Camille's Birth Story

I can't believe that Camille is already one week old!  Happy one week birthday, Camille!!!  In honor of what we were doing this time last week, here's the birth story!

We did a little photo session at home today to celebrate her one week birthday!

My ob/gyn, Dr. Neblett, had originally scheduled induction for Wednesday, Dec. 21.  But, the hospital was better able to schedule it for Tuesday, December 20.  So, that was our big day!

the week before...

Over the course of the week before she was born, I was having much stronger back and pelvic pain.   It started each time around the base of my spine and then continued to move around to the front.  These were random, happening a few times some days and up to eight times other days.  I thought they were contractions, but they were so random that we weren't too alarmed.  That Wednesday, we had our last ob/gyn appt.  Dr. Neblett said that I was maybe 1-2 cm dilated but not effaced.  We all talked about how excited we were to meet her in less than a week.   More good news is that I made it to the kindergarten Christmas program and the class Christmas party.  Those were my goals, and Camille and I made it!

the weekend before...

The weekend before we had her, we went ahead and finished errands and wrapped all the Christmas gifts.  

The day before we were induced, though, I'll tell you.... we were so anxious. We did a little last minute errand running, had Chik-fil-A breakfast, walked around the mall, bought me a new pair of shoes, and had lunch at Olive Garden. We came home, finished wrapping presents, double checked our hospital bags, and tried to relax. We both barely slept because we were so anxious!  We also spent a lot of time guessing what time she'd be born, what the whole process would be like, what she would look like etc.

birth day....

6 a.m. .... We checked in at the hospital.  After I checked in, we waited for the nurse to come get us to head to a labor/delivery room.  

7 a.m .... Settling In

The check-in lady gave me my hospital bracelet, and the nurse came to get us.  We were off to labor/delivery!  We got settled in our room.  I changed into the hospital gown.  The nurse came back in and asked all about my medical history, surgeries, illnesses, and medications I was taking.  She began an electrolyte/fluids drip in my forearm.  I had told her I had a headache, and she said that would help.   It did after a while!  She began to take my blood pressure and temperature, which nurses continued to do on a regular basis until discharge day.  Our nurse also put on my heart monitor and Camille's heart monitor.  She also put on my contraction monitor device.  It was all feeling real then!  Dr. Neblett called our nurse to check up on us.

8 a.m. .... Contractions and Pitocin

Dr. Neblett came in to say hi and to check me.  No further progress from last week.  But, he did tell me that, according to the contraction counter and the printout, I had been having contractions every five minutes, but not completely consistently.  The pattern was more like five minutes, five minutes, five minutes, seven minutes, ten minutes....  Anyway, I had no idea I was even having contractions.  They didn't hurt at all.  I actually had to get the nurse and Sam to tell me when I was having one so that I could know what they felt like.  For me, at that point, it just felt like Camille was balling up at the top of my abdomen.  She's been doing that for so long when she'd stick out her rear end in my belly that it didn't seem like anything to it.  Next, my nurse went ahead and started the Pitocin to make the contractions more frequent and productive.

9 a.m. ..... The Epidural and the Catheter

Having a needle inserted into your spine to make your body numb seems pretty scary.  But, the process isn't bad at all!  Dr. Neblett had suggested that we go ahead and get the epidural early.  That way, it wouldn't be so uncomfortable when he checked me.  The anesthesiologist came in and explained the process to me.  First, he had me sit cross legged while they raised my hospital bed high for him to reach my back more easily.  Next, he cleaned my back and then gave me the numbing shot.  After that, he gave me the actual epidural.  Sam said that seeing the length of that needle is the only time that he felt a little queasy.  Last, he just fed my epidural line up my back, secured it with adhesive spray and medical tape, and began the epidural drip.  

The catheter... I hated the catheter.  I've never had one in my life until that day.  Obviously, you have to have it because you can't get up to go to the bathroom when you can't feel your legs.  That thing was the most painful part so far of the day.  I was crying from it being so uncomfortable.  The nurse came back in to check me again, and I couldn't stand it because the catheter felt like it was in sideways.  

