I was scheduled for a c-section at noon on April 23rd, but had to check in at 10 a.m. to get all prepped and ready. The night before Dan and I were both nervous wrecks. I was scared to death that what happened with Durham's birth (amniotic fluid embolism where my lungs collapsed) would happen again and I might be living my last hours. Sounds morbid, but it's true. I even wrote letters to my boys just in case. Yup, nervous wreck!! So we said a prayer and tried to get some sleep.
The next day we dropped Durham off at grandma's house and headed to the hospital. I was really calm somehow, but Dan was still really nervous. We got to the hospital and our nurse, Diane, came out to talk to us. She was so, so nice and was shocked to hear what had happened with Durham's birth. We got to our room and there were 2 other nurses there so help get me all hooked up to everything and get paperwork done.
 |
| My cool hair net |
 |
| Dan's super cool O.R. outfit |
The anesthesiologist came in to talk to me and go over what to expect to happen before and during the surgery. He was a funny guy. He had read my history and knew of the amniotic fluid embolism that happened last time so when he came in he said, "I am aware of the drama from last time so let's just not talk about that. We are going to have a boring c-section today. I am sooooo bored just thinking about how boring it's going to be." He helped lighten our moods and explained everything to Dan and me.
They had me all set to go and so we were just waiting for my doctor to arrive so we could move to the O.R. She came in a little after noon so they took Dan and I over to the O.R. They got me on the operating table and just when they were about ready to get me set up for the surgery, my doctor popped her head in and said she had to go deliver a baby. So they wrapped me in like 5 warm blankets (the O.R. is fa-reeezing!!!) and we just sat around talking with the nurses and the anesthesiologist for about 20 minutes or so.
Finally my doctor came back and said they could go ahead and prep me. I think that's when my nerves finally hit me that day. I became very quiet and just tried to keep myself calm. They gave me a spinal block and wow, was that painful! Probably the most painful part of the whole thing. An epidural is cake compared to how this felt and not to mention he had to poke my spine 3 times to find a suitable spot because the first two places were too "tight" in his words. Ouch. :(
Once the spinal block was all set they laid me down on the table, set up the big blue sheet to block my vision of blood and guts, and my doctor started some tests to see if I could feel anything. It's very strange because you can actually feel things. For instance, she asked what I felt and I told her it felt like she was tapping me with her finger. She showed me over the sheet that she was holding a very scary looking set of pliers and said she was actually pinching me with them. So once they knew I was good and numb, they began the surgery. In about 10 minutes the nurses pushed down hard on my chest area (the anesthesiologist told us to expect this and to expect a lot of pressure afterward) and I heard my doctor say "There you are handsome boy. Oh, you have your cord wrapped around your neck" and I started to worry a little because I hadn't heard the baby make any noise. She then reached over the sheet holding baby Cruz and put his little face against mine to give me a kiss. Then he made a noise, a short little "AH!" At that point I couldn't see him very well because I had tears in my eyes and my hands were tied down so I couldn't wipe them, but it was love at first sight! That moment was so intense for Dan and I since we never got to experience that "fresh out of the oven" moment with Durham. It is beyond words to describe the feeling of meeting the little human you created for the first time.
 |
| Cruz Alexander Curtis |
Dan went with the nurses to check out baby Cruz while I was still on the operating table. The anesthesiologist was by my head the whole time and thank goodness he was because with Dan gone and everyone else behind the sheet, I felt a little alone. The anesthesiologist had warned me that after having all of the pressure pushed on me to help get the baby out, I would probably feel tightness and pressure in my chest. Knowing my history from last time when my lungs collapsed, he told me not to associate this pressure in my chest with what happened last time. Well, as hard as I tried not to do that, I kind of freaked out because the pressure was so intense. He was very attentive and kept asking me if I was alright and he knew that I was freaking out a little, so he asked if I wanted something to calm down and I said yes. Then I was just fine. The surgery took a lot longer than I had anticipated, or maybe it just seemed like a really long time after the excitement was over and I was just stuck strapped down to the operating table.
 |
| Sweet baby boy |
As soon as it was done they wheeled my bed into recovery and I got to hold Cruz and nurse him. We stayed in the hospital 3 days and had nothing major happen with the exception of my IV blowing and dumping all of the fluids under my skin for who knows how long since I was asleep. My hand literally looked like a latex glove blown full of air. I couldn't even pick up Cruz to hold him and Dan had to help me every time I had to nurse him. Not fun, but if that was the worst thing that happened with this birth, I'll take it.
We brought baby Cruz home and the first few days at home with Durham and a newborn were very rough. Our entire family also ended up with a wicked cold and let me tell you, having your guts cut open and having to cough is extremely painful. It's also difficult to be sick, be recovering from surgery, take care of a newborn, and take care of a sick toddler, but somehow we managed to survive it and we are great now.
Cruz is a very sweet little baby and loves to be held. He is happy as long as you are holding him. He is 2 months old now (I know, geez, it took me a long time to get this post done!) and is starting to smile and giggle while staring off into space. :) Durham has adjusted really well to having a baby brother and loves to be called a "helper". My days are extremely busy, but they are joyful. These little boys bring a lot of smiles to my face and a lot of love in my heart.
