Here's her story:
Obviously, we were fighting hard to keep her nice and cozy. She needed as much time as possible, and as miserable as I was, I was not willing to rush her getting here.
However, after discussing my options with the dr - we decided to induce. Factors that determined the induction were my heart and low blood pressure issues, living an hour away in a town that does not have the medical facilities to take care of me/baby if something were to go wrong, and I was already showing signs that labor would be coming sooner than later. So we set a date.
I liked having a definite date. I could plan out things easier. I got everything arranged for my kids and where they would stay, as well as our dogs. Bags got packed. I even painted my toenails pink, that way I would have something pretty to look at when it came time to push. I was worried about our little one coming earlier than the planned date, but the closer that the date came - the more excited I was to wait for the said date. It was a goal that seemed impossible just a month ago.
6am - March 4th: Delivery day. We arrived at the hospital. We being me, Trace and Aleana. I had asked Aleana if she wanted to be part of the whole labor and delivery thing, and she said yes. Trace and Aleana were excited and I was nervous...as I still hadn't decided whether or not I wanted to try going all natural. I wanted Aleana to see all of the labor part - pain included, so she would understand a little more of what a woman goes through. (Admittedly, I was also worried about traumatizing her...but I figured we'd figure it all out as it came).
In came the dr - to check and see what my cervix was up to. I wanted to know when he was going to break my water - as that is when the real "fun" begins. He wasn't sure yet - it depended on my progress. As he checked my cervix, my water broke. I look at the dr dumbfounded. He looks at me. I could tell by his expression - he hadn't intended on breaking my water. He tells the nurse to stop the pictocin. He feels around my belly trying to find the baby's head. Yep, his worries were confirmed. Our little girl was breech. And because my water had broke, in a gushing fashion, there was no cushion left to turn her. We tried, but she wasn't going anywhere.
And then my contractions start coming 2 minutes apart.
You know what that means?
Exactly. C-section.
I have never had one. I wasn't sure what to expect. All I knew was it wasn't what I wanted. It wasn't what we planned. It wasn't the experience that I envisioned sharing with my husband or daughter. I was scared. But I knew I wanted what was best for baby, and this was it. So much for the planned relaxing birth.
I have watched "A Baby Story" on TLC. I've seen dozens of episodes through the years. I knew what happened during a c-section. I would at least get to see my baby and touch her. That would have to do.
Let me just say, my experience wasn't like any of the "A Baby Story" episodes. I had to fight my way through the fog just to touch my baby girl. I remember hearing her take and cry her first breaths. Then I remember Trace asking me if I wanted him to stay with me or go with our sweet baby girl. (With the baby of course.) And in the middle of all this, my blood pressure dropped 3 times. Medication was given that helped bring it up each time - but I was miserable and nauseous and had to fight not passing out pretty much the entire time. Not fun.
Yep, that's my uterus laying on my lap. Kind of cool.
The dr wrote a nice reminder for the nurses.
But even through the fog, her cry was beautiful. They weighed and measured her as they sewed me up. I couldn't see her, but I could hear what was going on. Time: 0939, 7lbs 14oz, 20 1/4'', and her head measured at 14 1/4" She is by far our smallest baby. She had the most perfect round little face - I do remember seeing her face. Our last baby is our smallest and required a c-section. What are the
chances?...
Such a beautiful little girl.
Trace still got to cut the cord...sort of
It took me about 24 hours to get out of the fog, and get the feeling back in my legs.
Charlie, from the start, is a great eater. She latched on right away and knew exactly what to do. Out of all our kids, she is by far the easiest to feed. I finally got to take time and look at all of her little features. Her hands, and tiny feet. Her round head and chubby cheeks. The blonde hair. Her skinny little legs. Babies are amazing. She is amazing.
Our little miracle.
For the next 3 days, I just got to sit there in the hospital bed and admire her and thank God for our beautiful Charlie.
In the end, my pretty pink toenails didn't matter. And all that planning didn't go as planned. But our sweet Charlie Ann is more than we could have ever expected.
Such a good big sister...
On a side note - Charlie has something called Harlequin Syndrome. It's something that she will eventually outgrow. They don't know why it happens, but it has something to do with the circulatory system. The dr didn't believe me when told him how she was turning red, until I was able to get a picture. Whatever side she lays on while nursing turns red, but only that side. It's bizarre, but doesn't cause any harm.
No comments:
Post a Comment