At my 38 week check up (38 weeks, 2 days), my doctor seemed
surprised that I was dilated to 2 – 2.5 cm.
She said it was “fair game” any day now.
That entire week I thought, hoped, and perhaps even prayed that I would
go into labor. Every pain and feeling I
had, I thought, “This is it!” I was so
extremely uncomfortable that any day sounded appealing to me. I would wake up and tell Keane, “Today is a
good day to have a baby.” He never
agreed as the sheep were wrapping up their lambing and he was staying busy on
the farm.
My second to last day of work I received a celebration from
my work crew. I was given cupcakes to
share with the staff, some adorable gifts (a bath towel, toy, and pink knitted
bunny outfit). I was also included in
the elementary morning speech with a round of applause, congratulations, and a
good luck from the staff and students. I
was very thankful for not having gone into labor before experiencing such
sweetness from my new job at that time.
Since no labor occurred, we waited until the scheduled
C-section date and time. On Monday, May
14, I woke up at 4:00am and prepared for meeting our new baby. I had decided I wanted Farrah to come to the
hospital with us. The day before was
Mother’s Day and I couldn’t bare the thought of sending her off the evening of
Mother’s Day and the eve of her becoming a big sister. I got ready and made sure all of my hospital
things were packed, including all the last minute things I thought of and came
up with a way to memorize throughout the final night, and then woke Ms. Farrah
up. I changed her clothes into her “Big
Sister” outfit and had her sitting up in bed while I fixed her hair. She asked, “Where are we going, Mommy?” I said, “We are going to the hospital to meet
your new baby sister.” And her little sleepy
voice broke out in such
excitement. “Right now, Mommy?!” And then she didn’t stop. She wanted to bring some little toys for her
new baby sister. She gathered a toy dog from
her farm set and a stuffed white fox toy to give to Augusta when she arrived. She chatted almost the entire way to the
hospital, until she crashed about 10 minutes before we got there.
We didn’t end up leaving the driveway until about 5:00am, 30
minutes behind schedule. The C-section
was scheduled for 7:30am and they wanted us to be there at 5:30am. When we got to the hospital, we weren’t
sure if we were supposed to go into the emergency entrance where we had to go
in the middle of the night when Farrah was born, or if we could go into the
main entrance. Just as we were looking
for a place to park, I received a call from the hospital wondering where we
were. The nurse sounded relieved when I
told her we were parking, and she confirmed that the main entrance was now
open. We parked and carried in a few
things and our very excited two-year-old.
Signing in didn’t require much since they were expecting
us. I gave them my insurance card and ID
and signed a couple of papers. I got a
final weigh-in of 149 lbs. and they brought us to a room on the opposite side
of the hall as last time. A nice lady
got me all prepped and hooked up to monitors, where you could see that I was
having contractions every 4-5 minutes.
They seemed to be getting stronger and I convinced myself I would have
been going into labor today naturally anyway. As Keane and Farrah sat there, Farrah fell back to sleep and Keane rested his eyes as well.
My mom arrived shortly after we got to our room at about 6:45am. That had been the plan. Dad and Kollin were to swing by and pick up Kaden and Kylie from their mom's house on their way and get to the hospital around 7:00am. Whenever they arrived, the nurses had to enforce the rule on the limit of visitors to two. We visited until they told us a second, or maybe third, time that the number of visitors allowed was two. At that time, everyone gave hugs and good-lucks and out they went for the waiting room, leaving just me and Keane for the remainder of the preparation.
My mom arrived shortly after we got to our room at about 6:45am. That had been the plan. Dad and Kollin were to swing by and pick up Kaden and Kylie from their mom's house on their way and get to the hospital around 7:00am. Whenever they arrived, the nurses had to enforce the rule on the limit of visitors to two. We visited until they told us a second, or maybe third, time that the number of visitors allowed was two. At that time, everyone gave hugs and good-lucks and out they went for the waiting room, leaving just me and Keane for the remainder of the preparation.
