thought i would take a min or 2 or 40....to try and remember this perfect miracle's birth story before my brain is fogged over (well it is already ...ha) with sleep deprivation....
Short version
Eliana Rhe Eigenheer joined us on july 18 at 10:06 am weighting a dainty but mighty 6 pds 12 oz’s, she measured longer than her brother at 19 inches. We were sent home after 4 days to start our lives as a family of 4!
Eliana- “ellie-anna” is Hebrew for “my god has answered me”
Rhe comes from the word rhema “spoken word of god”
Long, detailed and ever so much more fun version….written esp for the eig’s who love lavished details, charts and information
Wed morning, after spending the night in tears. Ha. I was shocked and overwhelmed by the emotions that hit me when I tucked nate into bed, I was feeling everything all at once and crying over the changes and adjustments to come. I decided to be honest and send a friend an email sharing with her how I was feeling, she responded that she also cried before each of her kids were born and what I was feeling was nothing but normal. Then she said “remember you have to go through this to get to the other side” meaning, facing my fears of child birth, reliving past memories of nate’s birth and ben’s loss. Ever have someone say exactly what you needed to hear? Those were the words I needed! I went to bed and I was able to sleep. chris and I prayed together believing that our birth story would be nothing but a peaceful calm delight
Wed am. I was greeted at the door with a timmy’s from my parents and I decided to break the fast and drink it. Ha. And I enjoyed every last sip of it. Chris and my sister came to the hospital with me. i was all over the place with emotions and remembering thoughts of the past. i just keep focused "gotta get through this to get to the other side"
We got to the hospital, I registered and registered some more. Ha. Then I was sent to the prep room where chris joined me. I was stripped down and even lost my new pedi! Chris had to remove the polish from my sparkly toes. perfect excuse to get a new one! righh?! haha The nurse, who was so nice and gentle prepped me, put my iv in, then my catheter, which hurts like a mo! As she was finishing up my iv line I almost passed out! Mix of nerves, hormones, hot room and lying on my back flat. But I fought it and didn’t! the nurse got a call from the o.r. saying they were ready for me! I was scheduled for the section at 10:15, it was 9:30 so I got to go in early! whooo hooo
I was wheeled in the o.r. after a quick good bye hug from my sister who had to wait in the waiting room (boo!) and a kiss from chris who wasn’t allowed in the o.r. until I was ready. I met my anesthesiologist who was ummm lacking manners, politeness and well was just rude! he ended up putting 4 iv’s in! when only 1 was needed and 3 more in my arms before he got one going (yes, he left them ALL in during the surgery!) then it was time for the spinal. I got into the position, sitting side ways on the operating table, bent over a pillow, elbows on the knees, feet on a stool with a nurse to push against so i can arch my back. very difficult when you have a baby gut! then i spent the next 15 mins in agony as he tried to get the needle in. chris took a video if this, no worries I won’t show it, but trust me it hurt! Finally! I felt my butt and legs get warm and before I could put my legs on the table they were numb. The 2 nurses helped me lay down and my gyno came over to say hello. We had a chat, chris joined us and when I was ready she began the procedure
I felt pressure, movement and tried not to be scared. I was thou, how could you not be? they are cutting your body open and you are awake AND you can hear them talking! (they all spoke in english! very nice of the dr to do!) . After the blue cloth went up I was laying there feeling very scared. i remembered my friend's words “ you have to go thought this to get to the other side” I said it over and over until I felt the peace of god overtake the fear
Chris spent most of the time video taping and taking pic’s of the procedure. I wanted him to! I haven’t seen them all yet but one day I will! I thought it was rather silly for chris to stay with me and not see anything instead of standing up and watching everything for me! And report to me what was going on! there are many pics and video's if anyone wants to watch them...hahaha....quite interesting actually. anyways. back to the story
I heard chris say “mel, they opened your uterus up, oh there she is….” Then I heard the loudest cry! I remember asking chris with tears “how is she, is she ok? Does she have all her fingers and toes? Does she have hair?.......” I was asking the questions faster than he could answer them
Chris then asked if he could leave me to cut the cord. I said yes! go see her! and make sure she's ok. i knew from nate's birth that they cut the cord, then take the baby to clean them up, wrap them up and quickly show the mom before they take the baby to the nursery to be checked out...with nate i saw him for about 2 mins before he was taken away. i remember laying on the table feeling so helpless when all i wanted was my baby! so i told chris to go with her, not to let anyone other than him hold her and bring her to me when he could. with nate is was about 45 mins before i saw him.
