EH's Birth Story - Part 5 - We Have A Baby!!!

Have you ever had major abdominal surgery while awake?  I can't imagine that it's too common outside of cesarean sections.  After all, who really wants to be awake during surgery unless there's something good to see, like in the case of a baby.

So at this point, my doctor has started cutting me open.  I don't feel any pain, but I definitely do feel the pressure and pulling.  It's a weird sensation, and because everything had happened so fast I was having a hard time processing it all.  I had my lips in an "O" and was taking deep breaths in and out.  I don't think I could have breathed normally if I had tried.  I was also shivering like crazy, which is apparently a side effect of the anesthesia.  DH was there the entire time but I don't remember much about what he did or said during this time (perhaps he can the story from his perspective!) - I was focusing too much on just holding myself together. 

The student anesthesiologist was on my left side, talking in my ear.  He was looking over the curtain that they had put up so that I couldn't see what was going on, and keeping me updated on the progress.

"They're almost ready," he said at one point.  "You'll know when they're about to take the baby out because the doctor will say 'drop the table.'"

And not a few moments later I heard the doctor say, "Ok, drop the table!"

The table was quickly lowered and this is when the fun began.  The doctor (actually probably multiple doctors) started pushing high on my abdomen, just under my chest.  Previously all of the pressure and pulling that I felt was down lower, where they were making the incision.  But now there was intense pushing downward as they tried to get the baby out.

"I see a butt!" the anesthesiologist said, excitedly.  More pushing and pulling.

"I still see a butt!" he said again. Apparently this baby was stuck with just butt out.  The pushing and tugging intensified, and the table was literally bouncing up and down.  (Again, this would be a great thing for DH to  write about, since I have a poor memory of most of these events.)  I continued taking deep controlled breaths in and out, in an effort to hold myself together.  I was overwhelmed with emotions and had tears rolling down the side of my face, although it wasn't because of pain or anything like that.

Everything is about to change, I thought to myself.  Thought only because I don't think I could have spoken a word out loud or else I would have lost it. 

"He's almost here," the anesthesiologist said, and I heard the doctor say something about how the head was stuck.  They rocked the table - me - back and forth, up and down, and I just stared at the ceiling or closed my eyes..

And finally there was a weird release, where all of the tugging and rocking stopped and there was no longer crazy pressure.

He was out.

I don't remember much about the moments after, only that I was listening intently waiting to hear him cry.  DH could see over the curtain now that they were holding the baby up higher, and he could see him being fussed over by the nurses.  It felt like forever before I finally heard his tiny baby cry and at that point the tears started up again.  I am not generally a crier, but there is just something so incredibly emotional about having a small human come out of your body after being there for 9 months, and hearing his first sounds that I think would bring almost any women to tears.  It was crazy emotional.

After a few minutes, the nurse brought the baby over to DH to hold.  At this point we still hadn't settled on a final name.  I don't remember most of the conversation, but I do know that at some point I said something like, "I think Evan is still my favorite name."  DH agreed, and suddenly our little boy had a name.

Part 6 is up next - Recovery.