Connor Tsaliroi

It's taken me a few days to post this update that mostly everyone knows about. I was much better about this with both girls, but coming home this time was a bit more chaotic than the last two times. I was waiting to get my hands on some pictures to make this a pretty post, but pictures will wait until I can get them off various phones and cameras.

Connor Tsaliroi was born March 20 at 2:43pm via schedule c-section.

As posted earlier, the doctor was growing concerned about his size and the risks associated with a VBAC. I also had reached a point of "being done" and was frustrated by the sudden stop in pre-labor symptoms. Even the practice contractions had stopped and I had no labor signs, though I'd had them almost nonstop from 36 weeks until 38 weeks. So, we schedule the c-section for 39 weeks and 3 days, hoping I'd go into labor before then.

Wednesday morning, labor still hadn't started. We packed the last of my hospital bag, put things in the car, did one last load of dishes and headed out. The girls stayed with a friend from church and James and I headed toward the hospital. Things were already behind schedule when we showed up. Turns out everyone else decided Wednesday was a good day to have their babies as well. We spent the better part of 3 hours sitting in the pre-op room. Two hours after my appointment time, I was being wheeled back to the OR for the surgery. It was certainly a different experience. With Megan, they wheeled me back and knocked me out and I woke up an hour later. This time, I was awake. I won't say "wide awake" because once I had the spinal I got incredibly sleepy and nearly fell asleep from the sensation.

I probably amused the staff. The pre-op room was very stuffy and my temperature definitely rose to higher than normal. I was sweating like crazy and then had a major dizzy spell sitting up to take the anti-nausea stuff. While I was attempting to recover from that, they wheeled me into the air-conditioned halls and I felt even more loopy. Combine that with a general lack of sleep and I started rambling and swallowing my own tongue as I talked. Apparently I also got extremely pale while in the elevator, because one of the nurses commented that I had "pinked up" in the OR.

Anyway, Connor was pulled out to a round of "whoa" from the medical staff in the OR and the doctor leaned over to tell me "looks like the c-section was the right choice" (we'd both been rooting for the VBAC option to come to pass). Connor weighed in at 9lbs 12.8oz and cried the entire time, which might have been his downfall. The staff was a little worried about some of the sounds he was making as indicators of a lung issue and sent for NICU to take him. Luckily, one of the nurses realized I hadn't even seen him yet and brought him over for a few quick kisses from me before we were both wheeled out of the OR and separated.

Because they were so busy on Wednesday it took several hours to get me from the c-section recovery rooms to the post-partum rooms and it wasn't until the next morning that I had a doctor come in to see me and explain what was going on with Connor (I'd had a nurse come by and explain he had breathing issues and give me a way to contact them while I was bed-ridden, but the one time I did call there was little more she could tell me other than "he still has problems, but he's doing fine"). The doctor explained Connor had a pneumothorax and that they would be keeping a close eye on him but generally it healed itself in newborns without intervention. If it didn't, they'd do a simple procedure that should help and he'd be fine. So, in the end, it was a concern, but not a life-threatening one. They just had to keep an eye on him.

Once they let me out of bed Thursday morning, I paced my room a few times before I decided I was ready to go to NICU and finally get to see him, though it was after lunchtime before I felt up to it, since NICU was on a different floor than post-partum recovery, so I had to trek out to the elevators, go up a floor and then walk back to NICU. A few times, if I forgot to take my pain medicine or was due for another dose too soon, the trek back was quite painful and slow-going. During my first visit, the head nurse told me he had improved enough that I should be able to try nursing at my next visit (thus far, he'd gone 24 hours with only IV fluids, giving him a puffy look). I was able to nurse him at my next visit and then made periodic visits over the next 24 hours to feed him again until he was released from NICU and taken to my room Friday afternoon.

The girls were able to visit me twice. Both times they were happy to see me and not so happy to leave. The first time, Megan started crying as the elevator doors closed (I'd walked out with them on my way to NICU). The second time, I had to stay in the room with Connor and James had to carry her screaming out of my room and down the hall (yeah, I cried a little).

After one night of rooming with Connor and having a bit of a struggle with nursing once my milk started to come in, we were discharged. Of course, this process took several hours. Thankfully, another friend from church was more than willing to take the girls for the day so we could get through the process without worrying about them. It was a blessing, of course, since the whole thing was delayed by an extra two hours due to a few hiccups on the hospital's end (including somehow messing up my blood test and getting a false positive on my Hep B test). More than grateful to finally be heading home and see the girls again.

It's been a little over 2 days at home and it's been a slow adjustment, trying to fit Connor and his needs and my sleep deprivation into my day to day with the girls. Thankfully, James is off of work for the week to help while I learn some new ropes and relearn the old ones. Next week will probably be the longest week as I adjust to doing it all on my own. It's a blessing that newborns sleep so much, though Connor is proving to be my fussiest sleeper of the three, which is causing some difficulties. I already feel "survival mode" coming on as I consider the lack of schedule that will be my life for the next few weeks (months?). Thank goodness the girls are pretty independent and able to entertain each other, or content to just sit next to me when they're feeling snuggly.

37 weeks & Ultrasound

Just had our 37 week check-up, complete with final growth ultrasound yesterday afternoon. My body is showing no indication that Connor will be coming any time soon, but that doesn't mean he can't make his appearance any day now. So, I guess we'll see. Due to measurements, there's a chance he'll likely be here within the next 2 weeks, one way or another. I don't know the details on that. The doctor and I will be having a long chat at my appointment next week.

Anyway, the ultrasound was pretty standard. There were no concerns over anything other than his size, so other than a quick check for his heartbeat and double-checking his kidney and bladder and taking a peek at the placenta, they took the measurements they needed and I was in and out in 15 minutes. The technician estimated his weight at 7lbs 14oz (+/- 1lb). His head and belly measured the furthest ahead (39 weeks and 41 weeks respectively), so we'll see what he comes out at!

He amused the technician again, happily showing off he was a boy when she went to take a peek. And yes, I have another embarrassing ultrasound picture for the album. ;-) We now have 4 ultrasounds with very obvious boy parts and equally obvious pictures. Connor does not want us to doubt anything, apparently.

Unfortunately, due to his size and position, we didn't get any ultrasound pictures worth sharing. I have some fuzzy pictures of his "face" but with his chin tucked into his chest (which is good!) and his hands covering the rest of his face, all you see is a black blur that is one eye and some gray fuzz that's supposed to be his forehead and part of his nose. If you want cute pictures, go back to this post.

In the mean time, here's one final picture of pregnant me, 37 weeks + 3 days (do I look as tired as I feel?):