I recently explained to someone about my pregnancy and childbirth experience, and it made me want to archive the complete story here. What better day than Riley's birthday to capture the memories from that perfect moment one year ago!
Chris and I discovered that we were pregnant the first week into the New Year 2006. It was a planned pregnancy for the most part, however we honestly didn't think I was going to get pregnant on our first try! Luck of the draw, perhaps! Although we suddenly wondered if we knew what we were in for?! We're having a baby!! Wa-hooooo!! :)
Chris and I discovered that we were pregnant the first week into the New Year 2006. It was a planned pregnancy for the most part, however we honestly didn't think I was going to get pregnant on our first try! Luck of the draw, perhaps! Although we suddenly wondered if we knew what we were in for?! We're having a baby!! Wa-hooooo!! :)
In many ways, my pregnancy was fairly textbook. I didn't experience anything outside the norm or encounter anything of concern... until the beginning of my 3rd trimester. It was determined that Riley was standing straight up! I loved the idea of our son "doing something he shouldn't be doing" while in the womb. It struck me as Riley already declaring his personality and it always made me smile thinking that he was standing up and dancing around.
My OB-GYN of 10+ years, Dr Neil Granader, assigned daily exercises to me in hopes that Riley would turn to the head-down position. The excercises weren't doing much for me, so he eventually told me I would have to decide whether we want to have the baby manually turned or if we wanted to schedule a C-section. I was initially against a C-section as having a natural child birth was what Chris and I always desired and planned for. So I discussed with Dr. Granader the pros and cons with manually turning the baby, as well as did extensive online research and talk with other moms who have done this procedure before. The cons seemed to outweigh the pros for me personally. I think the biggest deciding factor for us was that there was no guarantee that the baby would stay put after being turned. I talked with a few moms that had the procedure done and the baby turned right back around to the breech position! So after much debate, Chris and I decided to leave Riley just as he was. If that was the card we were dealt, so be it. We scheduled the C-section with Dr. Granader and awaited the day with mixed emotions of sheer nervousness and excitement.
After deciding on the C-section, I immediately began interviewing other new moms who had the procedure done. I wanted to know what I was in for! For the most part, I received a lot of encouraging and positive stories. However, I just didn't feel comfortable with all the unknowns with never having gone through it before myself. I talked with my doc often and asked as many questions as possible so that I completely understood the process and recovery period. Leading up to the day, I was so incredibly nervous and anxious that my blood pressure kept fluctuating.
Then finally the day had arrived! On the early morning of September 5, 2006, I woke up so incredibly nervous... I couldn't believe I was going to meet our son in just a few hours! I was so scared for the C-section and thinking a million things I shouldn't have been thinking. Shame on me! Being a nervous nelly! We checked into O'Connor Hospital and after an hour of prep and waiting for my blood pressure to go down, I was wheeled into the surgery room. I met the anaesthesiologist who would be administering my epidural. I loved this guy... not because he was the man with the drugs, but because his personality was in sync with mine and his mood was very jovial. He had me laughing and helped take my mind off "the big slice" even if only for a few minutes. Then finally Chris joined us in the surgery room once he was prepped and dressed in scrubs. I had my doc, his assistant, the anaesthesiologist, 3 nurses, and my husband in the room. But it wasn't until Chris walked into the surgery room where I felt the most safe and started to relax.
After 10 minutes of administering the epidural and allowing it to set in, it was time! Dr. Granader explained that he was about to begin the procedure and that I might feel slight "tugging" at certain moments. It was then that I realized if I looked straight up into the lights above me, I could see straight down into the reflection of what the doctors were doing to me! I kept telling myself not to look, so I just kept looking at Chris or staring at the big blue curtain in front of me. About 3 minutes after the procedure began, Dr. Granader warned me that I might feel the tugging he had mentioned a few minutes prior. It felt as if I was being pulled, but I couldn't feel any pain at all. That was when the anaesthesiologist told Chris to look over the blue curtain and see our son being born. I watched as Chris stood up, camera in hand. He was quick with the camera and began snapping away, but that was when the anaesthesiologist told him, "No son, look at your child being born with your eyes, not through the camera." After that, I watched Chris' eyes growing larger and larger by the nano-second, and then I heard Riley's first cries outside the womb! The sound of his cries brought me to tears instantly. I was so much in awe of what was happening and felt indescribeable. It felt as if there was a larger force in the room that was out of my control and thank goodness for that! At that precise moment everyone in the room was working towards welcoming a tiny soul into the world, and the energy was beyond amazing.
Our little man was born 09/05/06 at 8:16am weighing 7 pounds 1.5 oz and 20.5 inches long. Riley was crying all throughout being cleaned, weighed and measured, but when the nurse finally brought him to me all bundled up and nestled close to my neck, he immediately stopped crying when I started talking to him. He was used to the sound of my voice after 39 weeks. It was the most precious thing watching him react to me and I was instantly in love. Chris was in love the moment he held him as well, and I felt awe inspired watching them connect with one another. It was just the beginning of The Lucky Number 3.
