Birth story, Part II

Ok- before you start this, go back and read Part One of her birth story…..go now….I will wait. 





So, the next morning I woke early- I think around 6am because the nurse came in, again, to check my BP and introduce herself, since there was a shift change at some point overnight, I think. We watched a little TV until the nurse came back and tried to hook me back up to the monitor, which was still not successful- little Annie really was a mover in there!

They did an internal exam, and found I was still measuring about the same, but, once again, the nurse could not feel the head engaged. She decided to wait for my OB to come in to check me. Unfortunately, the OB had an emergency C-section over at the other hospital, so we had to wait a while. I wasn’t contracting really anymore, so that was fine. We just hung out and talked!

Around 9:45, I think, my OB finally showed up, and I was pleased that she was my regular doctor. I was so worried that I would have the same OB that I had with Riley’s delivery, who I did not like, or the OB who was rude to me earlier in my pregnancy. So, she checked me and said pretty much the same thing- and then out comes the US machine again, just like the day before! By now there are 3-4 nurses around- it must have been a slow morning- looking and feeling and watching the scan.

WARNING: The rest of this post may be graphic. Please use caution!
Of course, I start freaking out again because, again, the term c-section was tossed around…but they did the scan and saw that she was head down and everything looked good….and then this is when it got dicey….the OB asked if she could break my water and get things moving again, so she did. The next thing I knew, while her hand was still in me, she said “I can feel the cord”, and the nurses started scrambling. I think someone told me that the cord was coming out my cervix, and I knew that was NOT supposed to happen, and the OB was now on top of me, straddling my huge, pregnant belly, with her hand STILL inside of me, apparently to push the cord back up and keep it there.

I started freaking out- they put me all of the way down in the bed, and I started yelling at Todd to call my mom. I knew that if I was having a c-section- he did not want to be in there with me, so I knew I needed her there. Then, in a moment of clarity, I realized that this was happening NOW…I asked someone- one of the nurses, I think, if they were going to knock me out, and she said yes.

Todd got on the phone, but by this time, they were starting to wheel me out of the room. I know he had no idea what was happening and that made me feel horrible. I started screaming, crying…then another nurse jumped on the bed, as they were wheeling me, and the OB and the nurse had to switch places. Which basically meant that I now had two people trying to stop the cord from coming out…if you know what I mean. I was in A LOT of pain- I was screaming as the wheeled me down the hall…I think Todd was following me, I am not really sure. I know it all happened so incredibly fast.

Luckily for me, my room was right next door to the OR, so they wheeled me in there, of course, I was still screaming from the pain, but also because at this point, I was terrified. I didn’t really know what was happening- no one was talking to me because they were running around trying to get everything ready, and I was so scared that Annie was in distress. My OB was in the room washing her hands- I think I could see that- and they were strapping down my legs and setting up all of the sheets and getting all of the tools ready because of course, none of this was planned.

The anesthesiologist then appeared at my head, and starting doing something- then he put a mask over my face with oxygen, I think. Finally, a nurse came over and started talking to me. I was still screaming and sobbing, and I remember her talking to me and trying to calm me down. She told me that Annie was ok- that they just needed to get her out immediately. I tried my best to calm down, but it was so hard. I was so grateful to that nurse- I needed someone to tell me that it was going to be ok, even though everything was happening so quickly, I still needed that. And it is one of the parts of that morning that I still remember so clearly- more on that later.

I saw the OB come and stand over me with her scalpel- and I remember this quite clearly as well- she said “Now?” and they said “No- she is still awake”(OMG- I was still awake and she was ready to CUT ME!!!!!), and that is all I remember….