A Spectrum

Tom says it's cheating. I say, whatever, you aren't the one going under the knife. So what that I got to pick the day she is born. (8-30; 8+3+0=11 Plus it is 2011, double score). I admit it's kind of odd to know what day your child will come into the world but I think it actually made me more anxious in a way.

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011, 8 a.m. - The time scheduled for my C-section, meaning we had to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. So 5 a.m. I am up and getting ready to go. What a way to start out with a newborn, sleep deprived. I believe I told Tom to get up about 4 or 5 times before he actually did.

6 a.m. Into admitting, super easy as I had pre-filled out a ton of paperwork a couple weeks before. Then up to my room. Score, I got the larger C-section/Delivery room. There are two scheduled c-sections that day and the nurses determined it was first come, first serve on the larger room. This is probably the only time I will be punctual for anything in the coming weeks.

6:20 a.m. Geesh, they are already poking and prodding me. It takes them four sticks to get my IV in. Well, not really 4 since they stick you with a "numbing" something or other first. Numbing, my foot. The last time they didn't even do the numbing stick and it felt exactly the same, so really 7 needle sticks. I determine I despise IVs. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything past midnight, not even water. Can I help it if I'm a little dehydrated? Apparently I have good veins, but they like to come together in the wrong places. Whatever that means. Another incredibly uncomfortable procedure later which I won't detail and it's the waiting game.

7 a.m. I meet my anesthesiologist. I like him. He's friendly, but has the sniffles. Darn allergies. He was in the Air Force for several years. He's my eyes and ears during surgery since he's the only one I can see. He explains how the spinal will be different than my epidural last time. You know, for having two c-sections, they were vastly different. Emergency vs. Scheduled I imagine. I meet my nurse for the surgery. It's Diane. She rocks. She teaches all the birthing classes. Ethan and I had her for the sibling class recently so she remembers me. Tom changes into his scrubs.

7:30 a.m. Time to head to the OR. Tom has to wait outside while I get my spinal. We both waited a long time since they didn't start the spinal until my doctor had arrived. It is freezing in the operating room. Warm blankets? YES please! Everybody chit-chats while waiting for the doctor. The nurse standing next to me while I sit on the bed is chewing gum behind her mask. I find this odd. They do an inventory of surgical tools. Yes, please don't leave anything behind in there. A new OB doctor will be assisting on my surgery. "Uh, there's a new OB doctor at the practice?" News to me. He comes in and introduces himself. Everyone is concerned with how he spells his name. He meets the gum chewing nurse for the first time. After he leaves again, she remarks how cute and little he was. I am assuming she meant short, not really little.

7:55 a.m. My doctor pops his head in sans scrubs. Ooo, he's wearing a tie. Fancy. Time to start the spinal. Son of a building block, another incredibly uncomfortable procedure. It takes much longer that I think it should with a needle in my back!! Finally, it hits and my body starts to go all tingly. They lay me down quick, placed that lovely sheet up right by my face so I can't see anything and got started. It's kind of covering my mouth. My wonderful anesthesiologist notices and helps me out. The last thing I feel is that cold stuff being rubbed on my belly. Since I can't see anything, I imagine it was orange. Isn't that normally the color in doctor type shows?

8:07 a.m. I confess to the anesthesiologist, "Is it strange that I really enjoyed the tingly feeling of going all numb?" He tells me some people like it and some people absolutely hate it. He put a narcotic in the spinal to help me with the pain right after, so I am feeling good. He tells me my spinal went a little higher than anticipated so even if I can't feel I'm breathing, I am. Wonderful... Tom is let into the room finally. He gets to hold my hand for what feels like approximately 3 minutes.

8:16 a.m. Isabel Grace is born. 7 lbs 12 oz. 20 in long. I hear her cry but they don't pop her over the curtain like they did with Ethan. So I don't get to see her until after they clean her up and such. I give her a kiss and Tom goes off with her to the recovery room.



I start getting stitched back up. I feel minimal pulling and tugging compared with last time. Mr. Friendly Anesthesiologist keeps me up to date as to the progress. The doctors talk about how they do things here, the relative merits of staples versus stitches/sutures under the skin, etc. My doctor declares everything a success and I head off to recovery too.




Recovery- (cause I really have no idea what time it was by then) I get to hold Isabel and even get to feed her. With Ethan I was in recovery by myself for an hour. Thank goodness for the new birthing wing at the hospital. Tom is there too. They check our vitals a bunch, tell me how someone recently named their child Sparrow Morningstar (poor kid) and after an hour we get to head back to my room.




At some point that day, every member of our immediate family comes to visit. The next four days are filled with other visitors, awesome nurses, a pretty calm baby, relatively good hospital food, a fair amount of pain (don't ever make someone who just had their stomach cut open laugh, please), throwing pillows at Tom to wake him up when I need him (Ok, I only had to do that once), some periods of boredom, a fair amount of sleep, and lots of baby cuddle time. We took Isabel home on Friday Sept. 2nd.