And Baby makes 4!

It has been a busy 2 weeks since Kathryn came to us.  I want to write down her birth story before I forget it, and considering how sleep-deprived I am, the brain is getting foggy by the minute!  So there's no time like the present!

The night before our scheduled surgery, we took Alex to her grandparents and Rich and I went out to dinner for a 'Last Supper.'  We wanted to indulge in something tasty, knowing that the pregnancy diet was coming to an end shortly....meaning it's salads and proteins for me now!  We had a juicy burger and french fries, followed by our favorite dessert, Red Velvet Cake.

We arrived at the hospital at 7:30 a.m., 2 hours before the surgery time.  They prepped me for surgery, and ran blood tests, which thankfully came back normal and allowed me to have the standard spinal anesthesia instead of general anesthesia, which we had worried about.  At 9:45 a.m., they wheeled me to the O.R. and administered my epidural.  They called Rich into the room, and asked us if we were ready. Within minutes, we heard her first cries, and it was music to our ears.

This delivery was easier in some ways than my first because of its planned nature, but so much harder in the recovery.  Now that I'm on the other side, I am sort of shocked that women actually choose to have "elective" C-sections without medical reason.  My reason was medically warranted, but it wasn't a mandatory decision.  My doctor highly recommended the C-section due to my long 30 hour labor, vacuum delivery and some other complications that occurred with Alex's delivery, but it wasn't like I had to go with her recommendation.  She was more than willing to give me the opportunity to labor and take my chances on future more serious complications.  I didn't want to risk it, considering the worst-case scenario might be a future of incontinence.  But even until the day before, I felt unsure of my choice.

When Kathryn arrived, she weighed a pound and a half MORE than her sister, and the first thing my doctor said as she held her up was, "You made the right decision! We would have ended up on this table no matter what, and it wouldn't have been nearly this easy!" So I guess I am happy that I chose well? But the pain and recovery of a C-section really took me by surprise.  I don't do well with pain medication, and I had not anticipated how difficult it would be to recover from major surgery while trying to care for a newborn, breastfeed, pay attention to a toddler, and entertain visitors each day.

I'm happy to be past the 2 week mark, as I'm just starting to feel slightly normal and can function without too much pain.

But enough about me!  Kathryn Grace is a beautiful, sweet, mellow baby.  She resembles her older sister to an uncanny likeness physically, but I think she is quite different in personality and temperament.  She is a much better eater, much quieter baby, and seems to be able to go with the flow of our family life without a problem.  She is beautiful and all three of us are just in love with her already.   Alex hasn't shown any jealousy yet, and has been really sweet and loving with her baby sister.  We are praying that it stays that way!