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Better late than never 
Abit of background...
I was high risk for my birth because of previous complications birthing Ella. She had a very severe shoulder distocia- the doctor had to get his arm up there and dislodge her shoulder and a midwife had to jump on my tummy to help her get out. Following that I had a hemmorage losing 2.5 Litres of blood.
Ella wasn't small but she wasnt the biggest baby either, weighing 3.72kg (8lb3oz), so why she got so stuck we don't know- whether she just didnt fit, or her positioning, it could have been anything. So i was booked for a growth scan of this bubba at 36 weeks. She estimated 7 and a half pounds, and was estimaed to be over 9 pound at full term. So then i was referred to an obstitrician at 37 weeks. They discussed c-section, and i was in tears because I really wanted to birth naturally and do it "right" this time. I had another scan at 38 weeks where she was estimated at 8lb 14oz already!! Then i saw the obstitrician again.We were talking about induction before she got too big- but the scan showed she was already too big. The risk was just too high so i agreed to a c-section. What was more important- getting the birth i really wanted? or having baby out safely- it's not a hard one really.
I was in pre labour for a couple of weeks. Contractions on and off, driving me crazy! They came in big at 37w1d, lasted for 2 and a half days, getting stronger and closer together, then slowing down then speeding up. Nothing regular enough for me to get checked. At my 38 week obs appointment (before we scheduled the section) the ob checked my cervix to see if it was favourable-It was very easy to reach, a good 3-4cm and bub's head was very low. I was a little bit effaced. Plus i was still having the odd contraction
that day. Usually they would schedule an elective c section for 39 weeks but they didnt think i would make it till then so they gave me a steroid shot that day and the next day and my section was scheduled for the Wednesday- less than 48 hours later. Eeeeeek! talk about one scared little kitty cat right here
THE BIG DAY
We got up at about 5.30am, i took my 2nd pill that i had to take, had a shower and got myself ready. My friend Kimlea had stayed the night as she was coming with us. About 6.30 my Dad dropped my sister off to look after Ella for us, and then OH's Dad picked us up about 7am. We got to the hospital just before 7.30. I actually didnt think i was going to make it as contractions had stepped up the day before and i was having my show. When we got to the hospital i was shown to my room and got given my gown and OH was given his scrubs. OH and kimlea got kicked out while i got my bikini line shaved lol and my midwife turned up just at the right time for that! I remember being soo thirsty, but wasnt allowed to drink water before surgery so i was sucking on icecubes when i could. Kimlea and OH were being silly buggers playing with pads etc (rolls eyes). The surgeon came to talk to me about risks and i started crying, i was just so scared
Just before 10.30 they came in and said "come on", my midwife was like "you have to take your knickers off now" lol. I remember walking down the hallway to theatre and my midwife was rubbing my neck. Kimlea left us at the end of the hallway, i was bawling and I remember her yelling out "go have a baby booyah!". OH had to sit on the seat outside the door while they prepped me. I started bawling my eyes out when we walked in and i couldnt breathe, i started to panic. I was offered a general anesthetic but i declined. So then i was offered g & a to calm me down. Which i accepted. So i sucked away on that while they put in the spinal. After that was done my legs went tingly and I had to quickly lie down. The drip was inserted and i got a big bubble on my hand, so they gave me more g & a while they put it in the other hand. My midwife inserted the catheter and gave me an examination and I was a good 4cms and almost fully effaced- yup she was close- she probably would have come that day anyway lol. The curtain was up and Dan was sitting next to me. I was still scared so one of the doctors was talking to me about Ella. Then he said "lets keep talking about Ella" so I knew he was trying to distract me. I asked if they were in and he said yes and i started to panic a little and i said to myself "don't be silly, you didnt even know they had already started a minute ago".
So i just lay there and let it be. Dan asked if he could see, and they said just for a second because they don't want him fainting, he ended up staying down the other end for the whole thing, he even got a wee video. (and my midwife was taking photos for us). by this stage I was pretty relaxed, and said it feels kinda nice, like an internal massage (effects from the g & a? LOL). it felt wierd- no sharpness, no pain, just alot of pushing and stuff. My waters flooded the table and everyone had to stand back. they had to change me because i was soaked up to my neck, i had alot of fluid. I heard little cries and they told me she was trying to cry before she was fully out. I started crying, and next thing she was held up over the curtain at 10.46am and i started blubbering. they took her to get checked over etc and weighed her- 3.98kg (8lb 12oz), Dan was skipping over to me saying she is perfect and looks just like Ella! After a few minutes dan brought her over to me and I was so happy I was still crying and smiling. We didnt get this chance with Ella because it was such a traumatic birth, it was just a relief when she was out. I was numb from the shock of it. This was the best feeling. I never thought a c-section would be so amazing. i thought i was having a boring c-section, no real memory- just being cut open and given your baby.
