Lillian's Birth Story

We awoke today much like any other, with Charlie, shortly after 7:00 AM, presenting a book from his shelf and requesting one of his favorite television programs. It was January 18^th, 2010, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and the day designated for the scheduled C-section of our first daughter.

I reminded Jason that he needed to get out of bed, and we sent Charlie down to his grandmother for some breakfast. I ate none, as the procedure mandated an empty stomach. Jason ate a light breakfast, and we packed the car in a light drizzle. We said our goodbyes to Charlie, reminding him that we loved him and that we would see him later, and we embarked for the hospital, a short 15-minute drive on this holiday morning. We arrived at the hospital and I was admitted into the Labor and Delivery unit without incident. I was assigned a pre-operating room, and I promptly disrobed in favor of the requisite, and always fashionable, drafty hospital gown. Unlike my previous visit for Charlie’s birth, the gown was buttoned such that it was nearly impossible to err when dawning it; I wish I could say the same for my previous attempt two years ago, which resulted in my head in a sleeve and the pocket perfectly misaligned.

We awaited the preparation of the Operating Room in the comfort of a birthing room. I naturally needed to sign a tome’s worth of consent forms, which I’m sure limited the hospital’s liability to all but the most egregious of errors. I had an IV inserted at this point, an experience I did not relish nor wish to repeat in the near future. The anesthesiologist stopped by to inform me of the details and risks associated with the spinal block that would inaugurate the procedure of the C-section. Once he was satisfied with my understanding he departed to leave me with the nurses for the final portions of my preparation. Jason felt strange at how nonchalant this portion of the hospital visit was, there was not much for us to do but wait.

Once the OR was prepared, I walked on my own to the OR, while Jason waited outside in his fake scrubs. The nurse and I were the first to the OR, but promptly joined by Dr. Z and her assistant. Then the anesthesiologist came in to insert the spinal. It was quite amazing that when he said “you will feel burning in a few seconds” I really did! He was very kind and any time during the procedure that I said I felt nauseous, he immediately inserted something into my IV, and I stopped feeling nauseous within a minute. Dr. Z stood right with me while the spinal was inserted, and talked about her son, amongst other things. Within minutes of the spinal being inserted, my bum started tingling, and my legs were lifted on the table. A drape was put up, and a catheter was inserted.

In the meantime, Jason waited outside of the OR, all the while examining the freshly autoclaved medical tools. They were all named and residing in their own special bins. He found one called Army-Navy. Our pediatrician, Dr. Gach, arrived and informed Jason he would be in attendance for the birth. Jason was pleased to have him, and naturally questioned Dr. Gach about the Army-Navy tool, inquiring about its purpose and etymology. As near as he could tell, the Army-Navy is a type of spreading tool with no discernable reason for its name.

I believe at that point Dr. Gach, the pediatrician who heads up the Livermore-Pleasanton Pediatrics Group, came in. I was surprised to see him, and when I asked why he was there, he said, “well, you asked for someone to come, and so here I am.” I didn’t remember doing so, but I was happy that he was there. Once the spinal block was functioning and I was sufficiently numb, then Jason was allowed to enter the OR and the procedure was started. The room was full of people, with Dr. Cahn always present and hovering near my head, administering intravenously whatever chemical was needed at the time.

Lillian was born at 11:41 AM, about 30 minutes after I first entered the OR. Jason peered over the drape across my chest to offer, “She’s huge.” She was whisked 4 feet away to a nursery station where Dr. Gach and a nurse examined her, confirming she was a healthy baby. Jason walked over to take pictures and to cut the umbilical cord. Jason was instructed by Dr. Gach, and slowly cut through the thick, tough cord. With the quick click of the camera, the nurse documented the only medical procedure for which Jason is remotely qualified. The portion of the umbilical cord that was still attached to the placenta was used to harvest cord blood, which we had previously arranged to be stored with the Cord Blood Registry.

With Lillian thoroughly disconnected from Mom, Jason was escorted with Lillian into the nursery. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 4.2 oz. and was measured to be 18 ½” long. She scored well on her APGARs, although she was slightly purple in complexion.

All of the post delivery portion, I remember quite well. The nurses and Dr. Z chatted with each other, and I do remember Dr. Gach at one point saying that I had very little fat accumulated during my pregnancy with Lily. I was stitched up, staples inserted, and Dr. Z spent some time cleaning the iodine off my abdomen. I was rolled onto a new gurney, and rolled off into the recovery room. I ended up being in recovery for about 4 hours, since there were no postpartum rooms available.

Jason came in the room a bit later, and without Lillian. Eventually the nurses brought her to me, and I was able to nurse her. She latched on quickly, and she had very little problems throughout our hospital stay. I was moved into a pediatric room, since there were still no rooms available, and it was a semi-private room, but with no one in it at the time. So Jason received free meals while occupied that room.

Around 4:30pm or 5pm, Momma and Charlie came by the hospital, and visited us. Charlie did nothing but cling to Jason the entire time. He eventually approached me to take a cracker from me, but appeared to me scared of me, as I was still in my hospital gown. I guess I looked strange and frightening to him. I did cry at his obvious fear of me.

I was determined to have my catheter out that day, and I was almost successful. My 7pm-11pm nurse came in around 8:30pm, and she assisted me out of the bed, where I walked across the room, and into the hallway. However, I was not allowed to have the leg cuffs removed or the catheter taken out because I needed to walk 3 separate times. At 10:30pm, I asked to walk again, and she said that the next shift nurse would assist me. The next nurse did not come in until 1am, but I was determined, and so I walked to the bathroom without assistance, and she removed the catheter while I was in there. She also said she could remove the leg cuffs as well. I was able to change gowns, and I felt so much better. Like a new woman! And in the morning, our nurse from the day before, Suzanne was back, and I was able to shower and put on my own pajamas. My IV bag was also removed, though the IV needle had to remain in until 11am, 24 hours from when it was first inserted. However, I was ecstatic about my own clothes and a shower!

Our stay in the hospital was uneventful, for the most part. The only thing that occurred of significance was that on Tuesday night, Lillian was weighed in at 6 lb, 9 oz, and Wednesday night, she was reweighed in at 5lb, 15 oz. They wanted to give her formula, but I was adamant that she be reweighed again, because Jason and I did not believe she could have lost that much weight. She was weighed again, and this time, came in at 6lb, 9oz again, and therefore they did not (according to their regulations) need to give her formula. I was ready to fight on this one, so I was glad for this new reading.

Other than that, Lillian and I were released from the hospital on Thursday, January 21, 2010, and I was ready to go before 9am. The nurses, and Dr. Z, were surprised at my eagerness to leave, though they should not have been, since I had been eager to get out of bed, walk, wear my own clothes, and be as independent as possible. At 10:30am, we were in the Jason’s truck, and on our way home, ready to start our new life, as a family of four!