As soon as she was born my protective instincts kicked in but not the sense of heart bursting love and achievement like I had with Toby!
I know that sounds absolutely horrible but that's how I felt!
It all started at that tear jerking moment when I was told I had an infection that if passed onto the baby through a vaginal birth could cause defects and in worse case be fatal!
Which in turn meant they were booking me in for a c section the very next morning, I had 13 hours to prepare myself for the biggest surgery in my life!
I broke down and bawled my eyes out until there were no tears left!
Just over 18 months ago I had defied the odds and carried my son to 40 weeks and had a drug free natural birth when they said I had no chance and now my water birth drifted out the window!
Later that night around 10pm I started having contractions and knew that if my waters broke I was to go straight in for am emergency c section, luckily they didn't but I didn't get much sleep that night.
The alarm went off at 6am I lay in bed for a while I was exhausted from a long night of contractions and restless sleep, I didn't want to get up in a way it felt like that sealed my fate.
We got to the hospital at 7am, I was already shaking like a leaf (believe it or not I shook through the whole operation) I signed my paper work and unpacked my bags, I cried the whole time!
Before I knew it I was getting dressed into my gown and getting wheeled up the long corridors to theater, I can't even begin to explain what was going through my head, it was racing, I had so many thoughts of what it would be like and how I was going to handle the recovery.
Whilst sitting in there getting my spinal block I was so frightened but I was extremely lucky I had a great team of people working on me and my ever supportive husband in his scrubs clinging onto my hand promising never to let it go (and he didn't)
Laying tilted on the operating table, I was numb, Physically and emotionally!
They started to cut me open and I just lay there talking to Jarryd about anything that came to our mind, It was probably the longest conversation we had had my whole pregnancy it helped me relax while in the back of my mind I knew that I was having a massive operation and I was about to be a mum again.
At 9.12am on Saturday the 20th of July they pulled down the curtain that separated us from the doctors and pulled up my baby girl in to the world, as she let out her first cry so did Jarryd and I, we were so overwhelmed with everything that we had been through in the last 24 hours and it showed!
The midwife took Grace away and cleaned her up it was the first time the whole time that Jarryd let go of my hand but I wanted him to make sure he got to cut the cord.
Grace was already on her way out so they had to use the forceps to pull her back up through my pelvis resulting in her whole cheek being bruised, I freaked out thinking it was a birth mark but when the doctor said it could be and we would have to wait to see if it went away I was a bit shocked.
I couldn't believe how much hair she had, I also asked if they were sure she was mine (yes I was the only pregnant lady in the room) she was so swollen and puffy so I was quite shocked when I first looked at her!
I insisted Jarryd gave me his phone whilst they were stitching me up so I could take a photo of them together in his scrubs because I knew they were going to take Grace with me to recovery as soon as I was stitched up.
I still don't no how I managed to take this photo but I love it!
In recovery she latched straight on to my breast and I thought to myself 'yay an easy feeder' (boy I was wrong)
It has taken me a long time to bond with Grace, between hospital stays and operations, also her dramatic weight loss while I was trying my hardest to breastfeed I felt as though I couldn't do anything right.
I had to work hard to push all the thoughts of failing at breastfeeding and the fact that I didn't get the birth that I had planned out of my mind (I still think about it a lot).
Sometimes bonding doesn't come as naturally as we hope it does but that doesn't make up a bad Mum, it makes us human!
I wouldn't change my family for anything in the world even if I do wish my experience had been different!
Before I knew it I was getting dressed into my gown and getting wheeled up the long corridors to theater, I can't even begin to explain what was going through my head, it was racing, I had so many thoughts of what it would be like and how I was going to handle the recovery.
Whilst sitting in there getting my spinal block I was so frightened but I was extremely lucky I had a great team of people working on me and my ever supportive husband in his scrubs clinging onto my hand promising never to let it go (and he didn't)
Laying tilted on the operating table, I was numb, Physically and emotionally!
They started to cut me open and I just lay there talking to Jarryd about anything that came to our mind, It was probably the longest conversation we had had my whole pregnancy it helped me relax while in the back of my mind I knew that I was having a massive operation and I was about to be a mum again.
At 9.12am on Saturday the 20th of July they pulled down the curtain that separated us from the doctors and pulled up my baby girl in to the world, as she let out her first cry so did Jarryd and I, we were so overwhelmed with everything that we had been through in the last 24 hours and it showed!
The midwife took Grace away and cleaned her up it was the first time the whole time that Jarryd let go of my hand but I wanted him to make sure he got to cut the cord.
Grace was already on her way out so they had to use the forceps to pull her back up through my pelvis resulting in her whole cheek being bruised, I freaked out thinking it was a birth mark but when the doctor said it could be and we would have to wait to see if it went away I was a bit shocked.
I couldn't believe how much hair she had, I also asked if they were sure she was mine (yes I was the only pregnant lady in the room) she was so swollen and puffy so I was quite shocked when I first looked at her!
I insisted Jarryd gave me his phone whilst they were stitching me up so I could take a photo of them together in his scrubs because I knew they were going to take Grace with me to recovery as soon as I was stitched up.
I still don't no how I managed to take this photo but I love it!
In recovery she latched straight on to my breast and I thought to myself 'yay an easy feeder' (boy I was wrong)
It has taken me a long time to bond with Grace, between hospital stays and operations, also her dramatic weight loss while I was trying my hardest to breastfeed I felt as though I couldn't do anything right.
I had to work hard to push all the thoughts of failing at breastfeeding and the fact that I didn't get the birth that I had planned out of my mind (I still think about it a lot).
Sometimes bonding doesn't come as naturally as we hope it does but that doesn't make up a bad Mum, it makes us human!
I wouldn't change my family for anything in the world even if I do wish my experience had been different!
Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteShe is so cute...