All Hail Princess Meatball! Dani Doll is sharing the first glimpse at our littlest Doll along with a few things to help during your first planned c-section delivery and life in the fourth trimester…
The new Mama, Dani Doll here!
Sunny Wild Walter arrived via scheduled C-Section on 2/13/23 at 12:31 pm, she weighed 6 pounds 4oz and was 18 1/2 inches long. She quickly stole our hearts and became our forever Valentine. Her due date is on 3/4/23 but because of some very high spikes in my blood pressure, she had to make her grand entrance early.
We thought we had a few more weeks to prepare but after an appointment with my DR on a Thursday, we learned we had one last weekend as a couple before Sunny would be here on the following Monday. Such a surreal feeling…
I am so grateful and feel so incredibly lucky that our birth and recovery went very smoothly, we did so well that we came home 2-days after birth. Our Baby DR/ OBGYN is the best and we couldn’t have imagined this experience without her. (If you are in Chicago and need a good OBGYN send us a DM on Instagram).
I’d have to say though nothing prepares you for the first time you give birth…
Walking into the operating room felt a lot like an alien abduction. The room is cold, the round bright lights on the ceiling are almost blinding, the hospital staff was walking around in basically hazmat suits. In the middle of the room is a table just waiting for you to hop on and get a needle in your spine that numbs you from the chest down. The blue curtain went up and Mini Golf was brought to my head. Sunny was appropriately sunny-side-up meaning breach. It took them about 30 minutes to get her out. I’ll never forget the sound of her first cries… Instantly knew life as we knew it just changed for the better.
After Sunny was born, I could see her across the room from me as they cleaned her off and made sure everything checked out. MG was torn whether to stay by my side or go to her side. We both realized she needed her Daddy and MG went over cut the umbilical cord and held Sunny’s hand until she was wrapped up like little burrito, MG then served her to me. I was so nervous to meet her but that all melted away as I laid my eyes on the most beautiful baby and our best creation yet.
We moved into recovery for a few hours and from there up into our hospital room. That’s where life get’s real and comes at you quick. Yes, there are nurses and people around but MG and I were basically in the middle of what felt like a team building activity figuring out how to care for our new daughter. I’m so overjoyed and impressed with MG, he stepped into his role as Daddy – All the diaper changes and feedings, making sure she was comfortable and I was comfortable the entire time.
We are settled into our home in the suburbs of Chicago and enjoying our new born bubble. In a few short weeks we are looking forward to heading back to our home in St. Petersburg, FL and sharing the Sunshine State with our Sunny Girl!
THINGS TO HELP WITH YOUR BABY DELIVERY THAT WE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY…
- Bring your own swaddles to the hospital, learning an old-school swaddle with a blanket from every nurse who does it differently is annoying. Make sure you’re ordering 0-3 months Buy Here
- Whether you’re formula feeding or breastfeeding — I’d recommend bringing your own bottles to the hospital. They start out with such a small amount of ‘milk’ but frequently eat. You can get these bottles in Newborn size or Preemie size — Preemie worked best for us. We didn’t realize that the nipple sizes on bottles are different. Big learning curve! Buy Here
- My younger sister brought these burp clothes to the hospital and it was probably our most helpful gift. Otherwise they give you blankets to use and they are not the softest for your baby’s face. Buy Here
- The hospital pacifier/binkies are horrible, these have been Sunny’s favorite pacifiers. Buy Here
- These are a life saver to help calm Sunny and help her sleep. White noise Spotify playlist or the hatch machine also can be super helpful in the hospital. The Baby Shusher is very portable. Buy Here
- If you plan to get your placenta encapsulated, which we did. You are responsible for holding onto it until pick up. This is the type of cooler you want to use. Buy Here
THINGS FOR MOM:
- Instead of all the fancy ‘Mom’ products on the market for after-birth bleeding, I’ve literally been wearing Depends and they are awesome. Somedays I cut the top to make them a more fitting underwear size. Buy Here
- Ice packs are a must for your incision if you’re having a C-Section or to cool yourself if you’re having a vaginal birth. It feels sooo good to sit with your legs up and an ice pack snug in your Depends! Buy Here
- I started wearing compression wear the moment we got home from the hospital. It feels really good on my incision and has made a really big difference in putting everything back in it’s place.
- Started with this the first week of postpartum: https://rstyle.me/cz-n/hmg6xfb954f
- Moved onto these the second week of postpartum: https://rstyle.me/cz-n/hmg62qb954f
- These will be started in week 3 of postpartum: https://rstyle.me/cz-n/hmg9sqb954f
LIFE SAVERS AT HOME:
- This makes diaper changes so much easier and keeps Sunny happy. Buy Here
- We like for Sunny’s neck to be stable in her car seat… Buy Here
- We clean our bottles two ways: with these sponges and put them in the bottle sanitizer
- Baby detergent is the best Buy Here
We worked with Alicia’s Photography for our newborn photoshoot. Alicia is so incredibly talented, and she captured our family perfectly. You need to book this shoot 1-2 weeks after the birth of your little one so plan ahead.