Our little man is here! As I sit here typing this, he’s been with us for over two weeks now (seriously where has the time gone?!) and this is actually the first chance I’ve had to jump on the computer. The weeks have gone so fast already, and I really see how other Mum’s tell you to savour every newborn moment as they just grow so fast! In the space of nearly three weeks, he’s already developed so much and it scares me to think how quick he is going to grow up.
Today I wanted to share Jack’s birth story. I absolutely love reading other bloggers stories, as every woman has a completely different experience and I found reading a wide range of stories made me feel so much more prepared for his birth.
As I mentioned in my last pregnancy diary post, I was booked in for a Cesearean section on Wednesday the 20th of June. The days leading up this were all a bit of a blur really and were spent trying to get all the last minute bits sorted. As someone who’s terrified of hospitals and all things medical-related, I was actually amazed that I didn’t feel stressed or nervous about the operation at all. Even the night before I felt super calm, and actually more excited than anything as it was finally time to meet the little guy. I will be honest, I barely slept though!
We got up at 6am on the day of the C-section and I had to take a tablet to settle my stomach. You can’t eat from midnight the night before, and thankfully I wasn’t really hungry anyway. We got all our things sorted and headed into Queen Mary hospital in Dunedin for our 7.30am check in.
I was greeted by a lovely midwife who did all of mine and baby’s medical observations and I got changed into a hospital gown and some very stylish compression socks. They inserted a cannula, and I was so proud at how well I did (as I absolutely HATE having those things put in). I think I made the mistake of bragging to the nurse about how well I did, as not long after I started feeling really light headed. I think it was a mix of the cannula going in, the fact I was now starving and also the thought of the operation, but one minute I felt just a little light headed and the next I had passed out on the hospital bed! It seems it’s pretty common though as the medical team didn’t seem too worried, so after lying there like a muppet for a few minutes with a cold cloth on my head, we made our way up to the operating theatre.
It’s the weirdest feeling walking in to the operating theatre and climbing up on to the table. There’s lights and equipment everywhere and I was amazed by the number of people there. I think there must have been about ten in total, with the obstetricians, a couple of midwives, the anaesthetist team, the baby doctor and the nurses. I think everyone could tell I was a bit nervous, as they were all so kind and reassuring.
I got to pick what I wanted to listen to (80’s ballads), and then got asked a million times for my full name and date of birth. I guess that’s good as they definitely want to make sure they are doing the right operation on the right person!! They hooked me up to lots of different machines and gave me an IV line and a dose of antibiotics and probably a few other things but it’s so hard to keep track of what’s going on when there are so many people asking you questions!
The spinal block was the thing I was the most worried about, but I actually hardly felt it. The most awkward thing was trying to get into the fetal position and get my knees right up to my chest with a massive bump in the way!! They sprayed some cold liquid on my back and I felt the tiniest of pricks and then a warm sensation went all over my legs. It’s a bit like major pins and needles and it just slowly spread up my legs to about my middle. All of a sudden I started feeling really nauseous and light headed and I told the anaesthetist this and within a few seconds he had inserted something into my IV to make it stop. I later found out that I reacted a bit to the anesthetic. While they gave me the normal dose for someone my size, it turned out to be too much and my blood pressure and heart rate crashed. Luckily they have all sorts of wonderful drugs to bring it all back to normal and it was only a matter of seconds that I felt light headed for.
The anaesthetist then started spraying cold water over my legs and middle and I had to tell him when I could feel the cold. I was so nervous about messing this up and was terrified I might get it wrong and feel them cutting in to me! It’s a super weird feeling having a spinal block as you feel the pressure and the sensation of touch, but you can’t feel hot/cold or any pain. Then once they were satisfied that it had taken effect, it was show time. They asked me if I wanted to tell me what they were doing as they did it, and I politely declined. I mean, who wants to hear they are now being cut open?!
