Ava's Homecoming

{ok yes I am a month behind but I am catching up. I'm going to write every entry individually though and get caught up to where we are so keep scrolling down to see if there are any new entries!}

**some semi-graphic explanations of a c-section are below, just an FYI :)**

OK last entry was the day before Ava was coming! We had decided on the c-section because she was going to be a little chunk according to the ultrasound! We went to bed that night semi-early since we had to get up early...but we didn't really sleep haha I was soo excited, nervous, and just so ready to see her!

January 13th at 5:10 AM we drove to Brookwood hospital. It was a completely different experience than you always have pictured in your mind. We weren't racing through traffic going 30 miles over the speed limit while I did breathing techniques. No cop tried to pull us over and then escorted us because he realized I was in labor. No big story like that haha. Instead there was barely anyone on the road and we drove normal speed all the way to the hospital. We arrived and Chad walked me inside to L&D (labor and delivery).

Our friend Amy was working there (because we told her we were coming in) and she jumped right up and showed us where to go. We were in a big room with beds that were just separated by curtains. And so it began...I changed into my lovely one-size-fits-ALL hospital gown. I then got my IV in, blood taken, leads put on, monitors on, so on and so forth. Amy was there the whole time and she was awesome. It really helped having someone we knew kind of walk us through everything. I wasn't nervous the entire time - it was almost an unreal feeling. I just sat there and got everything done - and I was excited, but it really didn't seem real...am I making any sense!?

This is me showing off my IV. Yep.

HUGE-o!! Look at that belly!

OK so I was all IV'ed up and such and a couple hours later (which FLEW by) it was time for the epidural! Chad had to leave for this part. I had to turn sideways on the bed and lean forward. The anesthesiologist took me step by step through it all. Told me it would be cold, I would feel pinches, etc but the w"hole thing was wonderful. I barely felt a thing. And then a couple minutes later, I REALLY barely felt a thing. The weird thing was I could still move my toes and I could still feel pressure when Chad would touch my leg and laugh and say "Hey can you feel this?" . They told me that was normal but it was still a little nerve-wracking knowing I was about to be cut into but could still wiggle my toes...
Chad came back in and then had to get himself dressed for the OR. Had a lovely hat and dress thing and shoe coverings :) We took our last pictures together as just me and him (a very pregnant me at that).

Before we knew it it was time. When they started wheeling me back is when it became real. All of a sudden I realized 'hey, this is actually happening - i'm having a baby!'. Takes me a while I guess ha. Chad had to wait outside while they wheeled me in. I got in there and was numb of course so they had to do this 'rock and roll' thing. Let me explain: I was on my bed numb so they got this black stretcher-looking thing. They then rolled me on my left side (yes, ROLLED) and placed the stretcher beneath my back and rolled me on top of it. Then, they lifted me up and flew (it felt like) me over to the operating table. THEN they rolled me once again on my right side and took the stretcher out. I seriously felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride. One that had you strapped in so tight you couldn't move. It was awesome haha!
So there I am on the table. Another anesthesiologist came in and sat behind me. He told me everything that was going on - nicest guy ever. Bravo Brookwood for your employees. The curtain went up in front of me so we couldn't see what was going on and Dr. Kennedy came in along with another doctor who was assisting her. Nurses were back there too arranging everything.
HERE WE GO!
Wait! Where's Chad?! I felt like they had forgotten about him but of course they just wait until the last minute to bring him in. There he was- right beside me. It was the craziest thing. I laid there like a slug. Chad sat there and we would look at each other and wait and smile. I would randomly rock back and forth, side to side as they were pushing and pulling and tugging. Talk about weird feelings. After they got a lot of stuff 'out of the way' Dr. Kennedy and her Dr. friend commented on how big the baby looked before they even opened the uterus up. All I could think about was how huge she was going to be haha
They said they could see her!
"Oo look at that head!"
"WOW! Those shoulders are big!" (they said this as they tried to maneuver the shoulders out and this is where i 'rocked and rolled' the most haha)
"Here she is!"
wahhhh
 They held her up over the curtain for us to see - She. Was. Beautiful.
Crying at the top of her lungs and she was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen. And she looked cute! Covered in goo and she was cute. Good sign haha.

