Saylor Hadley Smith

"It's been a crazy couple of weeks" is the understatement of the century...  FINALLY, I have a few minutes to blog about the birth of my baby girl.  Here's the story:

On Wednesday, August 24th I had my last doctors appointment.  Everything looked great, I was feeling fine and the c-section was scheduled for the next Wednesday at 9am.  Simple, right?!  I've been saying all along how I like how it's all "planned" out and I know exactly what to expect.  I was WRONG.  

The very next day, August 25, 2011:

8:00am:  I woke up with a horrible headache.  (I've been dealing with migraines this whole pregnancy.)   I was hurting so bad, I didn't know how I was going to take care of Kohen.  I loaded him up in the vehicle and just drove.  I ended up parking at Jason's office and I called one of the front desk girls and let her know that I was in the parking lot (hurting) and could she let Jason know I was there asap.  Jason was with patients and couldn't break away, so I laid my seat back in the car while Kohen watched a movie in his car seat.  We stayed like this for what seemed like hours.  Luckily, Kohen was content with his apple wedges, granola bar and Toy Story 3 movie.  When Jason got off at lunch, he saw how much pain I was in and called my friend Tori to come get Kohen and watch him until Jason got off work. 

1:00pm:  By this time, Tori had picked Kohen up and I was in bed with 3 ice packs on my head.  I couldn't move.  I just had. to. stay. still.  It hurt to move my eyeballs.  I stayed this way until Jason got home at 5.

5:00pm:  Jason got home from work and saw how much pain I was still in.  Medicine had not touched my headache.  He said at one point I told him I felt like I was going to die.  Jason called Dr. Cole's nurse, who called Dr. Cole and told him what was going on.  He said to take me to the ER...

6:00-7:00pm:  While in the ER my blood pressure was 159/111.  The nurse quickly called Dr. Cole and he said to take me to Labor and Delivery.  I started to FREAK OUT.  I remember calling my Dad while they pushed me in a wheelchair through the hospital to Labor & Delivery.  I couldn't even talk.  I just cried.  He said "Is there going to be a baby?" I said "yes". 

7:00pm:  Labor & Delivery triage.  My doctor was out of town so we saw the doctor on duty.  My headache was so extreme.  I didn't want to have my baby while feeling so horrible.  

This wasn't how I "planned" it!  I didn't have anything!  Luckily I had started getting Saylor's stuff together the night before, and I had started putting things in a pile on my dresser for me to take to the hospital.  

My friend Sherri was at the hospital by this time and Jason left to go get our stuff.  They gave us about a two hour time frame until my c-section.  

Sherri with me  ...I wasn't hiding from the camera... my head just hurt so bad I couldn't stand to see any light :(

Dr. Cole was driving in from out of town to do my c-section so Jason started calling and texting family and friends to let them know that we were about to have a baby!

As you can see on the clock in this picture, it was about 10 till 9 when they started to roll me back to the operating room...

Jason following me...

I guess this is kinda gross, but to get the full effect... here's a picture during(or maybe after) the operation...  you can't "see" anything... just thought my mom might want to see where her "baby girl" was when I was having my baby girl since she couldn't be in there with me.  Kind of a scary place to be without your mom... 

So here's my head...  I was pretty much frozen like this during the whole operation.  I remember trying to move my toes and I couldn't, which I guess is a good thing since my belly was completely open.  This may sound strange, but my head was hurting so bad that I remember thinking it was ok if I accidentally died.  During my last c-section I remember talking during it.  I even freaked out thinking I couldn't breath at one point and Dr. Cole told me if I was talking, then I was breathing.  This time, I didn't talk.  I couldn't.  My head hurt too bad to talk.  The only way I got answers to my questions was by watching Jason's eyes.  I don't think I took my eyes off his eyeballs the whole time.  I don't think I blinked.  I could tell if everything was going ok, just by watching his eyes.    

After what seemed like a VERY long time (remember, I was no ordinary c-section patient... read previous blog entries if you don't remember!) at one point Dr. Cole asked me how I was doing...  I thought for a second and then I said (remember, my belly is completely wide open on an operating table...) "This is the best I've felt all day"...  The nurses, Dr. Cole, the anesthesiologist, Jason and whoever else was in that room laughed and took a big sigh of relief because they knew how badly I had been hurting all day.  So I don't know if it was God or my spinal epidural, but my migraine was FINALLY going away!!!!

Within a few minutes our sweet baby girl was born!!!  My first thought was SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE KOHEN!!!

This is when Jason was bringing her to show me b/c I was still strapped to the table being sewn up :)

Absolutely LOVE at first sight

I can't tell you how bad I wanted to rip my arms from those restraints and hold my baby girl!

MEANWHILE... in the waiting room!

