Let me first start out by saying that despite the way things turned out during my delivery I feel very blessed and even though my birth plan went out the window I have my beautiful sweet girl and that is what makes me incredibly happy. Some things are inevitable and that is one thing I learned in this process.
Gabriella Reese Collazo was born on Monday September 14, 2009 at 3:26AM. She was 8lbs 9oz and 20 inches long. The Saturday prior to this, Nunie and I decided to go to the outlets in Spring to walk all day. I wanted to progress a little more before my induction which was supposed to be the following Wednesday. We were at the outlets all day long and I got about 6-7 hours of walking. When we were driving home I started getting crampy but of course I was getting excited because I thought something must be happening. I cramped all night and also started spotting. This continued all day Sunday. However , one thing that I had noticed is that I hadn't felt baby move all day, even after meals. At 4pm I decided to call the hospital and they told me to go in so I could get hooked on the monitor and check everything out.
We arrived at the hospital and they got me all hooked up to the fetal monitor. The nurse also mentioned that I was probably going to be admitted. Although I was ready to have the baby I wasn't prepared to be having it that day or the next. The doctor came in and told me I would be staying since I was overdue and I was going to be induced that coming Wednesday anyway. And to add on they weren't too comfortable with baby's heart rate. The doctor told me I was going to be put on Cervadil to soften my cervix and we would start pitocin in the morning. Nunie left to get him something to eat and to make things worse he got Chipotle-my favorite. I was being tortured since I hadn't eaten since 2pm and it was nearly 8pm by now.
At 9pm they put in the Cervadil and I couldn't use the restroom for two hours-that was pretty hard to do! The nurse continued observing the monitor and then she came in and said I was going to get my IV just in case and they were still a little worried about the heart rate. I was then taken to get an ultrasound to see the baby's movement. After about 15 minutes we finally saw her move....we were getting pretty scared by this time. In the meantime we called our parents and let them know we were at the hospital but nothing was going to happen until the next day.
When I went back upstairs the on-call doctor came in and said that she was going to break my water...oh and contractions had started soon after the Cervadil was placed and with every contraction baby's heart rate would drop even more. When they broke my water I heard the doctor say "oh oh its Mec" she was talking about having Meconium in the water which means that baby was distressed. She then told us she was sorry but this had to result in a c-section (my biggest fear). She said she didn't feel comfortable with me laboring and baby being distressed. For some reason when they told me I was going to have a c-section I never once felt fear. I had this peace come over me and I was very relaxed. I think Nunie was very nervous we were going to the OR and about baby's condition. We called our parents and told them the status. My parents rushed to the hospital but by the time they arrived we were already in the OR. The anesthesiologist soon came in and gave me the epideral which was no big deal...it probably had to do with my contractions not being full-blown. My doctor was called and she arrived in a heartbeat.
I was taken to the OR and Nunie was brought in. The c-section was not bad at all. I could feel a little pressure and I could hear my doctor saying "there's a leg" "she's a big baby" "oh oh here she comes" and then I immediately heard Gabriella's cry. I just remember them immediately taking her away. This is another part that makes me very sad. Nunie wasn't able to cut the cord and she wasn't able to be placed on my chest. I know that these are the little things that really don't matter and her health was everyone's priority, but its something I would have wished for. Nunie left to go see Gabriella and then they both came in. They showed her to me and she was just crying.It was so beautiful to see her. I was overwhelmed with emotions. I couldn't believe I was finally holding my baby! I must have seen her for about two minutes and then didn't see her again for 16 hours.
Gabriella was put in the NICU because she couldn't maintain her body temperature (it was too low) and her heart rate was still low. I didn't know none of this. I was taken to recovery and there I was thinking after an hour they were going to take her to my room. I was then taken to my post partum room and Nunie came in. It was about 6:30am. They told us they would take her to our room later. We fell asleep and after we woke up that's when we found out that Gabriella was going to stay there for a little while longer. I wasn't allowed to go see her because I had to continue staying in bed to recover. Finally at about 7pm I was told that I could go see her. Nunie took me to the floor where she was at and I was able to see and hold my baby girl for the first time. She was in NICU for two nights and then got discharged to the regular nursery. The doctors indicated that sometimes it takes some babies longer to transition into their new environment especially with a (c-section) and to rest assure Gabriella is perfectly healthy little girl.
I on the other hand felt great right away. I had a really good experience with my c-section and the pain was never much more than discomfort even though I haven't taken my medication every few hours. I really didn't want to become too dependent on them and I've done fine since day one. I showered on my own since the second day after my surgery, walked just fine, and have had a lot of energy. I feel blessed to feel this way so I can take care of my sweet girl. To top it off I only have 10lbs left to shed.
This was a very difficult time for both Nunie and I. We never imagined that our birth story was going to turn out this way. It was a very scary experience. Those two nights were very hard and we were shedding tears instead of rejoicing. We really didn't know how serious her condition was but being first time parents everything seemed intensified. It meant the world to us for those of you who were constantly calling to check up on our status and even more for those who visited us at the hospital. Sure you couldn't see the baby because she was in NICU but Nunie and I needed everyone's support. This is the time when you realize who is really behind you.
Although my experience was not anything like I planned, I wouldn't change anything as long as Gabriella had a safe arrival. Being a mom is such an amazing feeling and this is only the beginning!
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