They gave Keane his scrubs with the same brief explanation as last time, they took me off the monitors since the baby's heart rate was good, and my contractions continued. Then it was time. They wheeled my bed down the halls we just walked in on, through the same doors as I remember last time, pointed to a lonely little wooden bench for Keane to sit on until he was called upon, and into a bright white surgical room. The big red digital clock on the wall read 7:34. I was dreading the spinal, but it wasn't as bad as I had prepped myself for. The procedure was all so familiar. There were several differences this time, however. One being the speediness of it all. Before long, I was numb from the chest down, I could decipher some of the things they were doing (shaving, inserting a catheter, etc.), and they were going through the details (i.e. 39 weeks and 2, repeat C-section with "tubal"). This time, the drape they hung in front of my face was in two layers: a blue drape and a clear drape. The anesthesiologist asked me if I wanted to watch and I told him I didn't have this option last time, but that I did. I asked to make sure they remembered Keane and they verified that they did. Soon after, Keane was in the room and the anesthesiologist told him where to sit and told him that when he pulled up on his arm, it would be time for Keane to stand up and watch the baby being delivered. And then he said, "We are almost to that point." Keane and I looked at each other in shock. I could hardly believe it - I felt like we had just begun. I said outloud, "This is going a lot faster than last time" and one of the nurses said it was because it was a controlled situation and they asked if I was in labor last time, to which I answered that I was.
And almost immediately after, the anesthesiologist did exactly what he said he would do. He lifted Keane's arm, and he also pulled down the blue drape, and Augusta was born! I watched as my doctor, Dr. Kimberly Morse, held Augusta and told her she was adorable and told her Happy Birthday. They all made mention of all of Augusta's hair, and I watched them clamp the umbilical cord. Then Dr. Morse held Augusta right up to the clear drape and they said I could touch her through the drape and I said hi to our new baby girl. Everything was happening so quickly.
They then put the blue drape back up and invited Keane to go and cut the umbilical cord closer to the baby, to which we have photos of again. Augusta was crying good and loud and I was overwhelmed with emotions. I laid there and listened to her and my heart was so full. I was so proud of her already. Tears began flowing and when the anesthesiologist said something to me about her cry being a good sound, he noticed I was crying and got a tissue and wiped them away.
Moments later, Keane returned and they wheeled the baby and the weight cart up to where I could watch. She weighed 7 lbs and 7.4 oz. Keane took photos and chose one to send to all the waiting family and friends. Then they put the baby on my chest for skin to skin. A nurse stepped in and placed her on my chest and even introduced her to my breast. We took some group photos and then they left Augusta right there with us. This was so different than last time when they took the baby and my husband to the nursery and left me with the lasting memories of the moments just before. They told Keane to help hold Augusta since I didn't have full strength in my arms and hands. I asked what time she was born and they told us 7:55am. Dr. Morse said they were almost finished and that they were. It all flew by way faster than Farrah's delivery.
At this time they took Augusta, and Keane went with them to the nursery. They used a new hover air-filled mattress to lift me from the bed I was on back onto my hospital bed, and then wheeled me back into our room. They brought Augusta back in and encouraged breast feeding and she latched right on and started sucking! It was around 9:00am at this point. We waited about 10 minutes or so while she introduced herself to nursing before Keane went to the waiting room to invite the siblings to meet Augusta. Kimberly, who had arrived in the meantime, joined so she could take some photos.
When Farrah came into the room, she excitedly told me hi! She was then ready to meet her "new baby sister." She was full of giggles and smiles and she climbed up on the couch and reached her arms out and flexed her little hands as fast as she could in anticipation and happy excitement to hold Augusta, to hold this little baby that grew inside her mommy's tummy for the last NINE months! That we talked about daily and awaited her arrival. Here she was!
