More on Megan (pictures, too)

We have successfully survived our first night in the Smith household as a family of four. With a few extra hands, I was able to put Cadence to bed as I always do, get a shower, and get into bed and actually sleep. Well, the sleep thing can be negotiated as to what the definition is. I got a series of decent-lengthened naps that adds up to about 6 hours total. The whole night is a blur of waking, feeding, burping, and sleeping. I can't even tell you the number of times I got up, but I do remember two serious feeding sessions, both of which included multiple up and downs given Megan's preference to snack.

Milk has come in gradually, so nursing is temporarily a bit of a hassle and a tad painful, but hopefully the worst of that is over by the end of the weekend. If I remember right it doesn't take too long for things to regulate... I hope I remember right...

Anyway, as to why I had an emergency c-section. I didn't want to go into too much detail, because, truth be told, I wasn't entirely sure what had gone on. But, I did a little google of what they did tell me and talked with an L&D nurse friend and finally got a clear picture of what happened:

Because my water broke so prematurely (3 1/2 weeks early), Megan hadn't had time to descend fully, so there was a bit of room between her and the exit, just enough room for part of the umbilical cord to be pulled into the birth canal by the force of the water gushing out. So when Megan's head did get into place, her head was pushed down against the cord with every contraction, cutting off her oxygen supply and everything else that cord delivered to her. It's not common. A freak occurrence, according to my L&D nurse friend who, in her three years of experience, only saw it happen twice. It had to be an emergency c-section once they knew what it was. If not acted upon immediately, a prolapsed cord is fatal to the baby, for obvious reasons. So, it seems we are lucky to have Megan. I'm doing pretty good at not thinking about the "what ifs" and am luckily too busy to dwell too much. For now, my only concern with her health is the minor tint of yellow to Megan's skin.

And I'm re-adjusting my relationship with Cadence. There's a tiny bit of guilt there, since from the moment I came home, she was suddenly different, suddenly bigger. I have to try hard to not get upset every time Cadence acts unhappy and remind myself she had these fits even before I was gone for 2 1/2 days and it is not her acting out to express being upset with me. We're going to blame a bit of hormones for that one. But, so long as she still prefers me rocking her to sleep, I think all will be well. She's still my happy little (well, not so little in comparison anymore!) girl and she still adores me, so I am content.

Oh, and a bit more good news: James's car loan was paid off entirely by insurance, except for the gap insurance, but the bank isn't expecting anything from us until that claim is processed. He went to the bank and asked about getting a second car loan and was basically given his original car loan pre-approved. So we have up to $12,000 to spend on a new (well, used, but new to us) car. We don't plan to spend the full $12,000, but having the pre-approved loans opens up so many doors and puts us in a place of power when it comes to negotiating. So... yay! We should have a car by the end of the weekend.