Okay, my daughter is now 11 days old and I'm finally just getting around to posting her birth story... she just got released from the hospital a couple of days ago due to problems related to a blood disorder that kept her under phototherapy lights (to regulate her bilirubin levels) for a LONG time. I think we're finally out of the woods on the jaundice, now it's on to meet hematologists to figure out the next step with her spherocytosis.
Anyway, thought I would post her birth story here finally. I had a scheduled c-section for March 26 (she was breech, I have a uterine septum, etc) but she decided to come one week early at 38w3d. I'm glad she got to dictate her birthday.
I woke up about 1am early Friday (March 19) morning with some minor abdominal cramps. I tossed and turned for a couple hours, but unable to fall back asleep I decided to get up around 3am and surf the internet to pass the time. Around 3:45am my water broke, and I excitedly went to the bedroom to wake DH up. I started with the benign, “Hey…” and “Honey, can you wake up?” to which I got no response. After a few attempts I busted out with “I think my water broke” and he shot out of bed in one fell swoop. I called the doctor who was on call and he recommended we drive to the hospital. Of course, packing the hospital bag was something on our to-do list for the weekend and hadn’t been done yet, so we quickly threw together the essential items and made our way to the hospital.
We arrived around 4:30am and walked up to Labor and Delivery, where they set us up in a regular patient exam room. The nurse started an IV (after completely botching an attempt on my inner wrist, where I’m *still* bruised—and I have terrific veins!) and left us to hang out and try to sleep. The doctor who would be performing the c-section wanted to wait as long as possible because I had drank some chocolate soy milk when I got out of bed at 3am, and she wanted my stomach empty before performing surgery. So there we waited for a little while, during which time my contractions started picking up speed. Around 5:30am the nurse checked my progress and saw that I was 2cm dilated (not sure how effaced).
We continued to wait it out and Luke made phone calls to the parents and to my best friend/doula. My contractions were still manageable but definitely started getting more intense, and around 7am they decided not to wait any longer since I was progressing fairly quickly. My doula arrived in the nick of time just before they wheeled me into the OR to get things started. She and DH changed into scrubs while the medical staff got me ready. It was so cold and bright in the OR, and my whole body was convulsing uncontrollably while they had me lean over to give me the spinal. Luckily the spinal took effect very quickly, and I lay down on the table while the staff made the final preparations. A curtain was raised just above my chest, and my doula and DH came in to sit near my head.
The doctor made the first incision just after 7:50am (I think), and I talked with my doula and DH and the anesthesiologist (who was *awesome*) during the procedure. Only ten or fifteen minutes passed before I heard her cry and saw tiny little hands and feet sticking straight up just above the bassinet to my right. I can’t even explain how overwhelming that sight and sound were—my baby was here! I started crying right away with the most intense joy I have ever experienced.
Rowan Murphy Sullivan was born at 8:05am on March 19, 2010, via emergency cesarean section. She was 6 lbs, 2.6 oz, and 19 ¾ in long. I was not only shocked that she was so little, but completely surprised that was a GIRL. I was convinced throughout the entire pregnancy that I was carrying a boy, so the fact that I gave birth to a daughter was such a surprise—but a lovely one at that.
Anyway, thought I would post her birth story here finally. I had a scheduled c-section for March 26 (she was breech, I have a uterine septum, etc) but she decided to come one week early at 38w3d. I'm glad she got to dictate her birthday.
I woke up about 1am early Friday (March 19) morning with some minor abdominal cramps. I tossed and turned for a couple hours, but unable to fall back asleep I decided to get up around 3am and surf the internet to pass the time. Around 3:45am my water broke, and I excitedly went to the bedroom to wake DH up. I started with the benign, “Hey…” and “Honey, can you wake up?” to which I got no response. After a few attempts I busted out with “I think my water broke” and he shot out of bed in one fell swoop. I called the doctor who was on call and he recommended we drive to the hospital. Of course, packing the hospital bag was something on our to-do list for the weekend and hadn’t been done yet, so we quickly threw together the essential items and made our way to the hospital.
We arrived around 4:30am and walked up to Labor and Delivery, where they set us up in a regular patient exam room. The nurse started an IV (after completely botching an attempt on my inner wrist, where I’m *still* bruised—and I have terrific veins!) and left us to hang out and try to sleep. The doctor who would be performing the c-section wanted to wait as long as possible because I had drank some chocolate soy milk when I got out of bed at 3am, and she wanted my stomach empty before performing surgery. So there we waited for a little while, during which time my contractions started picking up speed. Around 5:30am the nurse checked my progress and saw that I was 2cm dilated (not sure how effaced).
We continued to wait it out and Luke made phone calls to the parents and to my best friend/doula. My contractions were still manageable but definitely started getting more intense, and around 7am they decided not to wait any longer since I was progressing fairly quickly. My doula arrived in the nick of time just before they wheeled me into the OR to get things started. She and DH changed into scrubs while the medical staff got me ready. It was so cold and bright in the OR, and my whole body was convulsing uncontrollably while they had me lean over to give me the spinal. Luckily the spinal took effect very quickly, and I lay down on the table while the staff made the final preparations. A curtain was raised just above my chest, and my doula and DH came in to sit near my head.
The doctor made the first incision just after 7:50am (I think), and I talked with my doula and DH and the anesthesiologist (who was *awesome*) during the procedure. Only ten or fifteen minutes passed before I heard her cry and saw tiny little hands and feet sticking straight up just above the bassinet to my right. I can’t even explain how overwhelming that sight and sound were—my baby was here! I started crying right away with the most intense joy I have ever experienced.
Rowan Murphy Sullivan was born at 8:05am on March 19, 2010, via emergency cesarean section. She was 6 lbs, 2.6 oz, and 19 ¾ in long. I was not only shocked that she was so little, but completely surprised that was a GIRL. I was convinced throughout the entire pregnancy that I was carrying a boy, so the fact that I gave birth to a daughter was such a surprise—but a lovely one at that.
