Thursday, December 10, 2020

Meet William Otto!

William Otto entered this world last Thursday, just after 8am! I've been meaning to sit down and share his arrival but it's been challenging to find a block of time with an empty lap. But here goes!

Birth Story

Planned c-section birth stories feel like less of a 'story' since everything is so planned out and there is no wondering when and how the baby will arrive. But I will say that a planned c-section was way better than an emergecy one done 29 hours after induction/after 17 hours of active labor! My c-section was at 7:30 - I walked down with the nurse, hopped up on the OR table, got my spinal block, and the baby was born 38 minutes later! I lucked out and got the same nurse anesthetist as last time - I did not remember her but she had clearly looked at my medical records and noted that she was there for Paul's birth - which is pretty cool of her to do. She was so incredibly kind - she held my hand until Phil got in there and took lots of photos of the birth. She also took pictures of Paul's c-section delivery. Medical stuff does not gross me out, so it's very cool to see how our boys came into the world! He clocked in at 8 pounds 4 ounces (so 1 ounce shy of a pound bigger than Paul!) and 21.5 inches. He has a big ol' head - just like Paul, too. 

I wasn't able to do skin-to-skin with William because his body temp was too low so they needed to wrap him up.


But he was able to lay on my chest while they stitched me up - I'll take what I can get! 


We went into the recovery room next and got lots of time to cuddle and work on breast feeding. Those who have read this blog for a long time may remember that Paul did not latch/transfer milk well - luckily I am having a completely different experience with William. He breastfed well from the start. We've had some challenges as breastfeeding definitely takes work and there always seem to be hiccups along the way, but all in all it's going well!


Then it was back to our post-partum room where we could rest and soak up some snuggles with our little guy. 

The Name

His name is William Otto, but we will call him Will. Phil came up with the name and I was totally on board with it. Otto is Phil's maternal grandfather's middle name. Phil was very close to this grandpa so it was a great way to honor their special relationship. We called the baby Taco through most of the pregnancy and half the time, that's what we continue to call him! We'll see if that nickname sticks or not!

Delivering during a pandemic

Overall, Covid didn't drastically change my delivery/post-partum hospital experience. I had to get tested 5 days before my c-section (it was negative thank goodness!) and I had to wear a mask during the delivery. We also wore masks whenever a provider came into our room. And you can't have visitors, of course, but my parents were the only people who came when Paul was born - and it was a very brief visit. The nurses said they think the no visitor policy is actually better for moms and dads so they can focus on the baby/establishing breastfeeding/etc without people coming in and out. Phil was also not able to leave the hospital, but I don't know that he would have if he could have, especially since our stay was so short. I definitely had a lot of anxiety about getting covid before delivery and now I will worry about us staying healthy with Paul in daycare, but the delivery itself felt pretty "normal." We won't be having any visitors at home either which is a big change from last time, but we've had people drop off meals and gifts and such so we are still feeling the love.

Big Brother Paul

I was almost more anxious about being away from Paul than I was about having another c-section. Phil and I have each spent nights away from Paul for work but this was our first time away from him together. I had no concerns about my parents watching them. They had 5 kids, this is their 9th grandchild and my mom was a nurse - so clearly they are extremely capable! But Paul is very sensitive to care providers and is very attached to me so I was worried he would struggle with us being away. But he did extremely well and only cried once on Friday night. Apparently he was extremely well-behaved and a great listener. Go figure he was on his best behavior for Papa and Nana!

We pushed hard for a discharge on Saturday, so a 2-night stay, instead of the typical 3-night stay for c-sections. The nurses and doctors were all on board with this as they are trying to get people out of there ASAP due to covid. So we were home by around 11:30 am on Saturday - after a pitstop at Starbucks to pick up a venti peppermint mocha, of course!!


Paul was jumping up and down and screaming with excitement when we pulled up front. He was very excited to meet his baby brother and loves to hold him! 



Our first week at home

Will turned 1 week old today. We are happy but extremely exhausted. While Paul had to be woken to eat every 3 hours as he was so sleepy/not into eating, it's a whole other story with Will. He seems much hungrier. But he is also much fussier - but only during the night, of course. We had several nights of being up every 45 minutes which is brutal. He seems to just want to be held/cuddle and really wants mom. So we feel pretty bleary-eyed and are hoping for some longer stretches of sleep soon so we can start to feel more human. I am glad Phil is home for 2 weeks of paternity leave to help out and he's been doing the vast majority of care for Paul. I can't lift Paul for 6 weeks so he will be doing the bulk of caring for Paul. I try to do what I can that doesn't involve lifting him and try to make sure I spend some time reading to him each day. 