And so began Over-Emotional Moment of the Day ....  I cried to the nurse that I didn't want to disappoint her and that I was sorry I didn't handle her checking me very well.  I also told her that I didn't want her to tell stories about me about the nurses' station.  She laughed and said I was fine.  I pushed the "magic button" on the epidural to give myself an extra little pop of numbness, and then the catheter hurt no more!  Dr. Neblett came in a little later to check me.  I had made it to 2cm.

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. .... Sitting and Waiting

We spent a big part of the day watching the contraction monitor and noticing how Camille's heart rate went up just a tad during each contraction.  My parents and Sam's mom hung out with us a lot.  We had on the tv, but I have no idea what was on.  Not a lot was happening. The nurse would check me from time to time.   There wasn't much progress.  I had effaced to about 30%. At 1 p.m., Dr. Neblett broke my water.  

2:30 p.m. .... Camille's First "Tantrum"

Since we had gone four hours with almost no progress, my nurse wanted me to turn to my right side to see if that would help move me along.  She left the room and then came back a few minutes later with the charge nurse.  Camille's heart rate had dropped from the 150's to the low 80's due to my new position in the bed.  They put oxygen on me, and we watched Camille's heart rate return to normal.  The nurses figured that she began to hold her breath because she didn't like the position she was in.  

2:30 - 6:30 p.m. .... More Waiting 

By this point, I had dilated to 2 and a half cm.  Disappointing.  By the way, they had turned up the Pitocin to full strength much earlier that morning.  So, I was just being very slow to respond to meds.  

At four o' clock, I was about 3 cm dilated.  Dr. Neblett came in to check me.  He manually stretched me to 5 cm with the hope that it would get me to dilate more quickly on my own.  He also inserted an internal contraction monitor.  He said that they could calculate some kind of fancy measurement that would take into account the strength of the contraction and give some sort of score.  If that score was above 200 each time, then it meant that the contractions were strong enough to cause me to further dilate and be considered productive active labor.

After this, the contractions became stronger.   I could feel them.  They didn't hurt so much more than they had before.  The part that actually hurt was when I could feel Camille tense up and her feet pushing into my ribs.  We could see the strength of each contraction climb on the internal monitor's screen up near my head.  They would reach into the 80's and go back down.  Seeing the number go up and down was actually nice in helping me deal with them.  By the way, each score was way above 200.

6:30 p.m. ... Checking Again

The nurse had been frequently checking my temperature, blood pressure, etc.  She was also now frequently checking that score I mentioned.  But, even though all those numbers looked good, I was 75% effaced and was dilated "maybe only what he stretched [me] to".   At this point, she called Dr. Neblett.  He told her that we should go ahead and begin thinking about the possibility of a c-section but that he wanted to give it until 8 o'clock to see if I made any more progress.

8:00 p.m. ... Decision Time

I continued to have the same contractions until 8 p.m.  They were considered productive, but I wasn't progressing the way I should have.  So, at 8, the nurse checked me.  She said that I was still about the same... same dilation and same effacement.  The other issue was that Camille's heart rate had begun to rise due to the length of time and the stress.  She asked how I felt about doing a c-section.  I told her that I was okay with it.  She came back a little later and told me that Dr. Neblett wanted my approval to move on with a c-section.  He said that Camille would be better off with it and that we could sit waiting all night for further dilation and it still not happen.  So, I signed the papers about the c-section, and waited for surgery prep time to begin.  Our families came in to wish us luck.  I was crying by this point because I was excited, nervous, and exhausted at the same time.  Sam and I had talked about how it might be possible that I might have to have a c-section, but we were so worn out and anxious about finally meeting her that my emotions took over.  

Here we are just before the c-section.

8:20 p.m. .... Let the C-Section Begin 

I was unhooked from my "medicine pole" (or whatever that thing is called).   An anesthesiologist came in and pumped in some extra epidural medicine to get me ready for surgery.  The nurses rolled me down the hall while Sam walked beside me.  As we entered the surgery area, a nurse stopped Sam to help him get his scrubs on.  The other continued to wheel me in to surgery.  Dr. Neblett was already there.  Once I arrived to the room, he looked at me and held my hand and said, "Let's make you a mom".  See why I like my dr. so much?   Anesthesia always makes me shake, and my arms were bouncing off the table extensions they were supposed to be sitting on.  He got me a warming blanket to warm them/weight them down.  Sam arrived shortly after.  I think there were probably a total of four nurses/surgery assistants there with Dr. Neblett and the other doctor who was helping with the surgery.  Sam sat down next to me, and surgery began.  Dr. Neblett asked me to spell Camille's name so that he could make sure he got it right.  He told me was going to give me Camille's first birthday card (I later saw what he was talking about... more on that later.)  Surgery probably officially began at around 8:30.  I felt a lot of pressure and pushing on an area of my abdomen at a time.  I honestly had no idea what the two doctors were doing at this time.   Then, a few minutes later I felt much more forceful tugging and pulling on my belly.....

