Teddy's Birth Story
It took me a bit more time to write up Teddy's birth story, as he's had an eventful first few days of life and yeah, we've been on a bit of a rollercoaster with him and his NICU journey...which hopefully will be coming to an end next week. Fingers crossed. I'll have a whole other post (or heck, probably a few!) about that too in the coming days.
I do want to mention something reallllllly quick: so way back in the early 2nd trimester, we actually found out we were having a boy! Total accident but with the billion ultrasounds we had during one of the (16 weeks I think) the probe happened to go RIGHT between his legs when it was put on my belly and it was clear as day that he was a boy. Mike and I talked about what we wanted to do, and we decided to ask the kids if we could find out what this baby was if they'd want to know. The big two were adamant that they DID NOT want to know and wanted it to be a surprise. Okay then, surprise it stayed! So Mike and I kept our little secret between us and let everyone else think we didn't know what we were having either...but in reality, we knew for 21+ weeks what this rainbow was! And I'm not upset we found out at all...with all of the anxiety and stress of this pregnancy it was kind of nice to know what this little guy was but have it be our little secret. We were able to decide on a name maybe a month ago so I took advantage of last baby and ordered some custom name swaddles and onesies and such too.
Okay! So I left off with my 37 week post shortly before we left for the hospital! My birth photog/bestie Victoria actually spent the night so she could get us coming to the hospital and everything on camera and I just love that she did that! Of course, just like every other birth...I didn't sleep much the night before. Maybeeeeee 3 or 4 hours. I was just TOO EXCITED!!!
We left for the hospital about 5:30am and I was just giddy with excitement -- the day was finally here and I got a few reassuring kicks in the morning (I had been paranoid like crazy of this kid dying inside of me for WEEKS) and off we went.
We got checked in by my favorite L&D receptionist, and then one of my favorite L&D nurses got us checked into a room where they started all of my pre-op prep.
One of my most favorite nurses was working that morning and she was going to be my nurse for the day so I was so excited she was going to be there to meet this kiddo too!
At this point everyone thought we were having a team green baby...which was fine, everyone loves surprises! Only Mike, myself and Dr. Jen knew it was a boy. I had told her she needed to put on a good surprised face when she pulled out a little dude!
After all of my pre-op stuff was completed, shortly before 8am we rolled back into the OR. Mike had my camera, because I wanted to snap a few of my own birth pics too right when they pulled him out!!!
Mike and Victoria waited in the hallway while I waved by to them and walked backed to get my spinal and get prepped. I was so hoping we wouldn't be delivering in the same OR as Clark...but that was the OR we went back to. That was a bit tough but also a bit healing too...because so many of these pictures are so similar to Clark's but how the emotions in the room are so different.
Once I was all prepped and my spinal in and good and numb, Mike and Victoria came back and it was GO TIME!
Not long after they came in they started cutting to get Teddy out...and this was so exciting. Teddy did have his cord wrapped around his neck (you can see Dr. Jen unwrapping it in these pics) but fortunately everything was good with him!
And all of a sudden, he was out and SCREAMING! BEST SOUND IN THE WORLD. I remember very much with Clark's birth that there was just silence in the OR...not this time. Mike shouted "it's a boy!" and handed me my camera and I started snapping away! First a few pics of Mike, then of Teddy being pulled out. Man, I LOVE having these snaps from my perspective -- something I had never ever seen done before!
I love these 'what you see vs. what they see' shots too! Mine are up top, Victoria's are on the bottom.
And naturally Victoria got a TON of pics herself too :)
Once he was out and screaming, off to the warmer he went for a quick one-over! He was just perfect...happy healthy screaming newborn!
I craned my neck to see him over there and literally had tears streaming down my face. He was just perfect and it was just surreal to see a LIVING BABY in the same warmer that I saw my Clark in just 371 days before.
Theodore William Mooney "Teddy" - Monday, November 4th, 2019 at 8:35am. 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 inches long (our smallest baby!) born at 37 weeks on the dot. Mike and I have always loved the name Teddy (it was actually our boy's name for Annie!) and we wanted to honor big brother Clark in his name too so Teddy got the same middle name as his big brother in heaven.
After Teddy was checked over and good to go, I got to do some skin to skin with him on the table for a bit and it was truly pure HEAVEN.
