Introducing Reese Suzanne

Reese Suzanne McClinton

July 13, 2011

10:34 am

7 pounds, 12 ounces

18 inches

Perfection.

There is so much more to say, but I am staring at a blank computer screen, wondering what words are big enough and happy enough to share about our Baby Reese. It's humbling to have been given such a piece of heaven.

As the nurses were transferring me from the post-op room, one of them looked at me and said, "Well, if I've ever seen someone glowing before..." It's an odd thing, I think - aren't most new moms a bit euphoric from the drugs and the new baby happiness? But it was so true - in all of my life, I've never felt such a sense of peace, happiness, and completeness - I have three absolutely unique, perfect, healthy girls. I am unable to even describe the way Reese makes me feel. She is so wholly a McClinton and yet has such a uniquely Reese look to her. She is the missing puzzle piece to our family, and until we met her, we could only guess what it would be like. Now we can hold her and love her and know.

There are a lot of things I hope I remember later about Reese's birth:

*The week before my surgery, my doctor went into labor and had her baby. After a bit of scrambling, the practice assigned me a new doc to do my surgery. I'd heard good things about her, but was still a little unsure of how my nerves would go with a stranger in the OR with me. When we walked in on Wednesday morning, low and behold... in struts my doctor, 8 days post-partum, suited up for surgery and looking about as energetic and bright-eyed as ever. She completed my surgery beautifully (with another doctor in the room with her, I'm guessing as a precaution), although apparently I was concerned about her memory, because I found out later that I asked her three times if she was remembering to tie my tubes (she says she did).

*There is something very unsettling about voluntarily walking into an operating room, but the surgery was quicker and easier than even Kate's. I think I was in and out in 30 minutes flat, and I listened to my iPod during the second half of the procedure and was even able to sleep.

*Once Reese was cleaned up, her doctor noticed she grunted while she was breathing. To us, she looked like the most robust of the McClinton babies, but he was able to discern that her breathing was labored and kept her in the nursery for several hours to watch her. I've never had to wait to meet one of my babies (I met both of the other two in the recovery room), but I knew it happens from time to time. I started getting nervous, though, when we were rapidly approaching the 6 hour cut off. If Reese didn't self-correct her breathing in 6 hours' time, she would be taken to NICU to be intubated for at least 12 hours. Her long-term health was never called into question, but the sheer thought of sending her away before I ever met her and of pumping rather than nursing was more than I wanted to consider. At 4:15, 15 minutes before the cut off, I called down to the nursery. They said she hadn't shown any signs of improvement and were about to call her doctor to get the orders to transfer her to NICU. I texted a friend to pray for us, and she sent back a prayer immediately. Not 5 minutes later, the nurse walked in WITH MY BABY. While they were on the phone with the doctor, Reese's grunting completely disappeared. It is apparently somewhat common for babies to heal themselves after about 6 hours, but for us, it was nothing short of God's perfect timing and intervention.

*Recovery this time around has been a bit slower. Both times before, I felt completely normal within a day of the surgery. This time, on day two I started getting horrible tension headaches and my body reacted poorly to the pain medicine they gave me. I spent Thursday through Saturday in a fog. Luckily my parents and Jordan stepped in and required that I do very little but sleep and nurse the baby. I woke up Sunday morning feeling much better, but am still obeying the advice of those who love me not to do "too much" (what is "too much", anyways?:))

*The big sisters are amazing with Reese. Avery has stepped up to the challenge and I cannot even believe how well she is handling the whole event. Kate is a doll and loves her new sister but is having adjustment issues of her own. But that's a whole different story that I'll wait and tell another day...

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