Kate's Birth Story
I'm working on a current entry, but it struck me that I haven't posted since before Kate was born, and she's a fairly significant portion of my life. Also I wrote down the events surrounding her birth but they're just kind of floating, so I might as well induct them into a semi-official life record. And now for the entry of her entry.
On November 15, 2016 Katya Jane came into this world (the name--Katya I first paid attention to and loved when Laura would talk about Katyas on her mission in Russia, and it reminds me of all the Russians we grew up with in Oregon, and it's also a family name, and Jane is after Jeremy's old Toyota 4 Runner he had to retire. He insisted). She was born at 1:32, which I still get a kick out of because it's the same numbers as our current address. She was 8 lbs, 1/2 ounce, 21 inches, and had a head of 14.5 inches.
Backing up--I had hoped for a VBAC just to avoid another terrible c-section recovery, and because it's the "natural" way and I sort of wanted to experience it. However my doctor wouldn't induce for that (some will ONLY induce for that), and with every single ultrasound the whole pregnancy the tech and my dr. commented on how huge she was. They thought she was 8 lbs already by 37 weeks (which is what she was, in reality, at 39w4days, when she was born). So she said if Kate came early like Will had, great, but if I went to my due date on the 19th she would probably be too big and the birth would be unsuccessful. My doctor never seemed fully supportive of the VBAC anyway--it was like a "sure, whatever you want to do," but with an implied muttered "but that's not what I would do and also you've been listening to too many hippies." She also pointed out the trouble I had trying to push Will out and him not making it past my oddly shaped pubic bone, and didn't say that was guaranteed to happen this time (hormones can make your bones relax and shift in different ways with different pregnancies), but it would sure be unpleasant to try again and go through all that only to land in the same place and get another c-section after my body had already been put through so much attempting the VBAC . . . So you could say I got scared out of trying. Additionally, Jeremy's mom was coming to stay with us for a week and a half starting on the 14th, and I knew I needed her help badly with recovery/new baby, so I didn't want to squander any of that time.
So it was that we eventually scheduled the c-section for noon on November 15 (someone else had already nabbed the morning slot). I had to fast from midnight on, including no water (torture!). I had gotten a cold two days before and my mouth was super dry, and I was not loving the idea of going into surgery sick. We went to the hospital about 9:30 where I filled out forms and answered questions, had a blood draw and IV put in (that was fun in my dehydrated state). I mildly freaked out while they were doing the IV (sweating, shallow breathing, tears) but didn’t almost pass out this time! Jeremy showed me videos of cute animals to distract me from the IV insertion. I got to suck on ice chips for 5 minutes, because by the time they finally approved that little bit of "liquid" it was almost too late. Then we had to wait, because someone else needed the OR. While I was waiting I was hooked up to the monitor and realized I was having regular contractions, about 5 minutes apart-so it’s possible Kate would have come on her own that day or the next. With the monitor to verify I could definitely feel them; I think I had been feeling some here and there beforehand, but it was hard to tell since my belly had just generally felt really tense and tight this whole pregnancy (much moreso than with Will’s).
They finally approved me to go in (I remember telling the nurses that I hoped my doctor had had time for a lunch break, and it was totally fine with me if she ate something first, because I really didn’t want someone who was hungry and distracted slicing into me, but I’m pretty sure they just smiled and nodded and didn’t say a word to her) and they wheeled me over, and the anesthesiologist gave me the spinal block there in the OR. I don’t remember feeling the epidural at all with Will’s because I was already in so much pain from contractions, but this one was definitely a somewhat painful stick and then this burning flooding warmth that numbed my legs completely alarmingly fast. It was really strange and disconcerting to go completely numb from the waist down in a matter of seconds. I definitely entertained some panicked thoughts about what would happen if the spinal went wrong and the numbness never went away. They did a little bit of testing/poking/prodding around my belly to make sure I couldn’t feel pain, but I could still feel all the pressure pretty succinctly--so weird that you can turn off just the pain but still feel in detail otherwise. I was splayed out like I was about to be dissected, and the team of drs/etc. just chatted about whatever, super casual, as they cut me open. Like random people they knew and good restaurants that had opened, you know, normal coworker stuff. This time the process took longer than with Will, where that time in the OR was somewhat a blur, and everyone was on hyperdrive-they just sliced and yanked him out. Here there was cutting and tugging, chatting, some flattery (“you have no fat layer to get through! Seriously, no fat!”), and when it came to the actual getting her out, it seemed to take A LOT of pushing and pulling and tugging. Maybe cause her head and shoulders were pretty big-seemed like they were having some trouble. I could feel a TON of pressure from all that pushing and pulling-kind of intense! But she finally came out, the anesthesiologist said something about breaking the sac and draining the fluids, and then I heard her cry, finally.
They brought her over to the scale where they do the APGAR test, and I could watch them working on her while the timer went, and listening a bit as my team reassembled me and stitched me up, still chatting casually. I will admit that my first look at Baby Girl was a bit distanced (literally too, I suppose, though I mean emotionally). I thought she had a huge fat head, squishy face, no neck, and blocky torso; basically I was sort of hoping for cute newborn Will and wasn’t quite sure what to make of this reddish-purple squishy scowly.
While they worked on me I also felt pretty strong waves of lightheadedness and nausea that I don’t remember from the first time. There was a pretty good amount of blood loss and drugs and having not eaten in over 12 hours probably didn’t help. My eyes were itchy, my right shoulder ached from air bubbles. The anesthesiologist gave me Benadryl in the IV and between all of that, I was pretty drowsy/out of it for at least an hour after. It took at least that long for them to bring me Kate in my room, anyway (I got to touch her for about a minute after her APGAR before they took her away to clean/test/etc.).
The only unusual/concerning things were that apparently Kate’s blood sugar was low at first (what do you expect when you make me fast!) and I guess they gave her some formula which they later tried to charge us $600 for (seriously, the charge was ONLY for a one-time "formula administration" or something like that, what the heck) and my hemoglobin was on the low side, so I had to take iron supplements for the next several weeks. I had at least two more blood draws that day while they monitored it.
That night, after the numbness had worn off, I stood up and walked around. I was able to stand up straight, and felt so much better than the first time I stood with Will’s pregnancy. I was able to be unhooked from the catheter then, and they took the IV out the next day and I could shower and put on my own clothes. Such a relief (with Will it was day 3 before they took out the IV) to not be hooked up to anything or wearing a hospital gown. That night I had trouble peeing on my own without the catheter and I was seriously concerned, but I was able to do it the next morning, so phew! I had visions of permanent catheters . . . didn’t help that I had googled way too many horror stories in the meantime.
For recovery: I could have gone home Thursday, but decided to wait till Friday morning (so about a 3 day hospital stay). Percocet was amazing. But did make me drowsy/spacey. I was off it by Day 5 or 6 this time, and it was shortly thereafter I could poop again (I was definitely motivated to go off it as it’s constipating--one of the worst things I experienced from Will's post-birth). I was able to be off the ibuprofen by about a week and a half. Had only a couple times crying from the pain before giving in and taking something. It was still kind of painful to walk long distances/up hills a couple weeks after, but settled out pretty well.
And that's it. Nothing near as dramatic as Will's. In retrospect while I would have liked to try the VBAC, my body might actually be happier with a second C-section as far as long-term repercussions, where all I've got is a deeper scar/ridge and my belly is kind of poochy right around it and probably won't ever be flat again. If I had had a VBAC I might have had the C-section scar plus tearing plus later incontinence/who knows what else, and I rather enjoy being able to jump on a trampoline without peeing my pants.