Baby James Born 2011!

The worst part of my c-section was the epidural. An epidural port is inserted to help with the pain both during the surgery and for two days after.  First they made me sit hunched over and a nurse held my shoulders so I  didn't fall off the table when I arched my back for the shot. But for some reason she applied an inordinate amount of pressure to my shoulders. Then they gave me a numbing injection, or three, which the anesthesiologist said "might burn" and definitely did. For a normal woman, the numbing shot is the worst part. No one has ever accused me of being a normal woman. The anesthesiologist asked that I tell him what I feel when he did the epidural. The needle itself I hardly felt, thanks to the numbing shots, but I felt shooting pain emanating from the site of the needle out to my right side.

"Really? On your right? Hmh. Let's try again."

The anesthesiologist assistant swapped with the nurse at my shoulders, followed by the resident. I begged her to take pressure off my shoulders in between the injections even though she was the lightest one by far.  My shoulders were bruised.

More numbing shots followed, and then more epidural shots. At one point, he took a break to insert the spinal.

"THAT FEELS LIKE ELECTRICITY SHOOTING THROUGH THE ENTIRE RIGHT SIDE OF MY BODY."

"Oh, that's normal." So he did that twice. I grabbed the resident's scrub pants with my thumb and forefinger. I must have thought we were buddies.

Then he resumed poking me with the epidural.  The anesthesiologist mentioned that I might have to do the surgery without an epidural, just the spinal, and that I could take other pain medication after the surgery. Finally he called in another anesthesiologist who put the epidural right in where it was supposed to go.

An hour and fifteen minutes had passed. I wondered whether Kevin was close enough that he could hear me yelp when they shocked me over and over and whether he was scared about what was going on. He told me later that he could hear me but someone from the room would periodically update him.

Right after the doctor made the first incision, they let Kevin into the room. I didn't feel anything so I spent the time thinking about how silly Kevin looked in his scrub hat, and hoping the baby had a big healthy scream when he came out.  I heard him before I saw him.  He gave a medium-loud complaint cry.  When I saw him my first words were "He's awesome!"

My first view of James

Making footprints

Proving he has big healthy lungs

I was amazed by how large his feet were. Those huge feet had been kicking me for weeks! They asked us about his name, and we announced for the first time that his name was James. They wrapped him up in a tight receiving blanket burrito and gave him to Kevin. His mouth was covered by the blanket. I tried to uncover it while they finished my surgery so I could see what he looked like. I couldn't quite figure him out. They asked Kevin to wait with him in the hall while they finished my stitches and staples. Kevin told me that in the hall he had a private talk with James where he promised to always be a good father to him. (How crazy sweet is that?) The doctors finally put him in my arms for the first time when they wheeled me out of the operating room.

My first time holding him

They took him after a moment or two to examine him in the nursery for 4 hours! I was going crazy! They sent me to the recovery room for 2 hours, where Kevin and my mother joined me, and eventually Kevin's mother too. We called James's uncles and great-grandparents. Then I encouraged the mothers to go visit James in the nursery, which I knew they were eager to do. They reported back that James was the largest baby in the nursery and that he was complaining about how hungry he was with a light cry and sucking on his fists. We were all smitten.