Meeting Dallas Part 1

Before I start this post, I should say I'm always a little hesitant with reading or writing birth stories (not that I've had that many opportunities to write them...). I hope this isn't too boring or in way too much detail. Also, remember that if you're pregnant there are always things that aren't that fun but I promise with my whole heart, it is most certainly worth it!!

We got to the hospital bright and early on April 5th and I was so nervous! They sent me in the bathroom to change into a gown and when I went in there I realized that I hadn't really taken a picture of my belly the entire pregnancy. I know some day I may regret that but when you feel larger than a whale its not really your first priority :)
So as you can see in this picture I very awkwardly took a picture of myself in the bathroom. Haha, I'm such a loser.

I felt like it was so much scarier knowing that I was walking into the hospital asking to be cut open as opposed to Penny's birth where after being in labor so long I was just ready for them to get her out! I asked my friends to pray for 3 things.
1. That the IV would go in smoothly
2. That the spinal block would go in smoothly &
3. That Penny would do well when she came to visit us and meet her brother

I don't really know why but I was just so scared of the whole thing. I came to the hospital that morning not feeling as much excitement as you'd think I would have, I was just afraid that I may not love this little man as much as I loved Penny and no matter how many times people told me that the love is instantaneous I just couldn't wrap my mind around it so I'm sad to admit that all I could really look at was the physical side of the surgery.

Our nurse started out ok and I tried everything I could do to get her to warm up to us but it didn't seem like it was going to be an easy task. She told us that they were really backed up that morning and that my c-section was probably going to be really delayed so that I would just have to wait in triage until an OR opened up. She went to start my IV and it completely blew through my vein. She was instantly annoyed with me for messing it up. Jona and I kinda looked at each other and knew we were in for an interesting experience with this nurse. They had to try 5 more times and finally the charge nurse came and did it and it worked! I was feeling so sick to my stomach by that point and my arm had huge bulges of IV fluid that had collected in my arms. It was not fun!

The second the charge nurse finished my IV someone came and tried to take blood but that wouldn't work either. I was starting to feel pretty nervous about this experience when out of nowhere Nurse Cranky-Pants said, "You wont be allowed to see your daughter until you go home from the hospital. We don't allow anyone under 15 to visit because of flu season." I'm ashamed to say that I completely lost it! We had spent so much time preparing Pen and telling her that she was going to come and meet baby Dallas and be able to be with us every day. She was even on her way to the hospital and we had to call my mother-in-law and ask her to stay with Pen for a while. I was so upset. I just wanted to go home and give birth a different day. Thankfully they switched my nurse to a total sweetheart, Nurse Bridget, that realized Nurse Cranky-Pants wasn't treating us with the kindest bedside manner and she really helped to get me ready to go have Dallas.

They started taking Jona and I down the hall into the OR and they told me that Jona couldn't be with me for the spinal which also brought another round of tears. Then they told us that they have no rooms so I would most likely be spending the night in the OR recovery room and they wouldn't allow visitors in there either. It sounds so dramatic now but I had kinda had it. I just couldn't imagine what could make this worse and I am sad to say I did not have my eye on the goal of meeting my son, nor did I trust that God had a perfect plan in all of this. The one redeeming moment was watching Jona try to squeeze his 6'3 frame into the tiny paper gown. The nurse and I started laughing so hard!

Nurse Bridget took me into the OR and I sat on the table as the anesthesiologist prepared me for my spinal block. My OB and nurses kept telling me that I was so lucky to have this anesthesiologist because he was really really good and he was the chairman of his department. He seemed very capable and that he had a lot of faith in his ability. Apparently I was there to humble him. :) I got in the right position and felt the horrible numbing needle, waited for the pain to diminish and then got hit with the full force of the spinal. My back was not numbed! I felt him dig around a little and then he pulled it out, told me I could relax and said he had to try again. This was exactly what I was so afraid of! He tried again and the same exact thing happened. This happened NINE times. I was absolutely freaking out.

My OB came in on the 5th or 6th try and I just started begging him to just knock me out and let me go under general anesthesia. I was WAY over it. They kept trying to tell me that it was much safer for the baby to go this route and that I wouldn't regret it. I still don't know, now that its all said and done, if I had really felt like I had a choice if I would want to be knocked out for the birth. It REALLY was not fun. Finally after try #9, I said very firmly that I was done and that I wanted to be put under. My OB said that he wanted one more shot and then if it didn't work then they would put me out. The anesthesiologist said that he wanted to get someone else to do it with "a fresh set of eyes" and basically asked Dr. Frields if he wanted to pin the tail on the donkey :) My OB is absolutely amazing and said later that he hadn't done a spinal for like 12 years but he did it perfectly on his first try (my 10th).  An hour had passed since I had left Jona waiting in the hall and he was pretty nervous as to what was happening in there!

Dr. Frields was so nice to get Jona in to be with me as soon as possible and I tell ya, there has never been a sweeter sight than Jona walking in and getting to brush my hair out of my face. It took a little while for them to get to Dallas cause he was so high up in my ribs that they had to use a vacuum to get him out. The doctor that assisted my OB actually laid across the bottom of my chest and pushed down with all her might to try to dislodge Dallas. He just did not want to leave his little apartment (this does not bode well for us in 18 years :)). Several minutes passed and I finally heard Dr. Frields say, "Ok! Here comes Dallas!" and I got to hear the most precious little cry of this little boy who was preparing to steal my heart!!!

Meeting my sweet boy Part 2...

He can bring humor to every situation