A Baby Story

Allow me to introduce you to
Olivia Madison Grier…

I know you are just dying to hear all about her, so let’s start from the beginning. Get comfy, because I’m planning to write down every little detail.

Thursday morning, december 1, after a restless/sleepless night, TJ and I woke up early and headed to Riverside Methodist Hospital.
Baby Day was finally here!

We checked in, signed lots of papers, and got prepped for surgery.
For those who do not know, Olivia was breech…just like her big brother. A repeat c-section was scheduled well in advance.
I answered a million questions about my health history, changed into the world’s most flattering gown, and was poked by several needles.
By 9:15am, it was time to head down to the operating room.

Honestly, this planned c-section was a million times more terrifying to me than Riker’s unplanned c-section.
With Riker, everything happened so fast I didn’t have time to be scared. This time, I was completely aware of everything that was happening and I had time to think…thinking is pretty dangerous when you are an emotional pregnant lady full of extra hormones.
My feelings covered the whole range, from excited to nervous, happy to scared. TJ said it was absolutely the opposite for him…
with Riker, he was a nervous wreck who was dry heaving outside the operating room and this time he was calm and cool the whole time.

TJ had to wait outside the Operating room until I was numb and the drapes were set. My anxiousness combined with the frigid temperatures of the Operating room had me shivering from head to toe. Luckily, I had two amazing nurses with me who covered me with warm blankets and held my hand to calm my nerves.
Around 9:30, it was time to receive my spinal tap. Just so you know, spinal taps are painful. Once the meds start flowing, its immediate relief…but all the setup takes several excruciatingly painful minutes. My nerves also started to get the better of me at this point and I was a tad bit hysterical. Again, I am so grateful to my wonderful nurses who stood by my side, letting me squeeze the heck out of their hands as I sobbed like a baby.
The lovely meds finally kicked in, I laid back on the table, and the doctors and nurses sprang into action prepping my belly. TJ was brought into the room, and the sight of him just made me cry even more…I’m telling you, I was pretty much a wreck.

The first cut was made at 9:40am…by 9:47am, they were getting ready to pull the baby out…and at 9:50am, Olivia’s screams filled the air.
My first question was “Is it a girl!?” There was still a little bit of uncertainty based on our unclear ultrasound, so I was eager to know if the drawers full of pink clothes at home would be put to good use or not. I was thrilled when Dr. Sayat brought her around to show me that she was indeed a perfect baby girl.

TJ followed the nurse as she went to clean Olivia up. Her legs stuck straight up, since that was the position she had grown accustomed to the last several months. Olivia did not love the coldness of the room, and she made sure everyone within earshot knew how unhappy she was. But soon she was cleaned and wrapped up as snug as a bug…a really, really, really cute bug.

TJ was thrilled that he was allowed to hold on to Olivia as they finished closing me up. He was already completely smitten with his teeny tiny baby girl. And my tears eventually calmed down enough for me to see her clearly…and it was easy to see that she was simply perfect.

We spent a few hours in recovery, waiting for the feeling to return to my lower half. A spinal tap might hurt like the dickens, but it definitely gets the job done. Unfortunately, it also caused me to feel extremely nauseous. I had to stay reclined back and perfectly still, because every time I would move I had to fight a wave of nausea.

Once I could bend my legs, we were moved into a postpartum room. Phone calls were made to family and friends, pictures were snapped and then quickly emailed, posted to facebook, and sent via text message. How we lived without all this technology is beyond me! We were so excited to have our baby girl with us, we wanted to share our news with everyone!

And, of course, TJ had the honor of changing Olivia’s tar-poop diaper. Having never changed a girl diaper before, he was a bit unsure of how and where and what to wipe…but with a little coaching and encouragement from me, he was successful. Of course, he also said that he will change all of Riker’s diapers from now on if he never has to do another one of Olivia’s…apparently he wasn’t a fan of all the nooks and crannies.

After such a long and stressful day, Olivia was content to sleep the rest of the day. She couldn’t even be bothered to wake up to eat most of the time. But TJ and I were happy to just snuggle with her…and take advantage of her sleepiness to catch up on some sleep ourselves.

I’ve worried about being a mom of two kids. I love Riker so intensely, I wasn’t sure if it was possible to love another baby the same way. But from the moment I heard that first cry, I knew that I had nothing to worry about. It is amazing how much I can love something so small. It is amazing how immediate that love is.

So there you have it, friends. The story of Olivia Madison Grier.
December 1, 2011
9:50am
7 lbs, 3 oz
18.5 inches long

And yes, I am well aware that her initials are OMG…and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t slightly on purpose. At least her name isn’t Penelope Isabelle Grier…or Dianna Olive Grier…or something with even worse initials.