To the STMs-what was it like seeing your baby for the first time when they were born?

Sunny528 · December 2013

Hi Ladies,

I'm due May 28, 2014 with my first child and couldn't be more excited. Pregnancy has been pretty good overall..I have my good days and bad days in terms of typical pregnancy symptoms and other days I worry about the future in terms of balancing work and raising my first child...all completely natural things. However, today is one of those days where my heart is bursting with excitement to meet my little one in May. For those who already have children, what was it like seeing your baby for the first time after they were born? Did they look anything like you imagined? Was it a surreal experience? I just try to imagine what it will be like...but I know that I won't really know till I'm experiencing it myself. Please share your stories as I'd love to hear them.

MrsT2008 · December 2013

Awe. Pure awe. Honestly, it was amazing! I can't even really describe it - it's not one of those things that's easy to portray to someone who hasn't experienced it (yet) themselves!
I think the first thing I said to MH was how soft her skin was.

Shell+Bell · December 2013

Oh I really wish it was something I could describe, but that is impossible. It's a feeling I've only experienced with the births of my boys and words can not even begin to explain it. It's just amazing though, to put it simply.

It was total anxiety though for the first few minutes for me, because they were both c-sections. So the baby goes from me to the table. My husband will go to the babies and take pictures hold his hand etc. and I'm just laying there hearing the cries and the commotion of the room, and I'm shivering from the spinal and staring at the ceiling waiting to meet him. Just a ball of nerves. But honestly just such an amazing feeling when you finally get to see and 'hold' baby for the first time. Totally indescribable.

CamrynnsMommy · December 2013

Indescribable. Be prepared though, they don't all come out looking like a normal "movie" newborn. Some have white goop (the actual term escapes me), some have cone heads, but none of that matters because it's just completely amazing and surreal.

rainydayluck · December 2013

Completely surreal.

PikaPikaChick · December 2013

Just....... woah.

runningyogimama · December 2013

Surreal.

MamaLlama14 · December 2013

The only way to explain how awe-struck you will feel is to tell you what I kept saying over and over to my husband in the recovery room as my son was cleaned, weighed, etc... "Holy shit. We made that! WE made HIM. Holy SHIT. Look at him!"

Hnova86 · December 2013

There's no way I could even begin to explain it!!! It's just amazing.....Completely surreal finally being able to see that little face. I cried and cried and cried tears of joy. I was actually able to pull my son out myself. I know that sounds sooooooo weird but it wasn't! My doctor got the head and shoulders most of the way out and he said to me "he's here!!!! reach down and bring him out!" It was THE MOST amazing experience EVER. It didnt gross me out even in the slightest.

dragossoul84 · December 2013

My son was born with red hair which I have but was not expecting him to have then i was freaked out that DH was walking around with him I was sure he was going to drop him. It was so weird almost surreal I kept having a hard time believing he was really here. I would sleep at night with my hand in his basinet so I could feel him. Now when I see him my heart still almost bursts when he runs out of his room and to me for a cuddle its just so amazing. It makes everything worth it

jjtyler · December 2013

It was honestly such a blur that I think I was numb for the first few minutes when we held her and stared into her little face. Once she got cleaned up and I was cleaned up and we visited her in the NICU (I had a fever, she was totally fine), I remember having this "holy crap, I made THAT moment!"

typeset · December 2013

We were both exhausted. It was 1:30 a.m., I'd been in labor for almost twenty-four hours, and I pushed for a ridiculously long time. I felt a bit panicky at first because they whisked him off me to perk him up a bit. Then it was a relief ... until they wanted me to breastfeed. Then it got really weird.

mirdamae03 · December 2013

What all pps said! Just so incredible, it is an indescribable feeling!

jenb_99 · December 2013

Terrifying. I'd had a c-section and DS had a bilateral pneumothorax, so he had nurses breathing for him while we were still in the OR, and then he was rushed off to NICU. They held him next to my face and brushed his cheek against mine, and then they were gone and I didn't see him again till 30 hours later. When I finally was allowed to go down to the NICU, he was hooked up to wires and wearing an outfit the nurses had put on him, and he was on their schedule and under their care, so I didn't feel like he was really mine. In fact, I didn't really feel attached to him, like he was truly my baby and my full responsibility, till a couple of weeks later (when I finally gave up breastfeeding), even though I knew I loved him. It wasn't magical or immediate for me. No angels singing or lights of heaven descending to bathe us in a golden glow. It was strange and it was scary, and bonding took a lot of work for us.

danabsd · December 2013

CamrynnsMommy said:

Indescribable. Be prepared though, they don't all come out looking like a normal "movie" newborn. Some have white goop (the actual term escapes me), some have cone heads, but none of that matters because it's just completely amazing and surreal.

