Flynn Grace...A Birth Story

Thinking back on the day our Flynn Grace was born always makes me so very happy. We had waited so long for the baby of our family, and that day was a culmination of our dream. My mother joined Steve and I early in the morning of November 19, 2009 as we set out for the hospital for our scheduled C-section. I was so happy to see our favorite nurse and friend who had arraigned for us to have a private suite at the end of the hall. I remember willing myself to take in every single detail. At 40 years of age, I realized this would more than likely be the last time I would be experiencing the joy of having a baby. It truly was bittersweet.

I remember the all the prep with a nice nurse. I remember being fine with it all. Until the catheter. I remembered how much I hate that feeling! And suddenly, I decided that I couldn't do it. And my mom smiled and reminded me it wasn't really an option. : ) I remember our friend who was the anesthesiologist arriving and calming me down before we headed to the operating room. I remember as if it were yesterday lying in that room, watching my blood pressure, which had been an issue the whole pregnancy, and my sweet doctor coming in and cheerfully saying good morning. : )

Steve arrived, and sat beside my head. Before I knew it, it had begun. It was time to meet our baby! I feel nothing during my C-sections. Not even the pulling or tugging they warn you about. The needle in the back before...now that is another story. But soon enough, Steve stood up. I heard a cry...our baby was here! It was 8:24 AM on November 19, 2009. She came out facing away from my doctor, so Steve got the first view. He was the one who exclaimed, "IT'S A GIRL!!!!" And my nurse said, "She is beautiful!!!" And I remember asking if everything was alright. And they all replied that she was perfect. There was so much happiness in that room at that moment and I will never forget that moment I laid eyes on our baby for the first time. Ever.

Steve left with the nurse and the baby. I asked him not to tell the children what she was until I was there. It seemed as if it took forever to finish my surgery...I guess after four C-sections there was quite a bit of scar tissue...but finally I was back in my room with Steve and my mom and our new baby girl. I remember holding her. I do. I remember the nurse asking  what her name was. I said Flynn. Flynn Grace. She was here. And she was ours.

I remember my mother being there and being so happy. Our priest came and gave me and Flynn a blessing when she was but an hour old! And I remember my neighbor bringing cupcakes and pink icing for the kids to ice when they arrived. It was a magical morning.

We called the kids and told them they had a sister. They were so happy, and were quite interested in her name. : ) I found out later that my Rhett was disappointed that he didn't get a brother. But I will never forget the moment Steve brought the kids to meet their sister. The minute seven year old Rhett laid eyes on little Flynn, he fell in love. I actually saw it in his face. : ) They kids were thrilled! They took turns holding her and rocking her and even helping the nurse change her diaper. In fact, the nurse that taught Madison how to change Flynn's diaper was the same nurse who was with me thirteen years earlier when Madison was born.

I remember being so happy. So very happy. I looked around that beautiful hospital room and saw my dream. I saw my husband and all my children and my sweet mother there celebrating a new link in the unending chain of mothers and babies and life and family. I knew this moment was fleeting. And I knew we were blessed. Blessed beyond measure with our new baby Flynn.

Our baby...Flynn Grace. : )

Rhett Stephen...A Birth Story

Almost two years to the day Steve and I brought our second little blessing home, we returned to the hospital for another scheduled C-section. My doctor does not perform vaginal deliveries after a C-section, which was indeed fine with me.  Bright and early on May 21, 2002, I was prepped for the surgery that would bring our third sweet baby into the world.

I remember clearly visiting with the nurses as they prepared me for the surgery. I remember asking them about whether or not Madison would be able to visit as she had a case of Pink Eye and we had spent the previous day in the doctors office. How things change, right? The day before I had Peyton I had a pedicure. : )

The next thing I remember is lying on the table and Steve coming in to sit next to my head. Then my sweet doctor told Steve...and I can still hear his voice...that if this one was a boy, Steve would have to give him a free car from one of our dealerships! I laughed because I just knew the baby was going to be a girl. I guess having two little girls, I had never thought about having a boy. And then I heard it...I heard my doctor exclaim, "Hey Hey Hey! It IS a boy!" It was 8:17 AM on May 21, 2002. And I had a baby boy. I remember being shocked. I had no brothers. I had two beautiful baby girls. I had never thought of a boy. And I was thrilled! I remember asking the nurse to be sure that Steve would be the one to tell my parents who were waiting outside. I saw the nurse replace the little blue hat on his newborn head with a blue and pink one. And then Steve took his son out to meet his grandparents.

