I went to bed just after midnight, and I laid there for about an hour. I couldn't shut my brain down; so many thoughts were running through my head. I must have dozed off at some point because I woke up to use the restroom and noticed it was only 1:45. This was going to be a long night! It took me awhile to fall asleep again, and I wasn't ready for my alarm to go off. It was set for 4:00 AM in order for me to eat some breakfast before the cut off point. I couldn't have anything to eat or drink 8 hours prior to the Cesarean Section, which was scheduled for 1:00 PM, and I knew I was going to need some energy. After eating an egg and cheese sandwich, I headed back to bed where I laid there without really sleeping until my alarm went off again at 7:30AM.
I got up and did some dishes and prepared for Lisa and Angie who were going to sit for Pawncho while we were gone. After showering I packed some last minute things for the hospital and debated whether or not to wear any makeup. I really wanted to look halfway decent in my first photos with my new family, but I knew I'd be all teary eyed. I opted for zero makeup, and in the end it was all good.
We arrived at St. Joe's at 11AM to check in, and our wonderful doula, Dianne arrived shortly after. They took me in to OB triage to check the baby's position. We all could feel where her head was (shoved up near my ribs), but Dr. Brown did an ultrasound to confirm that she was still breech. They hooked me up to an IV to get me nice and full of fluid. The nurses there were great and took good care of me during this short time before our special delivery.
I asked Dr. Brown if she'd seen my birth plan, and she hadn't. They didn't have it in my file, but I brought an extra one just in case. We went through each item on the plan, and the doctor told me the things on there that will absolutely happen, including some postpartum requests. There were a few things she needed to check on because she wasn't in charge of that. A couple of those items were the playing of music during the delivery and allowing J to be in the OR while they prepped me. She also wasn't sure if we could do skin to skin immediately because of how cold it was in the room.
After some asking, Dr. Brown came back to inform us that we could definitely play music, and J could be in the OR with me after they took care of my spinal. They said they've had people pass out on them while they watched a spinal being placed. We were perfectly fine with this. In fact, we were very pleased that so many things in our birth plan were easily honored. The ones that weren't had very valid reasons, and we were comfortable not sticking to the plan with these.
Okay, I think we should move on the part you all want to hear about - the special delivery. J helped the nurse wheel me in my bed down the halls to the OR. Dianne followed and said a special prayer for us on the way. J and Dianne got prepped to be in the OR, though they couldn't both be in there at the same time, and I went in for my spinal. It was freezing in there! They helped me up on the tiny operating table, gave me two warmed blankets, and prepped my back for the spinal. This was not my favorite experience. To say that it was uncomfortable is an understatement. Once the spinal was in, however, it was mere seconds before I could no longer feel anything from the chest down. The nurses helped me lie down and brought J in.
J took my right hand as the anesthesiologist fixed the overhead mirror to allow us to view the c-section if we chose. Neither one of us really wanted to watch, but I did want to see them delivering Genevieve. I glanced up in the mirror to see them pinching my belly with clamps or something, and I couldn't feel a thing, which was the idea. The doctors and nurses were ready to begin, and I started to feel a little queasy. The anesthesiologist said to let him know if I got nauseous, so I told him. I don't know if the nausea was caused from the spinal or just the anxiety I was feeling about the whole situation.
I had asked the doctor to give us a play by play so we'd have an idea of what was going on throughout the procedure. Dr. Brown let us know when they were making the first incision and when they finally opened up my uterus. They let me know that I would feel some pressure and tugging as they delivered Genevieve from my womb. They said they could see her little behind, and that's when I looked in the mirror. I could see her bottom coming out followed by her legs that were straight up. They gently pulled her the rest of the way out and immediately held her over the drape so we could meet our daughter for the first time. I'm pretty sure that's when we both started crying.
Genevieve was born at 1:43 PM on February 29, 2012 - Leap Day. She weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces and was 20 inches long. She had meconium on her (as you can see in the above picture), so they took her away to be wiped off and warmed. One nurse, Heather, brought G over to me and placed her on my chest so we could have immediate skin to skin contact. As I mentioned above, I wasn't sure if this was a request that would be granted, but Heather was instrumental in helping us achieve this goal. J helped hold G on me, and Heather took pictures for us. I'm not going to lie; it wasn't easy holding my daughter this way since I was hooked to an IV, oxygen, blood pressure cuff, and I think a heart rate monitor. It was both awkward and beautiful - a moment in time I will never forget, and I'm eternally grateful to Dr. Brown and her staff for making this such a special delivery.
After this short bonding time, J took G to the recovery room to wait for me. Dianne slipped into the OR to stay with me while I was being stitched up. Dr. Brown asked what we were naming our daughter, and when I said Genevieve Noelle, she said how much she loved the name Noelle and had wanted it for her daughter's name. We continued to have conversations about kids, which took my mind off of what was being done to me. A couple of times I glimpsed it in the mirror, which was a mistake. As soon as I was all sewn back together, they transferred me to the recovery bed and wheeled me into recovery.
Stay tuned for my next entry to find out what that first night was like for my new little family. (You might have to wait awhile since I've gotten very little sleep these days. In fact, I should be sleeping now, but I really wanted to finish this entry.)
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