Elise Faith's Debut

On Saturday evening Brad left the hospital just before 9:30 p.m.  He visited me every day I was in the hospital, but spent nearly all day there on Saturdays.  I began reading my book, Discovering Isaac: The Beloved Potter of Neiderbipp.  Suddenly, I started to feel like I was bleeding again...and it was enough that I didn't have to get up to check.  I paged my nurse and called Brad to come back to the hospital.  I told him I didn't know if I was bleeding enough for them to take the baby, but I'd like him to come back and stay with me.

By the time he walked in my room ten minutes later, I was being prepped for surgery.  My doctor was out of town, but I had met the great on call OB, Dr. Wes Davis, several times since I'd been staying there at the hospital.  They had put a compression sleeve around an IV bag so that I'd have the a full one inside me within fifteen minutes.  They had drawn some more blood and had me hooked up to the monitors.  Brad dressed in the blue paper operating room attire and at ten they were wheeling me into the OR.

Getting the spinal block made me really nervous, but everything went really well.  They put up a sheet and Brad held my hand as they started the c-section.  It was very weird to feel what the doctors were doing, but not have it hurt.  I started to feel nauseous several times, but the anesthesiologist gave me a shot of something into my IV and a few seconds later I'd feel better.  Apparently it is something that raises your blood pressure whenever it drops too low.

At 10:19 p.m. our little girl was born and by 10:30 I was recovering in another room.  Luckily our little baby was healthy and able to come with us right away.  We had mostly decided in advance, but agreed to name her Elise Faith. 

I look horrible, like someone who has just had their innards sliced:)  For me at least, a c-section has been much worse than a "normal" birth.  Each day gets a million times better, but that first 24 hours was extraordinarily uncomfortable.  Kudos to you moms who have all their children that way!

Our little sweetheart was born at 36 weeks and 1 day.  She weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. and was 18 in. long.  Because she was so short, she actually looked pretty chubby.

We got to keep her in with us for almost two hours before they took her to the warming beds and then gave her a bath.  When they brought her back to eat again, she had these cute little bows in her hair.

She has by far the shortest hair of all my kids.  It is very even everywhere on her head, but had three weeks less to grow, ha, ha.

On Sunday we had visitors come up to meet Elise.

(Aunt Angie, Uncle Ben and both sets of grandparents.)

Our kids were thrilled to come meet their new baby sister!

Of course Daddy got to visit her a lot!

Look at that face!

I wasn't planning on being released until later, but when my OB came in on Tuesday morning she asked if I'd like to go home.  They expedited it since I had already been at the hospital for four full weeks!

My sister Julie crocheted these adorable Mary Jane style booties she wore home from the hospital.

I retain water in a serious way after each child.  Look at my puffy feet!

It has been wonderful to be home!  Even with my post-op injuries, our bed is so much more comfortable than the hospital's and so is the toilet paper, ha, ha!  The most wonderful thing about being home, of course, is the people here!  The kids adore Baby Elise!

We're so happy to be a family of six!