Welcome to the world Jack Matthew!

Here is my beautiful baby boy's birth story....I got no sleep last night. I was up all night thinking about what today had in store for me. My night was filled with excitement, fear, and sorrow. I laid in bed feeling my baby boy squirm inside me knowing that we only had a few more hours together before I had to share him with the world. 7am rolled around way to quickly and before I knew it we were on our way to the hospital. We needed to be there for 8am. I cried the entire way to the hospital, I think it was a mix of the hormones and the fear of the unknown. I was terrified of being cut open, terrified something would go wrong, and still very sad that my pregnancy was coming to an end. It was so bittersweet, I was excited to become a mother and hold my son in my arms but I was still very sad that my pregnancy had come to end. I was terrified to feel that emptiness that I felt for 4yrs while trying to have this little miracle baby. Once we arrived at the hospital everything seemed to go very quickly. I changed into my beautiful gown and they hooked me up to the monitors, it was nice to get to hear my baby's heartbeat one last time before he entered the world.


At around 10:30 am I was wheeled into the OR. I was so nervous, I was terrified of the spinal I was about to get, and still had all the fears of something going wrong during the surgery. They helped me to the table and asked me to get into the fetal position, bring your legs to your chest and hug them. Well let me tell you when you are 9 months pregnant getting into the fetal position and hugging your legs in next to impossible. A nurse helped me get my legs up that far and helped me arch my back enough for them to insert the spinal. It seemed to take them forever for them to get it in! I couldn't breathe was so uncomfortable and just wanted it to be over with. They had some trouble getting it in and had to keep asking me to tuck in more. Yeah hi can you see I have this huge belly here that is preventing me from tucking anymore!! They finally got it in and I was able to roll over. I felt the spinal take affect and it was the most surreal feeling ever I could see the nurses prepping me but could feel nothing. They finally let Dh in, he came over and sat next to me and took my hand in his. It was all I could do not to lose it when I saw him. They then told me they were going to start.


They didn't want Dh standing so he was watching in a reflection on a glass cabinet door. Now I have watched my fair share of The Baby Story and it always seemed like they started the surgery and the baby was out within minutes. Well that is not the case it seemed to take FOREVER! I could feel the pressure, and then they began jostling me around. Dh looked at me like are you ok? I was being moved so much, I of course could feel nothing but thought it was so weird that I was being shaken so much. The Dr then said you have one big baby here. This took me by surprise since he has measured 50% the whole pregnancy and I was expecting a average 8lb baby. And then I heard the most wonderful sound, the sound of his little helpless cry. I started sobbing uncontrollably. They held him up for me to see but it was so quick he was just a blur, I could not believe he was here! My Dh went over to be with the baby while they finished the surgery.


I kept asking if he was ok and Dh kept telling me he was. I then asked him how much he weighted. Dh said I'm not sure I heard them say 11 10. What!? 11lbs 10oz? How is that possible? I heard the Dr say he was a big baby but how they hell was I carrying an 11lb baby and no one knew? Then the Dr corrected him and said 11 1o was the time of birth. We all had a chuckle I was so relieved to hear he was 7lbs 12 oz. I then said to the Dr I thought you said he was big? He then told me with all the trouble they had getting him out they thought he was much bigger. Dh told me that they had to use a vacuum to get him out and the cord was wrapped around his next 3x's! This scared me to death and I then continued to ask is he ok?


Then it happened. The Neonatalogist came over to me and explained that Jack had some fluid in his lungs. He was "grunting". They tried to give him time and were giving him oxygen hoping he would clear it out on his own but no such luck. She informed me that they were taking him to NICU for some observation. She reassured me that this was fairly common for c-section births and that he had such a mild case there was really no reason for me to worry. For some reason I really wasn't worried. It was the strangest thing. I was being told that my baby was being taken to NICU but I wasn't worried. I think I have that Dr to thank for that. She explained it to me so calmly and reassured me so much that I truly felt like I had no reason to be worried. I was of course disappointed that he would not be coming with me to recovery, that I would not be able to nurse him right away, that I would not be able to hold him. It broke my heart that he had just come into this world and his mommy was not going to be able to hold him and comfort him.


They finally brought him over for me to see and hold. I looked him in the eyes and it was like I had known him my entire life. In that moment I became a true believer of love at first sight. I knew nothing about this little person, he was a total stranger to me. Yet I was totally in love with him. I knew in that moment that my life had changed forever. I was now a mother.