On Friday, we went in to get the ultrasound done. It wasn't nearly as fun as the 20 week ultrasound. She was so big that we really couldn't see all of her on the screen at the same time. We also weren't as excited because at this point, we were excited about actually having the baby and not just getting to see her on the ultrasound screen. The tech said that she looked healthy and that she was about 8 lbs 4 oz. She also said the amniotic fluid looked slightly low but not dangerously. She said they like the fluid to be around 8 and mine was 7. She said she would give this information to the doctor and if everything else was okay we could probably be induced if we wanted. She made it sound like a good thing which made me laugh because most women would probably jump at the chance to be induced but I wanted to wait until she came on her own... even if that meant waiting a week.
We went into the doctor and he checked me. I was 3 cm dilated. He then checked my pelvis and agreed with my NP. He was very concerned that it was too narrow. He said that he worried that if I tried for a vaginal delivery, she would either not drop at all for me to push or she would only drop part of the way and then possibly get stuck in the birth canal. He said this posed a great danger for both me and her and recommended that we schedule a c-section for the following day. I had had my heart set on a natural birth so I was really upset by this news. The doctor left the room so Ben and I could discuss our options. It was so hard because we had this huge decision to make and only 5 minutes to make it. The doctor came back but we still hadn't talked about everything we needed to so he left again. He came back the second time and we told him that we would go ahead and schedule the c-section. We both decided that we couldn't do anything that could potentially harm our daughter even if that meant giving up my ideal birth plan. The doctor told us that he would call the hospital and set up a time for a c-section the following day and would call us with the details.
We made a trip to the fire station to make sure our car seat was installed correctly and then we went to Nick & Tom's for dinner. After that we decided to go to Tummy Treats for some dessert. It was after 5:00 and we still hadn't heard from anyone about what time our c-section would be the next day. I finally called them but the receptionist said there weren't any details in my file so she would have to call around and call me back. Shortly after hanging up with her, the doctor called me to make sure I knew the details. He told me that they had scheduled the c-section for 2:00 pm on Saturday. He told me to arrive at 12:30 so they could get everything ready for me. He also told us that even though it was scheduled for 2:00, we could go in earlier if everything was ready or we could even get pushed back if there were any emergency c-sections.
Ben decided to sleep on the air mattress that night to see if it would help his back at all and to give me more room in the bed. We both went to bed but I couldn't fall asleep. I was very anxious and still a little upset that I would need a c-section. I was also having cramps and I started to worry that I would go into active labor before we got to the hospital. We hadn't discussed this scenario with my doctor and I didn't know what he would want us to do. I kept getting the feeling that I had to go to the bathroom so I kept getting up. My cramps felt better when I sat on the toilet so I spent a lot of time there. I also knew that I needed to get sleep so I would have energy for when the baby came. I was worrying that I was in labor because I couldn't sleep very well with the cramps and I was very close to waking Ben up a couple of times. I slept very fitfully for the first four or five hours, waking up about every hour to sit on the toilet. Finally, around 6:00 I was able to fall asleep for a few hours straight. When I woke up I decided that I must not have been having contractions because I was able to sleep for 3-4 hours without waking up. I figured I was having anxiety and that was the cause of my stomach pains.
I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight. I got up and showered, put on my last maternity shirt and got the bags all ready to go. We had had the bags packed for a few weeks but had to change them at the last minute since our birth plan had changed. I suddenly didn't need any pain coping mechanisms or activities to do while I was in labor. We got the car packed and set off to the hospital. This is me just leaving the house and on our way.
We got to Good Sam Hospital at 12:15 and made our way to the maternity ward. We got all checked in and they told us to wait in the waiting room until our prep area was ready. I had noticed that my cramps had come back and decided that they probably were contractions but they seemed irregular so I didn't think it was too worrisome. While in the waiting room, we decided to start timing them to see if they were regular and to see how far apart they were in case we needed to tell the doctor. We realized that they actually were very regular and coming every 8 minutes. I was glad that we didn't realize this until we were at the hospital because I probably would have freaked out at home.
They took us to the prep room and two nurses came in to take my blood pressure and to draw blood and give me an IV. One nurse was taking my blood pressure while the other was sticking me. That coupled with my contractions and my anxiety over having a c-section caused my blood pressure reading to come out dangerously high. They put me on my side and told me they would come back after I had relaxed for a little bit. I continued to have contractions but they really weren't too bad. The nurses came back and retook my blood pressure. It was still slightly elevated but not as big of a concern. Here I am ready to go!
The nurses told me that they were still prepping the OR and that the anesthesiologist would come by to ask me some questions. They kept me on my side and Ben sat in the chair next to me just waiting. While I was lying there, I heard this strange pop from inside me followed by an intense contraction. I had no idea what had happened. I was actually really concerned because I didn't know what was going on. Then, I felt the gush of liquid and realized that my water had just broken. I just started laughing. I thought it was hilarious that I scheduled a c-section only to go into labor and have my water break while in the hospital that day. I was actually very happy that I was having contractions because I thought I would never get to experience any part of labor. We called the nurse to let her know that my water had broken. She came over, lifted up the blankets and my hospital gown and said "Yep, your water definitely broke". Then she left. She did not get me a new gown, she did not offer to clean up anything, she just left me there, soaking wet. I thought that was incredibly strange.
