The Miracle of Birth part 2

They called the anesthesiologist back in and he upped my dose so I really didn't feel anything below the waist. Then they gave me some anti-nausea meds which I promptly threw up all over myself. By this time I was shaking. Badly. Really badly. Apparently it's normal but it freaked me out more than anything else. My arms actually got sore because they were shaking so hard. But everyone around me was calm and I just tried to relax.

I couldn't see what was going on and I didn't feel anything when they took her out except I suddenly felt much lighter. She was born on May 31st at 3:03am. I heard her cry and the doctor said, "She's beautiful!" I figured they told everybody this but a few moments later they showed me a gorgeous, freshly cleaned baby all wrapped up in a cloth and with a cap on and I knew it was true. I couldn't hold her yet but the nurse held her to my face and I kissed her a dozen times. I was in love immediately and completely.

My family had been out in the waiting room for at least twelve hours. Apparently my mom got very upset that I was having a C-section. I found out later that the doctor went and talked to them and said it was because the baby's brains were too big. When the nurse brought my daughter out to them and said that her name was Lily (we kept her name a secret the whole time) my mom cried because we named her after her beloved mother Lillian who passed away a few years ago.

I had to wait in the recovery area after they sewed me up and I chatted with the nurses and anesthesiologist. I suspect I wasn't very coherent at that point. They brought Lily to me to nurse but she chose that moment for her first poop, the details of which I will refrain from describing. Moments after they took her away to be changed the nurses started running around frantically like ants whose hill has just been stepped on. I could sense that there was some emergency and heard them call for my doctor but I couldn't figure out what was going on. I was scared that something was wrong with Lily but they brought in a woman who was in labor and had her on her elbows and knees on the gurney. I felt guilty about being relieved because she was clearly in distress and finally just threw a sheet over my head so I couldn't watch.

The amazing thing was, my doctor came in and even though it was about 5 in the morning and she'd been up all night with me she was completely poised. I heard her talking to the nurses calmly and could feel the energy in the air mellow out quickly. She assessed the situatioin and I was in the recovery area until she performed an emergency C-section on the woman and saw that everyone was fine.

It's funny, I don't think I've ever really appreciated the work that doctors and nurses do until that day. I'm grateful for what they did for me, my baby and the unknown woman and child they rescued that day. Come to think of it, Lily and I should pay those guys a visit with some chocolate chip cookies...