We are so thrilled to welcome our precious little baby Oliver Han Bickford to our family! He arrived via C-Section on July 15th, 2011 weighing in at 8 lbs 14 ounces.
I was feeling very anxious about having surgery and barely slept the night before. Rhett and I arrived at the hospital at 6am to check-in and get ready. They wheeled me down to the OR at about 7:30 to prep for surgery and get my anesthesia. The injection was surprisingly benign and I quickly started feeling very tingly and within minutes the numbness set in.
Rhett was in the waiting room while I was getting prepped. Earlier we had told the nurse that he might get a bit queasy so I found it amusing that she was repeatedly telling all the other nurses and doctors to keep an eye on him during the surgery. As soon as we were ready to go they put up a screen above my belly to shield us from the gory and Rhett was escorted in. Luckily the process all happened very quickly because I have to admit I felt like I was on the verge of freaking out. It is quite surreal to not have any feeling in your lower half, lying wide awake in a cold and sterile room knowing you are about to be cut open over multiple layers. I turned to my yoga breathing to get me through it which helped immensely. Rhett was great as well and gently stroked my head and offered many encouraging words of support. Within 10 minutes or less it seemed I felt a tugging sensation and someone said 'Congratulations!' I immediately let out a sob of relief but was worried because we didn't hear the baby crying. I asked Rhett why the baby wasn't crying but a few moments later we heard little Ollie wailing. Rhett and I let out relieved laughter and patiently waited while he was getting cleaned up and examined.
Here he is weighing in. Note his V-shaped pose - this is how he was positioned in my belly with his head up and bottom down. I could feel his little feet in my belly in the last few weeks of my pregnancy.
Got some kind of gel in his eyes to prevent infection..
Sweet Ollie! My dad sent a picture of me as a newborn and noted how similar we look!
Daddy Rhett!
Rhett changing his first diaper!
I am so in love with my son!
Rhett now has a 'mini-me'!
We stayed in the hospital for 2 nights and 2 and a half days. Rhett was great going back and forth between the hospital and home to also take care of our other 2 furry babies. While the surgery was pretty much pain free the first few days of recovery were quite painful but manageable. We were happy and ready to leave - Rhett drove like an old Grandpa driving 5 miles an hour the whole way home! We love our little Ollie!!
