And Then There Were Six

Where do I begin? Most of you already know that our sweet little girl is here! She was born Monday morning at 11:29, weighing 5 lbs. 10 oz. and measuring 18 inches long. Her gestational age was 34 weeks and 5 days.

Sunday night we were supposed to have a "Girls Night" at the hospital. Allie and Emmie were coming out and a girlfriend was coming to be the required adult chaperone. We were so looking forward to our evening of fun, but little miss Samantha had plans of her own. Ethan was luckily still at the hospital when the bleeding began. There was so much they called for an emergency transport to the downtown hospital.

I imagined we'd have a nice, calm drive through the city, but we had lights and sirens and high speeds. Ethan got to ride up front. One of the most interesting things he told me afterwards was how many people didn't yield to the ambulance. Seriously? I never imagined.

At the downtown hospital they prepared for an emergency c-section while I layed on a super-stiff bed. And then the most surprising thing happened; the bleeding stopped! Ethan and I were both relieved on one hand, but on the other hand we were disappointed again. I just knew they were going to move me back to the antipartum unit to wait.

In the morning, the dr. who was finishing up his week-long shift was very vague as to what the course of action would be. He said I couldn't eat or drink anything but it was likely I'd be going back to waiting. I was about to go crazy from the non-committal answers when the new dr. on shift came on. He was funny and very direct and said, "What do you think about having a c-section today?" And he meant it!

I just have to share that my hubby watched the entire c-section. It cracks me up; he can't stand the sight of throw-up, but has no problem watching a major surgery from a foot away.

By the time the surgery was over they had whisked Samantha off to the NICU because she was having trouble breathing on her own. I went to a recovery room and it seemed like hours before I saw her for the first time. Of course I think she's the most beautiful little baby girl and all that, but the overwhelming emotion for me was one of restoration. It feels like we've come full circle. The nightmare that started all the way back in August of 2008 has finally come to a close. This baby that I was too scared to fully love until now is safely here! Our family is complete. :)