Welcome to the World (October 4, 2011)
What an intense two weeks it has been and life has changed so much. I am going to record little Allie's life from the beginning. On October 4, 2011, Robert and I woke up at 4am to head to the hospital for a planned C-section at 8:45am. We had to be there at 6:30am and this was one week we didn't want to be late. Cliff and Phyllis (my in-laws) were waiting at 4:55am in their car and followed us to west Toronto.
Once we got there, we walked "the walk" to the hospital. I walked three blocks for two months from a gem of a parking lot ($4 in Toronto for the day - really) to the hospital for the last time. It felt a little surreal knowing that when I would be leaving, the life inside of me would be in my arms. At this point, I still had no clue what flavour the baby was. It was still a surprise for both Robert and myself.
While waiting for the elevator, there was a woman in the elevator in full labour and pushing. We kept saying, don't push! My lord! A really nice employee who showed up for work early that day was helping her out. She got her into a wheelchair and a nurse ran her down the hall. Ten minutes later, we heard a scream of that baby! That was fast.
We got registered and went down to the prep room. I got dressed into a gown and IV'd up and then we had to wait. I talked to nurses and the anesthesiologist about what was to come. And then, we wait. I wasn't extremely nervous ( a little ) but really ready for what was to come. Robert on the other hand, was really nervous. He kept pacing back and forth and ended up doing the running man. It was driving me crazy and I had to make him stop. He was making me nervous!
The doctor was late but she finally got there. I got wheeled down to the operating room and Robert was left in the hallway. While they prepped me, they got Robert all dressed up. Preparing of me was interesting. I was given extra painkillers and a huge needle in my back. Weird enough, I could feel my legs going numb and they instructed me to lie down before I lost my balance. It is different being awake and feeling from the waist down but not feeling from the waist down. A sheet was put up to block my view and Robert came to sit beside me. We stared each other for the entire time and I felt really connected to him.
I definitely felt drugged but clear. I kept trying to hear what was going on and I could hear my doctor talking to me but it was faint. The tugging and pulling was so intense. At one point, I asked the doctors if they were sitting on me - the pressure was so intense. Right before the baby was pulled out, the pressure was so intense. It was some of the most intense pressure that I have ever felt. Just as intense the pressure was, the end result was just as glorious.
Tears flooded my eyes as I heard that little cry and the doctor announce, "It's a little girl!" We totally thought it was a boy and we had a girl. A beautiful little girl. She was wrapped up and immediately handed to Robert. Both Robert and I were puddles, such happy puddles of joy. Our little girl immediately stopped crying, opened her eyes, grabbed Robert's finger and started pouting. Her bottom lip was sticking out (just like when Auntie Mandy was little). I couldn't help watching her and my eyes followed everywhere she went.
After I was sewn back up, Robert and Allie went to hang out in the hall and wait. She was so alert, which is rare for a newborn, and kept looking at everything around her. The doctor went to tell everyone that the birth had gone well and led everyone down the hall. Everyone was super excited but told that they would have to wait as we were going to be in recovery for a couple of hours. The doctor shared the nicest story with my family and I quote,
"I feel like family too and that this is my baby also. Marcia is my most positive patient and it has taken us a long time to get here."
Robert and I went to the recovery room with our little girl for some bonding time. We stayed for two hours, really until I could feel my legs again. It was so weird, I was looking at my legs, knew I could move my legs, was telling my legs to move but nothing would happen. It felt like that scene out of "Kill Bill" where Uma Thurman is telling her toe to move much to it's uncompliance. Our families were so excited and had already decided who would be going in first to see Allie. Robert and I stopped that from happening and took those first hours as our own for our new little family. I told Robert that the minute we let the stampede in, we wouldn't hold our kid again forever. Those two hours were just wondrous and I couldn't believe that the little girl I was holding had just been inside me hours before. I thought I would miss feeling her movements but I haven't. I have been so distracted with the prettiest little girl.
Robert did go an announce that we were the proud parents of a little girl. I could hear them all cheering from the waiting room. Auntie Mandy was excited about the prospective shopping that she would get to do.
Hospital Stay (October 4 - 6, 2011)
These two days went by so slow but so fast. We learned how to change her, diapers, breastfeed, bathe her and we just bonded. Our nurse, Jean, was instrumental in teaching us what to do. She was like having an honourary grandmother helping us out. She told us stories of her own grandkids and then would help us with all of our questions.
I felt really good post surgery. My stomach muscles were shot and looking back at photos, I now see how drugged and bloated I was. But twelve hours later, I asked the nurse to take out the catheter and I went for a pee. I hate how the catheter takes care of the urine in the body but you still feel like you perpetually have to pee. So, out it comes and for the first time in over twelve hours, I stood up, took a big stretch and shuffled towards the bathroom. That night, I wandered down to the nurse station to get more tape for my IV and the nurses were shocked that I was moving around so well. I felt really good and needed to move!
On this note, everything was working out so well. My gestational diabetes was gone and that donut and sub were the best things I had ever tasted. My lord, you would have thought I was eating top line caviar. My blood pressure was back to normal and now I could pee freely again. Although, I really had to let the laws of gravity take over. By the time, Robert and I left, we were so ready to leave but I was first given a mommy scare. We found out from her blood work that she was slightly jaundice and had cooms. Now, I didn't notice my yellow baby as the lighting in the hospital sucks and everything we dressed this tiny person in was yellow. These were the only clothes that would fit her! Second, we found out that her blood type was different from mine which meant she was having difficultly breaking down my blood that was still in her body. I got really scared and cried. How is it that someone who is two and a half days old could break down my She Ra defences and make me into a puddle. I am normally so clear headed and can think of what to do and that day? Nope... all rational thought was gone! We found out that we had to feed her a bit of formula after each breast feeding to make her poop. We were going to poop out the jaundice.
I fed her formula, which the nurse compared to McDonald's, out of a little cup. The cup was the size of a shot glass and she lapped it up like a kitten. Did she poop? Like a champ and when we went back to the hospital the next day for blood work and a check up at the Kid's Care Clinic, her jaundice was gone as was her cooms. Cooms is when the baby can't breakdown the mother's blood cells that are still in her little body. Jaundice is a symptom of that. It wasn't the jaundice that was a worry but that she wasn't breaking down my blood. The other option was the heat lamps. However, the formula was too rich for her blood and made her do what we wanted. While at the clinic though, they found a dimple on her butt that wasn't supposed to be there so we have set up an ultrasound to check that out too.
Took us hours to get home but it felt so good to walk in with her. Mandy set up a stork on the lawn announcing her arrival and it felt so right.
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