Mom and Dad (Mom had to leave work from Baptist in a HURRY!)

A few of my friends

Kohen arrives with his pink shirt!

Kohen ran straight to Lauren!

Kohen didn't know what to think about all these people he knows in one place!

My baby girl getting ready to meet the family!

Jason walking out to introduce Saylor to the family (of course he took a video camera! lol)

Saylor's view...

Kohen see's his baby sister!

Jaosn and Dr. Cole

Jason's pink shirt :)

back in our hospital room

Seeing Kohen for the first time after having Saylor...  I didn't get to see him before since it was so rushed.  (I'm actually kind of glad I didn't have to go through the whole emotional conversation with Kohen about leaving to go have a baby!)

First Baby Saylor kiss :)  (there have been LOTS since this one! lol)

I was SOOOOOOO happy to see my baby boy.  I love him so much.

Sweet tootsies 

my Dad

My brother

Kohen's present he got for being a new big brother

my father in law

Kohen and one of his best friends :)

Kohen and Shelley (Shelley took most of these pictures, that's why she's not in a whole lot of them!)  

Daddy and Saylor

Saylor's hospital bag :)  It was packed with lots of cute outfits and tons of bows ;)

Mimi and Baby Saylor

My mom stayed with us a whole week when Saylor was born.

FINALLY, I get to play dress up with my baby girl!  I love her blanket... my sister gave it to me.  It has little pink sail boats on it :)

Poppa and Kohen with the t-shirt Nana bought him :)

Kohen went with Jason's parents and stayed in Fordyce while we were in the hospital for 3 days.  

Thank you Nana and Poppa!!!! As you can tell, Kohen LOVES you! 

Maddie was SOOOO excited to hold Saylor

Sweet Max

Me and my baby girl

Me with Sherri and her boys.  Sherri was awesome.  She brought me Sonic Diet Cokes while I was in the hospital :)

Seriously... could my baby be any cuter? :)

Mommy and Daddy with Saylor

Mom 

Going Home!

This was the first time I saw Kohen since he got back from Fordyce (longest we've been apart).  

I balled when I saw him...

Kohen wondering what "she's" doing in our car...

gotta love this look...

family photo...  Kohen's still not so sure...

Home sweet Home!

sneak peak of the nursery...  STILL not finished...

our parents with Saylor

First bath...

I'm the luckiest person (besides Jason) in the whole world to have these two kids!

The day after Saylor turned one week old, I started feeling really bad.  I had another horrible headache, just like the one I had the day I had her.  Not only did I have a horrible headache again, I also had a horrible neck ache.  I couldn't move my neck at all.  I once again was in so much pain.  I went to the doctor and my blood pressure was sky high.  They put me on blood pressure meds and some other meds for my head and neck.  My pain was absolutely unbearable and I ended up in the ER that night.  For 5 hours they tried to get my blood pressure down and me some relief for my head and neck ache through IV meds but could only get the edge off.  After a normal CT scan & urinalysis, they released me but my BP was still very high at 196/99.

The next day my parents took Kohen to Asa's birthday party so I could rest.  Jason bought a blood pressure cuff so he could monitor me throughout the day and night.  My brother in law, Michael, who is a chiropractor, even came to adjust me to see if he could get me any relief.  Jason sat by me on the couch for hours monitoring my BP.  When it reached 205/125 he called the doctor because he was worried about me having a seizure or stroke.  The doctor told Jason to skip the ER and to instead go straight to Labor & Delivery to be admitted.  

To make a long story shorter... I was in the hospital for 2 more days dealing with postpartum hypertension.  Luckily they let Saylor stay in the room with us so I was able to be with my new baby girl.     

Jason took this picture one night while I was in the hospital.  It seriously makes me want to cry...

It has been quite a ride.  I haven't even mentioned the part where my baby spit up clotted blood one night or the part where my right foot didn't move for 2 days...  Oh, or the part where my breasts were so engorged because the breast milk had no passageway to the nipple because I had the bright idea to have breast reduction surgery BEFORE I was finished having kids.  I haven't mentioned how that was completely devastating and THE reason for the blood my baby was spitting up.  I also haven't mentioned that Kohen broke his collar bone (I'll blog about this later) 2 days after Saylor was born & started preschool soon after that...  Luckily my foot started working again... just took the spinal epidural that long to wear off I guess... It's just been crazy.  

It's almost been 4 weeks now and I'm finally starting to feel better.  Saylor has been the absolute best baby.  She is perfect.  She eats and sleeps.  She hardly ever cries.  I would go through everything again, EVERYTHING. If it meant I would get the same result.

I love this little girl and her brother with all my heart.

Saylor Hadley Smith

August 25, 2011

7 lbs 8 oz

18 3/4"

9:29pm