Maclane's Debut :: A Birth Story

There isn't much to be said about Maclane's debut. After all, it went basically according to plan. I wrote about Carter's birth story here and for the sake of remembering, wanted to make sure I was able to get Maclane's written while the memories are still fresh.



After putting Carter down to bed for the last night as an only child (and crying only once) I climbed into bed for what I knew would be an extra early morning. After what seemed like only a few hours of sleep, The Husband and I woke at 5am, packed the car and headed off to the hospital. 


As we were told to, we checked into the Labor and Delivery unit a little after 6:15am. We were immediately taken to a pre-op room where we spent the next hour or so with two wonderful and hilarious nurses. Listening to our son's heartbeat on the monitor, we patiently counted down the minutes until "go-time." 


It turned out that the doctor performing the surgery had just returned from a vacation in Cuba only the night before and was running a little late that morning. Although it didn't really affect our schedule that much, I remember thinking "well, at least she's nice and rested!" 


After meeting with the anesthesiologist and signing a few last papers with our doctor, it was off to OR 1 for me. 


I have to say I was much, much more nervous this time around than I was with Carter. If I had to guess, I'm sure it's mostly because I knew what to expect this time around and all I could think about was the tugging and pressure I felt during surgery as well as the overwhelming nausea I felt in the hours following my recovery. 


The nurse and I talked shop while my epidural was placed and just like last time, the worst part was the initial numbing injections. Within minutes my legs were feeling fuzzy and it was time to lay down. 


Here's where the nurse in me and my nerves got the best of me. As I could feel the epidural/spinal creeping its way further up my body, I began to panic. I willed myself to take deep breaths but before I knew it, I was feeling faint and seeing spots. 


The anesthesiologist quickly asked if I was alright and I admitted that my nerves were getting the best of me. I also happened to glance at the monitor to see that my blood pressure was dangerously low at 70/55. It was then that the anesthesiologist began squeezing my IV fluids into me so that they'd flush into my system faster, bringing my blood pressure up. 


I closed my eyes and after what felt like forever, The Husband came in to sit at my side. He quickly grabbed my  hand and kept asking me if I was alright. All I could do was nod and keep my eyes closed. 


I was wheeled into the OR at 8:50am. Maclane was born at 9:17am with a hearty set of lungs. In fact, I believe he began crying even before he was pulled completely from my belly. 


The OR became a buzz of "congratulations!" "he's beautiful!" and "what a cute tushy he has!" 

After several minutes, the nurse walked over to let me know that he did, in fact, have dark hair. 


I cried. And cried. 


The tugging and pressure I felt with my first c-section? I didn't feel at all with this one. After the usual rigmarole of vital sign checks and then some, Maclane was handed off to The Husband who brought him to rest at the side of my head. 

I remember kissing him and peeking under his hat. I couldn't believe, just like that, we became a family of four. I couldn't believe, just like that, we were blessed with another perfect and beautiful little boy. 


Maclane proceeded to ride with me into recovery and stay with us for as long as he could before needing to head back to the nursery for his newborn exam. He wanted nothing to do with nursing and I wasn't in a rush. I figured he'd go for it when he was ready- I mean, after all, he was just yanked from his cozy little womb and thrust into the world. 

Just a few hours after his birth, Maclane was greeted by his first set of visitors, his big brother and my parents. 


Carter was interested in his new little brother for a whole 34 seconds before rushing off to explore the hospital room. 

shirt by Pumpkin Butter Kids

It was a whirlwind of a day but it couldn't have gone any more smoothly. June 18th, 2012, the day we became a family of four. 


Happy Birthday, Maclane!