Isaac Allen Espejo IV

Isaac Allen Espejo IV

born at 11:48 am on April 26, 2019

7 pounds, 1 ounce

19.5 inches long

From the moment I found out we were expecting baby number four, I started calculating our due date. It fell on May 18th, and I knew that I'd be having my fourth delivery via cesarean one week prior to that date. That put us at May 11th, which happened to fall on a Saturday. This meant that we'd probably be delivering on Monday, May 13th. I am not a fan of the number thirteen (or any odd numbers that aren't multiples of five), so I decided to make my due date May 17th instead. This meant we could deliver on Friday, May 10th, so that's what I went with at my first doctor appointment.

I had my first appointment with the high risk doctor at twelve weeks, and baby looked perfect in the ultrasound. My placenta was anterior just like it was with Grace, so I didn't think much of it. After the ultrasound, the doctor came in to talk to me and said she was worried because I had three prior cesareans, which meant my uterus was probably thinned out, and I had scar tissue. All of this meant that I was at a higher risk for complications throughout the pregnancy, and especially at delivery. She was concerned about the placenta attaching to my other organs or my uterus having to be taken out during the cesarean.

I left that appointment feeling pretty worried and anxious. My regular OB checked her records and said she made no note of my uterus being thin or anything about scar tissue after my last cesarean. In fact, after she delivered Perry, I asked her how my uterus looked and if it was OK for me to have another baby while I was still open on the table. I'm sure she thought I was nuts, but she said everything looked great, and I was good to have another baby some day. I felt better after this appointment with her, because she made me feel like the anterior placenta was no big deal.

I had another appointment with the high risk doctor at sixteen weeks. This time, she told me that my placenta was growing upwards with my uterus and had cleared the area where any scar tissue would cause an issue. There was now less than one percent that we would have any issue with the placenta at delivery at all. I felt so relieved after this appointment!

Fast forward a few months, and I had "slightly elevated" blood pressure at my twenty-seven week check up. The doctor said she wasn't concerned, so I tried not to be either. I went to the high risk doctor for an ultrasound a week later, and my blood pressure was 143/80. That doctor said she suspected that I had gestational hypertension, which is really just high blood pressure during pregnancy. She started me on weekly monitoring and suggested that we schedule my cesarean for thirty-seven weeks. They wanted to watch for preeclampsia and did an ultrasound every single Thursday up until delivery to check my fluid levels and make sure baby was practice breathing. While it was kind of frustrating to have to go to the doctor every single week, it was nice to see the baby and know that everything was going great all the time. I definitely worried less during the pregnancy, because I always knew baby was doing just fine in there.

My blood pressure was never high again after that week, but I continued with the monitoring appointments, and we scheduled my cesarean for thirty-seven weeks. I was concerned about the baby's lungs being mature enough, but the doctors said this was considered full term. I talked to lots of other moms that delivered early for a variety of reasons and prayed constantly about baby and his health. When it came time for baby's arrival, I felt at peace with everything and knew that he was going to be perfect.

Delivery day was finally here! We were scheduled for Friday, April 26th at noon. The nurse from the hospital called me around nine and asked if we could come in early and deliver at eleven instead. We dropped the girls off with Grandma Espejo and headed to the hospital. When we got there, they were all ready for us. We were taken to our room, I changed into the gown, and I was hooked up to the monitors right away. They started my IV and the anesthesiologist came in to talk to us while we waited for my doctor to arrive. When it was time to head back to the operating room, I couldn't have been more ready.

We walked back, and Isaac waited in the hall while they prepped me for surgery. Everything was exactly the same as my three previous cesareans, so I felt like a pro. Isaac came in to stand by my head after the spinal block and catheter were completed, and we were ready to go. The anesthesiologist told him that he could stand to watch the entire thing this time around. Before, he wasn't able to stand until the baby was being delivered. The assisting doctor gave a big push on the top of my stomach, and baby was born at 11:48 am. He let out a cry immediately, so I knew he was breathing fine and everything was OK. Isaac went over to the table with him to cut the cord and get his weight. He yelled over to me that baby had six toes, and the nurse gave him a look that made him say, "I'm just kidding" right away. Baby weighed in at seven pounds, one ounce and was nineteen and a half inches long. He was perfect with a full head of hair.

Isaac went back to our room with the baby and his nurse, while I got all stitched up. I listened to the doctors and nurses count all of their tools, and they were coming up one sponge short. After a few counts, they had everyone searching the room and had called X-ray to come help them find it. I heard my doctor ask the assisting doctor, "should we take her uterus back out?". It was pretty surreal to be laying there listening to all of this. Fortunately, the assisting doctor found the final sponge in the trash can, and everyone counted a couple more times just to make sure they had them all. Finally, I was all stitched up, and they wheeled me back to my room.

I'm not sure what medication they gave me, but I don't remember a lot from the rest of the day. I was exhausted and had a hard time keeping my eyes open. I did skin to skin with baby and nursed him right away. He latched with no issues, and didn't really cry at all. I was worried that having a boy would be so different from my girls. I fell head over heels with each of them right away, and I wondered if I would feel the same love for a boy. It was exactly the same, and from the first moment, I couldn't get enough of him.

We had lots of visitors, and my Grandma melted my heart as she cried when she saw him.

Perry wasn't sure what to think when she came in. I don't think she was prepared to actually see the baby. She was just excited to see Daddy.

Once Grammy was holding him, she got a little curious.

Then she hung out with me while I nursed him.

Isaac took this picture, and I had to pull up one I had of Charley as a baby, because he looked just like her.

Perry napped while we waited for big sisters to get out of school. Grammy picked them up, and they were over the moon when they finally got to meet their brother.

After a while, everyone went home. It was time for baby to get his first bath. He was not a fan at first, but then he calmed down and enjoyed it.

Matt and Frannie came to meet the little guy. It's crazy that they will have two of their own in just a few weeks!

At the end of the day, we were exhausted. The Norco that they were giving me was making me pretty itchy, so we tried a lower dose, and ultimately, switched over to Percocet. It was much better after that, and I was up and walking around that night. The recovery was a little more difficult this time than when I had Perry. I think this was because I was pretty out of it. My blood pressure stayed low for the first twenty-four hours, and then everything started getting back to normal.

We took turns holding baby throughout the night, because we were worried about his breathing. He was just fine, and didn't make a peep the whole time. He isn't a cryer, which is nice. Except for when the pediatrician came in and wanted to hear him cry. It took her a while to make him, and even then, he only let out about three screams before going silent again. He's the calmest little guy and only fidgets and grunts a little when he wants to eat.

We are feeling pretty blessed around here. This little guy has completed our family in the best way. He is so sweet, and the girls are all completely in love with him. We're currently calling him Baby Brother, because it feels weird to call him Isaac. He sleeps a lot, eats a lot, and gets lots and lots of kisses all day long. He's the best cuddler, and we are soaking up all of the sweet baby snuggles as much as we can.

Welcome to the world, Baby Brother! You are so very loved.