The contractions started to get more intense after my water broke. The anesthesiologist came by to ask the questions right when I was having a very painful contraction. It was pretty funny because I had my back to him when he was asking me things and I wasn't answering because I was trying to concentrate on my breathing. Ben finally told him that I was in the middle of a contraction and probably couldn't answer the questions. He seemed really surprised that I was having contractions. He was finally able to ask the questions. They told me the room was just about ready for me. I wanted to go to the bathroom one last time. I stood up and felt a million times better. I now know why the don't recommend laboring in the bed. It was so much easier for me to deal with the contractions while walking around.
They wheeled me into the OR. Ben had to get into his scrubs and he wasn't allowed in the room until they had everything ready and they had given me the epidural. The anesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural. I really wasn't looking forward to this part of it. My nurse stood in front of me and held my hands while the epidural went in. It completely numbed me from my chest down. I HATED it. I just felt like I needed to move my legs and I couldn't. I was very uncomfortable. They put a temperature gauge on my forehead and oxygen in my nose. Ben was finally allowed in the room. The doctor came in, they put up the sheets all around and they got started. I was most nervous about feeling anything during the procedure. I really did not like the thought of being cut open and they say that you don't feel any pain but that you can feel tugging and pulling. I was afraid I would freak out if I felt any tugging because then I would know that they were cutting me open. I didn't feel a thing and I was super relieved about it.
The anesthesiologist stayed at my head the entire time. He was great because he walked us through everything that was going on. He asked Ben if he wanted to watch the baby coming out. At first, Ben adamantly said no because he (and I) thought that meant actually seeing her being pulled out of my open abdomen. The anesthesiologist explained that you wouldn't be able to see anything except the baby and that Ben would regret it if he didn't watch, so he agreed. He had the video camera with him so he got her birth on tape as well.
The experience was very unreal. One second, the room was relatively quiet, and the very next, there was a baby screaming and nurses rushing around tending to her. She was born at 2:55 pm. They showed her to me and Ben briefly and then took her away to clean her up. They got her all cleaned up and weighed and measured her. She was 7 lbs, 14 oz and 20 inches long. They performed the APGAR tests. She scored an 8 and then a 9. She was absolutely perfect. The nurses handed her to Ben and he brought her over to show her to me. She was so beautiful. Her first picture:
They finally got me all stitched up and ready to be wheeled to the recovery room. They put her in my arms while they wheeled me to the room. That was the first time I got to hold her. We got to the room and I tried breastfeeding right away. She was sleepy and unsure about feeding, so it was unsuccessful at first. Ben and I each called our moms and texted our siblings. We decided to wait until our parents got up to the hospital to announce her name.
We stayed in the recovery room for 2 hours. They wanted to make sure the surgery had gone well and there weren't any complications. After those first two hours, they took me to my post partum room. They put her under heat lamps to get her body temperature up to normal. We tried breastfeeding again and were more successful this time. We called our parents and told them to come up. Once they got here, we had all 4 of them come in together to meet our daughter. We also announced that we had named her Colbie Lynn.
I was very weak after the surgery. I hadn't been allowed to eat all day and it was after 7:00. They allowed me to have some apple juice but told me that I probably wouldn't have solid foods until breakfast the next day. I drank the juice but I kept having waves of nausea. While our parents were there, I barely even moved. After they left, I ended up getting sick but then felt a million times better.
We decided to send her to the nursery during the night. I hadn't even gotten out of bed yet and I knew I wouldn't be able to get out of bed, get her and get back into bed to feed her. I was also very weak and I knew I needed to get some sleep to feel better. The nurse took her to the nursery with the promise that she would be back in 3 hours so I could feed her. Ben stayed in the room with me. They had this super uncomfortable chair that turned into an even more uncomfortable bed. Around 4:00, they brought Colbie in to eat again. After she ate, the nurse wanted me to get out of bed and move to the chair for a little bit. I moved to the chair and she had me pump for about 15 minutes. After this, Ben decided to go home for a little while. He wanted to let Alex (our dog) out and we both decided it would be better if he was able to get some good sleep in our bed.
Ben came back around noon and our day consisted of feedings every few hours, Ben changing his first diaper ever and visitors coming and going. Each of our siblings came up to visit that day. I slowly regained my strength and the breastfeeding got easier. They originally told us that we would be able to go home on Tuesday. Ben decided to go home on Sunday night for the entire night because it was pointless for him to stay with me. Early Monday morning, an OB from my physician's office stopped in to check on me. She told me that I could go home that day if I wanted as long as Colbie had been cleared by the pediatrician. When Ben got back to the hospital I told him that I could probably go home that day if I wanted and we both decided that that's what we wanted to do. The pediatrician cleared Colbie. Our nurse said that we just had to wait for the lactation consultant but that we could leave after that. The lactation consultant was supposed to come by on Sunday but I guess she was behind. We waited for her to come for 4 hours. We were getting incredibly impatient because we just needed her to talk to us and then we could go. She finally showed, gave me a booklet, talked to us for about 10 minutes and left. I was very disappointed. I thought she would watch me feed Colbie and give me some tips and make sure I was actually doing everything right. We could have left the hospital without even seeing her and been okay. Since she took so long, we left the hospital right at the time when I was due for my next dose of pain medication. The doctor had already cleared me and written me a prescription so I couldn't get any more from the hospital. I had to ride home without any medicine in me and then I had to wait for Ben to go to the store and get my prescription filled. The ride home was awful. Every single time we hit a bump I was nearly in tears. We got home and Alex and Colbie met for the first time. Alex had no idea what she was but she was very gentle. It was nice to finally settle into life as a new family.
Welcome baby Colbie! Thank you for sharing that beautiful story. Love and congratulations to all.
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