My experience was amazing. The hospital and staff were incredible, which helped us immensely. I remember constantly telling family and friends that I had no idea what I was so nervous about and if I had a chance to do it over again, I would have gone into the surgery room more EXCITED rather than scared! Now I know what to expect and look forward to the day where it may happen again (and again and again!) Chris can't seem to wait either. He has been quoted wanting a child for each one of his arms and legs, and possibly one around his neck. I suppose that will eventually make us The Lucky Number 7. :)
My OB-GYN of 10+ years, Dr Neil Granader, assigned daily exercises to me in hopes that Riley would turn to the head-down position. The excercises weren't doing much for me, so he eventually told me I would have to decide whether we want to have the baby manually turned or if we wanted to schedule a C-section. I was initially against a C-section as having a natural child birth was what Chris and I always desired and planned for. So I discussed with Dr. Granader the pros and cons with manually turning the baby, as well as did extensive online research and talk with other moms who have done this procedure before. The cons seemed to outweigh the pros for me personally. I think the biggest deciding factor for us was that there was no guarantee that the baby would stay put after being turned. I talked with a few moms that had the procedure done and the baby turned right back around to the breech position! So after much debate, Chris and I decided to leave Riley just as he was. If that was the card we were dealt, so be it. We scheduled the C-section with Dr. Granader and awaited the day with mixed emotions of sheer nervousness and excitement.
After deciding on the C-section, I immediately began interviewing other new moms who had the procedure done. I wanted to know what I was in for! For the most part, I received a lot of encouraging and positive stories. However, I just didn't feel comfortable with all the unknowns with never having gone through it before myself. I talked with my doc often and asked as many questions as possible so that I completely understood the process and recovery period. Leading up to the day, I was so incredibly nervous and anxious that my blood pressure kept fluctuating.
Then finally the day had arrived! On the early morning of September 5, 2006, I woke up so incredibly nervous... I couldn't believe I was going to meet our son in just a few hours! I was so scared for the C-section and thinking a million things I shouldn't have been thinking. Shame on me! Being a nervous nelly! We checked into O'Connor Hospital and after an hour of prep and waiting for my blood pressure to go down, I was wheeled into the surgery room. I met the anaesthesiologist who would be administering my epidural. I loved this guy... not because he was the man with the drugs, but because his personality was in sync with mine and his mood was very jovial. He had me laughing and helped take my mind off "the big slice" even if only for a few minutes. Then finally Chris joined us in the surgery room once he was prepped and dressed in scrubs. I had my doc, his assistant, the anaesthesiologist, 3 nurses, and my husband in the room. But it wasn't until Chris walked into the surgery room where I felt the most safe and started to relax.
After 10 minutes of administering the epidural and allowing it to set in, it was time! Dr. Granader explained that he was about to begin the procedure and that I might feel slight "tugging" at certain moments. It was then that I realized if I looked straight up into the lights above me, I could see straight down into the reflection of what the doctors were doing to me! I kept telling myself not to look, so I just kept looking at Chris or staring at the big blue curtain in front of me. About 3 minutes after the procedure began, Dr. Granader warned me that I might feel the tugging he had mentioned a few minutes prior. It felt as if I was being pulled, but I couldn't feel any pain at all. That was when the anaesthesiologist told Chris to look over the blue curtain and see our son being born. I watched as Chris stood up, camera in hand. He was quick with the camera and began snapping away, but that was when the anaesthesiologist told him, "No son, look at your child being born with your eyes, not through the camera." After that, I watched Chris' eyes growing larger and larger by the nano-second, and then I heard Riley's first cries outside the womb! The sound of his cries brought me to tears instantly. I was so much in awe of what was happening and felt indescribeable. It felt as if there was a larger force in the room that was out of my control and thank goodness for that! At that precise moment everyone in the room was working towards welcoming a tiny soul into the world, and the energy was beyond amazing.
Our little man was born 09/05/06 at 8:16am weighing 7 pounds 1.5 oz and 20.5 inches long. Riley was crying all throughout being cleaned, weighed and measured, but when the nurse finally brought him to me all bundled up and nestled close to my neck, he immediately stopped crying when I started talking to him. He was used to the sound of my voice after 39 weeks. It was the most precious thing watching him react to me and I was instantly in love. Chris was in love the moment he held him as well, and I felt awe inspired watching them connect with one another. It was just the beginning of The Lucky Number 3.
My experience was amazing. The hospital and staff were incredible, which helped us immensely. I remember constantly telling family and friends that I had no idea what I was so nervous about and if I had a chance to do it over again, I would have gone into the surgery room more EXCITED rather than scared! Now I know what to expect and look forward to the day where it may happen again (and again and again!) Chris can't seem to wait either. He has been quoted wanting a child for each one of his arms and legs, and possibly one around his neck. I suppose that will eventually make us The Lucky Number 7. :)
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