Eventually, I was wheeled on a bed down the hall to the operating room. Rob was sent to another room, to dress in a paper gown, hat and booties for the operating room. The room was incredibly bright, and full of people wearing face masks. I found myself staring at their eyes, trying to keep everyone straight just from their eyes (unsuccessfully).
It was now time to get my spinal block, one of the things that scared me the most. When I had Abby, my epidural wasn't perfect and I could feel them cutting me during my c-section. Seriously. Then kicked my mother out of the room and knocked me out to get Abby here. So you can understand why I might be apprehensive about the pain management part of this whole "baby delivering thing".
I sat on the table, Indian style (or “criss-cross applesauce”, as Abby would say) and the anesthesiologist pressed on my lower back, looking for the correct spot. At this point, I was still occasionally coughing, in particular after I had been lying flat on my back. I was instructed to hug a pillow, stay as still as possible and try like hell not to cough. As the needle entered my back, I began to cry and someone in the room came and held my shoulders down, so my sobbing would not cause me to get injured. It was so comforting at a time when Rob was not with me. My eyes were closed and I do not know who it was, but I am very grateful to them for that gesture. I still cry just thinking about that feeling, a year later.
The anesthesiologist announced that they “had it” and I was instructed to quickly scoot down the table before my body became numb. After I was lying down, I immediately felt the “pins and needles” that I was promised and soon became numb from the chest down. My arms were placed on a board straight out to my sides and soon, Rob came into the operating room, minus the booties which didn’t even begin to fit. (Guess Size 15 shoes are not included in the "One Size Fits All booties")
A curtain was raised in front of our faces so that we could not see the action, something which pleased us both very much. The operation began. I tried to listen to their talking, but my nerves, coupled with the numerous people in the room, prevented me from getting any details.
At this point, a new person entered the room, the chief anesthesiologist, who likes to check up on his employees just to be sure everything is going well. I looked into his eyes and his thick, salt and pepper eyebrows and despite the fact that what I could see of him looked like Eugene Levy, I trusted him and was comforted by him. A few minutes into the surgery, Eugene Levy told me that I would feel some pushing very high on my belly and that the baby would be born at that time. I felt the hand at the top of my “baby bump” and as it slid down my stomach, Eugene Levy pulled the curtain down slightly to discuss something with an intern, but lucky for all of us, Rob couldn’t see anything. (Can you imagine? "Man DOWN! Very tall man DOWN!")
At last it was 7:23 p.m. and Dr. Bummer made the official announcement…”It’s a girl, and she’s peeing on me.” A few seconds later, a small, bloody (and pimply) face peeked over the curtain.
It was the first time I saw my daughter.
She opened her mouth and a blob of yellow something-or-other fell onto me. Alive for 20 seconds, she had already peed and spit on two people. What a charmer.
They carried her over to the corner, cleaned her and measured her. 20 1/2 inches and 7 pounds, 11 ounces. They swaddled her and handed her to Rob. A pediatrician told us that the white pimples on her face were quite common and would go away very soon. Dr. Bummer completed the surgery, additionally tying my tubes and stitching up my incision. Soon, Rob was asked to leave me again, and honestly, I don’t know why. Maybe to change out of his surgical garb?
The nurses set to moving me off the surgical table and onto a gurney, to move to my recovery room. A shorter, female nurse stood to my left and several of the nurses began to tilt me to the left. I immediately panicked and grabbed at the nurse, apparently grabbing both of her breasts in the process, afraid that I was falling off the table. The crowd in the room and in particular, the nurse whose chest I molested, laughed out loud. There was one male nurse in the room and I made a joke asking him why he wasn’t standing to my left, if I had to grab out at someone. It took some time, and a great deal of pain, but I got onto that gurney and they placed Lucy in my arms and I set off for my new room.
A curtain was raised in front of our faces so that we could not see the action, something which pleased us both very much. The operation began. I tried to listen to their talking, but my nerves, coupled with the numerous people in the room, prevented me from getting any details.
