It's A Girl!

Reya Anne's Birth Story

I arrived home from work around 11:30 on March 16th. We finished packing up for our hospital stay and off we went to take Camden to my aunts house. Tyler and I arrived at the hospital, got admitted and headed up to the OB floor. I got undressed into the fashionable gown and into bed. Tyler filled out a bunch of paperwork while the nurse proceeded to blow my vein out trying to get an IV in AFTER I asked her to use a numbing agent (I hate getting IV's). She laughed and said "I don't use that" when I asked about the numbing agent. She shouldn't have been so confident in her handiwork! Another nurse got the IV in and I got 12 tubes of blood drawn. Poking was over....for now :=)

Camden then arrived with my mom so I could say goodbye before I headed to surgery. He wasn't sure about his mama laying in the bed but he climbed up and cuddled his mommy one last time before he became a big brother. I kissed Ty and waved to Camden and they wheeled me off the pre-op room.

I arrived in the pre-op room where I met with the anesthesiologist and he went over the spinal that I would receive. My doctor also came in and talked for a little bit. The nurses that would be in the OR with me introduced themselves. It felt really weird to have an army of people all revolving around me. They then wheeled me to the OR. I wasn't nervous at this point. I got to the OR, they slid me over to the operating table and sat me up right away so the anesthesiologist could start the spinal. I leaned against the most gentle male nurse ever. He was amazing! He rubbed my shoulder, and tried to get my now nervous mind off of what was going to happen. I was told the spinal needle was significantly smaller than the epidural needle prior to the procedure, which made me sweat a little less-literally! (I was sweating so much and so hot, everyone kept asking me if I was cold and if I wanted a warm blanket) A numbing agent was put in my spine first, and that stung like a bitch! I didn't have any feeling at the needle sight after that. I sat and waited and waited and waited and nothing. So he started over (sigh) with the numbing agent, again terrible pain, then I felt a shooting sort of feeling down my left arm and leg which made them both shoot forward. Apparently this meant the medication was working because as soon as that happened they quickly laid me on the table so the medication could numb me up. I was happy that part was over with. The time was now about 3:55pm.

The medication took about 10 minutes for it to work completely. The anesthesiologist poked my arm with some sort of sharp object then poke my belly in various spots to see where I was numb to. Once I was good and numb they put up the blue curtains and brought Tyler in. The spinal was a very odd feeling. I felt uncomfortable on the table, like I needed to move my hips a bit to get more comfortable and if I tried to move, it would give me a very odd feeling so I just tried to stay relaxed and not try to move. It was very bothersome to not be able to move. The nurses by my head were great. They kept asking me how I was doing and explaining things to me. Ty came in and they told him he could hold my hand. He kept asking me how I was doing and rubbing my head. Ty was so nervous. They told him he better get the camera ready and he fumbled with the case and had to ask me if it was on the right setting and how to turn it on. So I'm laying on the operating table trying to tell him how the camera works. I didn't even know they had started the surgery but as I was staring at the blue curtain I saw blood spattering on it. I thought to myself, well I guess they started and it is a good thing I didn't know they had started, haha! Prior to the surgery I was most nervous about the spinal and the second thing I was most nervous about was the pushing on my belly to get baby out. I imagined a feeling of not being able to breath but I felt nothing like the "pressure" they talked about. I just kept looking at Ty and before I knew it I heard very high pitched screams and my doctor saying "It's a...girl!!" The time was 4:10 pm. And I started bawling immediately, and cried uncontrollably until I was in recovery. Ty said he looked at my face when they said it was a girl and he saw how happy I was and he was thrilled about having a girl. He rushed over and took pictures of our screaming Reya. Boy, did she have a set of lungs on her! Ty and Reya came over and sat by me for about 5 minutes where I got to kiss and admire her. The nurse took pictures during this, which was nice. Ty and Reya then headed up to the nursery. Oh, once Reya was weighed and measured in the nursery, they got on the intercom to the OR and announced her stats, which I thought was really cool.

Once they left I started to get nauseous. So they gave me zophran and I am pretty sure they gave me some "sleepy" medication too for the rest of the surgery. I got very groggy after that. I remember being wheeled into the post-op room where they constantly checked my numbness. I was so sleepy but couldn't sleep-or didn't want to sleep, I'm not sure which. I had a clock right in front of me so I know the timeline. I arrived in the post=op room at 4:45 and left there at 5:30. I had to stay there until I could (somewhat) feel my hips. My legs were still very much numb. I got up to my room and moved into the bed. I get a little more foggy here with my memories. Ty and Reya came into the room along with a nurse or two I think and I started to nurse right away. She knew what to do, that's for sure. She had such a strong sucking reflex! I don't remember how long she nursed or how long it was just Ty, Reya and I in the room. I do remember Ty coming back into the room with Camden though and he immediately climbed up on the bed and snuggled in to me. He seemed so happy to see his mama. Again I'm fuzzy on time here but I then remember my family and in-laws coming in to see the new family. Reya started crying a bit while Camden was sitting with us and it scared him very much and he started to cry and wanted grandma. It seemed like the families were only there for a few minutes before everyone left us for the night.

Ty stayed with me the first night but we didn't get much sleep. I had some leg things on that prevent blood clots. They would blow up with air, then release the air using some machine that was very loud and annoying. I felt much less groggy as the night went on. I really wish I would have told them I didn't want the "sleep" medication beforehand. I don't like that I don't vividly remember some key moments.

So that is Reya's birth story. She is our lucky charm and we are pleased to have her a part of our family!