***

Even with all the exhaustion and lack of sleep, I will still take this over pregnancy. I was so miserable at the end, and even had flares the night before the delivery that I was icing as we prepared to go into the OR. I had some flares post-delivery but the prednisone seems to be taking care of them now and I can go back on my injections after my 2-week incision check. Fingers crossed the incision looks good so I can get back on my miracle drug!

And that's my lengthy birth story post! Thanks for following along with this pregnancy! 


15 comments:

Jeanie said...

Lisa, this is so wonderful! I'm so glad that all went well. I love the photos and his name -- Will. That's a terrific name. And you look radiant -- it's hard to believe you just gave birth in those photos! I'm so very happy for you all. That smile on Paul's face portends good things, too!

katielookingforward said...

Congratulations again! I love reading birth stories, and am so glad you only had to do 2 nights in the hospital, i hope your incision heals well and that will starts allowing more than 45 mins between feedings!

Jordan said...

Congratulations!!! I had a similar breastfeeding experience - it was so difficult with baby #1 and with baby #2 much more straightforward. So glad it's going well for you so far too, it helps to have that part going smoothly since the lack of sleep is hard enough!

Kyria @ Travel Spot said...

I am so glad that it went smoothly and you got to go home from the hospital a little early! I am sure that it is nice to be home as a family rather than in a hospital bed.

Its great that he is taking to breastfeeding more easily than Paul; I have heard that it is very frustrating when they will not feed and you have to go to formula etc. It seems like he is bigger and hungrier and will probably be a good eater later too! I am also keeping my fingers crossed that your incision heals nicely and you can go back on your drug regimen, as I am sure that has been hard as well.

Sam said...

Congratulations! I'm so glad for your family. Thinking lots of good thoughts for your family in this new phase, and for your continued recovery!

Carolina John said...

Yay! I'm so happy he's here, and healthy, and everyone is now home safe. Hope you have a fast recovery and an uneventful next few weeks

Stephany said...

Welcome to the world, Will! I love his name. I love the meaning behind it, too. :)

I'm glad the delivery went well and he's taking to breastfeeding more easily than Paul. That's wonderful news! Here's to recovery and NO MORE FLARES!

Grateful Kae said...

Awww what a great story! I'm so happy for you all! Paul looks so excited to be a big brother. :) Family complete!!! :)

Marlys said...

We were so pleased that our Covid test were negative so we could be there to help! Paul was a joy to be with and Grandma and Grandpa needed that bonding time as we have spent so little time with him this year. We can easily say he was a “perfect Paul”! Then we had the advantage of getting to see and hold Will when he returned home! Newborns are my favorite stage so I feasted on the snuggles for those hours we were there.
I’m thankful for FaceTime and zoom so we can see him and hear both Paul and Will over the next few months.
The first two weeks are the hardest, but soon all will turn out well and your routine will be a blessing. Let the healing continue!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

Those pictures of Paul holding will are so sweet. You can see Paul's excitement. Congratulations to you all! Glad that you aren't pregnant any more and you can now enjoy cuddle time with your little taco 💙 It will be an extra special Christmas with your family of 4.

Anne said...

Oh, what wonderful news! I'm so glad that Will (love the name) is healthy and thriving, and that you are (fingers crossed) feeling better after delivery. The pictures with Paul are adorable. I hope that you heal well, that the flares go away, and that you are able to finally enjoy your favorite treats!

Abby said...

Love reading this!! It sure is nice how seamless the c-section timing all goes. Especially for type-A planner types lol. I guess that is the silver lining of a planned c-section, right??

38 minutes is impressive. Not sure if I've told you this - but last year I had to audit c-sections for part of my quality job. Sometimes I'd be in there for hours. 2 worlds - teaching hospitals ;). LOL. One of the reasons why I chose not to deliver at my place of employment.

I'm so glad Will is feeding better, and things seem to be going well at home during the adjustment! Hoping your RA pain has been minimal?

Gracie said...

I am so happy for you and happy that, even during a pandemic, you had a safe pregnancy (despite risks) and delivery. Will is the cutest little guy, and seeing Paul so excited to hold him is just the sweetest. I hope you are back on the good drugs soon, haha, and that Will settles into a good nighttime sleep routine. I know sleeplessness is AWFUL, but it's kind of cute that he wants nighttime mom snuggles! Glad that he's a good eater for you. He really is just adorable and I couldn't be happier for you and Phil.

The Many Thoughts of a Reader said...

aww... such great photos! glad you had a good experience. i much appreciated my much quicker second birth. especially since i was unmedicated both times. definitely was thinking the second one, that if it lasted much longer i was going to need something!! but i think since things were actually progressing quickly as opposed to drawn out it was just intense!

San said...

Sorry I am a little late catching up on blog posts and therefore late congratulating you on Will's birth. He's previous and I am glad you had such an easy delivery. I hope the c-section recovery was/is going well, too.

So sweet to see big brother Paul with his new sibling <3