At this point, a new person entered the room, the chief anesthesiologist, who likes to check up on his employees just to be sure everything is going well. I looked into his eyes and his thick, salt and pepper eyebrows and despite the fact that what I could see of him looked like Eugene Levy, I trusted him and was comforted by him. A few minutes into the surgery, Eugene Levy told me that I would feel some pushing very high on my belly and that the baby would be born at that time. I felt the hand at the top of my “baby bump” and as it slid down my stomach, Eugene Levy pulled the curtain down slightly to discuss something with an intern, but lucky for all of us, Rob couldn’t see anything. (Can you imagine? "Man DOWN! Very tall man DOWN!")
At last it was 7:23 p.m. and Dr. Bummer made the official announcement…”It’s a girl, and she’s peeing on me.” A few seconds later, a small, bloody (and pimply) face peeked over the curtain.
It was the first time I saw my daughter.
She opened her mouth and a blob of yellow something-or-other fell onto me. Alive for 20 seconds, she had already peed and spit on two people. What a charmer.
They carried her over to the corner, cleaned her and measured her. 20 1/2 inches and 7 pounds, 11 ounces. They swaddled her and handed her to Rob. A pediatrician told us that the white pimples on her face were quite common and would go away very soon. Dr. Bummer completed the surgery, additionally tying my tubes and stitching up my incision. Soon, Rob was asked to leave me again, and honestly, I don’t know why. Maybe to change out of his surgical garb?
The nurses set to moving me off the surgical table and onto a gurney, to move to my recovery room. A shorter, female nurse stood to my left and several of the nurses began to tilt me to the left. I immediately panicked and grabbed at the nurse, apparently grabbing both of her breasts in the process, afraid that I was falling off the table. The crowd in the room and in particular, the nurse whose chest I molested, laughed out loud. There was one male nurse in the room and I made a joke asking him why he wasn’t standing to my left, if I had to grab out at someone. It took some time, and a great deal of pain, but I got onto that gurney and they placed Lucy in my arms and I set off for my new room.
I soon learned that Luanne would be the nurse in charge of my post-operative care in Labor and Delivery Room # 2. During the next two hours, I held Lucy, tried to breast feed her (unsuccessfully), had my blood pressure taken repeatedly and waited for my family to visit.
I should have left the L&D room after my 2 hours of recovery, but there were no available rooms on the 2700 wing, where all mothers who had pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure) go after delivery and recovery. Rob was pleased to hear this, as he had already noted during our previous hospital tour that the couches in L&D were much nicer and longer than those in the post-delivery wards. The big man is observant, when viewing what tiny couch he will be expected to curl up on.
I was given ice chips, which were incredibly delicious. I gobbled them up with a spoon as fast as I could. Rob ordered his first (of many) guest trays from Room Service, filling his empty belly with meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Soon, the door opened and in came my mother, Abby, my step-daughter Amber, brother Patrick and his girlfriend, Mandy.
We took photos, took turns holding Lucy, updated our Facebook pages to announce her birth and celebrated Lucy’s good health. It soon became midnight, and Amber had school the next day (Abby finally conceded to taking the day off) so our visitors kissed us goodbye and headed home.
Despite the fact that the nurses took Lucy to the nursery for a work up and to sleep, I stayed awake all night long. Rob fell asleep on the couch but I watched the television all night long. I don’t remember what I watched. Of course, the blood pressure cuff squeezing my arm every 15 minutes was not conducive to sleep, as well as the fact that my incision was painful. One of the nurses told me that a lot of moms are unable to sleep, with the adrenaline and excitement about their new babies. I should have left the L&D room after my 2 hours of recovery, but there were no available rooms on the 2700 wing, where all mothers who had pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure) go after delivery and recovery. Rob was pleased to hear this, as he had already noted during our previous hospital tour that the couches in L&D were much nicer and longer than those in the post-delivery wards. The big man is observant, when viewing what tiny couch he will be expected to curl up on.
I was given ice chips, which were incredibly delicious. I gobbled them up with a spoon as fast as I could. Rob ordered his first (of many) guest trays from Room Service, filling his empty belly with meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Soon, the door opened and in came my mother, Abby, my step-daughter Amber, brother Patrick and his girlfriend, Mandy.
We took photos, took turns holding Lucy, updated our Facebook pages to announce her birth and celebrated Lucy’s good health. It soon became midnight, and Amber had school the next day (Abby finally conceded to taking the day off) so our visitors kissed us goodbye and headed home.
Happy (Almost) Birthday to my Leap Day Baby!
A day or two later, all hell breaks loose - I'll fill you in on what exactly happened soon.
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