So this next tid bit of Teddy's birth story is a bit graphic but whatever. You know me, open book! So I'm sharing. With Teddy's birth we decided I was going to get a tubal -- so I was going to have my tubes removed so no more babies. This was something I thought I'd NEVER do but pregnancy after loss taught me that I absolutely COULD NOT do pregnancy again...and truly didn't want to. We were getting our rainbow and have our guardian angel looking over us always and our three big kiddos at home and that was all I ever wanted. So we were DONE. Which was a good pre c-section decision because if I didn't want my tubes out I think that decision would have been made for me in regards to more babies -- my uterus was PAPER THIN -- Dr. Jen said she could literally SEE Teddy through it and it was SUCH A GOOD DAY to have a baby. And gosh, was it ever. Uterine rupture was one of my biggest fears and to hear that mine was headed that way, I was relieved to have him out. So I asked Victoria to take pics of my tubes being taken out cause 1. I was curious 2. I wanted to actually make sure they were COMING OUT so there would not be any surprise babes in the future (which holy dangerous for my body.)...welp, she delivered with these pics! The amazing first assist even held them up for pics and walked them around to show me what they looked like and that that were actually OUT.
After this my arms were falling asleep (it's so hard to hold a baby on that table!) so I asked Mike if he wanted to hold him (duh) so Teddy got all bundled up and off to daddy's arms he went!
In no time at all I was all closed up and it was time to roll out of the OR. Wow. That went quick. With Clark's birth I felt like we were in there for AGES but for Teddy's I feel like it went by in such a flash. Still just so hard to wrap my head around that he's here and safe and WE DID IT.
I was put back onto my bed and off we went back to my room. The grandparents were anxiously awaiting in the waiting room for the news and we were going to get Teddy nursing before bringing them in.
While the grandparents were waiting and Teddy finished up nursing/snuggling, Victoria got a placenta tour and snapped some pics for me -- something I had always wanted to see with my other placentas but never actually did! More graphic pics ahead :)
Soon after Teddy was done, the grandparents (and my brother and his girlfriend) came in to meet little Teddy! They were just smitten with him and so excited it was a boy!
The grandparents hung around for just a few and then let us have some snuggle time with our new guy and they headed home. The big kids were slated to come up later that day to meet their baby brother (and finally find out it's a boy!!) and we were SO EXCITED for them to meet their little Teddy! You can check out this post to see how that first meeting went :) And then check out Teddy's NICU stay too as well if you're so interested.
His birth feels like it went by in a blur and here we are on Friday approaching him being a week old on Monday and I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE IT. He is just the most perfect addition to complete our little family and we cannot wait to see what little Teddy grows into. Oh sweet little Teddy bear! We love you SO SO SO MUCH! Thank you little one for being our rainbow after the storm!
I do want to mention something reallllllly quick: so way back in the early 2nd trimester, we actually found out we were having a boy! Total accident but with the billion ultrasounds we had during one of the (16 weeks I think) the probe happened to go RIGHT between his legs when it was put on my belly and it was clear as day that he was a boy. Mike and I talked about what we wanted to do, and we decided to ask the kids if we could find out what this baby was if they'd want to know. The big two were adamant that they DID NOT want to know and wanted it to be a surprise. Okay then, surprise it stayed! So Mike and I kept our little secret between us and let everyone else think we didn't know what we were having either...but in reality, we knew for 21+ weeks what this rainbow was! And I'm not upset we found out at all...with all of the anxiety and stress of this pregnancy it was kind of nice to know what this little guy was but have it be our little secret. We were able to decide on a name maybe a month ago so I took advantage of last baby and ordered some custom name swaddles and onesies and such too.
Okay! So I left off with my 37 week post shortly before we left for the hospital! My birth photog/bestie Victoria actually spent the night so she could get us coming to the hospital and everything on camera and I just love that she did that! Of course, just like every other birth...I didn't sleep much the night before. Maybeeeeee 3 or 4 hours. I was just TOO EXCITED!!!
We left for the hospital about 5:30am and I was just giddy with excitement -- the day was finally here and I got a few reassuring kicks in the morning (I had been paranoid like crazy of this kid dying inside of me for WEEKS) and off we went.
We got checked in by my favorite L&D receptionist, and then one of my favorite L&D nurses got us checked into a room where they started all of my pre-op prep.
One of my most favorite nurses was working that morning and she was going to be my nurse for the day so I was so excited she was going to be there to meet this kiddo too!
At this point everyone thought we were having a team green baby...which was fine, everyone loves surprises! Only Mike, myself and Dr. Jen knew it was a boy. I had told her she needed to put on a good surprised face when she pulled out a little dude!
After all of my pre-op stuff was completed, shortly before 8am we rolled back into the OR. Mike had my camera, because I wanted to snap a few of my own birth pics too right when they pulled him out!!!