All I felt was a bit of pressure and some tugging and pulling. Seriously, before I knew it, my midwife told me that my baby had arrived. We decided to do the delayed cord clamping, so he had to be kept down between my legs for a minute before they cut the cord so that he was level with the placenta. He wasn’t crying and it was all a bit surreal really that he was actually here and so quickly. I then got to see him over the curtain for literally a second before they took him off to the baby resuscitation area to check him over. While this bit is all a bit of a blur, I just remember lying there thinking how precious he was and trying to get a view of him while they assessed him. I remember hearing that he was perfect and healthy and my eyes just filled up with tears, I was just so happy he was okay. I also remember hearing them say that “the suction machine doesn’t work on a puddle of blood….” and remember thinking that I must be bleeding pretty badly. Weirdly enough I didn’t care as I just felt so calm and floaty and I was just happy that Jack was okay. I later learned that I had haemorrhaged and lost 1 litre of blood during the operation, whereas the average is only 400-500ml!
Since he was born early term at only 37 weeks + 2 days, he needed a little bit of oxygen at the start and also needed some help to clear out the mucus in his lungs. This means I didn’t get to hold him while they stitched me up, but before I knew it I was done and on the hospital bed. This bit is all a bit of a blur but it feels like it hardly took any time for the whole procedure to be over and done with. Before I know it they were handing me my precious little boy and wheeling me through to recovery. The midwife later told me it was the fastest c-section she had ever seen (even quicker than emergency ones!). I was so happy with how quick it was all over and that Jack was okay.
We stayed in recovery for about an hour while they did a few observations, before I was moved down to the maternity ward. I had trouble getting baby to latch on to be breastfed so the midwives helped to hand express some colostrum for baby. I just could not get the hang of this, so they offered to help. Having someone else basically milk you is honestly the weirdest and most awkward thing, but luckily I was a bit out of it all from all the medicine floating around in my system! Baby responded well to this, so he was fed a few more times throughout the day.
A few hours after the operation, I started to regain feeling in my legs and feet and by that night I was able to get up out of bed. I wasn’t in pain when I was lying down on the bed, but getting up and out of bed that first time was pretty rough. I needed help to stand and walk and I felt like I was all hunched over as I was too scared to stand upright incase I ripped open the incision. I had read it was best to get moving as soon as possible though, so while all I wanted to do was lie down, I forced myself to walk the short way to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. Thankfully I had a catheter in overnight that night, so I didn’t need to worry about having to make too many trips to the bathroom.
That first night in hospital I didn’t sleep much. I hate hospitals and having the new baby was terrifying as I was so worried that something was wrong with him with every little sound he made. I stayed the next day and night in Queen Mary too, and the second night was even worst than the first, with me getting absolutely no sleep. Baby wouldn’t stop crying, as the other babies in the ward kept setting him off. I also couldn’t reach to pick him up easily and couldn’t change his nappy or comfort him easily due to my incision so I kept having to buzz for the midwives. I could tell they were getting really fed up with me, and quite often they would take 10 or so minutes to actually respond to the bell. Not cool when you have a baby screaming the place down and you can’t pick him up! I’ve got to be honest, I think the level of care at Queen Mary was pretty appalling. There’s four women to a room, all with screaming crying babies. Partners can’t stay, and the midwives are overworked so if you are in a situation like me where you physically need help with your baby, then you are basically stuffed. It’s crazy as while I was still feeling the effects of the spinal block, the nurses were in to help all of the time. The moment it wore off, I was basically left to my own devices with very limited mobility and a newborn to care for.
After a rough night, I was so determined to leave that day as there was no way I was spending another night in that place, so I just kept bugging the midwives until they discharged me down to our local hospital, Clutha Health First. This hospital is the complete opposite of Queen Mary, and is more like a motel than a hospital. We had our own room complete with ensuite, double bed, and TV and there was one midwife to two patients. We stayed two nights here and I received around the clock care and help with breastfeeding. It was seriously amazing and I can’t be more grateful for such amazing care!
We headed home on the Sunday afternoon and I’ve never been more glad to get home. I hadn’t been back to our house in over a month, and walking through the door with baby I’ve never felt so grateful and relieved. I couldn’t ask for anything more! Welcome to the world little Jack.
To find out why I’m not sharing photos of Jack on the blog… click here!
Welcome to the world baby Jack <3
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Thanks Lena! I’m so happy he is here! x