Sunday, February 20, 2011

Garrett Has Arrived! Part I

Wow, just wow.  That is really all I can say about the past half week.  It has been a whirlwind of emotions - shock, joy, excitement, anguish, terror - everything!  I wanted to share the full story of what happened instead of bits and pieces to people when I speak to them.  So here goes!

I had a routine doctor's appointment scheduled for Wednesday, February 9.  I had already begun my weekly OB appointments, and this one included an ultrasound.  At the last maternal fetal specialist appointment, we were concerned over weight and location, so this ultrasound was just to make sure he wasn't too small and to check his location (breech or not.)  Randy had to go to Port Barre for work, but he was going to attend the last ultrasound with me just to get to see it one last time before Garrett was born.  We went back at about 10:45 and began the ultrasound.  As soon as she put the wand on the top of my belly near my ribs, there his head still was!  He was still breech with his head in my left ribs.  We hoped he had switched, but apparently he was content where he was.  My first thought was 'well, looks like we'll be scheduling a c-section today.'  I knew when I went to Dr. Lee we would go ahead and schedule the section for the 39th week because he was very unlikely to turn at this point.  Her next evaluation was his size - around 6 lbs so that was great!  Even better when she began her next evaluation.  She began to measure the pockets of fluid and started making worried sounds.  Those hmm, let me check this kind of sounds.  She then asked if I had been leaking amniotic fluid.  I had no idea if I had, or even if I could have known.  At this point I am just trying to not wet myself every time I sneeze!  She said that my amniotic fluid was below a 5 so most likely I was having a baby today. I might have blacked out for a small minute, can't remember because at this point time seemed to speed up.  She left to call the doctor and about all I could get out to Randy was "Well, I'm glad you came with me today!" and "I'm not ready to be cut open!"  I thought we would be scheduling a c-section today with Dr. Lee, not scheduling the c-section FOR today!  She called Dr. Lee and then sent us up to see her right then - did not even finish the rest of the ultrasound.  My legs were a little wobbly as I headed to the elevator.


We went into the waiting room area for Dr. Lee after giving the nurse our paperwork.  Normally my waits have been less than 5 minutes before a nurse has me, then less than another 5 minutes before seeing Dr. Lee.  Today was the OPPOSITE.  It was about 15 minutes before getting called back and another 10 before seeing Dr. Lee.  This entire time I am about to lose it because I'd had not prepared at all for this!  I was only 36 weeks 4 days and didn't even have my suitcase finished packing!  His clothes were in a hamper waiting to be washed, my video camera was at home!  These thoughts kept running through my head as this sweet old lady decided she wanted to talk and talk and talk to me.  Maybe I had that deer in the headlights look and she was trying to talk me back from the ledge.  :)  When Dr. Lee came into the room, the first words out of her mouth were "It looks like we get to meet that baby boy today!"  Insert heart rate acceleration here.  My fluid had dropped below a 5 (it was 3.8) so it was at dangerous levels so it was a must deliver now situation.  After thinking back on it now, God must have decided I really was a weenie and couldn't handle pain, so he gave me the quickest most worry free way of delivering - an immediate unplanned c-section.  It was around 11:30 and the doctor was scheduling my c-section for 1:30.  Let the panic begin...

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