RUSSELL'S BIRTHDAY

Wednesday, February 21 I woke up at 5:00 am to pee (which was later than I had been waking up, usually I'd wake up at 3 or 4 am) and realized I was wet. My first thought was that my water had broken, followed closely by the realization I'd have him that day. I got up and felt a gush and hurried over to the bathroom where I turned on the light and gasped as I saw that I was wet with what looked like very bloody water.

I stuck my head out of the bathroom and yelled something like, "David!  Hospital now! My water broke and there's blood!" I asked him to get me my phone so I could call the doctor's line and let them know I was on my way. He ran and got a rag towel for me to use in the car and my phone. We decided to take Scotty with us because the hospital is 15 minutes away and we wouldn't have to wait to get in contact with a neighbor, them to wake up and come over.

In the car on the way over, David commented that going to the hospital without me in active labor but knowing we were having a baby for sure that day was kind of a nice contrast to last time when I was in so much pain. This way he wasn't on his own as far as reasoning through the situation (because when I was in intense pain in labor with Scotty I wasn't the most helpful or critically thinking person, haha).



Our plan had been to have David's mom come watch Scotty if I went into labor naturally and my mom was due the day before my scheduled induction. But in an emergency situation, David's mom is over an hour away. Scotty came to the hospital in her jammies and bedhead and super David wheeled me into the hospital while also holding Scotty. I must have looked awesome with my 5 am bedhead, no shoes and no bra on. I figured it didn't matter because I was just going to get into a hospital gown anyways.

At labor and delivery I calmly told them I was 36 weeks and 5 days, my water had broken and I was bleeding, and I had low lying placenta and they checked us into a room. I was trying not to be frustrated at the slow pace- I really wanted them to hook me up to the fetal heartbeat monitor asap to check that he was alright. I'd felt him move a bit in the car on the way over so I wasn't completely panicking. The nurses did put some liquid on a strip to verify I was leaking amniotic fluid. But they had me change into a gown and slowly asked me check in questions and had computer problems for what felt like forever before finally putting the fetal heartbeat monitor around my belly and telling us he was okay.

David actually left before the doctor got there to feed Scotty breakfast and then drop her off at my angel visiting teacher's house. The nurses were moving so slowly I thought I had over-reacted thinking this was an emergency so we thought David had time to get Scotty dressed and feed her at home.

When the doctor from the practice who was on call got there she didn't do a cervix check because she didn't want to cause more bleeding, she just took a look and said she saw a few good size clots and then after doing an ultrasound said my water looked like it hadn't broken, the liquid was all blood from my placenta. She told me they would need to do a C Section immediately because of the heavy bleeding. The whole experience felt surreal from this point on.

I called David and told him to get back asap and I started texting all the people I had obligations to- I was supposed to bring two dozen cookies and a sewing machine to an activity that night, I was supposed to teach primary on Sunday, etc.

It felt so weird to tell people I would be having a baby in less than an hour. From being slow as molasses suddenly everything was happening really fast. I got my IV, and the anesthesiologist came and walked me through the procedure and told me he would be doing a spinal block. Luckily I had last eaten at 7 pm the night before so that worked well for the surgery. Somebody asked my nurse when the surgery would happen and she said, "stat." It sounded so tv-show hospital drama. My actual doctor made it just in time to come see me, let me know she'd do the surgery and laugh with me about our plan being ruined.

They started wheeling me to the operating room which just down the hall from my room and where I had been matter of fact and even joking around the moments before, I suddenly got really really nervous and realized I was actually terrified. I remember thinking I was grateful for my lasik because when I had ankle surgery as a kid, I'd had to go to the OR without glasses and it was scary. I remember thinking about how narrow the operating table would be and how how bright the lights are above you.


They brought me in, I got on the table and I got some medication through the IV that burned for a while and then the anesthesiologist put the spinal block in. It was very, very similar to an epidural (get on your side and roll into a ball) and it didn't hurt.

Laying on my side, facing away from everyone, I started panicking and wished I didn't have to be awake during the surgery. I really wanted David or my mom or someone there and I tried not to cry. Luckily, right then whatever they were giving me, either through the spinal block or the IV made me really warm, relaxed and sleepy. I was so grateful I wasn't able to be afraid anymore and then David walked in all gowned up and that helped even more. As a side note, at my follow up incision check with my doctor, she commented that I was "as cool as a cucumber" even though it was all happened so fast and unexpectedly. I was glad I at least had maintained that appearance, haha.

