Even though I had a c-section and never went into labor, I still want to share Piper's "birth story" with everyone...mostly because I tend to have an overwhelming curiosity about other people's birth experiences, and I'm sure I'm not the only person out there who likes to read about babies being born =).
So last Friday, April 13th, I woke up super early to start getting ready to head to the hospital. I had to arrive between 8:30 and 9 am, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't rushed or going crazy that morning trying to get ready. I also wanted to have a little time with Ellie before we left, since it would be our last morning with just one baby girl. When Ellie woke up, I went in to get her out of her crib, and just instantly started crying as soon as I saw her. I'm not really sure why, other than I was feeling extremely emotional about having another child and knowing that Ellie wasn't going to be my "baby" anymore. I held and rocked her, trying to get a few last minutes of snuggle time before we left. Billy's mom came up to stay with Ellie while we were in the hospital, so she took over caring for Ellie while we finished getting things together.
We got to the hospital at about 8:40 and they immediately took us back to finish registration and get all of our information. We were then escorted up to the maternity floor and sent to the triage department to prep for surgery. I had a WONDERFUL nurse named Annie who did all of my pre- and post-surgical care...I am so grateful to have had a kind and understanding nurse, since this was a very new experience for me and I didn't know what to expect. It was so strange because I had had a previous c-section, but had no memory of it and therefore had no idea what was going on. It was also really weird just sitting on a bed answering questions, knowing that our baby would be born in a couple of hours.
Preparing for the surgery was very fast-paced...they asked TONS of questions, took blood, started an IV, had me change into an insulated gown that was horribly hot (and then let me change into a normal gown because I was sweating so bad lol), asked more questions, had the anesthesiologist come in and talk to me about the spinal block procedure, talked me through the surgery so I would know what was going to happen, etc. There were maybe a few minutes that Billy and I were alone; otherwise there were nurses and doctors in my room spewing information and asking questions. Although it was very fast-paced (and slightly overwhelming), I never felt freaked out about it, which really surprised me. I was kinda afraid that I would arrive at the hospital and immediately start crying and carrying on....but I didn't. Billy and I joked and laughed, and talked about what we thought Piper might look like. We took pictures and were overall pretty relaxed. I don't think I ever felt really nervous throughout the whole thing. I just kept focusing on the fact that our daughter was being born and that I might as well make this a pleasant and fun experience.
Once they were ready, I was escorted to the operating room. Billy sat outside for about 15 minutes while they got me ready. I sat on the table and the anesthesiologist put a numbing shot in my back (which stung but wasn't too awful) and then placed the spinal block. Within a minute of having the spinal, I felt a warm tingling sensation move from my waist down to my feet. It was so fast and felt very strange. They quickly laid me down on the table and got me all situated (they had to tilt the table at an angle so that I was laying on my side so that the weight of the baby wouldn't lower my blood pressure). I remember feeling a little weird like I couldn't take a deep breath, but I just tried to remain calm and not think about it. My legs also felt weird...they were completely numb, but I felt like my knees were bent a little (even though they were completely straight) and the doctor said that you can sometimes get a "phantom" feeling and your legs will retain the feeling of the last position they were in when the spinal was placed. I asked the nurses to keep talking to me so that I wouldn't panic (I was so afraid that I would freak out during the surgery and they would have to put me to sleep), so thankfully everyone kept talking to me and asking questions about Ellie and my previous birth experience. You would think it would be more stressful for me, laying on a table getting ready to have surgery, to explain to everyone in the operating room how I had eclamptic seizures, an emergency c-section, and didn't meet my baby until she was 4 days old...but it was actually very calming for me. It reminded me how different this experience was, and it kept my mind off all of the weird sensations I was having while laying on the table. Anyway, the doctor tested to make sure that I was completely numb, and then Billy was allowed to come in.
They started surgery...Billy sat next to me and held my hand, we talked and kept asking each other if we were okay, and I kept asking if he had the camera ready because I wanted to make sure he got a picture as soon as possible. The doctor also talked to us while he was cutting through the layers (sounds gross, but it was calming for me to hear him talk about my scar tissue being minimal from my previous surgery and telling me that he was getting through each layer of skin). Within 15 minutes, Piper was born at 10:55 am. They immediately lowered the blue curtain and held her over so that I could see her sweet little face before they took her to clean up a little. Billy went to cut the umbilical cord and take pictures while they rubbed her down...then he wrapped her in a blanket and brought her to me. I was able to touch her face and talk to her for a few minutes, and then she and Billy went to the nursery. The doctor then started closing me up, which took about 25 minutes I guess. He used dissolvable stitches under my skin to close the incision so that I don't have to have staples removed later (thank goodness!). During this part of the surgery I started to feel kinda drowsy. I'm not sure if it's because they gave me some medicine after Piper was out (I was adamant that I didn't want anything in my system that I didn't absolutely need, at least until Piper was born to reduce her exposure to the medication). I know the anesthesiologist gave me something to help prevent nausea right after Piper was born, since I have a family history of vomiting post-surgery (it sounds silly, but both my mom and grandmother have this reaction anytime they receive anesthesia and it is so unpleasant). And then it was over, and the nurse and anesthesiologist moved me into a maternity room. They had it set up as a temporary recovery room with lots of equipment and monitors for my recovery period, which lasted about an hour, and then removed all that stuff so that it was just a regular room.
