Landon Patrick's Birth Story

Pre-story: I was due 2/10/12. Had been seeing Perinatologist for sua (single artery cord), vsd (hole in heart), and growth (went from 50th percentile to 20th to 40th) and less movement at the end (also anterior placenta). We are moving after the doctor clears us and my DH is already living/working in KY (I live in FL). He was planning to come home on the 9th (I thought I would go late).

Birth Story: I was going to the perinatologist Monday morning 2/6/12 for a NST. This was like my 6 or 7th one, so I expected to just sit there and watch the price is right for half an hour like all the other times and he gets a perfect score. I was still working and my M-I-L had offered to drive me to the appointment, but I declined, said "I'll be fine".

When they hooked me up to the monitor, right away noticed his heartbeat sounded wrong. Usually it was thump-thump-thump and now it was thump---thump---thump, much slower. The tech thought maybe she was picking up my heartbeat, not his. She called in another tech and she moved it and got the same thing. They brought in the doctor, he looked at the machine and told the techs "call 911, we need an ambulance". Doctor said he was having a prolonged heart deceleration (bradycardia?) and that I needed to have an emergency c-section. He called my OB and the ambulance took me to a hospital I was not planning on delivering at (my least favorite choice) because it was the closest to this office. I went with it because the peri made it sound like LO needed to come out now. I was pretty calm during this except a few minutes of crying in the ambulance wondering if we would make it to the hospital in time for LO to make it okay. I called DH and told him baby was coming and he needed to get on a plane today, called my ILs and my best friend.

They put me in triage at the hospital and LO's heartrate was back up to normal range, in the 120s. Since I had drank a protein shake that morning, they said that counted as "food" and they were going to keep me on the monitor for 6 hours before the c-section, but if his heart dipped again, we would go straight into surgery. Unfortunately, DH's flight would put him into the hospital at 11:30pm. The doctor said that he wouldn't force me, I could wait until morning, but he didn't recommend it. I talked to DH and we decided not to take a chance and go ahead with the C-section without him there. 

Around 4:45pm they came to get me. My best friend came into surgery with me. They placed the spinal. Then got down to business. It felt weird- I could feel them rummaging around inside my stomach, but it didn't hurt. Then, at 5:17pm, my BFF said "we have a baby!" but I didn't hear him cry for a minute- when I did hear him cry the first time I cried for a couple minutes. He was 6lbs. 15.5oz. and 20in long. They placed him by my head for a few minutes and then I had my BFF leave with baby and follow him to the nursery while they sewed me up. They sent me to recovery for an hour until I could feel my legs again. During that time, they brought the baby to me to try to breast feed for like 15-20min, but he wouldn't take. Apparently I have flat nipples. I was told they had to give him a bottle in the nursery because his blood sugar was low (but that is the only one he's had. He is breast feeding fine if I use a nipple shield). Per their c-section "protocol", they wouldn't let LO come to my room until 9:30pm. It felt like forever. I just wanted to see him and kept thinking "he was pretty!".

DH got there at11:30pm and saw me and LO. He thanked me for being so brave and told me I made a beautiful baby. He gets to stay for 2 weeks before he has to go back for work, but I am stuck here for at least 6 weeks before LO and I can join him.  

We came home from the hospital on Thursday and are doing well. At his first doctor appt. yesterday, LO was back up to 96% of his birth weight already (and making lots of dirty diapers!). So far, he doesn't appear to have any complications from the SUA or VSD (which closed). He is borderline jaundice, but not enough for him to go under the lamps at the hospital- just need to put him near the window for a while each day.  

I'm not sure it feels real yet, but I just love looking at him. I am really tired and still sore, but it really doesn't bother me much because he's here and he's mine and he's healthy. He has his daddy's nose and chin and my ears. Can't tell the eyes or lips yet