The day before the c-section I got a phone call from my OB office asking me to come in that afternoon. I asked why they wanted me to come in since my weekly appointment was the next day, but the receptionist didn't know why, she was just doing what the doctor asked. I arrived at the office and my OB came into the room, and I asked if there was any special reason she wanted me to come in today. She tells me yes, and then hesitated a bit. She said before I go into that let's check your cervix. So she does and immediately says "I knew it - you're 4cm dilated! You're having the baby tomorrow!" Then she tells me that she had a dream the night before that I had the baby and that her intuition is always right so that's why she had me come into the office. I was not sure exactly how to respond to that, I was more fixated on the 'you're having the baby tomorrow' part of the conversation. I got scared that she was in fact going to be born prematurely and I started to cry. But my doctor reassured me that I had done all that I possibly could for my baby and my cervix simply could not handle things any longer.
So I drove home in a daze and immediately made phone calls, text messages, etc. letting folks know the big news. I packed my bag, and I needed to rest but I was so wired it was hard to fall asleep, but I finally drifted off around 1am.
My sister in law was unfortunately out of town and there was no way she would be able to get back in time, so my friend Mary and my doula Laura were going to be with me at the hospital. Mary drove me to the hospital and my brother was also there but hung out in the waiting room. I had to be at the hospital at noon and the c-section was scheduled for 4pm.After two attempts they got my IV in and hooked me up to the monitors. I was definitely feeling contractions at that point, but they were not really painful, I tell this to the nurse and she looks at me quizzically. She says not only am I having contractions, but that I was having contractions every 1-2 minutes! Huh, what?! I was only feeling some of the contractions and I didn't think they were all that bad. This whole labor experience was nothing like I had experienced previously.
{Laura & me smiling through contractions}
Mary, Laura and I relaxed in the room while the nurse came in and out. At 3pm the nurse came back in the room all gowned up and said that my c-section had been moved up an hour and that we were going into the OR now! Hospital policy is to only have one support person in the OR so I decided that Mary would be in there while my doula waited behind the door.
{Mary suited up for the OR}
The nurse walked me into the OR and they got me ready for the spinal. After the spinal was placed, and before the c-section began, my doctor tried to remove the cerclage but she said I was too far dilated and she couldn't get to it, so I'll have to wait until my first post partum appointment to get it removed. I remember even though I wasn't cold, I couldn't stop shuddering. I could feel the pressure as they worked on getting her delivered.
After 54 days on bed rest, my sweet baby girl was born at 4:08pm on 7/14/11 at 34 weeks+2days, weighing 5 lbs 6 oz, and 18 1/2 inches long!
As soon as I heard her cry I started to cry. It was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. Mary cut the cord and then they brought her around to me so I could see her for a few seconds, and then she was passed to the NICU nurses.
Mary then went with the baby to the NICU. Mary coincidentally is a pediatrician, so I asked if she wouldn't mind going to the NICU with the baby, giving me a play by play, and take pictures. Later, Mary explained to me that when the baby was first taken to the NICU she was initially intubated and then given cerfactin for her lungs, but then after that was administered it was removed and she only required a nasal cannula.
When Mary left the room, my doula Laura stayed by my side as I was stitched up. My external incision was sealed with surgical glue, which means no stitches or staples! About 20 minutes later I was wheeled from the OR to the NICU so I could see the baby.
As soon as they placed her in my arms the whole room melted away, the moment I gazed at my daughter I was totally overwhelmed with joy and cried from sheer happiness.
My brother was there and he gave me a big hug and told me that the baby was cute :)
