidural was a nightmare and the c-section was...extremely uncomfortable and slightly painful at times. According to the Dr, I lost 2 pints of blood, and according to Danny, he saw it splattered on the floor (which may just be his memory playing drama queen).
 

When I first heard Caitlyn crying, and when I finally got to hold her, I wish I could say it was all warm and fuzzy, but honestly it was still so surreal. The one thing I remember most of all is how great Danny was. During the c-section, he kept me focused on him and on the outcome (our baby girl). After the c-section, he totally stepped up into his role as Daddy. Since I was pretty much bed-ridden for a day or two, he took care of the dirty diapers and held her when she cried at night so that I could get sleep. I was able to nurse her, but I don't know what I would've done without him. He is such an amazing Daddy and, yes, still changes diapers. (And not just the wet ones!)

We were finally able to take Caitlyn home on December 4th. I had a very small breakdown once we got home and it all started to settle in. We have finally gotten somewhat of a routine (which will soon change once I return to work in a week and a half). It's definitely as hard as they say it is. I knew that it was going to be rough, but I still don't think I was fully prepared for the amount of mental and emotional exhaustion a baby brings. Everyday is a test in patience and COMPLETE
selflessness. I have since developed a great appreciation for the solitude and peace found in a simple 2 minute bathroom break, and a 15 minute shower has become the equivalent to a day at the spa. All in all it is so completely worth it. I know that Danny and I aren't finished, and our family is not "complete" as they put it, but right now I am completely content with Caitlyn.