Both big kids sat on either side of Farrah with smiles and proud looks in their eyes. Keane handed Augusta to Farrah and boy was she proud. The video Kimberly captured says it all. Then Kaden and Kylie each got to hold her, and so did Aunt Kimberly. After Farrah got another turn at holding Augusta, the big kids left to trade places with Nana, Papa, and Uncle Kollin. Uncle Kollin beamed with pride and wore the biggest smile you could imagine while holding Augusta. Then Papa held her and smiled the whole time, looking at the new life brought into this world by his daughter. Then Nana, who had patiently waited and who luckily got to be there for the whole process this time, held her newest baby grandchild. As each person held Augusta, Farrah was right there smiling and talking about the baby and watching ever so intently.
The big kids returned and we were all left alone for visiting and taking photos and catching up on all the newness and happenings. Everyone said the wait didn't seem too long, they had gotten drinks and snacks at some point, and that Farrah was great entertainment while they waited. As soon as a room was ready on the maternity floor, we were moved to Room C251.
Keane went to the truck and got my suitcase and other items at this point. My stomach had to be checked and pushed on to feel the location and size of my uterus every 30 minutes or so for awhile, I was administered pain medication, and I was on a liquid diet for the first day. Soon after this, I began to feel very sickly. I couldn't sit up all the way for fear of it causing a headache, but I felt super nauseous. I was also extremely itchy. They told me this was an after-effect of the spinal epidural. I itched all over my face and chest. Before long, feeling came back into my toes and I was able to wiggle them again.
Time flew by. Before long, Dad and Kollin had to leave because Kollin had a baseball game scheduled in the districts tournament at Community R-6 that evening. He wanted to get home in enough time to rest before his game so they left around noon. However, a storm rolled in before his game began and it was cancelled. Keane ordered two pizzas from Shakespeare's Pizza that was delivered to the room and everyone chowed down on it except for me since one, I was on a liquid diet, and two, I was still not feeling well and wouldn't have felt like eating it anyway. I eventually told the nurses that I needed something to eat...well, drink...in my system. They ordered me some tea and chicken broth and jello. It tasted all so amazing to me, and it almost immediately made me feel all better.
Augusta was jaundice, but not quite enough to need any treatment for it. They said they would retest her tomorrow and see if it improved, to which it did. They encouraged me to get her out in the sunlight after getting her home. After seeing her pediatrician, Dr. Bunge, however, she said it isn't necessary to get her outside but that the jaundice will leave naturally.
Keane had to leave at 4:00 to get the big kids back to their mom's at our agreed time of 5:00 so that Kaden could get to his baseball practice. There were strong storms in the area with high winds so he left in enough time to prepare for those. Mom and Kimberly both left shortly after, around 4:30 since at that time Mom was still planning on making it to Kollin's game that started at 6:00. I assured them I was okay to be alone until Keane and Farrah returned and was ready for a nap anyway.
I believe I fell right to sleep and awoke when Keane and Farrah returned. The nurses took Augusta to the nursery to get an official length and head circumference measurement, give the proper immunizations, and do some tests. Otherwise, they basically left her with me the entire time we were in the hospial. She didn't get a bath until the following evening. The entire after care was different from my time before, and I am uncertain if it is due to me being a second-time C-section patient, because of a different working crew during this time, or even if it was because I had a different insurance, but I was left alone so much more. I was instructed much less, sometimes not at all, on what to expect, what was happening, and what was expected. Luckily I wasn't in need of so much attention or guidance this time around. I actually appreciated it this way, and I actually disliked the hospital food more than I did last time too.
The next morning, they headed toward home to which Farrah was truly excited for and said she wanted to play with her toys. They stopped to get breakfast "tacos" on the way home. Keane intended to drop Farrah off at her new daycare and do some work on the farm before returning to see me that evening. However, just before Keane got to Martinsburg, Farrah fell asleep again, so instead he took her to spend some time with his mom while he worked on the farm. Karen said Farrah played with her babies really well, and then wanted to take a nap like her baby dolls were on the floor, and she fell asleep again. She must have been exhausted from the early morning adventures the day before.
