Anna-Kate's Birth Story - Part 2

Part 1 Here

Before I knew it, it was time to go to the OR. I asked if I was going to walk and they said, yes. I was glad because as silly as it may be, I wanted to walk one more time with my big belly and take in the last few minutes of being pregnant. I sat on the table getting ready for my spinal and just took the last few seconds in. I started to get nervous but the general surgeon was so sweet. The spinal was fine. A little painful but really I never think they are too painful. It's so quick and over with before you can think about it, I really don't mind it. By the time I said, ouch, it was done. It did go in waayyy faster than I remember with the girls or with Emily. By the time they helped me to lay back, I was getting more and more numb by the seconds. I really couldn't believe that. I remember with the girls that it took forever for it to kick in.

The moment I laid down, it was like I was a hurt hyena being swarmed by hungry lions. Every part of my body had something or someone doing something to it. It overwhelmed me, made me nervous and scared and I started to get really faint and anxious. For about two minutes I was freaking out, couldn't think or focus on anything and then I felt my blood pressure cuff tighten, just in time. The anesthesiologist said, "oh your blood pressure is really dropping" and I said, "yeah I can really tell, I feel very, very weird". He gave me something immediately and within a minute or two I was much more relaxed and barely able to keep my eyes open. And I stayed like that the whole time but those few minutes of panic were horrible. Something new that I hadn't had with the girls was an awesome warming blanket that puffs up on your chest and arms and blows hot air the whole time so you don't get the shakes and feel freezing. Man was it wonderful!!!! All I remember last time was the horrible shaking, being frozen and not being able to get warm, so this blanket was AWESOME! I had just a few moments where the shaking was there but not an issue. Nothing like last time that's for sure. Tim even agreed that the blanket was wonderful because he could feel all the warm air too and since the OR is always freezing, it was great for him also.

The thing I am going to remember while waiting this time for her actual moment of birth is feeling so tired and impatient. I was like, what is taking soooo long!? Finally when they said to expect some pressure, I wasn't thinking it would be much since I didn't remember that with the girls. I was wrong.  Holy moly! I felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest! It was so crazy. My shoulder was being pushed down and it just seemed like forever for her to actually be born. That was definitely a new experience and not one that was so nice. I like it lasted forever.

Finally after all that pressure, I heard Anna's little feisty cry! Music to my ears! My sweet, sweet daughter. My fifth daughter! I am now a mother to FIVE daughters! I could barely believe it. I told Tim to get up and start taking photos immediately because with Emily or the girls I never got those "first breath" moments on camera and I wanted it this time.

It seemed like forever that I didn't get to see her. They kept working on her and I was like, where is my baby! I wanted to see her so bad. Finally Dr. S, the neonatalogist came over and said she was doing well but having some trouble breathing so they were working on her. Working on her? Like what? I kept asking Tim what was going on but he just kept saying everything was fine, she looks great. He kept asking me every five seconds if I was okay, which of course made me nervous even more. 

A few more minutes passed and they finally showed her to me. All wrapped up, perfect as can be. I was so happy to see her little face, but it didn't last long, they took her right back, and away from me.

Before I knew it, the neonatologist came back and said that they were in fact going to take her to the NICU. I was really surprised. The nurses started asking for a transport bed and what area she would be going to. I was so nervous but they assured me she was okay, she just needed a little help to breath. Yeah, I've been down this path before. It's not fun. I prepared for it last time, this time it struck me like a ton of bricks. Why is another one of my children going to the NICU struggling to breath? She is supposed to be full-term! I know even full-term babies have their troubles, but I was just so sad to once again be separated from my baby! AGAIN!

They let me kiss her goodbye and off she went to the NICU. I said a few prayers and literally couldn't believe it was happening again. My baby was struggling to breath!

It took forever for them to sew me up. Again, I kept thinking, what is taking so long. I guess when I had the girls, I was just so incredibly out of it, that I didn't have a grasp on the time, like I did this time. I know it all didn't take that long, but it seemed like every minute was an hour. Plus, my mind was on my baby and what was happening to her.

After awhile, they moved me from the OR bed to a recovery bed and off I went to post-op.  A few minuted before I was moved to post-op, I started itching. It started with my face, neck, head and worked it's way down the more the spinal wore off. And let's just say that was the beginning of a horrible reaction to something. The nurses said it was normal, but let me assure you, I don't think it was. I was going nuts, and I mean NUTS over how itchy I was. In the post-op I had the maximum dose of Benadryl which did nothing to ease the itching. I was going insane. It was so bad. It lasted for almost 48 hours before I was completely itch free. I googled the antibiotics they had me on and the pain meds to make sure nothing had sulfa in it, which I am very allergic to. I almost thought they must have left a latex glove inside my belly (I'm allergic to latex too) because something was just not right and nothing would ease it. I don't know what it was, but it was not fun!

I begged Tim to go over to the NICU and find out what was going on with Anna and so finally he was given the go to do so by the nurses. He went over and was gone awhile but sent me some photos from his phone. I was so shocked to see that they had put Anna on c-pap which is a respiratory machine that forces air into the lungs. I knew immediately when I saw the photo and it of course again brought so many fears over me. I've been down this road before. The tube down her throat, c-pap, IV for fluids...ugh, it was a sight I was trying to forget and here I was again. I ached to hold her in those moments. My body ached for her. To be taken from me and once again not to be with my baby. It just wasn't fair.

While he was gone, I had a few scary moments where I started to bleed a little heavier, which of course scared the crap out of me. I thought, oh my goodness, here we go again! But luckily just after 20 minutes or so it slowed to normal. Oh, and the nurse I had for the second part of my delivery/post-op was a nurse that helped in the delivery room with the triplets, so she has been at 4 out of 5 of my deliveries. Pretty neat!

After two long hours in recovery, the nurses said they could wheel me by to see her in the NICU. Thank goodness. I needed to see her. I wanted to ask a million questions about what was going on. Finally, I laid my eyes on my little beauty once again. I hated seeing her in distress and it broke my heart. I only got to visit with her for a few minutes and touch her foot. I said a few prayers and talked with her nurse, Cheryl, which was one of our favorite nurses from before. She was so sweet and assured me Anna was doing well. I had to quickly say goodbye and once again left my daughter to be cared for by others. It was so emotional.

The nurses wheeled me to my room and finally my dad and my best friend could come back. They had been waiting all day to see me and Anna. They got to go in and see Anna way before I did, so I knew she was getting lots of love. A few minutes later my mom was there and she also go to go see Anna. 

Part 3, coming soon!