Absolute truth.

Junebug060609 · December 2013

Surreal

ABColeslaw · December 2013

I was so out of it. So out of it. And then they took him to the NICU. The first time I really got to see him see him, was way later that day. At that point I was just exhausted and relieved. I don't think I really soaked him in for a few hours. But like others said, I really can't describe it. I waited for Asher for a really long time. And I guess I just couldn't wrap my head around finally having a take home baby.

tna112 · December 2013

I'm not going to lie, I didn't have the initial awe experience in the first few moments I met him. I had somewhat of a rough labor with Pitocin and then ended up tearing and having an episiotomy so i definitely needed stitches. I wasn't fully numb when the doctor started stitching me up so I could feel everything. My stupid labor and delivery nurse,who was awful, decided to hand me my baby during that time. So as I'm wincing from the pain she's telling me just look at your baby! I wish those first few moments would have been a little more special but I couldn't focus on him. It definitely came later though. After we both had rested and actually nursed for the first time it was just such an amazing feeling to have finally met him! He was so perfect and I couldn't imagine a more beautiful baby boy!

MissLadyTay · December 2013

Oh my. I get tears in my eyes if I think about it for too long. It was so surreal. An out of body experience. I couldn't believe how small he was. He did not look like what I imagined. He was so much better. His little eyes looking at me was overwhelming.

Chellbell20 · December 2013

Amazing. It really is a feeling only seeing your child can invoke.

Lovenyc · December 2013

The single most incredible moment of my life. I have never felt closer to God.

blazinangel1702 · December 2013

It was amazing, indescribable, and the amount of love was shocking. I thought I loved my husband before kids, my heart is overflowing after babies.

MrsLeanna · December 2013

When my first was born, her birth was a bit traumatic, her heart rate was dipping, I pushed for a very long time, and there was someone from the NICU in the delivery room to check her out because of the heart issues. I was exhausted, so as soon as she came out, I took a peek at her but couldn't do anything more than lay my head back and close my eyes for a minute. She wasn't put on my chest because she needed to be checked out right away so my first "real" look at her was through the camera that MH was taking pics of her with. And I was worried. So, it was surreal as the others described but, for me, also full of anxiety and worry.

My second was very different, easy labor and birth and I was able to see and hold her immediately and it was amazing! It's so cool to meet these little things that have moving and kicking inside you for months!

mmks · December 2013

Not gonna lie. I am soooo incredibly jealous of those of you who had a wonderful 1st moment w your child! Had a c/s and I didn't even see my son for the first 10 mins or so. Got to kiss him and then they took him to the NICU (even tho there was no good reason he couldn't have been w me in recovery). When I finally got to see him 2 hours later, I was amazed by him..,he looked so much like my little sister did when she was a baby!

Sunny528 · December 2013

Aww. I'm loving all of these stories. Keep them coming.

I pray that those who had more difficult deliveries in previous pregnancies will be blessed with easier labor experiences this next time around. My MIL told me that when she gave birth to my DH that she was crying and that it was the most amazing experience...like being in the presence of God.

Oh gosh...I've been feeling so emotional the last couple of days as the reality of everything is really sinking in....all in a good way though. Also, our anatomy scan will be coming up very soon ( Jan. 8th) and this will be our first time to see our little one on an ultrasound as we opted out of the NT scan earlier on and we'll be finding out if we'll be having a son or daughter. I'm so nervous and excited at the same time. I already have so much love for this little person growing inside of me...I can't even imagine how I'm going to feel when they are born and I get to see and hold them for the first time!

Just think ladies....while it is very cold and snowy (for some of us) right now....when the flowers are in bloom, the grass is green, and the sun is shining...we'll get to see our little ones!! Sorry to sound so silly and/or sappy...just feeling very excited.

sthomas1222 · December 2013

I just kept saying "she's here. She's really here. This is our baby". Complete shock & surreal. It's indescribable. In the blink of an eye she was inside then laying on my chest. I tear up thinking about it. Even though my devil baby, as I call her, immediately took a shit on me after ripping me wide open lol. I can't wait til May! PS the goop is called vernix

jjones59 · December 2013

I think I was so in the clouds, I remember telling her to cry--she needed more stimulation to wake up. Holding her though was amazing, I was so excited that she was mine. I still love holding her like I did that day.

