Blogging With Brandi: Ava's Birth Story

I haven't really written out Ava's birth story yet, just been to busy and I wasn't ready to do it, but I want to make sure I do it so I can put it in her baby book. So I thought I better do it now before I start to forget stuff, after all she is almost 4 months old?!! Man time flies...

Ava Sophia's Birth Story

October 8, 2009

41 weeks 1 day

3:04 pm

8lbs 4.5 oz 20 1/4 inches

AGAR'S 8/9

After being a week and a day over due and despite having quite regular and painful contractions we headed in for a repeat c-section and said goodbye to our VBAC hopes on Thursday morning the 8th of October (four days before Logan's 3 rd birthday). When we got up to L&D we were told that they were running very behind and my section would not be at 1:30 as scheduled and we also were informed that the new state of the art patient tower was full and new mom's were being placed in the old mother baby unit. I was shown to my room where I would be monitored and prepped for the c-section. Once the nurse came in I asked her if my doctor was still going to be delivering since they were running so late, she said yes, but I had a feeling there was going to be a problem. The nurse took my blood pressure and it was elevated again (I had been in L&D on my due date with elevated pressure and spilling some protein, but labs came back ok) so they ran pre-e labs again. While we were waiting for the labs to come back my doctor came in to see me and let me know that one, he might not be able to deliver because he had to be on a plane at a certain time and he didn't' want to rush through my section and they were still pretty behind (he wasn't suppose to be there that day at all, but since I never went into labor he squeezed me so he could deliver) He said one of the other doctors in the practice would deliver which I wasn't happy about, since I had only seen one of the other doctors in the practice. Next he told me that if the labs came back pre-e that obviously I would have to be put on the magnesium again (something he knew we were trying to avoid big time) but he wrote orders that it not be started until after I was in recovery so I could have a better birth experience this time. He left saying I hope I see you in there, but I wasn't counting on it. A little while later the nurse came in carrying a bag and since I already had my IV going and it was a smaller bag I knew what that meant. She asked if the doctor had talked to me about my labs and I said no, but I know what's in your hand. She told me I had pre-e my labs came back all elevated. She told me that I would be recovering in the private room this time so they could start the mag in there after delivery. I thought that was nice, with Logan I was in the multi bed recovery area, this way we had privacy. We wait a bit and then the nurse popped in and said the section before me was finishing up and told Matt to get his scrubs on!

The nurse came and got me a little after 2pm and I got to walk myself into the OR this time. Once I got in the OR I got up on the table and the nurses started getting this compression things on my legs (something I didn't have with Logan) once those were on the anesthesiologist got started on my spinal. I don't know if it was because it was a spinal verse a epidural or because I wasn't in labor this time, but it hurt soooo much more than when I had my epi placed with Logan. It took him awhile to get it in and it was painful, but my pain relief during the section was way better than with the epi, so it was worth it. It became apparent that my doctor wasn't gong to make it, but the doctor that came in just happen to be the only other doctor I had seen in the practice so that made things a little better. Things moved pretty fast once the spinal was in, I laid down, the drape went up and next thing I knew Matt was beside me and they had started.

Being my second c-section it took a lot longer to get to the baby I had scar tissue and there was another problem where something was attached to something else and it was caused by my first section, so they had to detach that which took more time as well. Matt and I chit chatted a bit during this part of surgery, I remember telling Matt that it was weird that I was in surgery with doctor rearranging my insides, but I was still starving (I had to stop eating at midnight and my section wasn't until the afternoon!). After what felt like forever the nurse said they were getting close. I can't even describe how excited and nervous I was, I just wanted to know she was ok. We told the nurse to make sure they lowered the drape after she was out, and once she was out the assisting doctor held her up and they dropped the drape for us. It was so awesome seeing her right out of the oven! My first thought was that she was HUGE compared to Logan and then I thought that she looked a little like Logan. Matt got a picture as well and we just both cried, what a journey to get her here and finally our beautiful daughter was here. She didn't start crying until she was under the warmer, it's always nerve wracking not hearing the cry right away, but once she started man was it loud and healthy! Matt was able to go over to her and cut the remainder of the cord, something else we had requested that didn't' happen with Logan because if his health issues. So Matt was the proud Daddy cutting the cord. He took some pictures of her and came over and showed them to me on the camera. The way the room was set up I couldn't see her while they did foot prints and got her wrapped up, but I could hear her and the nurses kept saying how beautiful she was. Once she was ready the nurse brought her over to me and I got to hold her while I was still on the OR table, it was perfect and she was so beautiful I couldn't believe she was here. Matt held her next and nurses took lot's of pictures for us before heading back to my recovery room. I was so thankful that I was able to feel good during delivery and experience some of the stuff we missed out with last time because of Logan's difficult delivery.