Billy came to be with me while I was recovering; Piper was in the nursery being cleaned up and suctioned. She had a lot of mucous and amniotic fluid in her body that was kinda stubborn and took a while for the nurses to clear out (another reason vaginal births are better for babies...but that's neither here nor there haha). Once I had been in recovery for about 30 minutes and they still hadn't brought Piper to me I became very anxious. I made it very clear before she was born that I wanted her in my arms as soon as possible, mainly because she's my child and I want her with me and I also wanted to start breastfeeding as soon as possible, since my separation from Ellie made breastfeeding a huge challenge and eventual failure last time. My nurse explained about the mucous problem, so I gave them another ten minutes and then I became very demanding. It had been an hour since she was born and I needed to see and hold my baby. I started choking up trying to explain this to my nurse, and she told me she would bring her to me. She asked if it mattered that she hadn't been bathed yet and I was like, "Seriously, I don't care!" At that point Piper could have been covered in any kind of nastiness and I wouldn't have cared at all. The nurse immediately left the room and 5 minutes later I had Piper in my arms (another reason I loved my nurse). I was able to nurse her for about 20 minutes and then they took her back to the nursery to finish messing with her. I was sad that I couldn't hold her longer, but understood that they needed to bathe her and clear out the mucous situation. That's the only thing I would change about this hospital...they require the babies to be in the nursery for any and all treatments. If the pediatrician is evaluating her, she has to be in the nursery. If she's getting a bath, she has to be in the nursery. Kind of annoying, but at least I wasn't separated from her for very long.
After that, my family came in to visit and then a little while later Piper came back to me (for good this time!). The nurse asked who wanted to hold her first (since my whole family was in there) and I immediately said, "Me!" since I had been deprived of her before that lol. I did share her with everyone else after I had had some time to hold and get to know her. =)
I stayed in the hospital until Sunday, and then we were both discharged. I am glad to be home, but it has certainly been a challenge getting used to our new "normal." Ellie has reacted very well to Piper and is *generally* very gentle and sweet around her. She's had a few big sister bully moments, like stealing Piper's pacifier out of her mouth and then running away with it, but other than that she's been great. The hard part has been adjusting to getting up in the middle of the night again (I have been spoiled by Ellie...sleeping through the night since she was 10 weeks old!) and learning Piper's likes and dislikes. Ellie HAD to be swaddled in order to sleep...Piper doesn't seem to like it. Ellie hated the pacifier, and Piper can't seem to stop searching for something to suck on. Ellie was pretty easy in that she would nap after every feeding...and Piper (at least right now) has a very hard time napping until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon. So she's very alert and awake from her morning feeding around 7-8 am until the mid afternoon, which makes for a very fussy, overtired baby and a very frustrated mommy. Thankfully, though, the past couple of nights have been better and she's gone back to sleep after I feed her in the middle of the night. The first couple of nights we were home she would become extremely alert after eating at night and would stay awake for 2 or 3 hours until I would feed her again and she would finally sleep. I have no clue why she won't sleep in the morning, because she's obviously very tired, and I think I've tried just about everything...swaddling/not swaddling, pacifier/no pacifier, bouncer, swing, boppy pillow, holding her, nursing her, rocking her, burping her, gas drops...and so far we haven't found the magic charm. I know it's just a phase and that this whole newborn period is only a season of her life, but it's hard to see beyond it when you're in the middle of it.
I am forever grateful to everyone who prayed on our behalf...even though I didn't have the natural VBAC I had wanted (and I will likely never have that opportunity again), I had a great c-section experience and my recovery has been wonderful. My pain in the hospital was minimal (I ended up taking one Percocet and the rest of the time I just took ibuprofen) and I'm not on any prescription medications now that I'm home. I haven't been restricted at all post-surgery (just told to have common sense about what I do) and have been able to drive my car, lift Ellie, go up and down the stairs, do laundry, cook, etc. A week after my surgery I feel completely normal and have no pain. I have been able to breastfeed successfully so far, which has been a huge answer to prayer for me since it was such a struggle with Ellie and I had so many painful emotions over it when I decided to stop trying after three weeks. It's certainly not easy or pain-free, but I keep reminding myself that this is worth it! At Piper's first doctor's visit (5 days old) she was only an ounce under her birth weight (and had gained 9 ounces since being discharged two days before!).
For those folks who have been praying for us, thank you! And I would be forever grateful for your continued prayers as we adjust to this new season of our lives. I have had some emotional ups and downs (standard for the postpartum days but still unpleasant!) and I really dislike being that crazy mom who cries over strange things, like expressing the desire to get out of the house and then refusing to go when I have the opportunity (poor Billy just about ripped his hair out over that one lol). Anyway, these are stressful days for us but we are so grateful to have a healthy baby girl and that I'm perfectly healthy and recovering well. It has certainly been *completely* different this time around and I praise God for it!
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| Piper Josephine Ephraim April 13, 2012 7 lbs. 10 oz. and 19 in. |
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