Kris2011RN · December 2013

Is this really MY baby?

ksyknelvr73 · December 2013

It was the most awesome moment of my entire life. He was a grayish color with goop all over him so not a pretty sight, but I didn't care. Totally amazing.

typeset · December 2013

P.S. to first timers worrying: there's nothing wrong with you if it doesn't click right away. It'll happen. Maybe not in the first hour, maybe not in the first day or week, but it'll happen.

JKTTC1 · December 2013

Considering it was a rough delivery and he was blue...frightening! He was taken for oxygen and spent time in the nursery for about 6 hours or so.

But instant bond!

JoelleOK · December 2013

DH was crying tears of joy as he helped catch DS and cut the cord.
I was waiting. I felt totally focused on the baby waiting with my pores open.

We were able to have skin to skin right away. His eyelids were swollen almost shut but we just looked at each other. He still felt like a part of me, like when he was inside. He must have been cold because a wave of heat washed down my body and my chest felt like a furnace. In a movie his little red swollen face would be in focus with a golden glow around it and everything else blurred out. It's amazing what our brains can do!

Ziegeficker · December 2013

Honestly? After a 37 hour labor with 3 hours of pushing, my first reaction was relief that it was over. After that, I wanted a nap and a hamburger. I was so exhausted after the birth that I hardly felt anything at all. The whole experience was surreal but not very sentimental to me.

momthatlifts · December 2013

I was just thinking about this today. I was trying to picture myself holding this little creation for the first time. Like, this is real and this is mine. We made this little being together. It's our own flesh and blood. And it's just so hard to imagine. I am just beyond excited for that day

MissLadyTay · December 2013

I also remember that I kept waiting for someone to come and take him away because there's no way he was really mine. That feeling lasted until we left the hospital. I felt like I was abducting a baby or something. I adored him but I couldn't quite wrap my mind around the fact that I got to keep him!

bumpuser10194737 · December 2013

I totally started to cry both times I heard their first cries out of pure joy and relief that they were here safely.

One of the nurses described it this way to me after having my first- it's a quote from somewhere: Having a baby is like letting your heart go walking around outside of your body.

It's an amazing feeling you just can't describe!

theoryofwhat · December 2013

These are great to read- I hope you ladies keep this thread going! Its making me so excited for May!

CMDR513 · December 2013

Definitely surreal. I had an emergency c/s after 18 hr induction. I just remember how quick it felt. I was sent down to the OR at 5:30, and he was born at 5:54. I can still hear his cry and picture his sweet face. I had to wait an hour in recovery to hold him again! I get goosebumps just thinking that this will be happening again in no more than 19 weeks from today!

Nmooney1 · December 2013

DD was an emergency c/s after only being on cervidil for about 2 hours. They had to put me to sleep (no time for an epidural) and I didn't get to see her until after my recovery and she was a little over 3 hours old. When they brought her to me, I kept telling the nurse there was no way she was mine. She had a full head of thick, black hair (I have very blonde hair and DH was a blonde when he was a kid) and I argued for well over a half hour with the nursing staff that they brought me the wrong baby

Mind you I was still a bit out of it from general anesthesia, but she just didn't looked like what I had inmagibed. Lol. After my husband convinced me she was mine, I was in love.

DS was a RCS but no where like the experience of having DD. When they held him up, I immediately said "he looks just like Payton (dd)!!" I was over the moon and started crying. I was so nervous about having 'enough' love for two LO. Something magical happens when you give birth (regardless if it's vaginal or an extraction) and it is very had to explain all of the emotions.
It's. Amazing.

Empireceo · December 2013

Relief. We didn't know until he was born whether or not he had Down's Syndrome, so when they handed him to me and told me he didn't, that was the overwhelming feeling. A few hours later I was hit with terror that I would have no idea how to take care of him, and the next morning, it changed to love.

mrspopsicle · December 2013

They laid DD on my chest for a few seconds before realizing she was going to need a little more help breathing. I remember it just being a blur from there. I heard them call for the NICU. My doctor was talking to me, but all I could do was stare at her from across the room. She was breathing hard and retracting but she was pink and that's all I could focus on.

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