Charlotte’s Birth Story: Part 2

Picking up right where we left off last week, here’s Part 2 of my sweet baby’s birth story:

Charlotte came into the world at 10:59 a.m., weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces. She measured 20.25 inches long. Healthy as healthy could be, and she had the sweetest sounding cry I’ve ever heard. We couldn’t have been more proud and more thankful to God. Amazing grace. How sweet the sound.

Having a C-section definitely turned my memory into a foggy haze, but here are the things that I remember and don’t ever want to forget.

Once Charlotte was born, the nurses taking care of her were amazing. Not only did they make me feel comfortable at all times, they coached MJ along, too. They were the ones that captured our first family picture, and they helped get Charlotte’s footprints onto her baby book and MJ’s scrubs. Labor and delivery nurses are definitely a special kind of people.

After the surgery was completed (which lasted what seemed like forever), we were whisked away into the recovery room, and Charlotte and I were able to have skin-to-skin time. I had looked forward to this for so long. It was such a special time. I was able to nurse her, and there’s something to be said about maternal instinct. Even though I had no idea what I was doing, something turned on inside me that knew exactly what to do to take care of this little life.

I wish I could have been more alert after her arrival, but we did the best we could, and that’s all that any new mama can hope for. She was a little jaundice and really cold, but that just meant lots of extra cuddles.

Once Charlotte was fed and after her body temperature was finally high enough, she was sent to the nursery to be bathed and pampered so that I could get some rest. On the way to the nursery, she was able to meet her Pawpaw, Nana, and her Aunt P.

She received her first bath in the nursery with Daddy looking in on her.

Once I was able to rest a little bit, our hospital room was ready for us. We opted for a hospital suite since we knew we would have lots of visitors. Every hospital is different, and we could have had a private room like everyone else, but the suite provided more space to move around. It was definitely the way to go in our situation. Saturday, the day Charlotte was born, a lot of my family came in to meet her. I don’t think I moved from the bed that day. Go figure. However, most of the family really just wanted to see the main attraction: Charlotte Grace.

Our first night went by as best it could. We kept Charlotte in the room with us versus sending her to the nursery, but it was hard. I’m pretty sure she cried all night. Both MJ and I didn’t have a clue as to what we were doing, and it was even harder for me because the nursing sessions seemed to last hours on end. We needed to come up with a better game-plan. Many calls to the nursing station were made, and those nurses really were a heaven send. They gave us tips on how to hold her, how to swaddle her, how I was supposed to nurse her, etc. It was a crash course in Baby 101.

Sunday, I had to start getting up and moving around a bit. It wasn’t as bad as I had heard, and my recovery was going smoothly. However, I was more swollen after surgery than when I entered the hospital. (Dang that Pitocin!) We received plenty more visitors Sunday, and every one fell head over heels for our Charlotte.

Sunday night, when Charlotte went to the nursery to be weighed, she had already lost a full pound. That explained her constant crying through the night. Homegirl was hungry! Her pediatrician wanted us to supplement with formula, and we obliged. I think I had a slight meltdown, but I felt a little bit better knowing that I would still be able to nurse AND formula feed. We were also hoping it would help her sleep a little bit longer. Sunday night we decided to let her get loved on in the nursery while we tried to take little naps through the night. The nurses brought her in every time she was ready to nurse. And that was quite often from what my memory can recall. No rest for the weary.

Monday was pretty slow with the visitors, so it allowed us some time to get to know our girl a little better. By the third night, we were extremely tired, but we seemed to be getting the hang of things (I mean, as best we could for being parents of a two-day old). Pandora and the hospital food were such delights: those were the only two things we really knew anything about. The days had been long, but the nights were even longer. (Looking back, they were the sweetest of days, but time and sleep will put anything into perspective.)

When the time came for us to go home on Tuesday morning, it seemed like I had just blinked and time had passed in warp-speed. From the moment Charlotte took her first breath in this world, our hospital stay went by so fast. After dressing her in the softest little gown and packing up all of our things, we were ready to conquer the world with our Charlotte Grace.

I guess I could have ironed that little dress, but ain’t nobody got time for that.

Before we left, we also had her pictures taken by the hospital photographer.

While waiting to be discharged, I spoke with a lactation consultant, with a record keeper who dealt with birth certificate paperwork, and with her pediatrician about her feeding issues and jaundice and follow-up appointments. The last person we spoke with was my doctor to make sure I was healing properly. It was the first time I had seen him since the C-section, and he assured me that we made the right choice in delivering her via C-section because she was sitting way too high when they went in and took her out. She just didn’t want to progress on her own. I mean, I had made that place extra nice and comfy. But that’s just Charlotte’s style. She does things her way and when she’s ready. I was just glad to hear from my doctor that we had made the right choice. He said she would have probably ended up coming out via C-section regardless of what had happened. Once he gave me the all clear sign, that was that. We were ready to leave the hospital.

Overall, our hospital stay was great. It was tiring and wonderful all rolled into one. We had the best staff and the best family and friends catering to us. We had a few minor hiccups with jaundice and feeding, but nothing major. Thank God for that.

Our life changed forever that weekend. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. She makes this life sweeter than I ever imagined, and I am beyond blessed that God decided to make her ours. The rest is history…

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)