The Birth Story of Harris Luke

Harris Luke
August 18, 2010 at 12:59 pm
8 pounds 13 ounces
21 inches

My surgery was scheduled for 1:15 pm on the 18th. I was glad about that because it meant one less night that Ella would have to spend away from us, but it also made it hard not to eat or drink anything - especially since Ella was offering me part of her breakfast because I wasn't eating. It also just felt like we spent a lot of time waiting to go to the hospital, and we still got there a little early.

I felt like I was just more with it this time. I don't know if it's because it was my second time, or if I was just that out of it when I had Ella, but I felt more like a participant rather than a spectator. Dave was with me the whole time except when they put in the epidural and the first few minutes in the OR. The nurses were better; I was just more relaxed all the way around.

I told Dave on the way to the hospital that I wished I could have the same anesthesiologist because he did a good job last time and I liked him. Would you believe my wish came true? That was an answered prayer. I knew Dave wouldn't be able to stay with me while he administered the epidural, but that is the part where I really wanted him the most. It just scares the crap out of me. The nurse was great, but my heart was racing and I was trying to control my breathing so I wouldn't panic. It went in fine, and I didn't have any ringing in my ears or headache to indicate a problem. I did start to worry when my right hip really started cramping as the medicine went in, but the doctor assured me that it's normal for one side to start going numb before the other and that's what was happening. The leaned me to left so that the medicine would start numbing that side of my body.

While he was putting the thing in my back, the OB started asking if we could move the surgery up half an hour. Everyone was in agreement and all I could think was, "Will I be numb that fast?" Once I was lying down on in bed, I got really nauseated. I told the nurse and she shot some Zofran in my IV that stopped it almost instantly. Then my vision started turning black and fuzzy around the edges. Before I could say anything, I heard an alarm go off and she was shooting something else into my IV. She said my blood pressure had dropped too low, and that medicine would stabilize it. I asked if that's why I was going blurry and she confirmed. That happened three times before it was stable and they allowed Dave back in the cubicle with me.

Very soon, I was wheeled into the OR, still feeling tingly and able to wiggle my toes. The doctor tested my numbness with a pin and topped off the epidural. It didn't take long before my body was a log from my breasts down. My surgeon came in and joked around with me, and I reminded him that I wanted stitches to close the incision - no staples. He wasn't my regular OB, but I had met him a couple of times when my OB wasn't in the office. Initially, I was worried about not having my doctor, but the other one was really great.

They brought Dave into the room, and the surgery started. It wasn't as quick this time. It felt like they had to wrestle Luke out of me, and the nurse told me to just breathe through it because there was so much pressure in my abdomen and ribs. When he was out, I was instantly able to take the deep breath I'd been missing for weeks. It was wonderful.

His APGARs were 8 and 9, but he had a lot of fluid in his lungs so instead of the screaming we heard with Ella, his cry was more like a puppy barking. They deep suctioned him and cleaned him up while I watched on the Baby Cam and Dave took pictures. They took him back to the recovery room, while I was closed up. I nearly fell asleep on the operating table because it felt so good to be numb in my hips instead of the aching I'd had for weeks. The nurse told me I didn't have to try to stay awake, but I wanted to - I didn't want to miss anything when I got back to the recovery room.

Because of the extra fluid in Luke's lungs, they had to suction him out again in recovery so they had not bathed him yet. I actually got to see his first bath! They checked his sugar and it was great! They gave him to me to hold skin-to-skin and try to nurse. I could not get him to latch on. I was starting to worry and he was kind of fussy. The nurse called it "grunting" and called a NICU nurse to evaluate him. They had me hold him skin-to-skin for the remainder of the hour I was there, and then decided he needed to go to the transition nursery in the NICU for observation because he still had some fluid in his lungs and belly. So, I went to my room on the maternity floor and they took him to the NICU. I told Dave to go with him and hold him if they'd let him.

It was two hours later before I finally saw him again. I was really worrying about nursing him because I know that the sooner you start, the easier it will be. The lactation consultant came to see me while he was in the NICU and I expressed my concerns to her - that it had been so long and I couldn't get him to latch on. She went to check on him, and when she came back she told me he was on the way up and that I needed to take off his t-shirt and tuck him into my gown and hold him for the rest of the day. She said I should not pass him around, just let him rest and try to nurse when he acted like he was ready. I was happy to do just that.

She happened to be there when he started crying, so I tried to latch him on. He finally did, but he would not suck. It took several more times before he got the hang of it, and it was the middle of the night before he really had a good nursing session and fell asleep for a while. I was so relieved. Once he got it, he really got it, and I didn't even have to pump while I was in the hospital.

The next day, we passed him around. He is such a laid back baby so far - content to be held and snuggling in the neck of whoever has him. He's been nursing like a champ and when I took him to the doctor on Monday, he had regained 3 of the 12 ounces he lost in the hospital. He's doing great!