*I'd like to preface this blog post with the disclaimer that it will be highly detailed. I don't want to forget a thing!*
I wasn't able to sleep very much the night before my scheduled c-section. My brain was trying to filter through every emotion you could possibly think of.
After a few hours of fragmented sleep, I woke up around 7am. I had hoped to wake up earlier than that, but my 2 1/2 year old alarm clock didn't go off :) He must have been tired because I had to go wake him up myself!
I scurried around, trying to get ready while Jimmy, Harper and my mom and dad did the same. I remember being in a bit of a bad mood because I was under strict orders not to eat or drink anything after midnight the night before and on into the morning of the surgery. I was SO thirsty I couldn't think straight. My mom and dad suggested that I eat a few ice chips, so I finally did. My dad was nice enough to break up the cubes for me because we do not have that option on our fridge.
I showered with my Hibiclens solution and begrudgingly didn't put on any makeup, lotion or perfume. That was very hard for this girly girl :)
I snapped a few very important pictures before we rushed out the door at about 9:00am.
39 weeks and 2 days!
The only way we could get him to smile for a picture was to say, "Sweet tea!!"
My hubby and I before we became parents of two!
Harper sporting his new shirt.
We hopped in the car while my mom and dad stayed behind to take care of Harper. They all stood in the garage as we backed out and my mom got Harper to wave bye bye. He looked a little confused and in all my hormonal mommy-ness, I almost wanted to cry! I knew that he was in good hands though and that I'd be seeing him soon, so that made me feel better.
We got to the hospital just before our 9:30am check in time.
I walked in first while Jimmy went and parked the car. The sweet ladies at the front desk gave me a knowing look and I told them I was waiting for my husband to come in. One of them asked me if I knew where to go and I told her I was having a C-section. After a few "Awws" and a "Congratulations!", she told me to go to the second floor and take the first right where I would see a desk for check-in.
About that time, Jimmy walked in and we got on the elevator. It was one of those talking elevators that let you know exactly what it was doing and where it was taking you. Jimmy's face made me laugh in the midst of all my nervousness, so that was a nice moment.
We walked to the check-in desk where I signed a few papers and then we were lead to the pre-op room. I was given my beautiful hospital garb and I never felt more beautiful..
I was also given beautiful no-slip socks and modeled those for Jimmy.
This room was where I was given my IV and had bloodwork done. I really hate needles, so I was a little nervous about all of that but the nerves I felt over the C-section far outweighed any nerves over a needle stick :)
The sweet nurse asked me a thousand questions and hooked me up to the baby monitor. The whole time I was being monitored, I was having timeable Braxton Hicks contractions. She asked me at one point if I could feel them and I definitely could. It makes me wonder when I really would have gone into labor.
(These are not the names of the people who helped me. The nurse came in and updated everything after we had taken the pic.)
I tried my best to relax while I waited for everything to really get going. Toward the end of my time in Triage, my step-mother-in-law and mother-in-law came in to say hello. I'm not even sure what we talked about but I tried to keep it light-hearted. The anesthesiologist came in while they were there and I couldn't begin to tell you what he said. I'm pretty sure it was something to do with the order of events for the morning.
I had to go to the bathroom one last time, so the nurse helped me put on a backward hospital gown (modesty first people) and I wheeled my enormous IV stand in there with me. I had to change out of my beautiful yellow socks when I came out because apparently yellow socks are for people who are at a high-risk of falling haha.
We think that the staff needed our Triage room and we were moved into a lounge-type room. I was given an AW-ful cup of grape flavored antacid to drink. The nurse told me to just take it like a shot, but there was just no way. I had to take three gulps of it and nearly threw up. It tasted sweet, bitter, sour and tangy all at once. Awful stuff.
Here are are a few pics of us waiting in the lounge-room.
My "potato-sack" socks as I called them. I'm not sure what brown represents.
Can ya'll tell how nervous I was?
Jimmy in his smurf suit!
The nurse anesthetist came in the lounge room and went over a few things. He told us the the first C-section he had done that day was also for a dad named James. Ironically, his name was James too! He was really sweet and I told him that I was very concerned about the nausea aspect of the section. He assured me that they would give me something for it as soon as they could. He said it would be a minute and just as he was finishing his sentence, an nurse from the OR walked in and said, "Let's go!"
