We had known for over a month that November 4, 2013 would be the birth date of our second child, unless of course he/she decided to make an early appearance. We spent the weekend before doing stuff as a family with Reed, cooking up some dinners to have in the freezer, doing laundry, and resting up for our big week. On Sunday night we had dinner with Jon's Parents, Grandparents, "C," and Tio. Knowing we had to be up the next morning early we put Reed to bed at Nonna and Pepe's and said our goodbyes to everyone. Saying goodbye to Reed was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Holding him as I laid him into his pack 'n play not knowing when the next time I would be able to do that would be and not knowing what the next weeks and months would bring for him was heartbreaking and more than a tear or two was shed by Mom!
On Monday morning we woke and had an early but somewhat normal morning - we showered, finished packing a few things, and took Dodger for a walk. It was pretty surreal to know in just a few hours the baby moving around inside my tummy would be in my arms. The drive to the hospital was nerve wracking as was the first hour there. A lot of sitting around doing nothing. Jon and I didn't know what to do with ourselves. It's pretty hard to talk about anything mundane when you are about to have a child, but we were both too overwhelmed to actually talk about the birth, our family, or anything else of importance. The second hour at the hospital went much faster. I was prepared for surgery, forms were signed, and then the Doctors were ready 15 minutes early so it was time to go.
Jon had to wait for me while I was administered the drugs in the operating room. We were both nervous wrecks and being separated made things worse for both of us. The only real glitch of the day was that the computer in the operating room hadn't been updated after the time change. This meant the anesthesiologist was locked out of the system and couldn't log my vitals. He tried to get a paper log for documentation and called an IT tech in for support. To be honest he seemed completely frazzled which, by the way, does not have a calming effect on a patient, minutes before surgery! Before I knew it I was numb from the chest down and the Doctors and nurses were ready to go. I didn't really think about how to handle myself during surgery but as soon as it began I started taking deep calming breaths and alternated between closing my eyes and staring into Jon's. After what seemed like just a couple of minutes I felt a little tugging and pulling and heard a baby cry.
The staff laughed because the baby had started to cry before actually being fully delivered - a good sign I was told. The next thing I heard was someone say "it's a boy" and saw Jon's face drop into a pale white and his eyes fill with tears. I kept asking if he was okay and he kept saying yes. He took a couple quick pictures of the baby and then got to cut the cord and stand over him while they assessed him. After a few minutes a nurse unbuttoned my hospital gown and Kieran was placed skin to skin on my chest per our request. He only got to stay for a few minutes but every second was wonderful. Jon then went with him to the nursery while my operation was finished up.
Once in the recovery room I got to nurse Kieran. After a bit I got really hot and started stripping off the layers they had placed over us. They brought me some ice chips and after a few big bites I started vomiting. In my haste to cool down I had caused Kieran's temperature to drop, this delayed us being released to our room, so Jon went down to tell my parents the good news.
I was burning up for hours after surgery, but no one could get my temperature to register over 96. I also had two more vomiting spells and was horribly itchy all over.. Kieran on the other hand did great the entire day, nursing like a champ, hardly making a peep, and opening his eyes for his introductions to family members. It was truly love at first sight when he was born and he has made the perfect addition to our family.
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| Kieran Scott McClarty born November 4, 2013 at 9:48 am 7lbs 6oz and 20 1/2 inches |
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