Connor's Birth

An hour before the c-section was scheduled, the nurses put us on the monitor to check on how the baby was doing. He was doing really well with a strong heart rate. Just before 5, the anesthesiologist came in. She took one look at my IV and determined that the sky was falling because the IV was absolutely wrong. This is the IV that took 2 attempts to place on Monday and was very painful. She obviously did not know about my needle fears because she began pulling at all the tape and wires and was freaking out about my veins and started making turnicates on both my arms. I lay there completely helpless and very upset. She was freaking out and yelling about the IV and that she needed more liquids squeezed right now!

She ran to get a better IV and redid it on my other arm while I was freaking out. This may have been the most traumatic part of the entire evening. Once the IV was placed, John was given his scrubs and I was wheeled down the hall with my anesthesiologist to the operating room. She was still freaking out about the IV and the liquids. My nurse was trying to calm both of us down.

When we got to the operating room, I saw Dr. Teverbaugh and few other people. I was pretty scared to get my spinal block for the surgery. They had me sit on the table and relax while I received my fluids. John had to wait outside in the recovery room while all of this was taking place. There were two anesthesiologists and they worked to get my blood pressure back down and then began to place the spinal. This was the easy part. She numbed my back with a tingly shot and then I never felt the huge needle that everyone talks about.

Once the spinal was in place, I laid on the table and just felt tingly and heavy, but I could totally feel everything. They kept waiting for it to start taking and it took a while for me to get numb enough for them to start. They kept pinching me with metal clamps and I kept saying OWW I feel this! So the guy would pinch my arm and ask if it felt the same as it did on my tummy. This went on for quite a while and I have lots of bruises now to show for it.

They would not let John come in until after they made the incision because they wanted to make sure that they did not have to knock me all the way out. The incision was made and the only things I felt were pressure, so they let John come sit by my head. John and the crazy anaesthesia lady held my hands as the surgery began.

The big curtain was so tall and blue. This is all I could see. I felt a great deal of pulling and pressure that I even yelled out because it hurt. I was waiting anxiously for his little cry. The team of baby doctors was in place from the NICU and he came out at 5:53pm. We heard him cry and it was a wonderful sound.

The doctors put him in the isolette and looked him over and cleaned him off. John went over there and could watch them. He even cut the cord. I could not see anything because of all the doctors in the room. John went with the baby to the NICU while they continued the surgery.

I was so glad that he was breathing on his own and that he made it out. I was so thirsty and the pressure was terrible. I could wait for the surgery to be over with. It seemed to take forever.

Down in the NICU, John was able to observe the doctors cleaning Connor and examining him. He scored an 8 and 9 on his Apgars and was doing really well. John got lots of pictures and video to show me in the recovery room.

I was wheeled to recovery and on the way there I asked for ice chips because I was so thirsty. I got the ice and then we started out toward the NICU so that I could hold him on my way back to the room.

Holding my baby was amazing. I am so excited that they let me do this. John got to hold him right after me and it was wonderful. Connor is beautiful and he has blond hair and I think he looks like John.

What a New Year's Eve! Our son was doing well and the nurses even said he was the healthiest baby in the NICU. At 8pm, the Pfleeger's and Aunt Jenny and Uncle Matt came to visit. They were so excited about their new little family member. John made lots of proud calls to friends and family.

I was feeling so much better after the c-section because my headache was gone and I had lots of medication. I couldn't believe that he was here already. We slept great that night knowing that we were all ok.

The next morning the Holmes' and Aunt Becky came to visit Connor and found out that he would be graduating from the NICU to the level 2 nursery. This is a huge step for him and we are so excited about his progress.