We walked down the longest hall I've ever walked in my life (not really) and were immediately flooded with questions about if we were having a boy or girl, what her name was, how much they liked her name and so on. They must have read all over my face that I was sick with nerves and were trying to distract me.
They briefly showed the chair where Jimmy would sit while they prepped me for surgery. While he was out there, he took the only picture he could :)
I walked into the FREEZING operating room and started with the shakes. I knew they would happen, but I couldn't control them. The nurses, anisthesiologist, nurse anesthetist all started giving me bits of information. I remember standing beside the table trying to keep my gown closed and the nurse told me to let it all hang out. I knew she had seen a thousand behinds, but I didn't want to let go of that gown! They told me that once my spinal was in, that everyone descend on me very quickly.
I sat on the table and hunched my back over while I anticipated the needle. They had to tell me to hunch over more and commented on how little my back was. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad! The first needle that went in was a numbing medication. The second needle that went in was the spinal and just as I had been told, I was immediately laid on the table and felt numb from my armpits down instantly. My right arm was strapped down and I could move my left one, but just barely.
I started feeling sick and shaking uncontrollably. I told the nurse anesthetist right away and he gave me something to calm down the nausea. I started feeling better and the famous sheet went up not long after. Jimmy said that he waited in the chair outside of the OR and when he walked in the room, I was still shaking like crazy. He asked me if I was okay and I told him that I was, but there was very little talking. The Dr. came in about the same time and said hello to me in his strange way. He has quite the unusal sense of humor, but many people had told me that he is the best when it comes to C-sections, so I knew I was in good hands.
He started clamping my stomach and asking me if I could feel it. I would say yes or no, but for each yes answer he would ask, "Does it hurt?" The answer was always no of course :) It was a very strange sensation. Almost like when your arm falls asleep and the feeling that you have before the tingling starts.
At some point, I told the nurse anesthetist that I felt like I couldn't breathe. He assured me that it was normal and would go away soon. There was a switch-off of nurse anesthetists as well. The male nurse left and a female came in. She told me that my Dr. delivered both of her children and that his personality rubbed her the wrong way at first, but she assured me I was in the best hands.
I was told that I may start to smell a little bit of burning and I'm not even sure what they said they would be burning! Not long after, I did smell some burning and I could hear a lot of instruction going on from my Dr. to the OB-GYN resident. At one point I heard him say, "Don't be shy with it, just cut it!"
I was so caught up in the feeling of not being able to breathe that I don't really recall feeling any tugging or pulling.
The nurse said to Jimmy, "Dad, get the camera ready" and at 11:52am, we welcomed Hollin Kea Cushing into the world. She weighed 7lbs, 6oz, was 20 inches long and as soon as I heard her cry, the tears just flowed. I was so happy to finally have her here!
First official photo!
I do not remember taking this picture!
Immediately after she was born, I felt a strong burning in my chest and told the nurse anesthetist. She explained to me that the pain from the surgery was being deferred to parts of my body that were not numb. She told me that she would give me something for it as soon as I saw Hollin because it would make me "forgetful" and she wanted me to remember that moment.
As soon as I saw her, they gave me my forgetful meds and I can't tell you much of anything after that. By this time, we were wheeled to a recovery room where Jimmy took this picture, but I don't remember it at all!
We stayed in recovery for about half an hour and then we were wheeled to the third floor to our private room. Jimmy told me that they took me up on the same bed that I had my surgery on and onto a private elevator. I don't recall any of it :)
Jimmy asked my family to wait about 20 minutes before coming up and I faintly remember people coming into the room.
My sister-in-law
Jimmy's dad.
Jimmy's step-dad.
Don't worry, my mom and dad got some pics with her later!
Not long after everyone left, the nurse took her back to the nursery for a bath. When they brought her back, she had a bow in her hair!
My parents took Harper back to our house to try to catch a nap before going to our church's Fall Festival for Halloween. Apparently he wasn't too keen on the idea of a nap and missed the festival. Mom and dad ended up taking him to a few houses in the neighborhood to get some candy before bringing him back to the hospital. I was so glad to see him in his cute little costume.
Jimmy stayed with Hollin and I our first night in the hospital and we held her and looked at her in awe for hours. My heart is completely overwhelmed with love for my two babies. I am so blessed to have a happy and healthy family. I have thanked God daily for his gifts and look forward to watching Harper and Hollin grow in the years to come.
God is so good.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 1 Samuel 1:27
