I am positioned on the table. I wait as my belly, hips, thighs, knees, and feet go numb. Someone put oxygen in my nose, a blue paper hat on my head, sterile drapes are everywhere. Finally, the door swings open and I hear a great sound, Phillip's voice. "7:21-Open," I hear. I feel pulling and tugging. Phillip and I talk and joke with the doctor. I hear "You are doing so well." Honestly, considering the goings-on, I feel really good. "7:42" There is my baby girl. They hold her in front of me for a brief moment. My Norah Grace is here, she is on the outside. I can't wait to get my hands on her. Phillip gets called over to the isolette to take pictures and to cut the cord. I can't take my eyes off the two of them. My family.
Phillip and Norah leave the OR while I get closed up. I meet up with them again in recovery around 8:25. I ask how much she weighs to which the nurse answers "guess." I guess somewhere around 7 and a half. They laugh and say that I've missed. "More?" I ask. Nope, 6 pounds 14 ounces.
They settle me in and it's finally time to hold her. I can't take my eyes off of her. For months I've wondered what she would look like. My eyes are on her and my heart says "Of course, that's what you look like. I would have known you anywhere." She is perfect. She's beautiful. She's mine.
While in recovery a nurse comes by and says that there is a couple waiting in the room for us and had no idea what was going on. My parents. Phillip had gotten only one mass text sent before we went into the OR. It said something like "Alli has to go in for an urgent C-section, we appreciate your prayers." Since most hospitals are giant concrete blocks there was no telling if any of them had sent or who had received the message. Phillip rushes off to see my parents and show them the pictures he has taken.
I prove to the staff that I am alright and ready to be moved to a post-partum room. Norah goes to the nursery for some of her tests. When I roll in the room is full. My parents, Phillip's mom and grandma, and one of my best friend's and her husband are waiting for me. Soon Norah joins us and tears and pictures abound. Her temperature is a little low and she hangs out in my hospital gown for a while.
The day goes by quickly and is full of family and friends. Around 4pm I finally can feel my butt again, this is an exciting thing! Though the pain is there, it's bearable with my trusty pain button.
The day goes by quickly and is full of family and friends. My pain button goes away around 10pm and is replaced by Toradol and Percocet. The first night was so long. Every time Phillip and I doze off a staff member comes in or Norah starts coughing up some of the fluid in her lungs. The pain gets much worse but between the Toradol and breastfeeding I am so sleepy I feel that I will sleep through Norah's crying. Finally the morning comes.
The rest of the stay is a blur. We see so many close friends and family. Everyone dotes on Norah and us and tells us how pretty she is. The staff is great for the most part. Wednesday arrives and we get to take home our baby girl. I cannot believe they are just going to let me walk out with a child. Granted, she's mine, but still I felt that I should watch a movie or have to pass a test. Our nurse the morning we leave is our favorite. So personable and supportive. Before lunch time we are on our way to our house with our girl. Little did we know how much that 2.5 days would change our lives for the good.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
New life
I have been meaning to blog about Norah's arrival and since she is almost six months old and currently napping I have decided today is the day.
My pregnancy went remarkably well. I was tired and swollen but was able to work up until 38 weeks and that was simply because I had given my notice. I was sure Norah would come early because she had "dropped" at 34 weeks. I was also hoping she would come a safe amount of early. Week after week of going to the doctor to have my progress checked, nothing was happening. At 38 weeks I was scheduled to have a non stress test at 40 weeks. I wanted to slap the girl that made the appointment because I didn't want to still be pregnant at 40 weeks. But at 41 weeks we made plans to be induced at 41 and 5 days. That Sunday night, I went into labor. I had contractions about 10 minutes apart most of the night. I was having a lot of back pain with every contraction. They never became less than 7 minutes apart. At 3:30 I got up to take a shower and head to the hospital. We needed to be there to register at 5.
I was never able to picture myself pushing out a baby. I tried. I don't think this ultimately affected the outcome of Norah's birth because sometimes I can't picture what Saturday will be like or that I'll ever go to England. Nevertheless, I had my walking slippers, robe, and racquetballs packed. I had a head cold and was coughing a lot all night and as we checked in. The coughing was not helping the contractions.
By 6am we had gotten to our room I was changed into a hospital gown and was wearing the monitors. I was having contractions every 5-6 minutes on the monitors. The nurse was asking all of the intake questions; I was nervous but in good spirits. Phillip and I were happy to be close to meeting our baby. We were thinking that we were in for a day of laboring and would meet Norah that evening. Most of the questions behind us, the nurse established an IV and started fluids, no Pitocin yet. The IV site was positional and would only let the fluid flow if I held my hand weird.
We realized the camera had been left in the car and Phillip took advantage of the down time to go get it. He had just gotten back when Norah's heart rate dropped to 57. It was 6:45. The nurse called for the staff to call the doctor and soon our room was full of people.
