Lucielle's Birth Story

I had an emergency c-section with Vivienne. So, when we got pregnant (surprise!) when Viv was only 6 months old, my OB recommended a repeat c-section because they would be so close in age. I'm sure I could have fought for a VBAC if I really wanted a "regular birth" but the thought of there even being a chance that I may have to recover from a ruptured uterus with a newborn and a 15 month old sounded too awful. And my last c-section wasn't so bad. So we planned the date: August 6th at noon, Lucielle would be born!

The night before August 6th was a rush of emotions. Last minute packing and pre-baby preparations lasted until late. We tried to watch a movie and relax, but I was more excited (with a little anxiety thrown in) than I get on Christmas Eve... and I LOVE Christmas! So I took a sleeping pill to help me relax and hopefully get a good nights rest. I still woke up at 3am to pee. Which turned out to be a good thing cus I was able to eat a banana with peanut butter and a glass of milk. You aren't supposed to eat or drink anything for 8 hours before surgery. This was my last "meal".

We set our alarms for early because Brian was going to take Viv out for a "Papi/Daughter Breakfast" to explain a bit about how things were changing that day. When they came back, Viv showed me how she learned to say "Love you!" Adorable! We took a few last family of three photos and then Grammie drove us all to the hospital: the new Mother Baby Center.

When Brian and I got there we filled out some paperwork and then all the tests and shots and IVs began. Which wasn't very fun because my veins are notoriously hard to find. We were in the pre-op room for about 2 hours. We passed the time playing games on the iPhone and then looking at pics and videos of Viv's first couple weeks of her life as we wondered what Lucielle would look like?!? The nurse came in at one point and said that I had some protein in my urine and that my blood pressure was a little high so they paged my OB and did a blood test. When Dr. Goodman came she checked out the swelling in my legs/feet and told me I had preeclampsia. All I really know about preeclampsia is from what I saw on Downtown Abbey. Which didn't end all that well. So I was a little nervous. Brian looked it up on his phone and when I asked him what it was he said "the cure is to have a baby so we're good!" Little did he tell me that the first 24 hours AFTER having the baby can be the most dangerous for the Mommy and that preeclampsia is called the "silent killer" because you usually have little to no symptoms. Yikes!

Finally they came in and said they were ready for me. Brian prayed with me and then changed into his scrubs while I walked into the OR and sat on the table. Talk about a surreal experience to walk in and sit down where they are about to cut you open! Within 5 mins they had me lean forward, gave me a spinal, had me lay back on the table, put the catheter in and they started pinching and poking to see if I was fully numb. Which I was! I was freezing from the IV, the cold OR and the shock my body was going through so I started shaking. They gave me heated blankets to put across my chest and arms... the only not numb area! It was heaven! Then they allowed Brian to come in. He kissed me and held my hand while taking occasional peeks at the surgery (ew!). At 12:54pm Lucielle was born and I heard her cry. When they lifted her up for me to see, the first thing I saw was her head of DARK hair! So different from Vivienne! After they cleaned her up, they brought her back to me and let me hold her against my chest (with Brian's help) as the started putting me back together.

We were in and out of surgery in 40 mins! In the recovery room, I was able to nurse Lulu for the first time. She did great! Totally different than nursing Viv for the first time when I had no idea what I was doing haha. This was like riding a bike and Lulu totally caught on right away. The nurse kept an eye on my vitals and took my blood pressure every 20 mins. Suddenly the machine started beeping and she came in and started asking me questions about how I was feeling. I was feeling super relaxed and tired. I figured it was from the surgery, but apparently my heart rate was super low and my blood pressure was super high! This was a confirmation of the preeclampsia. So my OB had me take a shot of... something... and it lowered my blood pressure instantly. Then I was given magnesium in my IV for 24 hours to keep it low. The nurse told me that the magnesium would make me feel weird and boy was she ever right! the whole time I was on it I felt super groggy, confused and unable to for complete thoughts. Like how you feel after a super long nap and you wake up still tired. Looking back, it was a bummer to have spent my first 24 hours as Lulu's mommy so groggy, but I'm glad that her and I both came out happy and healthy in the end!