Oh Baby...SURPRISE SURPRISE!

So it's Sunday night 7:30pm. Matthew & I have checked into our room at IMC labor & delivery. We are unpacked, I'm in my gown, the monitors are on my belly, I have my IV (ouch), the nurse has checked me...I am dilated to a 1+ & 40% effaced. The last step is an ultrasound to verify the baby is head down, (although it is certain that he is by the way the monitors are placed on my belly...the entire pregnancy his bum has been under my right boob & his shoulder is above my navel) The nurse leaves the room to get the machine. I turn to Matthew & say, "wow, the baby did not like her checking me...he is moving all around!" The nurse comes back & puts the ultrasound machine on my tummy & says, "What just happened? He is not head down anymore!" I look down & notice I have a big lump under my left boob....ahhh IT"S HIS HEAD! The nurse proceeds to tell us that the induction is OFF, our baby is BREECH. WHAT???? Seriously! So she calls Dr. Terry & he has her put me on the phone. He tells me that the induction is obviously cancelled and that we have 3 options. #1 The Dr can try to turn the baby by manipulating my tummy from the outside, usually unsuccessful with your 1st pregnancy because your muscles are too tight & it can be dangerous. #2 C-section tomorrow morning at 7:30am #3 Go home & wait and see if he flips back. Um....ya I was in shock! I don't like any of those options!!! I told him that Matthew & I would talk it over & make a decision. I immediately started to cry, of course! My little birth plan was blowing up in my face...C-section...hmmm not cool dude, but insures a healthy baby so ultimately the right choice. So we told the nurse and she started unhooking everything so we could go home. Then suddenly, I start having contractions! BIG ONES! So the nurse gave me a shot of morphine in my hip to help with the pain. She got me all unhooked & we went home. We got home around 11pm & I continued to have BIG MONSTER contractions all night...every 15 minutes! Finally at 6am I told Matthew, I am SO ready to go to the hospital! We arrived at 7:30am, got all checked in AGAIN just like the night before. They immediately sent the anesthesiologist in to start my epidural. It didn't hurt at all to my surprise & I felt relief right away. Around 9:30am they wheeled me into surgery with Matthew & my Mom by my side. It was crazy how numb I was, they had to lift me off the cart to the surgical table. Once I was settled, the anesthesiologist noticed I was starting to fade out of consciousness so he got me some oxygen & some drugs. When I started feeling better he asked me what I did for a living & he said he knew my boss from working Trauma Call in the hospital. He asked me if I wanted to watch the surgery, and I figured...why not?! They wheeled a mirror up & got to work. It didn't feel real when they made the incision & all the amniotic fluid went gushing everywhere & they pulled out a long skinny baby boy! The Dr said there was meconium in the fluid. They rushed him over to the newborn Dr & nurses to be looked at in the corner of the room. I felt so helpless laying on the table, but my mom looked at me and said, "His color is good." I finally heard a little cry & was so relieved! I couldn't really see, because there were so many people so I started talking to Dr. Terry about the surgery to distract myself. My uterus was sitting on my stomach...yikes! They started stitching me up, with 7 or so layers of stitches. By that time they were weighing our little boy. 6 lbs 7 oz Champ Boyce Smith 10:10 am. I said to Dr. Terry, 8 lb baby, sheesh you were way off!!! He laughed & said I know, you were full of amniotic fluid! What a surprise! Matthew was so cute & confident when they handed him the Baby & he brought him over to me to see for the 1st time. I had never seen him so excited! He is the guy that NEVER holds baby's...ever! He held Champ up close to my face so I could smell him & kiss him. What a face! He is amazing, we did it! I felt so relieved that he was all put together fingers toes & everything! I'm a mommy! Matthew is a daddy! We are a FAMILY!

CHAMP BOYCE SMITH

MONDAY, JULY 26, 2010

10:10 AM

6 LBS. 7 OZ.

20 1/2"