The next memory I have is being wheeled back to my room. I can still see my mother standing there, holding her grandson, giving me a big thumbs up! The rest of that wonderful day is a blur of happiness and joy and blue! It was so new for us to have a hospital room filled with all things blue. : ) My mom asked what we would be naming him. I only ever had one name for a boy...Rhett. And because I never considered he would be a boy, I had never even considered a middle name. So Rhett Stephen it was. And it is perfect.

We spent our hospital stay loving on our son. I remember lying in bed with his bassinette right next to me, staring at him for hours on end. I remember being so excited to watch as his sisters came to meet him. I remember seeing my little Peyton Rose walk in the door...and this baby, not yet two years old...suddenly looked so big to me! But there she was, binky and blankie in hand, loving her brother...something she continues to this day. And I remember Madison leaning over a talking to her baby brother, and watching as he opened his eyes for the first time as he recognized her voice!

Steve once again spoiled us with gifts of coming home outfits. I remember leaning over the bed and dressing my son in a beautiful blue coming home outfit that read "Little Prince". I remember the beautiful spring day we put him in the car, and carried him into our home and into our hearts. And once again, we were blessed.

Our precious son, Rhett Stephen. : )

Oh...and a sidenote...my doctor did indeed get a new car. Not for free, but Steve did give him a GREAT deal : )

Peyton Rose...A Birth Story

My Peyton Rose was anxious. Anxious to be born. So much so that she tried to come early. I went into preterm labor with my second little blessing on April 1, 2000. I remember being in the hospital and praying she would wait. And she did. Two whole months. On May 31, 2000, Steve and I went to the hospital bright and early for my scheduled C-section.

Peyton was a planned C-section because my firstborn came into the world during a C-section after a twenty four hour labor. My doctor does not perform vaginal births after a C-section, which was more than fine with me.  I remember very little about Peyton's actual birth after all these years, but certain things I can recall as if they happened yesterday. I remember being wheeled into the operating room, which now was located right on the same floor as the babies. I remember waiting to see if we would have a girl or boy, as we never found out beforehand. I remember the wonderful moment as Steve sat right beside me and my doctor proclaimed, "Its a girl!!" It was 8:20 AM on May 31, 2000. I was overjoyed!

Perhaps my strongest memory of my Peyton Rose being born is the moment I met her for the very first time. When I heard she was a girl, I immediately pictured my Madison. The girl I had known for three and a half years. When they brought Peyton over to me as the doctors completed the surgery, I was so surprised! She looked nothing like my firstborn. She had dark hair and dark eyes! I guess had assumed that because she was a girl, she would look like my other daughter. As if all girls have a certain blueprint, right? But there she was...her own little person...with her dark hair and dark skin and perfect lips and this I will never forget...a tiny, tiny, nose that turned upward as a result of how she must have been inside me.

I remember next being in my sunny room on that beautiful late spring morning. We had chosen the most beautiful name for a baby girl...Peyton Rose. And it fit her perfectly. I loved the days I spent in the hospital with my Peyton. One of the perks of a C-section is a four day stay  in the hospital. I was able to bond with my baby, and rest and recover. I knew from experience what to expect as far as recovery, and was able to spend those days rocking her and loving on her. I remember Madison coming to meet her sister, and the joy I felt seeing them together. I remember Steve bringing beautifully wrapped boxes for Peyton and for me...beautiful coming home outfits he and Madison had picked out. And I remember the day we brought our sweet little Peyton Rose home. It was such a beautiful day.

