Here are some photos taken over the past few days documenting the arrival of our newest son, Keagan Rowan.(see slideshow — if your browser lets it load — or click on the link to the online album.)
Keagan was born on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 6:28 am via Cesarian Section performed at TMC in Tucson, Arizona.
Keagan weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. and measured 19 in. long. He latched on and nursed soon after delivery.
The surgery went very well despite large amounts of scar tissue from the previous C-section that made it take a little longer to get him out. That made it a little stressful for me, but luckily this time, the warming bed where they were getting Keagan cleaned up was within my view from the operating table and watching my baby helped to keep me a little distracted from the surgery and all of the movement. It was nice watching Nate get to cut the cord and be there to greet our new son and talk to him. One thing I loved was that I was able to touch my baby and kiss him and see more of his body this time around. (Last time all I got was a burrito baby shoved in my face and all I could see was Lucian's nose!) My arms weren't strapped down this time, so I could actually raise my hand and touch him. That made me very happy.
There was lots of laughing going on around the warming table because it turns out, Keagan peed FIVE times during the time he was there in the OR! When he was taken back to the recovery room for the APGAR test, (he scored 8/9) he then proceeded to poop as well. So, we were well assured that all his plumbing was in proper working order right from the start.
I found the surgery to be somewhat less traumatic this time around. I was still scared because I knew what to expect and wasn't looking forward to it. I was a bit more relaxed and felt like I was in good hands. My anesthesiologist was extremely nice and talked with me throughout and answered any questions I had. He was super great about putting the epidural in and I was very proud of myself for staying still while the needle went in. There was one part of the surgery where I began to panic. The numbing sensation was climbing up into my lungs and I felt like I couldn't breathe. My tongue felt like it was swelling and I couldn't feel my throat when I attempted to swallow. The anesthesiologist gave me two puffs of my Albuterol and that seemed to help. I was able to calm down a little more but still got the shakes really bad. Later, after surgery, one of the side effects from the drugs is that it makes you itch like crazy. I accidently pulled some of the skin off my nose from itching it so much. It's healing along with all the other boo boos I've since received during my time here. As usual, my veins alway present an issue and one attempt to start an IV left a very colorful mark.
What should I name it?
One of the worst parts of recovery was dealing with the IV. I was hooked up to a monitor that had alarms on it for my oxygen, heart rate and IV fluid intake. They had to put the IV in near my right elbow, so every time I used my arm, the alarm would sound. Trying to nurse and get in and out of bed set it off constantly. I was ready to throw it out the window and so was Nate. Luckily I didn't have to deal with it for too long, but unfortunately, I think I may be suffering from some nipple trauma because of the difficulty of the cords in the way during nursing sessions. I'm really, really sore right now and many different parts are extremely raw and sensitive.
I'm looking forward to being discharged tomorrow (Thursday) after getting my staples from my incision removed. Today was a pretty decent day getting around. I'm on a regimen of pain killers and Motrin to manage the pain. Sleeping is next to impossible here at the hospital and if and when I do manage to get sleep, it's a nap for about 2 hours max.
I really miss my Lucian and can not wait to see him at home. Nate and I were heartbroken when we found out Lucian would not be allowed to visit at the hospital because of the flu season. (No kids under 12). So, we're really looking forward to getting home so the boys can meet each other! They have presents to give each other :)
This whole experience is still very surreal yet and I'm sure it will be for quite a while. Keagan looks so much like Lucian in the face, it's like I just had a cloned baby! Keagan has white-blond hair and blue eyes, so that's the main difference. He's also a tad smaller than Lucian was as well. Sometimes I have to take off his little cap just to be reminded this is Keagan and not Lucian! Of course, Nate and I have already called Keagan by his big brother's name instead several times now.
Now that the pain meds are kicking in and Keagan has been fed, I'm going to try and snooze. Sorry if there are lots of typos. My eyes are failing to focus now and my ears are ringing so it's time to take a break and nap.
Thanks to everyone who has written me. I wish I could respond back to everyone, but just know that it all means so much to me. Your feedback, prayers, encouragement and advise has really helped me to begin recovering so much faster!
Hope you all enjoy the photos and I'll try to update and write more later. I also have a couple of cute movies I'll want to post later.
