HEY!! Margo's "short" Birth Story!!
Thanks everyone for all the well-wishes and FB comments, etc. We're home now and doing really well, all 3 of us 
I tried to water down the birth story as much as possible so it's not a freaking novel, but you know, a lot happens in those hours...
Friday evening, DH and I went out to dinner. That day we?d gone to the doctor to see that yes, you were thriving still and they?d scheduled the induction (they also stripped my membrane Friday... I guess I'm now another true believer.) I went for a walk with a friend that afternoon and then DH and I went out for dinner. During dinner I noticed some uncomfortable cramping, and on the way home was the first contraction I timed - at 7:40. After that, they seemed to be coming fairly regularly, so Scott got out his iphone, downloaded an app and we started logging contractions. They continued all evening, and by midnight, they were pretty strong and every 5 minutes. My back was aching so badly that even in between them, I could find little relief.
At almost exactly midnight we checked in at Rex. I remember because we realized it was the 16th! We were checked into the Triage section, which is their nice way of saying ?we just want to make sure you?re ACTUALLY in labor.? I knew I was! BUT, I was still only 1 centimeter dilated at that point, so they had us walk the halls to encourage some more action. We roamed the halls for an hour and a half, for little to happen but for the contractions to get MUCH worse and no more dilation. They sent us back out to walk, and at this point, about 2:30 am, it was becoming too painful to walk through. The nurses realized I was just tiring myself out and I was finally admitted. They got us all set up in a room and gave me some pain medication to allow me to rest a little in between contractions. The doctor was called in, and once she arrived I?d be able to get my epidural and they?d begun getting that ordered.
Around 4:40 am I had 2 particularly grueling contractions - one lasting 2 minutes and then one about a minute later that was 2-3 minutes long. Through all of that, the monitors on my belly that were picking up Margo?s heartbeat lost her. I said to Scott once the second contraction subsided that I felt her move just then, and he noted that the monitor lost her heartbeat, so she must have moved off the monitor. We weren?t concerned at all, which is laughable now based on the reaction that ensued.
10 nurses stormed into our room almost immediately, serious as anything. They were frantically trying to find Margo?s heartbeat and unable to do so. They quickly gave me an oxygen mask, tried to calm me down (tried being the operative word, since they were freaking me out!) and the doctor walked in and quickly judged that we needed an emergency c-section. This was the first time we saw the doctor, since things were kind of progressing slowly, I guess she thought she had some time. So, within 3 minutes of the monitor issue, we were being flown through the halls, exactly like on TV. I was still kind of out of it from the pain drug they?d given me, but I do distinctly remember saying a prayer that Margo was okay, but also knowing in my heart that she was. Poor Scott was running behind me, and they made him go into a waiting room off the OR to put on scrubs and wait to be called in.
In some ways, being separated from Scott was the worst part of the story. He was so supportive and helpful to me. They always show on TV and movies laboring women getting upset with their husbands but I honestly don?t know what I would have done without him. He was exactly what I needed the whole time, and we had to be separated during the prep for the Caesarean. Since I hadn?t yet actually received the epidural, they had to give me a spinal. I was scared out of my mind, shaking from having just labored for the past 10 hours and still having contractions, and, now, alone. I remember one nurse comforting me and basically hugging me to her while I received the spinal, which wasn?t as bad as I?d feared. Shortly after, they allowed Scott in and he sat by my head as they quickly got to it. It?s a drug-induced blur from there, to be honest. But I do remember when they pulled Margo out, getting to hear her cry and thinking ?Is that a baby? Do I hear a baby???? And Scott and I both were crying our eyes out. She was here, everything was okay, and as messed up as our little birth story felt, it was all okay now. Though it was by far the scariest experience of my life, I somehow also felt completely taken care of and able to handle it.
One of the nurses brought Margo by on their way to clean her up and I looked over, remembering her full head of black hair. Scott got to go and be with her while they took me to post-op and I recovered for a few hours. I was just so excited to see her, waiting was so hard. After they released us to our room, we got to spend some time adoring our new daughter and processing the events that had already occurred. When they wheeled my bed into our room, I looked outside and saw that the sun was rising... and it was a gorgeous sunrise. I made Scott take a picture because it was the sunrise on Margo?s first day. So cheesy, but I'm a bucket of emotions so it works for me, I guess!
Thanks again for all the support you guys have provided to me throughout the pregnancy... and will undoubtedly continue to provide throughout the phases to come! We're doing well now - BFing is getting better each time, and Margo is already starting to gain back some of her post-birth weight loss (I can't help but feel really proud about that)! She's amazing to watch, I could just stare at her all day. DH has 2 weeks of paternity leave (lucky us!) so I might be kind of spotty on the interwebs till then. The relatives back home are antsy for pics so I'll hopefully keep putting them up on the blog and FB!
Re: HEY!! Margo's "short" Birth Story!!
Photo/Family Blog
Wow! What a story! That must have been so scary! My c/s was, so I know your experience must have really been!
Congrats again on your beautiful girl..I am so excited to meet her!
Congratulations! I can't wait to see a picture of your LO! She has such a beautiful name.
I'm sorry you had such a scary experience with the emergency c-section, but I can totally relate. My delivery was exactly like yours - baby's heartrate dropped/disappeared, and I was rushed to the OR and the baby was out within minutes. I thought the same thing as you - it was like a scene in the movies! They kept my DH out at first as well, and I remember laying on that table all alone - such a scary feeling. But, it's all worth it once you hear the baby! Hope your recovery from the c-section continues to go well. Enjoy the time with your DH at home - two weeks of help is great!
Congrats! Sorry the experience was so scary, but really glad everything turned out a-ok!
On a side note, I guess I can't read these anymore at work since I'm KU. Choking back tears over my burrito in a cubicle is not helping me keep my pregnancy on the down-low.
***Baby #3: BFP Mother
Jamie, that is a beautiful story! A little scary, but a PERFECT ending!! I can only imagine how Scott must have felt when they wheeled you off in a hurry ... that would be SO HARD! Isn't it amazing how the tears just FLOW when you hear that first cry? Like ... that is MY baby!?!? Just incredible!
I'm glad you are recovering well. I have to ask - who delivered you?
ENJOY these next few weeks w/ Scott at home ... it goes by FAST, but it's awesome when you and your husband can learn about your baby together in the first few moments.
Please let me know if you need anything - especially when Scott goes back to work!
Congrats McJ! I had a very similar birth story with Kylie and it is scary and so isolating when they take you away. I kept thinking they were starting and Matt was not there yet and was yelling for him.
I am glad to hear you all are doing well and that she arrived safely, if in a blur.
My Sweet Girls
OMG, Congrats Jamie, I'm SO happy for you guys!!! I wasn't on the computer all weekend so I didn't get to post before.
This is a wonderful recap and I'm glad you shared it! Enjoy your beautiful new girl !!!
Catching up on sports news...
I love the pictures on your blog, she is a gorgeous little girl!