When Mommy Met Corgan

After going through labor with Annabelle, they discovered that she was breach and I had to have an emergency c-section. Since I opted to have a c-section with Corgan, I thought I knew what to expect, but the birthing experience was pretty different this time around. Like with Annabelle, I did actually go into labor. But unlike with Annabelle, I wasn't helped along by way of having my water broken or anything else that could be considered "induction". I dilated up to 5cm on my own (again with no drugs... but I was okay with that this time), then the next couple of hours was spent getting blood work done and getting everything ready for surgery.

Even though I think I was pretty calm going in to surgery, the anethesiologist that I had apparently gave me a sedative along with the epidural. The sedative must have really affected me because last time I was very alert during the whole procedure, and recovered from it quickly... but not this time. After the c-section, they take you to recovery where they monitor your vitals, do more blood work, and wait for you to move your toes to show that you're "recovered". With Annabelle, I was only in recovery for about an hour before I was moving my toes and ready to go to my room to hold her for the first time. Because of the extra sedative that I had with Corgan, I was in recovery for at least 2-3 hours and I still wasn't able to wiggle my toes AND I felt like I was drunk! I could barely keep my eyes open and felt super groggy. The nurse finally decided that the little movement that I was able to stir up in my legs was enough to deem me "recovered" and took me to my room. Keith brought Corgan in to our room, but I was still so groggy that I didn't trust myself to hold him yet so Keith and my mom had to hold him for me. A couple more hours went by and it was already 1 a.m. (5 hours after Corgan was born), mom had gone home, Corgan was sleeping, and Keith was getting ready for bed too. I STILL wasn't able to wiggle my toes and couldn't stay awake any longer so I had the nurse take Corgan to the nursery while I went to sleep.

Around 4 a.m. I woke up and realized that I had full movement in my legs and could wiggle and feel my toes with no problem. I was also alert and over the drunken feeling, so I called the nurse to bring Corgan to me. She brought him into the room and I sat and held him for a couple of hours while he slept quietly in my arms. Keith slept through the whole thing, so it was just me and Corgan. When I first held Annabelle, there was an audience of quite a few people and there are many pictures of the happy event, but with Corgan, the only witness was the nurse who handed him to me. It was such a different setting, but still every bit as special as the first time I held my first born.