T-minus

49 Days.

Yes, folks, seven weeks from today at approximately 8am, we will be welcoming our little boy into the world. Unless, of course, he decides to make his debut early. My aching body welcomes that thought, the planner in me says "but everything is planned around him being born on December 22!" I'm not a fan of my plans being changed.

I have been getting a little worked up over the anticipation of another c-section. The anxiety of knowing I will be voluntarily going under the knife has been getting to me. I keep thinking to myself, "I took fertility drugs and gave myself injections so they can cut me open???? And I did it voluntarily??" As if getting to this point wasn't work enough. I am feeling a bit better about it though. I remember my last c-section being a difficult recovery. I had pushed for three hours - so not only were my abdominal muscles overworked and sore, they were sliced in half. After taking our c-section class at Mayo, I learned that it will be much easier this time around. I won't be working those muscles at all, so the recovery will be much faster. The actual procedure will be much more relaxed and won't include the scary chaos that is typical of an unplanned c-section.

Some other cool things will happen too - at Mayo, we get to take our camera into the operating room with us. I'm not sure if we had that option at OMC with Madison - things moved so fast once the doctors decided to do a c-section that we never thought about the camera. Also, at OMC, Mike and the baby left the operating room while I was stitched up and then I went to a recovery room for an hour and a half, alone. I laid their worrying that everyone in the world was seeing and holding my baby before I did (Thankfully, Mike respected my wishes that nobody hold her before I do and he kept everyone out until I had a chance to hold her). Madison was nearly two hours old before I got to hold her. At Mayo, they will stay with me while I'm stitched and we will go to a recovery room together where I will get to try nursing and get to hold my baby right away.

Also, after talking to a friend who just had a repeat c-section two weeks ago, I feel so much better. She is already looking and feeling great and said it was so much better than her first unplanned c-section.

So - I'm looking forward to the next 49 days flying by. We are all ready for our little family to grow.