Any open seat for me?? I had my miracle baby! (PIP)

Jodee37 · March 2012

Hi everyone! I wanted to introduce myself and ask for a seat here in PAL! I remember a bunch of you from PGAL but I was more of a lurker and would now like to be more of a participant. So I thought I would post my birth story and give a little background on myself as sort of a GTKY. Apologies in advance on this NOVEL...

So I am in my 30s, married to DH for just about a year and a half, and we live in sunny Southern CA. I am a registered nurse working in the ICU at a local hospital. We have a cuddly furball Jezebelle who is part mini-pin and chihuahua. As far as my OB history my 1st BFP ended up being a missed m/c at 10wks and D&C last spring. We were blessed to get pg very soon after and last week I had my miracle baby Kellen. Here is my story...

Anyhow... so Wednesday morning (a week ago eek!) I went in for my scheduled c/s. Showed up at 11am after STARVING for the last 8 hours (that is just brutal the whole "no food or drink for 8 hours prior to surgery... don't they know I'm freakin' pregnant???) and things went fast and smooth. I had 3 nurses get me ready (IV, paperwork, shaved (a new level of embarrassment) and taking care of DH too of course (they brought him food! a**holes). I was feeling surprisingly very relaxed and at peace with what was about to go down. It wasn't until they wheeled me into the OR when I started to get nervous. The anesthesiologist put in my spinal (which did not hurt one bit!) and in less than 10 seconds I was numb from the toes up to my nipples. That was a bizarre feeling... the RNs and a prep guy were prepping my belly and the sterile field, and putting in a catheter. I could feel the vague sensation that my body was being touched but it was like it was not really MY body. Like when they lifted my legs up I SAW my legs but my brain kept telling me those were not my legs. They then strapped my arms to these armrests 90 degrees perpendicular to my body and when the big blue drape went up in front of my eyes I LOST IT. Like, total breakdown. It finally had hit me that I was on the brink of taking home my baby. All I could think about was I had come so far and wanted this baby so bad, and here I was about to get him but something could still go wrong. The let DH in at that time and poor guy walked into me bawling my eyes out. He started crying seeing me so scared and then tried to make (terrible) jokes to lighten the mood. The surgeons began they work... they said I would feel some "pressure"... well let me tell you, my body was being pulled and tugged on that table I thought they were going to pull me completely off. I could hear my OB grunting as he tried to get the baby out, and the other surgeon was pushing seriously hard on my diaphragm tring to dislodge him from under my ribs. It felt scary and weird and odd all at the same time. And then I heard the most beautiful sound in the world: Kellen screaming his head off. Whatever tears I had left came out like a spout and I could finally take a breath and relish in the moment.

Ahh, it was beautiful. They took Kellen to the incubator thingie and worked him over... I breathed another sigh of relief when the neonatalogist left just as quickly as he had arrived: it meant Kellen was A-OK. He weighed in at 9lb 3 oz and his head circumference was off the charts: 38cm (thank god I saved my vajayjay!) He measured 19.5 inches long and Apgars were 9 and 9. They gave him to DH who came over to me and I finally got to hold him. Proudest moment of my life. (I;m getting teary-eyes just writing this as think about that moment). I kept thinking "oh my god, I MADE this little miracle. He is MINE. A part of me." and I fell in love.

The rest was sort of a blur... DH and Kellen left to got to recovery as they "put my bits back together" which tool about another 30 minutes. Still so bizarre feeling... . And then they wheeled me out to join my family. The rest, they say, is history. We are at home and doing well. I am recovering pretty well, the pain is still there (thank you Percocet) and after a crazy bought of constipation I am feeling like a million bucks (thank you laxatives.)

Lastly, here is my miracle baby!! Wishing you all the best and so happy to be here on PAL.

skin to skin...