Hi! I'm new here!: a csection birth story
Elliott George Baine: A Birth Story
When your OB tells you “I don’t know whether I am touching the babies head or bottom” that’s never how you want your 39 week check to go. Elliott was not always Elliott. Elliott was an it. We made the decision to not find out what we were having until delivery. “IT” made me sick for the first 18 weeks of my pregnancy. “IT” gave me the most amazing rest of my pregnancy. But “IT” had bigger plans and those plans were to come into this world on a schedule and that schedule was an OR time of December 26th at 4:30 in the afternoon.
There were no braxton hicks. There was no mucous plug. There was no leaking pee. “IT” had his head in my lungs. He was so high up they could not even check me. I had planned for months for a beautiful natural labor. I had read the books. I had read the blogs. I spoke to everyone I knew about natural labor and mind over matter and how I could push this kid out without drugs. (insert some quote about God laughing at our plans). I showed up to the hospital at 2:30 p.m. NPO since midnight. Starving, Fat, Swollen and Thirsty. They took my ex husband and I to the antenatal/pre op room. I put on a tent. NO LITERALLY! it blew up like an air mattress to warm you….ya know in case of emergency. We had an entourage. My mom, step dad, mother in law, father in law, dad, aunt, cousin and more were there to welcome this new life.
Looking back now it was kind of a blur. Alex was stressing. I was worried about the cord blood I wanted to be collected. They sent the charge nurse to start my IV (you know that whole I am a nurse thing). Both OBs came to speak with me about the procedure. The CRNA and anesthesiologist stopped by as well to walk me through the whole procedure. These are the moments I hate being a health worker. I know things but I do not know all things. I am still a soon to be new mom that is literally terrified of a spinal tap, worried about my child’s APGAR scores and if I will even be a decent mom.
The time came for me to walk to the OR. What a strange concept? Walking to the operating room for them to stab a needle in your spine to numb you from the diaphragm down to cut a baby out of you….sounds legit. Sign me up apparently. Once we walked into the operating room, my husband had to wait outside until everything was prepped…..spinal, foley, scrub me clean, drapes, drugs etc etc…..WAIT? WHAT? I’m holding hands with a nurse I don’t even know her name while the needle goes in my back. Alright, lets go I guess. Of course I have something weird with my spine. The first spinal did not take. It sent me into a contraction (I didn’t even know it was a contraction because I had never experienced pain like that before). The second spinal took and it bottomed out my blood pressure and then the impending doom feeling started (I am still without my ex husband). Thank god for James (my CRNA). James talked me off a cliff and helped calm me down. If i had to guess it was some type of benzo he put into my IV but let’s go with it was just James helping a fellow nurse out. After my blood pressure was stabilized, the foley was placed and I was scrubbed orange. My ex husband finally got to join the party. He was given specific instructions by James to sit on the rolly chair by my head. Minutes went by and my OB said my ex husband could stand to watch them pull our baby out. Within moments my ex husband got to announce that it was a boy! I will never forget this moment. I heard his cry and my whole life changed that day. I was blessed that our pediatrician was in the room to help bring him into this world. Our pediatrician just so happens to be my Grandfathers partner from when he was a pediatrician. The world works in mysterious ways. Everything after that was a blur. I was able to introduce our son to our entire family. We made calls. We snuggled. We cried. I cried more. Childbirth is weird and magical and beautiful. The woman’s body can do amazing things. I am proud of myself for what my body was capable of doing. My body grew a human being. It carried it nine months and then I had major surgery to bring that baby into this world. Elliott George is the light of my life. He is what gives me strength to be better. There are no words for Elliott other than I love him.
