Everything happened so fast at this point, several doctors came in and explained what was happening and then the next thing I knew I was being wheeled away alone while my husband stayed back to get his scrubs on. The OR was bright and honestly scary — so, so different than anything I had ever experienced — part of me was terrified but another part had a peace that she was almost here and that finally, after so long, we would know why she wasn’t growing and could be well taken care of. The sweetest man, my anestheologist, talked me through everything, my husband walked in and stood right by my side, and within minutes our fourth baby girl was born. I heard her cry, got to see a few photos from my husband who walked over to be with her, and then within minutes watched them wheel her away. I was so nervous about how that moment would go/feel but somehow it wasn’t nearly has hard as I thought it would be, looking back I think I was just so incredibly relieved that she was here that I couldn’t even wrap my head around the fact that my baby wasn’t laying on my chest in that magical moment like I had experienced before.
I spent the next few hours in the recovery room and then was transferred to a room, because of the C-section I was not allowed to go to the NICU until that evening around 6pm — which again, is so crazy painful to think about now, but somehow I did it and had peace in knowing that it was part of her story. My husband finally was able to wheel me down and there she was, in the giant isolette, hooked to tons of wires and machines, but looking perfect + sweet as can be. My baby girl. I finally got to hold her and she was worth ALL OF IT. I would do all the appointments, the scary nights, the uncertainty and the pain if it meant I got to have her in the end. And we do. We get to have a perfectly healthy Delilah June, our little miracle babe that will forever have this birth + time in my belly that is a story all of her own. She ended up spending only 11 days in the NICU after that first day when she was born, she hit milestone after milestone and ultimately only needed to be there to get to 4 pounds. The day she hit that mark we got to bring her home (!!!) to three VERY excited big sisters who love her so incredibly much.
Just a little while after Delilah was born we were sent a report on my placenta: it was only 1/3 of the size of a normal placenta, was calcified, and had a true knot in the umbilical cord. I think deep down the whole time I knew that it was placenta and that ultimately she was going to fight through and that everything would be just fine, but the relief in that moment was something I hadn’t prepared myself for. Things could have gone so differently but she did it — we did it!!!! Words can’t explain I thankful I am for our healthy perfect final baby girl.
And some pictures of her first couple weeks with us. 🙂