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Kayleigh's Birth

February 13, 1998

Wow, I now have a beautiful daughter named Kayleigh! She was born the day we planned to induce a normal vaginal delivery, because of my high blood pressure (pregnancy-induced). Just before they were to insert this bag of fluid to ripen my cervix, the nurse checked to see if the baby was head down, (all throughout my pregnancy I asked my doctor if he thought my baby was head down, and he said he thought so, I accepted this answer even though the way the baby sat in my uterus and the various bumps I felt seemed to suggest otherwise. I should have asked for another ultrasound.)

Anyway, at the very end the last thing on my mind was the worry that my baby might be breech, I had been convinced this would not be the case. So wasn't I surprised when the nurse, who couldn't feel the baby's position properly with her hand, asked for an ultrasound, and told me the baby was in a frank breech. I was apalled, she had told me that usually when a baby is breech, a C-section is done. And that was my biggest fear about the delivery and labor, having to have a cesearian, surgery, and not being able to have a normal recovery, inhibiting bonding with my child.

I freaked, they said it was up to me, we could try version, which is manual turning of the baby from the outside, which can be risky, because if it doesn't work and goes wrong, there is a chance emergency cesarian may be implemented. So I said ok to the risk, they gave me a large dosage of an epidural, and belive me, having a large needle injected into your spine is not pleasant. Finally, the doctor was there and they attempted to turn the baby. After several good tries by the nurses and the doctor, I knew before they told me that it was hopeless.

I could have the c-section done by this one doctor that night, with the epidural still in, or I could attempt to sleep, (right!) whatever, until the originally planned doctor (the one I liked, who also was the one who didn't check for breech earlier - I'm not sure if I blame him, though, by now it's a mute subject) came in at 7:30 in the morning of Feb. 13 (friday, I might add...). I knew my parents would want to be there if anything went wrong, and would also want to let the family know.

So I vied to wait, and the whole rest of the night I continued to bawl, I was so scared and upset, that I shook for about the next 12 hours-including throughout the section and postpartum (which could also be attributed to the epidural and then the spinal anaesthetic they gave me right before the section.)

I was miserable, I'm sure the emotional discomfort easily equalled the pain I would have felt in a normal labor. Anyway, I was relieved that they would let Erik, my husband, into the operating room. It was the weirdest experience.

I had this curtain in front of me, luckily I never saw any blood. After what seemed like 45 min, which actually was more like 30, I heard them way my baby was born, but I didn't hear any crying, I was kinda scared, they said she'd pooped inside me, and they were cleaning out the meconium spill, when I was told I had a beautiful daughter tears started spilling out. We had expected a boy (everyone told us it would be male) and had already named him Kaelan. But secretly, I hoped for a girl. A new beginning.

But what an experience, I didn't get to see her till I was all stitched up again, that sucked, but Erik got to see and I think, hold her. As soon as I got her I breastfed and it was successful. I started feeling my legs and stomach again about 2 hours later, but I couldn't move for like 12-24, I can't remember. The drugs were great, though, the worst part was that I had to have an iv and a catheder for the first day or so, and I couldn't eat, first for 12 hours or so, and then I had to wait till I had a bowel movement till I could eat real food. Which was atleast a day, I think.

But thinking of Kayleigh helped (she was in the nursery for a long time) then she was brought to me, Erik and I saw her for hours at a time, then she finally roomed in with us by the second day after or so. Breastfeeding was difficult by now, I think due to the fact she was being fed in the nursery, as well as the fact I slept alot and was achy as hell (which is why they fed her.) I lost my mind alot with the breastfeeding, which became extremely tiring and painful, because I couldn't get her to latch on correctly, and that caused some bruising and/or bleeding and cracking.

Then top that off with engorgement, which, luckily began while I was still at the hospital (atleast 3 days postpartum with the section), they got me started expressing with the electric pump, which helped, I saw 2 lactation consultants and eventually learned to relieve myself of the pain and how to breastfeed correctly.

Now she's a week old, and postpartum is finally becoming somewhat bearable. I can breastfeed with some regularity and the bowel problems I've had from the pregancy and the section have improved. The pregnancy itself was also a pain in the butt, but you bet your bottom it's worth it.