I remember Steve carrying our new baby inside in her car seat. And I remember Madison running to meet her with an armful of toys, wanting to play with her new sister! I remember clearly explaining to her that soon enough, they would be playing Barbies and dollhouse together. Now, almost fifteen years later, I realize how quickly those precious days came and went. And now they have traded the Barbies  and dolls for music and clothes. But they are still as close as they were that very first day at home. And we are blessed.

Our little Peyton Rose. : )

Madison Marie...A Birth Story

Yes, she is eighteen. And yes, I am writing her birth story now. I have no reason for the delay other than the fact that until recently, I never knew such a thing existed. I am going to share my memories and thoughts here after so many years in hopes that someday, years from now, Madison will be able to read them and know exactly how happy and thankful we were on that snowy November day.

I am including the thoughts and memories I have in my mind. I am not going to be able to include everything that happened because, let's face it, I can't remember what I ate for breakfast some days. Some of the memories from that day have left my mind and found a new home in my heart. But some remain, because how could you not remember pieces of the day your first baby was born? The day she made your dreams come true...

November 25, 1996 was a Monday. And my firstborn baby was overdue. Early in the morning, Steve and I set out to the hospital so I could be induced. The one thing I remember was lying in a bed and feeling my water break. It was around 4:00 in the afternoon. I looked at the nurse and told her I thought something was happening. I asked her what that meant. She looked at me and smiled and said that it meant we wouldn't be going home without a baby.

The rest of the evening is blurry. I remember my mother and father and Steve being there. I remember the Steelers were playing Monday night football, yes...really...and I remember beginning to feel my labor progressing. The pain, that is. Me...not so much. They gave me medicine to try to help things along, but as painful as it was, nothing was happening. I tried everything I knew. Everything the nurses knew. Every position. But no progress. The nurse would check me and would "give me a 2." Finally, they decided to stop the medicine and see what the night would bring.

I do have a vivid memory here. I remember lying in bed thinking that if they stopped the medicine, the pain would stop, right? I was such a novice. I looked at my mom. She was sitting right beside my bed. And I remember asking her when the pain would stop. I remember her smiling. I remember her holding my hand and telling me it wouldn't. Until I held my baby.

I labored all night. Eventually the sun came up. My doctor came and checked me. The nurses were so supportive. I continued to labor. My little Madison wasn't in any hurry. Finally, it was 3:00. Shift change. My favorite nurse from the previous day returned and came in expecting to see a baby. When she didn't, she immediately called the doctor and they talked to me about a C-section. It had been almost 24 hours since my water broke. I had never progressed passed 3 centimeters. They may have expected me to cry and feel bad. They may have expected me to beg them to allow me to continue in hope of having a vaginal birth. I didn't. We came there for a baby. How he or she came into the world made absolutely no difference to me. I felt blessed that a C-section was an option. And I was ready to meet our baby.

My nurse Mae ran to stop the anesthesiologist before he left. She caught him in the parking lot as the snow began to fall. I was prepped for surgery. I remember noting except this...I remember as clear as can be meeting my dear father's eyes as I was wheeled out to surgery. He smiled at me. I can see it still. This man who was not present for any of his own children's births...those were the days men waited outside pacing up and down the hall after all...had witnessed a long and painful labor and was worried for his daughter. But he smiled and let me know it would be alright.

The next memory I have is lying on the table and hearing my wonderful doctor say, "It's a boy head! It's a boy shoulders! What happened??? It's a girl!!!" I had a daughter! It was 5:04 PM on November 26, 1996. Our baby was here. I remember being taken to my room. Steve was there with a bundle in his arms. I remember him placing her in my arms. I do. I remember holding my baby for the first time. I still feel it in my soul. Someone asked me her name. I looked at Steve and he smiled. I replied that her name was Madison. Madison Marie.

I looked around that cozy, dark room. I remember the love. My husband. Our baby. My parents. The snow falling outside. I felt blessed. And I continue to feel the blessing from that cozy night. Eighteen years later.

Our precious Madison Marie. : )