They then took her over to get cleaned up and weighed, etc. and Chad got to go over there with her. I got to watch on a TV screen. The best thing about that was watching her grab Chads finger. I'm tearing up just remembering it. It was unbelievable.

After she was all clean and swaddled up with her cute little generic hospital blanket and hat they brought her over to me and laid her on my chest. I couldn't touch her or anything because I was still numb and strapped to the table but I just looked at her and talked to her. She came over screaming but she quieted down when she heard my voice - talk about making you feel good. I teared up again :)

After that Chad went with her to recovery and I stayed behind to get sewn up and all that fun stuff. I finally got wheeled back to recovery and Chad was there with Ava. What a site!!

{OK...so I was on lots of medication during the next couple days and I would have signed a piece of paper stating that I 100% remembered everything and it had no affect on me whatsoever...that was before I started "remembering" things around Chad though and apparently my memory doesn't quite remember everything haha. So I am going to try my best to write everything as it happened, just don't judge me if you are reading this and think to yourself 'wait, that didn't happen like that' because chances are no, no it didn't, but my brain thinks it did. Or if you are like ' wait why didn't she write about ____' its because chances are I have no recollection of that and don't make any promises to remember once you start telling me either haha. So feel free to write in what my memory eliminates in the comment section. Who knows what I might learn!}

In recovery we started our 'skin to skin' special moments. They had said this helps promote breastfeeding and the bonding between a mother and child. They said you had a long time to sit there and just hold your baby and bask in the wonderful moment.Well I laid there and held her and about 4 minutes into it she started head bobbin for food. The nurse said "oh! she already wants to eat!" She takes after her momma. We love food. 4 minutes into the real world and she's already upset she's not eating haha. So I fed her and everything went wonderful. After that we got rolled up to our postpartum room where we'd be for the next 3 days. I got to hold her as we went up to the room. We got to be in the room a little while before visitors started pouring in. It was crazy - there we were. A little family. The night before it was just Chad and I and now there was this precious baby girl. Amazing feeling.

We were feeding so no one came in for a little bit but then our families got to see her for the first time. I loved watching their faces :) All the new grandmas and grandpas, aunts, uncles, it was so fun! My Dad wasn't able to be there yet but he came as soon as he got finished up at work right after lunch. Nurses would randomly come in and bring the warmer and would check her weight and temperature and such.Then later lactation would come in and check with me to make sure things were still going well. Then a nurse would come in to check my morphine pump (woo hoo!). Those next few days that's pretty much what happened haha Ava would get passed from person to person and then a nurse would come in.

One thing I will never forget is the second night we were in the room we were asleep (and ACTUALLY sleeping!) and a random nurse bust through the doors at about 5 AM and said "Im taking the baby to get hearing tested...". Now by the time she was at the end of the sentence she was already out the door. She came in, took Ava's basket thing and then was gone. So I'm asleep, wake up to a random person coming in and taking away my baby. It took me a while to process the whole thing. Chad and I just kind of looked at each other. If that wasn't bad enough an HOUR AND A HALF later Chad left the room, went in the nursery, and had to tell them he was taking her back to the room because no one had brought her back. That was a weird hour and a half ha.

Another memorable moment: I was holding Ava and she started fussing. I looked at her and in all seriousness said "Oh, it's OK Doctor..." this is when Chad shot me a very confused look "...I mean Ava haha". Gotta love that morphine!

We had SO many visitors! I felt so incredibly blessed. The nurses even commented that we had more visitors than they had ever seen haha! One person would come, and as they left 2 more would come, one of them would leave and an hour later someone else would come. It was great because there really wasn't anything else going on and remember I had my morphine pump so I was feeling good. It was very interesting seeing all our friends 'babies' who are about 9 months old. They looked HUGE! I couldn't believe how tiny Ava was! It was so wonderful to see how many people cared about us. We felt so loved.

Sunday finally came and we got everything ready to leave the hospital. She was in the cutest outfit and in her car carrier. We took our final pictures and then I got wheeled out in a wheelchair while holding the carseat. We packed the car full of our suitcases, balloons and flowers and then headed home! I sat in the back with Ava - It was so fun watching her on the way home. I just stared at her still in disbelief that she was ours! She did great.

Home Sweet Home!

First time in her room! She LOVES it -- see??

 {WHEW! Finally finished haha lots more posts coming soon!)