The Birth Story

So I'm writing this down before I forget all the tiny details.  If you don't want to sit through the minutia, in summary, I had a baby girl, born at 7:56am, weighing 8 pounds 1.6 ounces and 18.5 inches long.  The end.

I wake up around 4:30am, get in the shower, shave my legs, and vacuum one last time before we head off to the hospital.  The night before we feasted on Babe's Chicken and some yummy sweet tea.  My last meal before I didn't have an excuse to eat like crap.

Eric hobbles and follows me inside the hospital.  I'm a good 20 feet ahead of him, because it's 5:30am and we are running late, like usual.  Eric hurt his foot so he's limping.  I'm ready to go so I'm walking fast (or as fast as I can).  The hospital is decorated for Christmas and it looks really pretty.

We get up to L&D and get buzzed in.  They send me to triage, which I'm kinda upset about, but it's okay.  Being in triage kinda sucks because you are in the "cattle call" area with 3 other pregnant women.  There are curtains that separate you but you can still hear them going through early labor. The lady across the room was crying because she was in pain.  I'm just as happy as can be.

The nurse gives me a ton of paperwork to look over and starts my IV.  I'm ADAMANT that it goes in my arm, because it hurts like hell when they put it right in the hand.  :(  She gets it in the arm, but does end up getting blood on my gown and on the bed.  Which is fine.

More paperwork to fill out and we really aren't calling anyone, because it's 6am.  SO we wait.  The doctor won't be in until 7am and my c-section isn't scheduled until 7:30am.  They just get me there early for prepping.

The nurse says "do you feel that?" and I'm like "uh, no" and she tells me I'm having contractions.  They are mild, but they are regular.  I just thought I was nervous and my tummy was hurting, but oh no, it's labor.  Silly me!

They give me the antacid that slows my digestion.  It tastes like watery Tang.  The drug doctor comes in and introduces himself and then preps me on the spinal bloc I'll be getting in my back.  Yay.

Then it's the back and forth between the nurse and drug doctor on whether I'll walk in or be wheeled in.  They wheel me in.  Petey follows me in the OR.  And it's FREEZING ASS COLD.  I'm naked and shivering.  And nervous.  Double yay.

They make Petey wait while they get me ready for my spinal.  There is Christmas music playing, which is very nice and festive, and makes the room less intimidating.  Again, I feel like I'm a patient on Nip/Tuck.  The lights, the bed, the equipment.  Having Dr. Christian Troy would help, but no.

Time to bend my back and sit on the edge of the bed.  I would have really liked Petey to be holding me, instead it's the nurse.  The cold yellow antiseptic stuff is put on and a nice needle in my back to numb it.  That hurt like hell.  The nurse is asking me questions about Christmas shopping and what GT wants for Christmas to get my mind off the fact that there is a sharp needle in my back.  It didn't work very well.  I end up singing "Silver Bells" (the song on the radio) to get my mind off of it again.  Finally it's all over.  But they still have to put the drug in.  I feel pressure on my back, it doesn't hurt, but doesn't feel good.  The drug doctor keeps asking how I'm doing and that he's almost done.  Afterwards he commends me on a job well done.  A gold star would have been nice.

I see Petey watching but not really - he's just as anxious as I am.  He's working on the camera and making sure it's ready and taking good pictures.  The nurses let him in and he sits right next to my head. 

Dr. Drug is giving me a play by play, and surprisingly Petey is standing up and looking on as well.  They make the incision and go in to get her.  Dr. OBGYN is discussing how much scar tissue there is, and I ask if it's more than usual, and she says no, but of course I'm worried.  It makes me think that it took so long to get pregnant because of all the scar tissue.  I digress...

More feeling nothing and just laying there.  I keep asking Petey what's going on - he just says they are working on getting her.  Then they start pushing on the top of my stomach.  Pushing pushing pushing.  I can feel it because it's close to my breastbone, and that area isn't numb. 

Then Petey says "There she is...WOW she's got a TON of hair!" That was really exciting for me, just to know that she's FINALLY here and we get to see what she looks like.  They pull her out and here comes the cat cries.  "MEW, MEW, MEW" is what I hear. 

They take her to the "rolling cart crib" and start cleaning her up.  Then the pediatrician I guess notices that she isn't breathing like she should be.  So they get the tubes and stick them down her nose and mouth.  This pisses her off and she keeps crying and crying.  I'm not really paying attention anymore to the OBGYN or anyone doing surgery on ME, I'm just focused on my baby girl.  Eric goes over to take pictures, but is hesitant, because he notices that they are a little worried about her. 

They finally let me see the child, all covered in cheese, and I touch her and say "hello munchkin".  She feels sticky, but that's the vernix.  They take her bath, and I keep hearing mumblings of "what's her gestational age?", "sounds wet in the lungs", "nicu", etc. 

You can see the oxygen pumping tube thingy up top.  They put that on her nose and mouth.  

They clean her up and roll her out, and the nurse tells me she is going to the NICU because she has extra fluid in her lungs, and they want to take her down where she can be observed by a specialist. 

So I'm sewn up, no baby to hold, or feed, and they roll me into an OR Recovery Room.  The nurse briefs me more on what's going on with her, and that my husband (my limping husband) can go down to see her when they are ready.

And I proceed to lose my ever-loving mind.  Big giant salty tears roll down my face.  The nurse says "It's okay, it's not expected." And Petey comforts me too.  I'm upset because I didn't get to hold her, and I know that the minutes after being born are crucial bonding time, and that's gone forever. 

And right at that moment, my parents call to say they are outside the L&D.  So I quickly clean myself up so that they don't get upset.  Petey briefs them on the way in, and they look worried when they walk in the recovery room.  I just tell them the details, and that she is okay, and they just sit there and wait.  It was really depressing.  No baby to love on or hold.

I keep asking the nurse when Petey can go see her.  Finally, after about an hour, he gets to go down to the NICU.  I wait anxiously and my parents leave and tell me to call them when she's back up in the room. 

Petey comes back with a smile.  He says she is the loudest in the NICU (and the biggest).  They were giving her a bath and she was just SCREAMING CRYING.  The NICU nurse said that she pinked up the moment she got to the NICU, so they were going to give her a bath and bring her up. 

She was born at 7:56am (the info I got from her bracelet) and I didn't get to meet her until 12:30pm. 

But it couldn't have been better timing. 

My in-laws, 2 sister-in-laws, niece and my son George Thomas, were all in the room when she got wheeled in.  I'm so happy that GT was there when she was brought in.  He was so excited to see her and he just couldn't stand for her to be in that rolling cart crib anymore.  He yelled out "I NEED TO HOLD HER!!!"  The nurse (who I later found out is a JLA member like me!) is briefing me on safety tips with the rolling cart crib, and I'm paying attention while my family is around looking at her and taking pictures.  FINALLY, she is finished, and she picks her up and brings her to me. 

GT climbs up on the bed, and gives her a official "welcome to the family" kiss. 

Right then the tears flow, as I take in my two beautiful children.  All the rest of the family is crying, thanks to my son that keeps saying the sweetest things "awww, I LOVE her!", "I love you baby sister".  And I thank God for blessing me with these precious angels. 

Elena Dawn Hendricks
December 11, 2010
7:56 a.m.
8 pounds 1.6 ounces
18 1/2 inches long