Once we got back into recovery they had to get my magnesium started, the nurse explained that I was going to get a bulbous which was a lot of mag all at once and then I would keep getting them until my pressures were under control, this was different than last time when I was just on continuous mag while I was in labor and 24 hours after delivery (yea I felt like crap for a long time) So they get that started but I feel good, I tried to breastfeed her, but she wasn't interested. She was alert though, from the second she came out her eyes were open and she seemed so interested in everything. So we took some more pictures and then Matt went to go get our parents (they didn't know we were having a girl). Matt's parents came in first and his Mom said is that blue for a boy on that hat, and I said "No this is would be Ava Sophia your granddaughter" (the had was more blue than pink, but that's just standard) she was shocked she thought for sure Ava was a boy. Then my Mom and Dad came in, and my Mom who thought it was a girl for sure, said as she walked in "Was I wrong?" and Matt's Mom said nope you were right it's a girl! All the grandparents took turns holding Ava and then all of a sudden the mag hit me like a ton of bricks, I had to lay down and I felt sooo hot, just like last time. About that time they were ready to get me to my post partum room, which because I had pre-e I had to be in one of the intensive care rooms on the old mother baby unit, which I was pretty upset about, so the grandparents leave, except my Mom and they give me Ava and the wheel me over to my room. Once they get me in the bed the baby nurse came for Ava to go get her bath, and pediatrician check, a process that takes about 2 hours. I was nervous about her gong, it was at this point when Logan started showing distress and he never came back to us until the next morning and he had his NG tube by then, so obviously I was worried. As soon as they took her up to the nursery they started my next bulbous of Mag and boy that one was bad. Matt had run out to move our car the overnight area and luckily my Mom was with me and of course the nurse stayed with me. It was the worst feeling in the world, it felt like I needed to pass out but I was already laying down so I couldn't get relief and I was just DRENCHED in sweat I was so hot I thought I was going to die and my heart was racing. My Mom kept wetting towels and wiping me down, I had several towels all over me , then she wrapped my hand in one and that helped a lot, it took about 20 minutes for the bulbous to be administered and it was 20 minutes of hell for sure. I kept crying that I felt so bad that i wasn't gong to be able to feed Ava or take care of her when they brought her back to me. Eventually I started to come out of the reaction and luckily that was the last super dose of mag I was to get.

To our great relief Ava came back down after 2 hours with a clean bill of health and I was able to breastfeed and she sure loved to eat we would find out, such a different experience than with Logan. My Mom left us a little after 8pm and we spent the rest of the night just loving on our new baby girl. Since I was on the Mag they strongly urged me to have Ava taken to the nursery so I could get some rest and I didn't object (we ended up sending her to the nursery every night...hey get the sleep while you can!) they brought her down for her feedings and we would spend a little cuddle time after each feeding before sending her back.

All in all this delivery was like night and day compared to Logan's. I didn't suffer any c-section depression or baby blues. Ava was healthy, the c-section was not difficult, no NICU, came home a day early and with us, we truly were blessed. I remember being in my room after having Logan, telling Matt I don't want to do this again any time soon and this time I looked at Matt and said i don't want to be done, I want to do this again...

Our Beauty Ava Sophia