When they put up the sheet and started the surgery I just closed my eyes and kind of just tried to nap/not think too hard about what was happening below the sheet. You're told you'll feel a tugging and pulling and while I did feel that, it definitely wasn't as bad/gross as I imagined.

I also never had the sensation of not getting enough air the anesthesiologist warned me about and I did have a brief moment of nausea but I told him and he gave me something in my IV for that. Eventually the anesthesiologist offered to get me a mirror so I could see Russell being born but I definitely declined but David did stand up to take some pictures when they pulled him out.


I felt lighter and not pregnant immediately and was so relieved to hear Russell crying. The NICU team was there because technically he wasn't full term but he had a great APGAR and weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and 21 inches long (one ounce lighter and one inch longer than Scotty was full term!). They wrapped him up and gave him to David pretty quickly. I really enjoyed getting to look at him in David's arms during the remainder of the surgery, it was a great distraction.


I didn't feel like I missed any of the bonding I had with Scotty. Almost as soon as we got back to the room the nurse unwrapped him and gave him to me for skin to skin. He latched and nursed so well which Scotty didn't do well for a couple days. I felt fine because the spinal was still numbing me from below the chest down.



The doctor told us he'd had the cord wrapped around his neck three times so there was no way I could have done a vaginal birth anyway- he wouldn't have tolerated the pushing. It was nice to have more closure about not being able to try to have a vaginal birth. In the end I didn't have to dilate and push only to have a C Section anyway.

I still can't believe I'm writing Russell's birth story when I'm supposed to be 37 weeks pregnant right now. But there's a healthy little boy snuggling with Grandma right now and I'm one week into recovery so I guess it's true! This is long because I needed the catharsis of writing it out. If you just want to scroll and look at pictures, be my guest.

BACKSTORY 

Luckily extreme nesting set in and I had freezer meals made, the pack n play bassinet set up, my bag packed, Scotty instructions on the fridge and everything mostly ready at any moment.



I had a feeling of uncertainty about this pregnancy ever since the 20 week ultrasound where they said I had low-lying placenta and I'd need to be back at 30 weeks for a re-check. Then the 30 week recheck didn't go well so they rescheduled a final check for 36 weeks.



Here's the biology in case you're unfamiliar: after the egg and sperm meet in mom's fallopian tubes it heads down to the uterus to implant in the uterine wall. For some reason some eggs implant really close/on top of the cervix (the uterus's exit). The placenta, or sac the baby grows in and gives the baby all the blood and nutrients from mom, is blocking the exit.

The maternal fetal medicine doctor told me a really large amount of blood goes through the placenta every minute so if placenta breaks away from the uterine wall and starts bleeding you can potentially hemorrhage really really quickly. Mom bleeding and baby not getting oxygen/nutrients is not an ideal situation.



Anyway when the placenta is completely over the cervix it's called placenta previa and means an automatic scheduled C Section and potentially bed rest to extend your pregnancy. My placenta was 1.6 centimeters away from my cervix at 36 weeks so I didn't even have a partial previa, just low-lying placenta. According to the research you need the placenta to be at least 2 centimeters away from the cervix for the odds to be good for a safe vaginal birth. But my doctor thought since I was so close to 2 centimeters, didn't have any bleeding and had a previous vaginal birth that I was a good candidate to try a vaginal birth and we could switch to a C Section if needed.

So we'd scheduled an induction for March 12, when I'd be 39 weeks and 2 days. That way my doctor could monitor me and make sure she'd be available if we needed to change plans. I was a little worried I'd go into labor before than because at 36 weeks I felt like I was as large as I was when I delivered Scotty. At that last ultrasound they estimated he weighed six pounds ten ounces, which is crazy because Scotty was born on time at seven pounds five ounces.


Tuesday, the day before I had him, was pretty low key. Scotty and I Face-Timed with my grandparents, I actually took a nap when Scotty did, made tacos and went to book club. I'd been slowing down in an effort to avoid contractions which had been coming pretty strong on days when I'd been carrying Scotty around and doing projects around the house.

I didn't have any contractions that day or the few days previous and at my last appointment I was only 1 centimeter dilated. I did not expect to have him at 36 weeks and 5 days and definitely not the way it happened.

Part 2