It was so much more, i still felt empowered like i would if i had given birth naturally. It was still just as special.
I didnt even notice them stitching me up because I was so distracted. I lost 600ml of blood and had a wee blood clot, but all was fine. I got to see my placenta, and it looked so cool i wish i had a picture. i didnt like looking at Ella's one. There was so much blood everywhere because of my hemmorage, and the placenta had to be removed manually so it was all in chunks and pieces, it's not the nicest memory.
I was transferred to a another bed and then taken to recovery for about 1 and a 1/2 hours. I don't have much memory of it there as it all went
so fast, but i just relaxed with dan and our new bubba, chatted with the nurses who were very friendly
then we were taken up the lift to the ward where mum, my sister and Kimlea met us. Ruby had 4 hourly obs as i had strep b (didnt really need to as my waters never broke or anything). It was bliss sleeping with a catheter in that night as i didnt need to get up 
i remember i was severely itchy for about 24 hours after having the spinal. Awful 
Recovery has been pretty good. I stayed in hospital for 3 nights. the 1st night i was pretty sore and I had to get help to roll over and pass me Ruby and stuff. They got me up so i could brush my teeth and stuff and had a wee
walk around my room. The 2nd day was still sore like all my muscles were pulled, and period pain, and the afterpains wern't good, but i was walking around and changing Ruby and stuff. When i got home I was walking around lots, I was sore, but nothing too major. I was only on 2 panadol a night after about a week. I could lift Ella after a week (i didnt but i COULD). 10 weeks on I still have a bit of numbness around my scar, and it can be abit tender if i poke at it (but why poke at it? lol).
Ella thinks Ruby is pretty cool, and is doing n awesome job at being a big sister!
https://i49.tinypic.com/i4eg00.jpg https://i49.tinypic.com/256v4ed.jpg
Proud big sis
https://i49.tinypic.com/3007hvm.jpg
4 days old
https://i50.tinypic.com/2nrhsm0.jpg
1 month and 2 months old
https://i49.tinypic.com/169qa0j.jpg https://i49.tinypic.com/2hexe36.jpg
Here is a wee video I got of ruby when she was 2 days old
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlo_vjl0084
Here is a photo of ruby coming out, and a wee snippet of her straight after she was born- don't look if you are squeamish
Photos placed a bit all over the show sorry
Abit of background...
I was high risk for my birth because of previous complications birthing Ella. She had a very severe shoulder distocia- the doctor had to get his arm up there and dislodge her shoulder and a midwife had to jump on my tummy to help her get out. Following that I had a hemmorage losing 2.5 Litres of blood.
Ella wasn't small but she wasnt the biggest baby either, weighing 3.72kg (8lb3oz), so why she got so stuck we don't know- whether she just didnt fit, or her positioning, it could have been anything. So i was booked for a growth scan of this bubba at 36 weeks. She estimated 7 and a half pounds, and was estimaed to be over 9 pound at full term. So then i was referred to an obstitrician at 37 weeks. They discussed c-section, and i was in tears because I really wanted to birth naturally and do it "right" this time. I had another scan at 38 weeks where she was estimated at 8lb 14oz already!! Then i saw the obstitrician again.We were talking about induction before she got too big- but the scan showed she was already too big. The risk was just too high so i agreed to a c-section. What was more important- getting the birth i really wanted? or having baby out safely- it's not a hard one really.
