Alex’s Arrival, Part 4

As I was being prepped for surgery I met my obstetrician, Dr. P. Dr. P was hand selected by Teri to perform the c-section, so I knew I could trust her. Dr. P is a tiny woman, about my size, with direct eyes and a calm but precise manner. She detailed the c-section in a way that would educate me but not frighten me. She said while c-sections are common, it is still a serious surgery.  After detailing the risks, she  advised me that due to the current circumstances (it was not yet an emergency) I was still relatively low-risk. A nurse gave me a sour green drink that was supposed to keep me from vomiting during the operation. I downed it like a shot while Scott was dressed in scrubs. After an hour, it was finally time for me to get wheeled into the OR. Scott walked beside me as long as he could. While he was not allowed to come into surgery with me immediately, he would be able to a short time later.

My epidural because my anesthetic. It worked out well for me, because I felt somewhat normal a short time after delivery. I was able to move my legs and toes during surgery, but felt little more than pressure while the incision was being made. I was cold. I vomited the green drink I was given, and felt myself starting to panic when I had the chills. Two nurse anesthetists were by my head during the surgery. I remember both of them distinctly. One was named Crystal, and one was Paul. Paul cracked little jokes to make me laugh. Crystal would look into my eyes and tell me she wasn’t leaving my side until surgery was over, that I was okay to be afraid, and I was being really strong. Scott finally came in and as there with me, but Paul and Crystal were truly my lifeline. I think I might have lost it if those two nurses weren’t there with me, especially since Teri was on the other side of the net, functioning as a surgical assistant. Before long, I was being cut open. I didn’t feel anything, just pressure.

Finally, they made it to Alex. The first words I hear from the other side of the net regarding my child? “Woah, that’s a big baby!” I felt a yank and people scrambling to clean him. Scott said he caught a glimpse of Alex and he was completely covered in green meconium.  While he was being clean, Scott walked over to see our son for the first time.

“Who does he look like?” I asked.
Scott’s response: “Well, he has your ears.”

After Alex was cleaned, Scott walked him over to me where I was able to briefly see my son for the first time. I was amazed to see a little of myself in this boy. He had brown hair with blond streaked throughout, large blue eyes, insanely chubby cheeks, and poor child did indeed have my ears but they didn’t stick out the way mine did as a baby. He wasn’t red or wrinkled like so many overdue babies. He was beautiful, perfect, and pink, but they had to take him away from me. Alex needed to be observed in the NICU for lung distress. Scott went with him. I needed to be closed up.

Sadly, ending the procedure was not as peaceful as the beginning. The uterus needs to continue contracting to prevent hemorrhaging. My uterus was so tired that it was no longer contracting. I had my best friend pitocin injected directly into my uterus to keep it contracting… and boy could I feel it!  It was this horrible cramping sensation, worse than a regular contraction, that I wasn’t expecting. Crystal helped me focus so I could breathe through the pain. It lasted several minutes. Let me tell you now, if I can live my life without ever encountering pitocin again, I will die a happy woman.

Finally, the surgery was over. I was sent to recover in the room where I labored.  An hour later, Scott came to see me. He said we had a visitor… and Alex was wheeled in. Despite passing meconium in the womb, Alex was completely fine. I was able to hold my tiny, chubby cheeked baby for the first time. He was very alert. We nursed immediately and he was able to latch as if he’d been nursing for years.  Finally, after those long months of carrying him, our concerns for his health, our preparations, and my long labor, Alexander was finally here.  Together we are beginning a new journey as a family of three.

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Tags: c sections