We left our house at 4:30 to make the trek to Sugarland. Emmy stayed the night with my Mom and Dad the night before, so we just had to get up and get ourselves ready. I of course stayed up until almost midnight making sure that everything was packed, charged, and ready to go. Since I could not eat, we got up, got dressed, loaded the car, and hit the road.
We took one more quick photo before heading out the door.
We arrived at the hospital with plenty of time to get inside before check-in.
The check-in process was extremely quick, and before you know it, I was clothes in a super chic hospital gown and ready to meet my new baby.
Brad was pretty excited too.
Around seven o'clock I heard a familiar sound out in the hallway and Emmy ran in to greet me. I think she was a little bit surprised by my hospital garb, but she hugged and kissed me and said she was ready to meet her brother. Us too Em, us too.
The nurse came back in to go over a few last minute details with me and then I walked down to the operating room (or O.R. as us Grey's fans like to call it). The room was really cold, but it felt like heaven to my overheated pregnant body. I met the anesthesiologist and he went over the process for the spinal block that I would have.
This was a new experience for me since I had an epidural with Emmy. I sat on the edge of the O.R. table and bent over as far as I could toward my knees. She held my hands and shoulders and talked me through the procedure. There was a tiny prick and they deadened the area, and then I could just feel the pressure of them inserting the needle. It was strange feeling the needle moving around in my spine, but I tried not to dwell on it. Some of my friends said that they freaked out during their second C-Section, so I wanted to do my best to get through in a calm manner. I did some deep breathing and thought peaceful thoughts, and before I knew it, that part was over.
The nurse, Sherita, asked me to lie down on my back so she could insert the catheter. This was one of the strangest parts of the whole experience. She had me lie down on my back, knees pulled up, and feet planted. They had not put the sheet up, so I could still see most of what was going on with only my prego tummy obstructing my view. I could feel the medicine starting to go into effect so I kept flexing my toes wanting to know the moment when I was no longer in control of my limbs. I watched the nurse spread my knees apart so that my feet were now touching. I could see this clearly with my eyes, but in my mind, I could still feel my feet planted on the O.R. table.
At this point, I started having a bit of an internal struggle. I knew where my body actually was, but I could not make my mind catch up to what was happening in real time. I was stuck in a time lag. I kept closing my eyes and visualizing myself picking my feet up and putting them where I knew they were on the table so that I could mentally move on, but it just wouldn't happen. They had also given me some other medicine that was supposed to help me not get nauseous, but between my new found anxiety over my feet and the natural process the other medicines had, I could feel the contents of my stomach trying to come up. I told the guy and he said he would put more medicine in my IV immediately. He did not get there quick enough. I threw up in my mouth, and I had to sit there silently pleading with my eyes so that I would not embarrass myself by puking on the floor.
It only took seconds before he saw me and rushed over with suction to get it all out. He couldn't give me water to wash my mouth out, but he brought a damp rag and helped me to clean off my tongue and mouth as well as we could under the circumstances. The anesthesiologist had warned me that sometimes a spinal block made people feel like they couldn't breathe since they couldn't feel their chest rising and falling, but just to tell him and he would reassure me that I was indeed breathing. I started to feel like I was struggling to breathe, so I told myself that it was all in my head and not to get trapped in another mind game. It was all working until I started hearing some of my monitors make different kinds of sounds. Then he came over and said my oxygen levels were dropping so he was going to have to give me oxygen. Great. Apparently it wasn't in my head. I kept sing a song from church in my head over and over and the words gave me peace. For the life of me now, I cannot remember which song it was, but I know that they will sing it once day and the moment will come flooding back.
During this time, Dr. Burroughs had arrived and they were ready to start the procedure. Bradley came in and sat beside me. I was so glad to see him. Like one of my top favorite moments of all time to see him show up. They started the procedure and magically, it was all going just as they said it would. I could feel tugging and such, but I didn't feel all the pain like the first time. I looked up at the light above me, and I could see a distorted reflection of the surgery taking place on the other side of the curtain. Most people might have been grossed out by this, but it kept my mind off all the other things going on inside my head, so I just went watched like it was an episode of House.
Before I knew it, Dr. Burroughs was telling Bradley to get his camera ready because we were about to have a baby. He stood up and I reminded him to take the lens cap off. Then I heard the most beautiful sound--a newborn cry. I looked up into the lamp reflection, and I could see the outline of my new baby boy. The doctor told us it was 8:03.
Bradley was snapping photos like crazy, and the type A part of me reminded him that I wanted video too. The nurses immediately took the baby over to be weighed and do his hearing test. I could see small toes and fingers popping up over the edge of the heated work station as they quickly did what they know best. I kept peering trying to get a glimpse of my new little addition. I was a little sad because I didn't want them to leave to take him to the nursery before I got to see him.
All of a sudden I could see the nurse bringing over a tiny blanket clad bundle and laying him down on my chest. In that moment every fear I had clung to about having another baby and what it might do to our little dream team of three evaporated as I fell in love with this tiny little man. He had lots of wisps of brown hair sticking out of his hat, and I gazed at his delicate and pretty features.
Then the best thing happened. I got to hold him the entire time they were sewing me back up. They pulled my hospital gown back and we got to share some skin-to-skin bonding time. This was a precious gift in comparison to the hell I felt during the stitching process the last time. I did feel a little nauseous a few times and have to be suctioned, but I didn't really care since I had my little boy with me.
Once they were done, we took a quick photo with Dr. Burroughs and a photo of Bradley, baby, and I and then the baby and Bradley left to go to our room.
A few minutes later after being lifted over onto a bed, I was wheeled back to my room. Bradley finally got to hold the baby and for a few minutes we just sat and soaked up the moment.
Welcome to the world little man. We are so happy to meet you!
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