Mike and Victoria waited in the hallway while I waved by to them and walked backed to get my spinal and get prepped. I was so hoping we wouldn't be delivering in the same OR as Clark...but that was the OR we went back to. That was a bit tough but also a bit healing too...because so many of these pictures are so similar to Clark's but how the emotions in the room are so different.
Once I was all prepped and my spinal in and good and numb, Mike and Victoria came back and it was GO TIME!
Not long after they came in they started cutting to get Teddy out...and this was so exciting. Teddy did have his cord wrapped around his neck (you can see Dr. Jen unwrapping it in these pics) but fortunately everything was good with him!
And all of a sudden, he was out and SCREAMING! BEST SOUND IN THE WORLD. I remember very much with Clark's birth that there was just silence in the OR...not this time. Mike shouted "it's a boy!" and handed me my camera and I started snapping away! First a few pics of Mike, then of Teddy being pulled out. Man, I LOVE having these snaps from my perspective -- something I had never ever seen done before!
I love these 'what you see vs. what they see' shots too! Mine are up top, Victoria's are on the bottom.
And naturally Victoria got a TON of pics herself too :)
Once he was out and screaming, off to the warmer he went for a quick one-over! He was just perfect...happy healthy screaming newborn!
I craned my neck to see him over there and literally had tears streaming down my face. He was just perfect and it was just surreal to see a LIVING BABY in the same warmer that I saw my Clark in just 371 days before.
Theodore William Mooney "Teddy" - Monday, November 4th, 2019 at 8:35am. 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 inches long (our smallest baby!) born at 37 weeks on the dot. Mike and I have always loved the name Teddy (it was actually our boy's name for Annie!) and we wanted to honor big brother Clark in his name too so Teddy got the same middle name as his big brother in heaven.
After Teddy was checked over and good to go, I got to do some skin to skin with him on the table for a bit and it was truly pure HEAVEN.
So this next tid bit of Teddy's birth story is a bit graphic but whatever. You know me, open book! So I'm sharing. With Teddy's birth we decided I was going to get a tubal -- so I was going to have my tubes removed so no more babies. This was something I thought I'd NEVER do but pregnancy after loss taught me that I absolutely COULD NOT do pregnancy again...and truly didn't want to. We were getting our rainbow and have our guardian angel looking over us always and our three big kiddos at home and that was all I ever wanted. So we were DONE. Which was a good pre c-section decision because if I didn't want my tubes out I think that decision would have been made for me in regards to more babies -- my uterus was PAPER THIN -- Dr. Jen said she could literally SEE Teddy through it and it was SUCH A GOOD DAY to have a baby. And gosh, was it ever. Uterine rupture was one of my biggest fears and to hear that mine was headed that way, I was relieved to have him out. So I asked Victoria to take pics of my tubes being taken out cause 1. I was curious 2. I wanted to actually make sure they were COMING OUT so there would not be any surprise babes in the future (which holy dangerous for my body.)...welp, she delivered with these pics! The amazing first assist even held them up for pics and walked them around to show me what they looked like and that that were actually OUT.
After this my arms were falling asleep (it's so hard to hold a baby on that table!) so I asked Mike if he wanted to hold him (duh) so Teddy got all bundled up and off to daddy's arms he went!
In no time at all I was all closed up and it was time to roll out of the OR. Wow. That went quick. With Clark's birth I felt like we were in there for AGES but for Teddy's I feel like it went by in such a flash. Still just so hard to wrap my head around that he's here and safe and WE DID IT.
I was put back onto my bed and off we went back to my room. The grandparents were anxiously awaiting in the waiting room for the news and we were going to get Teddy nursing before bringing them in.
While the grandparents were waiting and Teddy finished up nursing/snuggling, Victoria got a placenta tour and snapped some pics for me -- something I had always wanted to see with my other placentas but never actually did! More graphic pics ahead :)
Soon after Teddy was done, the grandparents (and my brother and his girlfriend) came in to meet little Teddy! They were just smitten with him and so excited it was a boy!
The grandparents hung around for just a few and then let us have some snuggle time with our new guy and they headed home. The big kids were slated to come up later that day to meet their baby brother (and finally find out it's a boy!!) and we were SO EXCITED for them to meet their little Teddy! You can check out this post to see how that first meeting went :) And then check out Teddy's NICU stay too as well if you're so interested.
His birth feels like it went by in a blur and here we are on Friday approaching him being a week old on Monday and I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE IT. He is just the most perfect addition to complete our little family and we cannot wait to see what little Teddy grows into. Oh sweet little Teddy bear! We love you SO SO SO MUCH! Thank you little one for being our rainbow after the storm!