I was in pre labour for a couple of weeks. Contractions on and off, driving me crazy! They came in big at 37w1d, lasted for 2 and a half days, getting stronger and closer together, then slowing down then speeding up. Nothing regular enough for me to get checked. At my 38 week obs appointment (before we scheduled the section) the ob checked my cervix to see if it was favourable-It was very easy to reach, a good 3-4cm and bub's head was very low. I was a little bit effaced. Plus i was still having the odd contraction
that day. Usually they would schedule an elective c section for 39 weeks but they didnt think i would make it till then so they gave me a steroid shot that day and the next day and my section was scheduled for the Wednesday- less than 48 hours later. Eeeeeek! talk about one scared little kitty cat right here
THE BIG DAY
We got up at about 5.30am, i took my 2nd pill that i had to take, had a shower and got myself ready. My friend Kimlea had stayed the night as she was coming with us. About 6.30 my Dad dropped my sister off to look after Ella for us, and then OH's Dad picked us up about 7am. We got to the hospital just before 7.30. I actually didnt think i was going to make it as contractions had stepped up the day before and i was having my show. When we got to the hospital i was shown to my room and got given my gown and OH was given his scrubs. OH and kimlea got kicked out while i got my bikini line shaved lol and my midwife turned up just at the right time for that! I remember being soo thirsty, but wasnt allowed to drink water before surgery so i was sucking on icecubes when i could. Kimlea and OH were being silly buggers playing with pads etc (rolls eyes). The surgeon came to talk to me about risks and i started crying, i was just so scared
Just before 10.30 they came in and said "come on", my midwife was like "you have to take your knickers off now" lol. I remember walking down the hallway to theatre and my midwife was rubbing my neck. Kimlea left us at the end of the hallway, i was bawling and I remember her yelling out "go have a baby booyah!". OH had to sit on the seat outside the door while they prepped me. I started bawling my eyes out when we walked in and i couldnt breathe, i started to panic. I was offered a general anesthetic but i declined. So then i was offered g & a to calm me down. Which i accepted. So i sucked away on that while they put in the spinal. After that was done my legs went tingly and I had to quickly lie down. The drip was inserted and i got a big bubble on my hand, so they gave me more g & a while they put it in the other hand. My midwife inserted the catheter and gave me an examination and I was a good 4cms and almost fully effaced- yup she was close- she probably would have come that day anyway lol. The curtain was up and Dan was sitting next to me. I was still scared so one of the doctors was talking to me about Ella. Then he said "lets keep talking about Ella" so I knew he was trying to distract me. I asked if they were in and he said yes and i started to panic a little and i said to myself "don't be silly, you didnt even know they had already started a minute ago". So i just lay there and let it be. Dan asked if he could see, and they said just for a second because they don't want him fainting, he ended up staying down the other end for the whole thing, he even got a wee video. (and my midwife was taking photos for us). by this stage I was pretty relaxed, and said it feels kinda nice, like an internal massage (effects from the g & a? LOL). it felt wierd- no sharpness, no pain, just alot of pushing and stuff. My waters flooded the table and everyone had to stand back. they had to change me because i was soaked up to my neck, i had alot of fluid. I heard little cries and they told me she was trying to cry before she was fully out. I started crying, and next thing she was held up over the curtain at 10.46am and i started blubbering. they took her to get checked over etc and weighed her- 3.98kg (8lb 12oz), Dan was skipping over to me saying she is perfect and looks just like Ella! After a few minutes dan brought her over to me and I was so happy I was still crying and smiling. We didnt get this chance with Ella because it was such a traumatic birth, it was just a relief when she was out. I was numb from the shock of it. This was the best feeling. I never thought a c-section would be so amazing. i thought i was having a boring c-section, no real memory- just being cut open and given your baby.
It was so much more, i still felt empowered like i would if i had given birth naturally. It was still just as special.
I didnt even notice them stitching me up because I was so distracted. I lost 600ml of blood and had a wee blood clot, but all was fine. I got to see my placenta, and it looked so cool i wish i had a picture. i didnt like looking at Ella's one. There was so much blood everywhere because of my hemmorage, and the placenta had to be removed manually so it was all in chunks and pieces, it's not the nicest memory.
I was transferred to a another bed and then taken to recovery for about 1 and a 1/2 hours. I don't have much memory of it there as it all went
so fast, but i just relaxed with dan and our new bubba, chatted with the nurses who were very friendly
then we were taken up the lift to the ward where mum, my sister and Kimlea met us. Ruby had 4 hourly obs as i had strep b (didnt really need to as my waters never broke or anything). It was bliss sleeping with a catheter in that night as i didnt need to get up i remember i was severely itchy for about 24 hours after having the spinal. Awful Recovery has been pretty good. I stayed in hospital for 3 nights. the 1st night i was pretty sore and I had to get help to roll over and pass me Ruby and stuff. They got me up so i could brush my teeth and stuff and had a wee
walk around my room. The 2nd day was still sore like all my muscles were pulled, and period pain, and the afterpains wern't good, but i was walking around and changing Ruby and stuff. When i got home I was walking around lots, I was sore, but nothing too major. I was only on 2 panadol a night after about a week. I could lift Ella after a week (i didnt but i COULD). 10 weeks on I still have a bit of numbness around my scar, and it can be abit tender if i poke at it (but why poke at it? lol).
Ella thinks Ruby is pretty cool, and is doing n awesome job at being a big sister!
https://i49.tinypic.com/i4eg00.jpg https://i49.tinypic.com/256v4ed.jpg
Proud big sis
https://i49.tinypic.com/3007hvm.jpg
4 days old
https://i50.tinypic.com/2nrhsm0.jpg
1 month and 2 months old
https://i49.tinypic.com/169qa0j.jpg https://i49.tinypic.com/2hexe36.jpg
Here is a wee video I got of ruby when she was 2 days old
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlo_vjl0084
Here is a photo of ruby coming out, and a wee snippet of her straight after she was born- don't look if you are squeamish
https://i48.tinypic.com/120jwu9.jpghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFGosRDFnqA
Photos placed a bit all over the show
sorry
Congratulations.
awww love the story. I'm glad it was a much happier experience than your first one x
