In some ways, Nina's birth was more anxiety ridden than Jack's. Not that there were any complications, but that I had time to anticipate being cut open. With Jack's birth, our worry was my blood pressure; then, it was the face that he would be a "late term preemie"; and then finally, it was the fact that he went into distress with each push. With Nina, I was able to go 39 weeks even with blood pressure issues.
We had to wake up at 6 AM to head to the hospital. My c-section was scheduled for 8:30 so we had to be there no later than 6:30. I am absolutely NOT a morning person. I hate mornings. It usually takes me a while to wake up and be perky enough for the day. The morning of Nina's birth was surprisingly normal. I took a couple of Tylenol PM the night before and actually got a decent night's sleep.
We got to the hospital, met our wonderful day nurse and the anesthesiologist. When we arrived, I didn't know who was going to be doing my surgery. As of the previous Friday, my doctor still didn't know if she planned on taking the day off or if she'd come in just for my surgery. The anesthesiologist was the best. He put in my IV and walked me through the medications, how he would administer them, what their affects on me would be. He numbed my hand, which is something the nurses don't do routinely.
When 8:30 came and went, we found out that the doctor performing my surgery was in another surgery but was finishing up. The doctor who did Nina's c-section was the same doctor that did my ectopic surgery. I saw him a couple of times during my pregnancy with Jack. Having a face that I knew, and trusted, made me much more able to relax. At around 9, the nurse and anesthesiologist came back to escort me to surgery. Let me say this: having the first scheduled surgery of the day has its advantages. I had to walk myself to surgery, which I knew about. My anesthesiologist allowed Todd to come in and hold my hands during my spinal placement. My nurses were surprised, as this isn't a normal practice, but they were pleased that the doctor was comfortable enough to allow it. I think our laid back approach to this surgery helped a lot. We weren't hyped up, Todd isn't the fainting type, and he was nice.
Now...the spinal vs an epidural placement. There was a difference. The spinal hurt more. But, it wasn't a horrible stinging injection. It was a lot of pressure. As far as I know, I was only poked one time. Todd got commended for being a good coach. After the placement, Todd got to help me lay down and then was escorted to the top of my head. My arms were strapped down and the doctor came in.
Because I had time to think about, and prepare myself (ha!) mentally for this surgery, I shook much more than when I had my c-section with Jack. I did get nauseated. I didn't throw up, and in turn received some pretty heavy duty anti-nausea meds. They were nice. I joked throughout this surgery. I complimented the doctor on my ectopic scars, told him I was thankful and happy that he was doing my surgery, and was overall pleasant. The nurses were surprised I was calm.
The biggest physical difference between Jack's and Nina's birth is the trauma. Jack was in a birthing position. He was 10 oz smaller, and easier to get out. Nina was wedged deep into my pelvis and up into my right ribs. It took a lot of work to get her out. I would say there was a solid 2 minutes of pushing and pulling. It's when I got the most sick. I was holding my breath because I was uncomfortable. I KNOW I'm not supposed to do this. I let the doctors know and was given some additional meds.
When Nina finally emerged, she screamed bloody murder. It was announced she was indeed a girl and Todd got to take photos. She continued to voice her displeasure. When she was finally dried off, weighed, and swaddled she was handed to Todd. He held her while I was closed up. When I was done with my surgery and transferred back to my original bed, the nurses handed me Nina and she got to ride with me back to my room where I was able to immediately start nursing. Jack was what they call a "late-term preemie" and despite his high APGAR scores, he had to go to the nursery before we were able to hold him. I don't think it affected our bonding or nursing, as he nursed for 13 months and is still quite the mama's boy. I went home only about 50 hours after surgery with the promise that I'd take it easy. I wanted to be home for Thanksgiving. I did relax. I didn't really even need pain medication after about Friday.
I can honestly say that, though I've had two completely different births, they were both calm with easy recoveries. Even though Jack's surgery was an emergency c-section, I never felt anxious that anything would go wrong. I never focused on the negative, just that he had to come out one way or another and I'd take whatever I could get. With Nina, I did worry (a lot...), but the team I had in the operating room helped put any worries I'd had to rest. They were calm, they laughed at my jokes (always necessary in potentially high risk situations), and I had a doctor I trusted.
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