I mouthed to Phillip to "pray." I had been instructed to lay on my left side, then my right side, then to all fours. I had to wear an oxygen mask and have my butt up in the air. I was trying to take off my earrings with one hand to give to a nurse while trying to nurse that IV site that was hurting very badly. One nurse was in my left ear telling me that "the baby's heart rate has dropped and an emergency C-section was possibly needed if her heart did not return to a normal pace." The room had more people, one of them, a chief resident who had to get consent from me to do the C-section should Norah's heart rate not improve. They found out I am an RN and decided to show me the strips of her heart rate. Voices were coming from every direction. I was afraid for Norah and afraid I would have to go into the OR without Phillip. After what seemed like forever, probably a few minutes, her rate returned to normal and I was able to turn back over.
The practice I go to has 2 midwives and 1 doctor. Jennifer, a midwife, was on call on December 5th. The staff had called her but because the complications she had to call the doctor. Dr. F showed up quickly and told me that I needed to have a C-section. I did not question her. I trust her. The look in her eye told me this was best for my baby. She assured me that this was the best because any additional contractions could cause the same stress on the baby. The dip in heart rate could have been caused by an old placenta or problems with the umbilical cord. I said "Okay, when?". "Right now" she said. It would be considered an "urgent c-section, " Phillip could come in with me after I had my spinal.
I had papers to sign during which a catheter was placed. Very uncomfortable and embarrassing to have placed with 8 people in the room. It was a little after 7 and I was being wheeled out of the room I thought I was spending all day in. I asked Phillip for a kiss and was out the door.
The staff in the hall and in the OR were all very nice and reassuring. Some of them were even telling me that next time I could try for a VBAC. I did start crying after shifting to the table and was facing a nurse as my spinal was being done. I was a little scared, a lot overwhelmed, and even more ready to see Norah.
My pregnancy went remarkably well. I was tired and swollen but was able to work up until 38 weeks and that was simply because I had given my notice. I was sure Norah would come early because she had "dropped" at 34 weeks. I was also hoping she would come a safe amount of early. Week after week of going to the doctor to have my progress checked, nothing was happening. At 38 weeks I was scheduled to have a non stress test at 40 weeks. I wanted to slap the girl that made the appointment because I didn't want to still be pregnant at 40 weeks. But at 41 weeks we made plans to be induced at 41 and 5 days. That Sunday night, I went into labor. I had contractions about 10 minutes apart most of the night. I was having a lot of back pain with every contraction. They never became less than 7 minutes apart. At 3:30 I got up to take a shower and head to the hospital. We needed to be there to register at 5.
I was never able to picture myself pushing out a baby. I tried. I don't think this ultimately affected the outcome of Norah's birth because sometimes I can't picture what Saturday will be like or that I'll ever go to England. Nevertheless, I had my walking slippers, robe, and racquetballs packed. I had a head cold and was coughing a lot all night and as we checked in. The coughing was not helping the contractions.
By 6am we had gotten to our room I was changed into a hospital gown and was wearing the monitors. I was having contractions every 5-6 minutes on the monitors. The nurse was asking all of the intake questions; I was nervous but in good spirits. Phillip and I were happy to be close to meeting our baby. We were thinking that we were in for a day of laboring and would meet Norah that evening. Most of the questions behind us, the nurse established an IV and started fluids, no Pitocin yet. The IV site was positional and would only let the fluid flow if I held my hand weird.
We realized the camera had been left in the car and Phillip took advantage of the down time to go get it. He had just gotten back when Norah's heart rate dropped to 57. It was 6:45. The nurse called for the staff to call the doctor and soon our room was full of people.
I mouthed to Phillip to "pray." I had been instructed to lay on my left side, then my right side, then to all fours. I had to wear an oxygen mask and have my butt up in the air. I was trying to take off my earrings with one hand to give to a nurse while trying to nurse that IV site that was hurting very badly. One nurse was in my left ear telling me that "the baby's heart rate has dropped and an emergency C-section was possibly needed if her heart did not return to a normal pace." The room had more people, one of them, a chief resident who had to get consent from me to do the C-section should Norah's heart rate not improve. They found out I am an RN and decided to show me the strips of her heart rate. Voices were coming from every direction. I was afraid for Norah and afraid I would have to go into the OR without Phillip. After what seemed like forever, probably a few minutes, her rate returned to normal and I was able to turn back over.
The practice I go to has 2 midwives and 1 doctor. Jennifer, a midwife, was on call on December 5th. The staff had called her but because the complications she had to call the doctor. Dr. F showed up quickly and told me that I needed to have a C-section. I did not question her. I trust her. The look in her eye told me this was best for my baby. She assured me that this was the best because any additional contractions could cause the same stress on the baby. The dip in heart rate could have been caused by an old placenta or problems with the umbilical cord. I said "Okay, when?". "Right now" she said. It would be considered an "urgent c-section, " Phillip could come in with me after I had my spinal.
I had papers to sign during which a catheter was placed. Very uncomfortable and embarrassing to have placed with 8 people in the room. It was a little after 7 and I was being wheeled out of the room I thought I was spending all day in. I asked Phillip for a kiss and was out the door.
The staff in the hall and in the OR were all very nice and reassuring. Some of them were even telling me that next time I could try for a VBAC. I did start crying after shifting to the table and was facing a nurse as my spinal was being done. I was a little scared, a lot overwhelmed, and even more ready to see Norah.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)