The Day My Last Baby was Born

3/25/2019

Remington was born around lunchtime. Stu and I talked (well, mostly it was me talking) extensively about how we wanted our hospital time to go. 11 years ago, when I was about to give birth to Reagan, I did not give any thought to how many visitors I wanted (or didn't want). As a first time Mom, I had no idea what the delivery and recovery would be like. And because of my lack of foresight, a LOT of people came to the hospital to meet our princess. I don't think my door ever closed.

This time, I knew I wanted to keep it relatively private. So I only told family when we scheduled the delivery date. And I gave a few very close friends the heads up the day before. I'm glad I did this, my hospital time was rough. More on that in a few minutes.

Remy's Birthday

Stu and I were alone at the hospital. We spent the morning chatting and resting in the room, pre-baby. After the nurses and my OB wheeled me back to my room, I was given the chance to bond with Remy via skin-to-skin. And we tried breastfeeding. I know I have technically done this all before, but it felt like the first time. I was just as nervous and unsure.

I will forever be grateful for this quiet time.

I thought I would really want to have a good 2 hours alone with the baby and Stu, but I was dying for the big kids to come and meet him. My mom met Stu at the entrance of the hospital with Reagan and Riley. She was going to come back later with my Dad. For now, we would have a chance to be a family of 5.

Reagan vlogged her day. And Stu videoed the kids meeting Remy for the first time. Reagan's video is adorable. I am thrilled she made this. It was fun for Stu and I to see what she was up to earlier and how she was feeling.

Riley choked up a little when he saw Remy. They both seemed a bit stunned. But the love pouring out of them was almost palpable. Watching their reactions makes me swell with love and pride.

Our friend and pediatrician beat my parents to the hospital. Reagan and Riley kept a close eye on her while she was checking out their baby. Let's consider this their science lesson for the day. ;)

I was in pain. As the afternoon turned to evening, the pain was increasing. But I powered through...

Reagan and Riley were in absolute love. It was seriously the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I'm glad we planned alone time for them... neither one wanted to share their baby with anyone.

My Mom and Dad came back at dinner with my youngest sister and brother-in-law. They brought my favorite - C.R.Chicks, a smokey. YUM. Unfortunately, I was unable to eat any of it. My stomach was simply not interested. Reagan was happy to take care of it for me.

Remy enjoyed meeting his grandparents. He was especially comfortable with Aunt Steph. So comfy that he peed on her. Good times.

My Mom and Dad took the big kids home with them in the early evening. Mom was going to drop them off again in the morning. Steph and Zach stayed behind so they could get in baby snuggles.

I was hungry. In pain and hungry. Someone handed me red jello - I don't have any idea who. I took a bite and immediately regretted it. You know the feeling I am talking about. So there I am, stuck in bed, only a few hours after having my abdomen wide open, worried about what vomiting will do to my new incision staples... but unable to stop the inevitable. I'm not sure which happened first... all I know is that I threw up all over and yelled (or tried) for Stu to get the nurse. He was a bit panicked. He was trying to figure out how to clean me up, what to do, get the nurse, not throw up himself.

Anyway, two nurses came in. Steph and Zach took my exorcist moment as a sign to leave (sorry guys). I think Stu had the baby while the nurses decided I would have to get out of bed and move to a wheelchair while they changed the sheets on the bed.

If you have never had a c-section or been around someone shortly after she has, you may not know that this is a HORRIBLE prospect. The idea of getting up was terrifying. And SO PAINFUL. These two amazing women helped heave my partially paralyzed body out of bed and rotate me into a wheelchair. The pain was blinding. I was only slightly aware of how much blood was on the bed, on the floor, on me. Ugh. Now back to the bed.

I am truly surprised that I did not pass out from the pain.

At some point that night, before bedtime, we were moved to my permanent hospital room. The post-delivery one I would be calling home for duration of my stay.

My night nurse is my hero. Agnes, you are incredible. Agnes took care of me for the first two nights. On this first one, she helped me when my catheter got stuck and at 3am I woke up crying from that disturbing feeling. She was amazing when, in the wee hours of the morning, she helped me get out of bed and shuffle to the bathroom. She took care of me there, and helped me shuffle back to bed - all while Stu was peacefully snoring.

Product Must-Haves

A nursing pillow is a must. I love the Boppy. Above, I linked the Target one that I have. It took me a few weeks to realize that I should have purchased extra covers... Babies tend to be quite messy. So I ordered the giraffe cover (link above is for the pillow and case) from Amazon. The third link is for a 2-pack of covers. Those would make excellent baby shower gifts... I might order them myself. I love the neutrality of black and white.

That seems like enough information for one post. In the next post, I will try to zip through the rest of our hospital time, although I make no promises.