8:42 p.m. .... Meeting Camille

The pulling and tugging only lasted what seemed like a few seconds, and then we heard the sweetest sound we've heard in our lives.  Camille came out squeaking and then screaming and crying.  Sam peaked over the dividing curtain and began crying.  I started crying, too.  Her little voice was the most precious thing.  After years of shots, frustration, excitement, disappointment, prayer, tests, pills, highs and lows, we finally got to see the little baby we've been wanting to have for so long.  And she was so perfect.  The nurse held her with us for a second before she took her to be cleaned up and weighed.  I told Sam to go be with her and get lots of photos.  I was too busy crying to talk anyway.  The nurse who was holding my head was wiping my eyes and stroking my hair.  After a few more minutes, the nurse and Sam came back to me with her.  It was so exciting to get a good look at her and see who had been growing inside me all these months.  I swear, she is the most fantastic and amazing little thing.  A nurse took some our first family photos for us, and I am still tearing up when I look at them a week later.  My parents said that everyone in the waiting room who had come to be with us (my parents, Sam's mom and Larry, and Haley and Lucas) got so excited when they heard the lullaby playing over the intercom for her.  (The hospital where she was born plays a lullaby every time a baby is born.)  Camille was taken to the nursery for her first bath, and Dr. Neblett and his partner continued to finish my surgery.  I was so anxious to get to recovery and then see Camille again that I asked them more than once if they were done yet.  Dr. Neblett was joking around saying, "Oh, Leslie, we're going to have to go back in.  I can't find my wedding ring."  He's a mess.  Afterward, he came over to us and told us what great parents he thinks we'll be and said congratulations again.  He told us he'd stop by in the morning to check on us.

 Then, I was taken to my labor/delivery room for my recovery time.

9:20 p.m. .... Recovery

I had finally stopped shaking, thank goodness.  I was beginning to feel major discomfort and was still freezing.  The nurses put some warming blankets on me, added another layer of bandaging to my incision, put a huge medical compression belt on my abdomen, checked my temperature and blood pressure, gave me my blood thinner through an IV, gave me pain meds through an IV, and added massaging compression things to my legs.  Sam and I were in the recovery room a little over an hour.   Part of that time was just that we had to wait until a room in the maternity area would be ready.  I was so anxious to get to my next room and see Camille and family.   

During this time, Sam went to the waiting room to tell everyone that everything went well.  He also took the little nursery viewing card to our family so that they could see Camille.  (Visitors need a viewing card in order to get to see a particular baby in the nursery.  It's for security reasons.  They just had to hold up the card to the window, and the nurse would bring over the baby.)  Our families got to see her first bath and how mad she got at the nurses.  :)

10:40 p.m. .... Welcome to Room 402

Sam and I were finally taken to my room upstairs in the postpartum unit.  The nurses there transferred me to that room's bed and hooked up all my IVs and contraptions.  A few minutes later, our families were allowed to come see us.  Everyone was excited and so glad the surgery went well and that Camille was here.  A little while after that, Camille made her big entrance to see everyone again.  There were so many hugs and congratulations.  After a while, everyone went home, and Sam and I were left to spend time as a family of three.

I love December 20, 2011.  There has never been a sweeter day in our lives.  We are beyond thankful for Camille and the sweet little blessing that she is.  In the week that she has been with us, life has become so much better.  She gives us so much more purpose.  Every little stretch, grasp, cry, sleepy noise, dirty diaper, night time bottle feeding, and precious cuddle have changed our lives for the best.  I can't thank God enough for such a special gift.  There have been times when I feel so tremendously blessed that it's hard to believe that it's happened to us.

Soon, I'll post about the post-op days in the hospital!