On Monday, January 11th, 2010, Marley Jean Severson was born! We had known that our little girl was breach since our 32 week appointment and so the doctors decided to deliver Marley via C-section, unless she decided to flip on her own before our scheduled date.
I remember clear as day, walking through the skyway that connects the parking ramp to Fairview Southdale hospital at 6:30am that Monday morning. I was wearing my red sweatshirt and maternity leggings with my black Ugg boots (ha) and I complained to Travis that we didn't take a final picture of my pregnant belly! We arrived at the Maternal Assessment room, which is typically where you go before you are admitted, but in our case, it is where the operating rooms are for those delivering via C-section. They were already waiting for me...YIKES, I was told as I walked in the door. Within a few minutes, we were resting in a private room. Travis was given scrubs and told to change into them, and I was given the world's prettiest (sense the sarcasm) hospital gown! They hooked my tummy up to a monitor that kept record of the baby's heartbeat, and for the next hour we watched the news and talked to various nurses. At around 8:00am they started me on an IV and let a few bags of fluid run...and by 8:30am, they were walking just me back to the operating room.
I have so many random thoughts from being in the operating room. Once there, which was at about 8:30am, the anesthesiologist came in and started my spinal block. The spinal block was inserted into my back...I had to hunch over my belly so that they could get it in right. Basically, it's very similar to an epidural, except that it numbs you from the chest down. Once the spinal was in, it took about 1 minute for me to no longer be able to feel my legs. It was at this point that they put the catheter in. While I was laying down, they moved me from my hospital bed to an operating table and secured my arms out to my sides...straight out, like wings. I had an IV in one arm and blood pressure monitoring stuff on the other, and apparently they need access to your arms and the IV in case anything happens. I remember feeling very cold at this point. It was freezing in the operating room, and I was a little nervous because they hadn't gone to get Travis yet. Right before the doctor was about to begin the anesthesiologist asked if I wanted my husband in the room..........duh!? Seriously, were they about to start without him?
Trav came in right as they were about to make the incision, all of which I could not feel! There was so much going on around me that it seemed as if no one was paying attention to me...they were concerned about the baby, and I just kind of was there, behind this curtain. Anyway...the doctors were very vocal about what they were doing each step of the way, and Travis held my hand as they described to him what would happen next. He stood next to the anesthesiologist and watched the whole thing. They told him that after the incision was made there would be some blood, and that this was normal. And then they told him that they would be breaking through the amniotic sac, and that he would see fluids, and that this too was normal. I was watching his eyes as he watched the procedure, and I could see them get wide as they progressed...finally to the point where the doctor told him that they'd be pushing really hard on the top of my tummy (which I could not feel) in order to get the baby out of the 4inch incision. I felt pressure as they pushed on my belly, right under my chest, but nothing more. And I could hear the doctors tell Travis that, "This is it...!" And a second later, I saw Trav's eyes well up with tears and I heard a flurry of activity...and a moment later I heard the most beautiful sound ever, the very first cry of our baby girl! She was born at 8:54am! They lifted her over the curtain and the doctor said, "Say hi mom!" And then they took her away to the other side of the room, and they took Travis too. This was the lonely part...me, getting stitched up alone, while Travis and the baby and all the nurses were off doing their own thing. After about 5 minutes, they brought her over to me, wrapped in a blanket, and Travis and I were able to have our first family photo taken! I was just bawling! And then they left again!
Marley and Travis went to a recovery area where they waited for me. It took my doctor about 35 minutes to stitch me up and then they wheeled me to recovery, where I met my hubby and our daughter! For the first time, I was able to hold her and they let me try to nurse her. I was feeling very groggy from the morphine drip and the spinal, and they outfitted me with the weirdest compression boots to help with circulation. After taking a few more family photos, the nurses wheeled me to an elevator and up to the 4th floor, where my room would be for the next several days! My mom was waiting for us, which was so wonderful! She was Marley's first visitor! The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. Trav's parents did come to visit, as did his sister. Nurses were in and out, and I was exhausted.
By Thursday afternoon, we were heading home and my sister had flown in to see Marley! She was able to stay with us for 4 days and help me take care of myself and the baby, which was much needed because I really couldn't do much of anything those first few days!
Fast forward to now...4.5 months later! I can look back at this experience knowing it was the best thing that ever happened to me, though I am afraid to have another C-section. We'll see what the future hold for us. For now, we are so happy to be a family of 3 (4 if you count Sasha) and can't wait to watch Marley grow!!
Hugs-
Stevie