I felt kinda helpless, I couldn’t move and I knew I would be on the o.r. table for at least another 30 mins while they sewed me back up. I wanted to see and hold my baby SO bad!
I was looking up at the ceiling when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Chris’s arms. Then I heard chris whisper “mel, would you like to see her?” I cried and said yes!!!
Then I felt my minutes-old daughter being placed on my chest. I felt the nurses help get my arms out from the iv tubes. Little miss eliana was placed on my left chest. I felt her, smelt her and bawled with the powerful feeling of connecting to my baby. something i never had with nate.
I was overwhelmed and still am with words to describe what I’ve only read about and heard about from others as I watched my daughter lift her head, smell for me and move her body across my chest to my right side. Where she started to root
A nurse quietly came to my right side and softly asked if I wanted to nurse. i noticed that the o.r. was quiet, that my dr was talking very quietly to the others...Tears were literally pouring down my face as I got to experience the natural bond of a nursing baby moments out of my womb...i have heard about the "new cesarean section" which is being experimented with in the states. i never dreamed that my hospital would do this for me. i later found out that they have not officially started doing this and i was one of the firsts...
I was there on the operating table, nursing my daughter. feeling nothing but calm, peace and love
After I was cleaned up I was sent to my recovery room. Ellie was taken to the nursery to be weighted and cleaned up. On the way out the door I said to chris “get my sister! Let her hold my daughter!” i felt free to share her with everyone because i got to have her first! i got to experience what others have had for yrs and i wanted my sister to hold her niece moments after her birth
Chris was gone for a few min, while i was in recovery with my nurses who were so kind and gentle to me. they spoke so softly and i was overwhelmed with the quiet peace in the room. i closed my eyes, thanked god for my baby and cried silent tears of a feeling i haven't felt in so long, like rain after a dry time. i knew everything would be ok, that i am on a new road now, the past is gone and new things are ahead. he's (my god) doing a new, new thing. i will praise him in the hard times and i will praise him in the joy.
when chris came back ellie was placed back on my chest for more skin to skin and nursing! I spent the next 2 hours alone in this quiet, peaceful room with only chris and my nurse. nursing, crying and loving this new thing, i call it my "recovery vacation" sheer calm delight
After the 2 hrs were over and i was ready to be brought to my room, I was told there was NO private rooms! Sob sob. I had to share a room with another girl. As we passed the ONLY private room with a bathroom (the same one we had stayed at for 6 days when Nathaniel was born), I said “ that room is mine, I claim it. I am NOT staying in a ward!”
I got to my room and met my roommate. Sigh. Yeah. She was nice and loud and so was her family. Ha. i really wanted a new room the peace and quiet was gone
My family then came in to visit, nate was first in line to see his sister. I have been asked a lot about how nate is doing and how he reacted to his sister, I can not begin to explain how much he LOVES his sister. He is so taken with her and is the best helper ever. He takes his role as a big brother VERY seriously. I no longer have worries about him. he thinks she is the cutest thing and is bursting with love. spider man web shooter or not. he loves his sister
Around 5 I was told that there was a change in the plans! that a room had opened up for me. and Get this! that room just happened to be the only private one with a private bathroom! I was SOOOOOO happy to move there! i was settled into my new room around 8...after i had my first walk and getting out of bed
we settled into the room and got ready to spend the next 4 LONG days there. sigh. we had a good post recovery. some up and downs but NOTHING close to what we went through with nate. i got very little sleep, kinda hard when the nurses come in every hour! i know it's their job but man, i get tired!
Now the sappy stuff…
This girl has changed my life. I am so in love with her it breaks my heart. and get this! I love and adore nursing. Me! I love it! The bond we share, the closeness I feel and the peace I have has been life changing. i am not sure if it was the skin on skin right after birth or that she's a natural nurser but breast feeding has been way easy. i love it. i don't mind the constant feeds and little sleep. its worth it. they are so small for such a small time, i am loving it
i spend my days locked away in my own little world, eliana is a snuggler and loves being close to me, the opposite of nate, which is so nice. i love having this time to just be with her, to discover her to just enjoy. i am on a self imposed babymoon and love every bit of it!
God knew I needed this little girl and sent her to me, perfect, whole and complete
She has something so special about her, a calmness peace and delight. My miracle, my much wanted gift from god.
Yes, it was worth it
God is faithful. always
*gazillions of pics are to follow....at some time...me with a new camera is very dangerous!
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