We arrived at the hospital promptly at 5:00am. They asked if I needed a wheelchair, but since I wasn't in labor (or so I thought) I kind of laughed and said "no I'm fine, I can walk." When we got up to the birthing floor they were waiting for us. We were told it was so busy that they had to save a room for us and it was the last available. The floor was full!
I was hooked up to the monitor so they could keep track of baby's heartbeat and my contractions. And to our surprise I was actually having contractions 5 minutes apart. The doctor chose the right day for us to have c-section b/c according to the monitor I was in labor! Since I had such severe
braxton hicks throughout the past couple of weeks I wasn't paying much attention to my contracting stomach.
Within in an hour the nurse and
anathesiaologist came to check on me. I mentioned that with
Macayla the first spinal did not work and that I ended up needing a second.
Additionally I told them I had gotten a spinal headache and
ultimately at blood patch. When I told them this they seemed very surprised and stated that they were sorry I had such a difficulty time last time and it shouldn't happen this time.
Well, they
jinxed themselves. I was wheeled to the operating room and put on the VERY NARROW operating table, and got my arms strapped down (precautionary I was told...). I was given the first spinal (yes I said first). After about 2 minutes they "checked" me with an ice pack to see if it had worked. Of course it hadn't. Every couple of minutes he would check me again....each time lowering the end of the table my head was on to "help" the medicine to work. It was working "slowly, but working" according to the
anathesisalogist. My doctor asked if they should prep and he was told yes. My doctor then "checked me" with some
pinchy type thing and I screamed. He "tested" three different spots. Clearly the first spinal was not working. They then set me up to give me a second spinal. At this point I was crying really hard...
partially from the pain but mostly from the emotions of everything. When sitting up I was facing the swinging doors.
Every time someone came in or went out I saw Jason waiting in a chair outside the operating room. When we made I contact the tears came harder. I can't imagine what he was thinking and feeling. I was being told that usually a spinal works with in 60 seconds...and told if this one doesn't work they'll have to put me completely under.
The good news is that the second spinal worked great. Jason was then able to come in and the surgery began. It did not take very long at all before
Kipton James
Starke entered the world. He cried almost immediately and continued while being cleaned up. It is the loneliest feeling laying on the operating table hearing your new baby cry and not even being able to seem him...especially when Jason left my side to go meet his new son.
I was in the recovery room a lot shorter time than with
Macayla. I wasn't
shaky at all. I was very anxious to get back to the room to be reunited with Jason and with
Kipton. After about an hour I was wheeled back. Shortly following getting to the room Jason came in and then in came
Kipton. The morning seemed like a whirlwind!