That day, my catheter was removed as well as my IV. After I made a walking trip around the floor, I was able to switch to a regular diet! That evening Keane and Farrah visited for a few hours. We ordered pizza from Gumby's and far too quickly, it was time for them to head home. I was checked on regularly again through the night. I was nursing Augusta every 2-3 hours for 10-20 minutes on each side. Oftentimes I fell asleep while nursing her and since it was hard to sit up and maneuver, I would keep her next to me rather than moving her to the baby bed. When the nurses would offer to take Augusta to the nursery a couple times, I gladly allowed them to so that I could rest. I slept well each time I fell asleep.
On Wednesday morning, my doctor checked on me and encouraged me to shower and wash my incision. I asked her how long I should expect to be in the hospital and she said usually two more days and she would release me on Friday if everything was okay, but that if I was a "rock star" I could perhaps leave the following day. I nursed Augusta, sent her with a nurse to the nursery, and braved my way to the shower. I was told not to make it too hot and steamy, so I made it everything but that and took time to enjoy everything about the shower. I felt like a whole new woman. I put on regular clothes when I got out and I put some make-up on. It was heavenly. I also got all new sheets on my bed!
A little after this I received a visit from Megan, a new coworker of mine. It warmed my heart to have her come visit and hold my new bundle of joy. I talked to Keane in the morning and he took Farrah to her new daycare and planned to pick her up after working on the farm, pick up the big kids from school, and then come visit. However, the both of us were ready for me to come home if possible, so he encouraged me to be a rock star and I started asking about being discharged.
First they had to discharge Augusta and before that could happen, they needed to repeat her hearing test, to which she passed. I was visited by the on-call pediatrician who talked about Augusta losing some of her birth weight. She never lost 10% of her birth weight, but got down to 6 lbs 14 oz. He tried to encourage me to supplement and reassured me she wouldn't get nipple confusion or have any problem adjusting to my breast once my milk came in. I disagreed. I felt confident my milk would come in soon. He said he would release Augusta with the agreement that I would have a weight check-up appointment within the next couple of days.
After Augusta was officially released, it was my turn. I knew my doctor wasn't in today so they put in a call to the on-call doctor. It wasn't long until the on-call doctor came by on her way to the hospital. She checked my incision and asked a few questions and said I could be released as long as I made a follow-up appointment with Dr. Morse in 4-6 weeks.
I signed some papers and the nurse that was on duty was very diligent about getting me discharged. I got a prescription for two different pain medications and just like that, I was released. I called Keane and told him the good news. It was about 11:00am at this time. Keane finished up on the farm, picked up Farrah from daycare, picked up the big kids a little early from school, and then stopped at Menards to pick up some doors for our basement. It ended up being several hours later before he finally got to the hospital around 5:00pm. During that time, I continued to nurse Augusta, I received lunch and supper, I tried watching TV, and I visited Rachel Gastler and her twin babies who were a couple doors down and had a C-section a few hours after ours two days prior. I also left the baby with the nurses (since she was discharged, she didn't go back to the nursery) and I went to the first floor pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions and I also bought a case of newborn diapers at a great price!
When Keane finally arrived, I met him at the back entrance and my previous nurse had to let them all in. We went and got all my things and loaded it all up atop the doors that were in the pickup. I settled in the back next to Augusta with Farrah on the other side of her. Keane and the big kids were in the front. A dinner at home sounded fabulous as did going straight home.
That evening I made a special effort to treat Farrah the same as always with the same bedtime routine. She was struggling with falling asleep and Augusta was needing nursed during this time so I attempted to nurse Augusta while patting Farrah's butt and everyone was in bed and asleep, I was able to lay in bed that evening feeling accomplished with my heart so full. Our family was all together and home, safe and healthy, and so very happy.
This is the story of Augusta entering the world, our world. Happy Birthday to our baby girl.
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