Another December Surprise (birth story LONG)

I knew I'd be having a c-section, but I didn't think it'd be this soon.

Here's my birth story:

Normally, LO moves around a lot and is always very active, but I started to notice a sudden change in his pattern. He wasn't moving as much on Monday and was even more subdued on Tuesday, so, I was very concerned that there may or may not be something wrong. I emailed my boss that was going in to see my doctor on Wednesday at 10:30am instead of Thursday at 9am (told him why I was going). I thought I'd get checked out and be back at work around noon.

I brought my husband with me since he was home sick from work and didn't want me to go by myself. My OB performs a quick u/s and tells me the movement is good, but my amniotic fluid levels were too low (a 2.5 according to him), so he said we're going to head over to the hospital to have an NST and biophysical profile done and see what the findings of their report will say.

So now, we're sitting there in the office thinking that, okay, we'll be stuck another 3-4 hours at the hospital. No big deal. I tell my job I won't be in until later and that they can stll reach me by cell phone at the hospital. We have the tests performed and I'm all dressed sitting cross-legged on the bed, casually waiting to get released The nurse pops in around 1:50pm and tells us that I am delivering tonight and that my c-section is booked for 5:30pm. OB has a c-section to do at the other hospital at 4pm and then he'll be at my hospital to perfom mine.

My mouth hit the floor. I didn't go there thinking "well, while I'm here, I might as well have him tonight". That was the furthest thing from my mind and my head starts racing. I have NOTHING packed at home, have SQUAT with us and don't have stuff in place for baby b/c I thought I'd be delivering him at 39 weeks NOT 36 weeks, 6 days.

OB finished his other c-section way early and then I'm told go time is now 5pm. I'm now shaking with nerves while changing into the ever-sexy hospital issue gown and just thinking to myself "oh sh!t, I'm having a baby TONIGHT! There's no turning back". We wait for another 30 minutes and sure enough, right on time, I'm being wheeled into the OR. It is a very surreal feeling when you've never had an operation in your life. I was scared, but to cope, I was cracking jokes because it was my only way of holding it together without flying into sheer panic.

They made my DH wait outside in scrubs (had an extra mask because he was still sick) while I was on the table being prepped for the spinal. I practiced some meditative breathing to try to center myself and to help keep me perfectly still. It was the oddest sensation feeling those series of needles and then the actual spinal.

Before I know it, the procedure has started and I'm being jostled around by all sorts of movement, didn't feel the customary 'pressure' that is described when the baby is extracted, just more jostling about. They annouced that he's out, I instantly feel 10 ilbs of weight lift off my abdomen (weirdest feeling ever) and they're telling my husband to quickly take pictures with his phone before they start doing his apgar tests.

It took awhile before I heard him cry. DH went over to the warming table and he told me LO was fighting with the nurses to keep his legs up by his face (they needed them down because he was breech). After hassling with him for a short time, I heard him cry. I didn't cry at all, I was still shell-shocked that all of this was actually taking place. And before I know it, they're handing LO over to DH and he's sitting right next to me with the baby telling me how pissed off the baby look and how funny he thought it was. As for me, I couldn't reach for him because both m arms were strapped down. Did not know that on the hospital tour and never thought to ask.

So, little Joseph Michaal came into this world on 12/22 @ 5:25pm EST. He weighed 5 lbs 9 oz and is 18.5 inches long. He is on the small side, but he looks a lot like DH and has huge hands and feet, so I know he will be outgrowing everything in no time.

I'm recovering as best as I can from the c-section. Every single person who has seen me says I look great (I know look 5-6 months pregnant), but the intial recovery from the spinal was hard. I didn't stop shaking and shivering for over 4 hours. I was in no shape to hold and cuddle my son and didn't started feeding him myself until 10:45pm (they supplemented him with formula). I am now hurting like son of a b!tch, but thats to be expected. I'm moving about very slowly and have a waddle which I never had while pregnant.

As for everything else, I am still looking at my son in amazement that we actually created this little person. I'm trying to learn how to be a mom and my instincts haven't totally kicked in yet and that's probably due to the events that led up to his entrance.

The great news is that we're going home on Christmas Day and there's no present that will ever top this