Welcome Baby Lucy Aliza!

KristinKWashington · June 2012

These last few days have been fantastic. Lucy Aliza was due on June 16th, but we discovered that she was breech. We tried lots of different thins to flip her (stretches, an external version), but no luck. We decided to scheduled a cesarean birth for the 13th. I worked on a birth plan for a cesarean, reviewed it with my DH and Doula on Monday and just needed to make a couple of revisions. I figured I had a week and a half! Plenty of time!

On Wednesday, during the day, I started feeling cramps, but no big deal. I figured that it was yet another joy of being pregnant. Then early Thursday morning, I woke up at like 2am with cramping again. They would be painful, but only last a short time. They were low. I remember hearing that real contractions were at the center of they uterus. I woke my DH up at like 2:30am. He quickly downloaded an app for contractions and we timed them. They was sporadic. Some were 6 minutes apart, some were 12, one even was like 22 minutes apart.

At about 4am, I called the OB on duty at the hospital. I explained what was happening and that my LO was breech. She said to drink lots of water, lay on my left side and see if the cramps subsided. If they didn't, I should come in. I even decided to take a bath. I had heard that baths slow or stop early labor. It seemed to help. I had a couple in the tub, but they were very mild. I tried to sleep after, but still no luck. I was still having these cramps. Some were intense, some I was able to talk through. I really thought it was all false labor. I didn't want to go to the hospital and then be sent home. I watched some TV, then had the urge to use the bathroom! I went like 3 times in an hour. They were all BMs. After the last one, as I was standing up, I felt a flash of water running down my legs. I started to panic, but DH was a champ and was up in a flash. He got everything ready. He even logged into the PC for me to print out the birth plan, quickly making the changes I had planned on doing later that week! Every time I had a contraction, more water came flooding out.

We got to the hospital at about 630am, just as the new staff was starting for the day. We went to an exam room, they verified Lucy was still breech and found I was 5 cm dilated. I bumped the cesarean that was scheduled for that morning. We have the birth team my birth plan and they were all open for my requests. The staff was wonderful and reassuring. The OB on call was so gentle and kind. At about 830, they wheeled me out to the OR, I kissed my DH goodbye and went in. I had a spinal done and it wasn't that painful. It was a strange sensation. I could feel people touching my legs, but they felt so heavy, like they were dead asleep. They only strapped down my right arm. My DH came in and sat next to me. They asked if I wanted the screen down, which I asked for in the birth plan, but then I changed my mind and said no.

After a couple of minutes, DH peaked over and got to see Lucy being born. As soon as I heard her cries, I started crying. I told DH to go over to the baby's table with her. I was trying to see, but the screen was in the way. The nurse saw that and moved the screen right away. I caught a glimpse of her little cute butt! I was so happy. They wrapped her up and DH brought her to me. I tried to hold her, but I was shaking to badly. Once they gave the clearance, Lucy and DH left to go to recovery. I really wanted her to have skin to skin contact, so DH removed his shirt in recovery and she got that with her daddy.

We had her at 8:54am on Thursday June 7th. We were discharged on Saturday morning. A cesarean birth was not my ideal birth, but my priorities were to have a healthy baby and a healthy mom. The staff make the experience WONDERFUL! I am moving slowly, but moving. I am taking Advil now. I was able to BF and and thrilled to report my milk is coming in today!

Here's my little one and the daddy and baby skin to skin.