      |
Friday, Sept. 27, 2002 - 8:07 p.m. - The Birth Story of Alyssa Arianna
 Finally the Birth Story of Our Little Alyssa Arianna! (September 23, 2002) Ok, it is now Wednesday, September 25, 2002. See what I mean about not finding much time to write these days? On September 2, 2002, we set the alarm to wake us up at around 4:30 am, since we needed to leave for the hospital at 5:30 am. Of course, I was so excited and anxious I woke up at around 3:30 am and couldn’t really get back to sleep. I kept poking at my tummy to make sure that the baby was still moving around and alive. For some reason I was SO panicked that something would happen at the last minute and the baby wouldn’t be alive by the time I went into the hospital for the c-section. Fortunately, though she wasn’t very active, she did keep moving around enough to keep me from getting out the Baby Beat and listening again. Since I wasn’t able to eat or drink anything, I just took a quick shower, reviewed my list of things to take with me and video taped a message to the Peep and a quick tour of our home while Michael took his shower and ate something. The sky was just starting to grow lighter when we left the house and we commented on how empty the streets were at 5:30 am on a holiday morning. We also just kept commenting on our disbelief that in just a few hours, we would be meeting this little person who we’d waited so long and hoped so much for! (Going in for a scheduled c-section is very surreal and I imagine completely unlike going in for a “normal” labor and delivery. I mean, you walk into the hospital feeling perfectly fine and knowing that in just X minutes you will be holding a baby.) The sun was just rising as we walked into the hospital and checked in at the front desk. My mom was supposed to meet us there, but still hadn’t arrived, which was odd, since my mom is usually early and I knew that she was as anxious as we were to be there. I worried that she had gotten lost, which turned out to be the case (because Michael wouldn’t let me give her directions and gave her the wrong directions in one crucial place), but she arrived as we were getting set up in the room and I was being hooked up to the fetal monitor. To my relief the baby’s heartbeat was strong and steady and those contractions I thought I had been feeling were indeed contraction, though they didn’t hurt at all. (Continued on September 26, 2002) In fact, I wasn’t even aware that they had started because Michael kept me distracted by pointing things out to me around the OR. By the way, he looked pretty cute in the scrubs. The only discomfort I felt was the fact that although I was numb and didn’t really feel any of the surgery, I kept feeling a tugging in one particular place on my belly throughout the whole procedure. Oh and my nose itched like crazy!! In fact, it itched for the next 48 hours!!! I found out later it was due to the anesthesia and not uncommon, but I had never heard of that!! It drove me crazy!!! I just kept itching and itching my nose until I was sure it must look like Rudolf’s. The other side effect that I’m still feeling is some really, really bad carpal tunnel syndrome from the extra fluid in my body. My hands went completely numb while laying on the operating table and actually ached. Later it made trying to hold Alyssa and trying to breastfeed difficult at times. I’m still having a problem with it to this day, but it is better. I was told it could take a few weeks for it to go away completely. This was weird because I had no problem with swelling or extra water weight during my pregnancy. It was just once they put in the IV and filled me up with the IV fluids that it started to happen and it was particularly bad that first 48 hours. Within 10 minutes of starting the procedure they asked me if I wanted to see them pull the baby out and I answered that I did. They opened this little window in the curtain that was blocking out the view of the surgical field area so I could see the doctors. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see her at all until they lifted her way up because my tummy and all the drapes and such were in the way, but it was just amazing when I heard her first weak little cry. She didn’t cry right away or very much and I must say I was a bit anxious at first, but then she did cry a very wet gasping cry and I just started crying myself. I just couldn’t believe that I had a baby, that we had actually made it! I just kept saying over and over “My baby. My little baby.” I remember they asked if we had a name picked out and we said no. Then I watched as they took her over to the side and cleaned her off and did all the measurements. I encouraged Michael to go over and take some pictures. He seemed reluctant to leave me, but then he did go over and took a few pictures of her. She was completely covered in vernix and had so much hair on her head! That’s what I remember first when I remember that moment. That and she wasn’t crying much or loudly.
I must admit I was a little disappointed that I never really got to look at my little girl or hold her before they took her away and I was left all alone in the operating room. It made that part of the surgery seem that much longer. I had hoped that we would have all that time to share together, but at the same time, the only thing that matter to me was that my little girl was taken care of and was all right. At that point that constant tugging feeling in the one spot on my tummy was really starting to get to me, along with the fact that my hands were so uncomfortably numb and aching. Both things I probably wouldn’t have even noticed had everything gone fine and the baby and Michael stayed with me. Fairly soon, the incision had been sewn up and I was wheeled back to my room where my mom was waiting. She was just beaming because Michael had stopped in quickly to show her the baby before taking her up to the special care nursery. She kept telling me how good the baby looked despite the grunting and that everything was going to be fine. Then we both sat there and waited and waited and waited. At first I was fine waiting to hear something, but then after 2 hours passed and I hadn’t heard from Michael, I aasked my mom to see if she could go up and see how the baby was. I wasn’t really scared, but the fact that I hadn’t heard anything made me a bit nervous and as all mothers (I suppose) I started to worry that perhaps there was something more seriously wrong. My mom then went up to the special care nursery and spent a little time with Michael and Alyssa then came back down with the pediatrician who was assigned to Alyssa, and they both reassured me that she was looking good and just needed to be observed for another hour and then she’d be with me. Once I knew that she was doing well, but they just wanted to make absolutely sure everything was fine, I relaxed, but that last hour seemed like forever!! My mom told me how Michael kept looking at Alyssa and how the tears were running down his face looking at her. He was so overcome with emotion looking at his new, perfect little daughter!
It was the most magical moment and most wonderful day of my whole life. I was finally a mommy and my little baby was as perfect as any little baby could be!!! And that is the birth story of our sweet little Alyssa Arianna. She was born at 8:27 am September 2, 2002. She weighed 6 lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches long. Next I’ll have to share how she came about being called Alyssa Arianna. I hope I find the time for that before her first birthday!  " When we arrived home from the hospital.
|
        |
I watched them give her some oxygen and I knew that she must be having some trouble breathing. Fortunately I was prepared for that possible issue, since I was aware that c-section babies often still have some mucus and fluid in their lungs since they don’t go through the birth canal which squeezes a lot of that out. Still, at that point I was just so glad that she was out of me and alive and knew that we could do something to help her if need be. Sure enough after a few minutes they came over and told us that she needed to go up to the special care nursery for observation since she was grunting quite a bit when trying to breathe. I told Michael to go with her and he brought her over to me so that I could at least get one look at my little girl, and give her a kiss, before she had to be taken away. The nurses were kind enough to take our picture at that time too. Then Michael took his little daughter in his arms and left the operating room.
I’ll never forget the moment when Michael walked into the room and asked me if I wanted to meet my daughter. I just took her into my arms and just looked and looked at her sweet little face. I remember being surprised at how she looked, since she didn’t look like what I had expected, but then I didn’t really know what I was expecting either, so it was very strange. I was also so amazed at all her hair!! It was so thick it was standing on end! And I was enchanted by her little cleft in her chin since that is the only real way that I know she takes after me at this point. It was just so amazing to see something of mine on her little face.
|
|
|
|