Birth story #2: May 2007...Scheduled c-section

Introducing Abigail Bridget!! (You know what I love? Her full initials are ABC—how cool, right?!?)

Well, I can’t say it’s much of a story since it was a scheduled c-section…

I will say that I had a TON of anxiety about walking in for surgery, but on the birth day I was strangely calm. I even got my hair blown out in the morning—which everyone thought was really funny, but went a long way in making me feel more “normal” during and after the procedure. Hey why not? If you’re not going to feel good, may as well look good!

My c/s was scheduled for 3:45, but we did not get in until at least 1 hour later due to emergencies. At this point I was like, “Just cut me open already!” During this time I was hooked up to the monitors and IVs. Ironically, I was contracting on a regular basis. Remember, we did not know the sex of the baby. The triage nurse predicted a girl based upon the heartrate. Once DH got into his scrubs I got really anxious because it was becoming real.

I walked down the hallway in my gown and “shower cap” with a nurse carrying my IVs. Everyone along the way wished us luck and it was soooo weird! My DH was not allowed into the room during the spinal. In fact, they almost forgot to bring him in at all! I tried not to look around too much—I have a hard time watching “ER” as it is, let alone when I’m the “star!” I talked myself through the beginning and everyone in the room was joking around which was relaxing—as much as it could be anyway.

Just before the birth, my doctor asked DH and me if we had any final predictions. I said girl as did my DH. About a minute later she said, “You guys were right—it’s another girl!!!” We heard her cry immediately and I started bawling saying, “It’s Abby!”

The surgery was finished up and I was rolled into recovery. My “next door neighbor” there was MsKitty1274! We also ended up next door to one another in the rooms. I got into my room around 9pm and met my daughter formally at that time!! I was totally stunned to find out that she was 8 lbs 10 oz—Katherine was 7lbs 6oz and I gained 10 lbs LESS this time!

All in all, my scheduled c/s was MUCH better than my first. The recovery itself was no better, IMO, but knowing what to expect helped a lot—both going in and afterward. I am a bit sad to know that if/when I have a 3rd child “natural” is no longer an option, but that’s something to worry about later.

We are adjusting nicely. Katherine does not seem affected at all yet, and Abby sleeps a lot—a perfect combination so far!

So on to the pictures. The first one is me IN SURGERY—I never thought I’d be smiling at a time like this! I hope those going in for c/s take some comfort in this.

Last two are our new little lady—Abigail Bridget!!