Alice's Birth

I went to bed Monday night feeling a bit nauseous. I put this down to nerves about the C-section booked in for the next day. I didn’t sleep well and ended up on the lounge watching TV at 3am. I then tried to keep busy till it was time to leave for the hospital. Once at the hospital we were taken to my room and my nerves got even worse. I was still feeling nauseous and also started getting some blurred vision. I had a visit from the anesthetist that I talked to about my nerves in regards to the spinal block. He talked me through step-by-step of what was going to happen and made me feel a little better. Then before I knew it I was dressed for surgery and in a wheelchair being wheeled up to surgery.  Hubby and me had a few moments alone before I was wheeled into the operating theater. Once in there Hubby sat on a chair in the corner why I sat on the operation table. The anesthetist talked me through the whole process and I sat there with my eyes closed holding one of the nurse’s hands. I tried very hard to stay calm and tried to think of the reason I was there. I felt a little pinch in the back then all of a sudden I started to go numb. Once I was lying down Hubby was able to come sit beside me and sheet was put up. My teeth started chattering and I started feeling some pulling but no pain. The anesthetist said that putting my thumb in my mouth would help stop the chattering, which I did and it did help. Within a few minutes and more pulling we finally heard a cry. It was the most reassuring sound. She was then held her up over the sheet and then she was taken over to the pediatrician’s table. She was checked over and was given the all clear.  This news made me shed a tear. The pediatrician then said she has 3 Mediterranean marks. She has one on each wrist and one on her spine. I knew exactly what he was talking about because I have the same mark on the end of my spine. They just look like little bruises. He said that they would fade.  Hubby then cut the cord and then she was wrapped up and brought over to me on the operating table. Hubby and I then got our first cuddle. It was an amazing feeling to hold her in my arms and to know that she was finally safe. We then had a photo taken and then it was time for her to go with Hubby down to my room to have her measurements taken while I got stitched up and wheeled into recovery. It was hard being in recovery by myself but I knew she was safe with her daddy and I just had to try to relax as my teeth were still chattering and my temp was a little low. Finally after an hour in recovery I was able to go back down to my room were Hubby and Alice were waiting. My first question to Hubby was if she had been crying. He said she had been sleeping the whole time. This was reassuring to hear, as I was anxious to give her a Breastfeed. Once I was moved from the operation bed to my bed I was able to sit up and hold her. I explained to the midwife that I wanted to breastfeed her. Unfortunately this didn’t go exactly to plan. I wanted to put her on my chest and let her do the breast crawl but before I could say anything the Midwife had grabbed my breasted and shoved Alice’s head into it. Fortunately Alice knew exactly what to do and attached well but it was a shame that I was unable to do it the way I had planned. The next few hours were a bit hard. I had some mild reaction to the anesthetic and vomited 5 times, 3 being when Alice was on the breast. I had to try to detach her and tell Hubby to take her all while vomiting in a bag, which was hurting my stomach. A different midwife came in and helped out and even thought I felt like I was burning up apparently my temp was low. She put heaps of blankets on me and I tried hard to relax. A few hours later my temp had stabilized and I was just very sleepy. The other 4 days in hospital were good. I did a lot of sitting in a chair feeding and coped well at nights. Hubby was there early mornings till late at night. Most of the Midwifes were wonderful however there was an occasional one that was a little pushy. I was respectful in listening to their opinions but only took from each of them what I felt was relevant to us.  On Saturday morning the pediatrician gave Alice a good look over and then we were able to head home. It was so nice to finally take her home and begin our family life together.