He's here! And like all things this pregnancy...we changed our plans- last minute. The pregnancy was tough and you'd think I would want to be done as soon as possible, ha!
The minute I found out we were having a boy, I wanted to wait as long as possible for his little lungs to develop so we didn't have to see the inside of the NICU again. I wanted to wait. Gestational diabetes changed that plan a little- but being diet controlled and not having to use insulin helped. So my OBGYN agreed to 39 weeks and 4 days. May 25 was the date we agreed on- too bad the specialist at Maternal Fetal Medicine didn't care that I had a plan. (My due date was May 28)
He suggested that we schedule the c-section before 39 weeks- which was not the plan but ok.... I am not a doctor. My doctor suggested May 21, and I wanted to wait, her schedule was kind of crazy with being on call and whatnot- so we decided on Wednesday afternoon- after multiple phone calls and voicemails- that we we do it sooner rather than later. Soooo, we moved the c-section to May 20. Now, Baby Bratcher did have some fluid in his lungs...he did receive oxygen briefly and was treated with antibiotics in case of infection..... so I will stand by my idea that waiting would've been better. (again, I am not a doctor)
The surgery was exactly routine. We signed in at the hospital at 7, got all the lab work done, I was prepped and ready and around 11, I was brought in to the operating room. The epidural was not nearly as nerve wracking as it was with Lucy or Miles & Callie, I didn't even cry! I was the third c-section on the schedule and according to the anesthesiologists-who were talking sports with Matt during the whole procedure- I was the best! I was able to basically chill out while Dr. Lewis and Dr. Borden pulled the little human out. It's crazy but I could feel the relief of the pressure fade away as they took him out and it was awesome. They laid him on my chest and he immediately clawed to my neck and made breathing difficult, haha. I was able to hang out while they put me back together. I asked Matt what song was playing as he was born because I was not paying attention to the music- mostly I was listening to the conversation between the doctors about how "students going to prom is good for them, they are getting a piece of normal after this crazy year." Turns out, it was Renegade by Styx- so that's fun.
When we got to the recovery room, I was working on getting my toes to work again and had enough time to Google Meet with my class! I was able to show him off and see my students. I wasn't doing anything else, haha! It was super sweet to see my kids and let them know I was okay and the baby was here.
Now that he's here and I am healing, I'm thrilled that I'm not pregnant anymore!
So he's here and he has a name! Rowan Maverick Bratcher! He weighed 8 lbs even, 21 inches long and has a head full of dark hair. He's chunk with the best cheeks and so far, his personality is charming! He was cleared of all possibility of infection and we were discharged from the hospital on Saturday night around 9pm. He's been perfectly agreeable after the first night home(that night was so hard, just awful and I don't wanna talk about it).
I miss the hospital. There, I said it. The nurses were amazingly patient and friendly. They brought me the "good ice" and cold water every chance they got. They were impressed that I was up and walking, they helped keep me informed about my care and Rowan's. The cafeteria called and took my food order and delivered. I was able to watch a show! I missed my big kids but they were soooo sweet when I got home that it was just so perfect.
Lucy, Miles and Callie handled everything just fine from what I hear. We even let Lucy come and visit. She was so excited and continues to be so sweet and helpful- maybe even more helpful! Now, the others reactions- not what I expected. We let Rowan sit on their laps and Callie looked at him and just cried- breaking my momma heart. Miles reacted in the opposite way- he claimed Rowan as his baby and basically refused to let him go. Callie's come around and laughs when Rowan makes any kind of noise but Miles.... still thinks that Rowan is his and is super convincing when he tells you that he can "have him, hold him."
