SoBee's Arrival - part two

Once the needle is removed from my spine, I am invited to lay down on the operating table. My arms are spread out on either side of me and gently tied in place. I see a nurse at the edge of the table, and she looks at me, smiles and tells me she's just inserted my catheter. Whew! I didn't feel a thing, but then, I couldn't really feel anything below my arms. It's such a weird feeling, but oddly I wasn't panicking about that. Arty was finally brought in to be by my side. He was smiling, but I knew he was scared too - he was just putting on a brave face for me. The blue curtain went up just in front of my face, and I started to feel very nauseated. The nurse anesthetist was on the opposite side of me from Arty, so I turned to tell her I felt like I was going to throw up. She smiled and placed a small pink bowl beside my cheek just in time for me to go totally "Exorcist" and throw up half way across the room. I was so embarrassed! I apologized and she just smiled and told me not to worry- that happened all the time. (REALLY? All the time?? And all you gave me to puke into was this teeny little bowl?? Why wasn't there a kiddie swimming pool over there to catch all the puke if it happened all the time?) I heard Dr. J. chuckle on the other side of the curtain and he said, "Once more, just for old time's sake."

Feeling much better, I began to focus on what I was hearing and feeling. At first I felt nothing, and heard things such as "scalpel, suction, sponge" and one of the nurses was counting for some strange reason, but I heard no complete sentences. Next, I could feel that something was going on, but without pain and discomfort, it just felt as though someone was moving my belly from side to side, and the rest of my body was just sort of rocking along with the motion. Arty was playing with my hair and we kept telling each other we loved one another. After just a few minutes, Dr. J. says "She's out." And there was silence, no one spoke, but we could hear every nurse moving around.

Finally, a baby cried, sounding hoarse at first, then getting louder and stronger. I almost couldn't believe it - it was MY baby. Dr. J. held her up over the curtain and let us have a look. She was so small and very red, and covered in white icky stuff with a little bit of blood here and there. Ten fingers, ten toes, eyes and a nose - she looked perfect. I couldn't help but cry happy tears to see her alive and safe. I told her she was beautiful and that I loved her so much, and one of the nurses wrapped her in a blanket and carried her off. She told Arty to follow her, and he gave me a kiss, told me I did great and that he loved me, and he went off to stand guard over our daughter. I could hear them all over on the other side of the curtain, in the corner of the room. They put her on the scale and a nurse called out "Five pounds exactly". I was so relieved! I thought, at five pounds she may just be able to come home with me right away!

I heard the nurse tell Arty that he could take some pictures while they were running tests and cleaning her up and everything. After a few minutes, Arty came over to tell me they were taking SoBee to the regular nursery. She'd scored a 9 on her APGAR, and was breathing fine and did not need to go to the NICU. The nurse brought SoBee over to me so I could give her a kiss, and again I told her I loved her. Arty gave me another kiss and followed the nurse and SoBee out of the room. At that moment, I felt like I could relax. She was out of my traitor womb, and in the best hands of doctors and nurses, with Daddy by her side. Dr. J. had removed the placenta and was giving orders to nurses on things to hand to him. I called over the curtain, "Now would be the time to ask for a tummy tuck, right?" He laughed and said he'd do the best he could. I could still hear the one nurse counting, and by the time Dr. J. was finished closing me up, I realized she was counting sponges and instruments to make sure nothing was left inside me. Dr. J. came around to my side, told me everything went great and that he was very proud of me. He kissed me on the cheek and told me he'd be around to see me once they got me settled in my room. I thanked him for everything and most of all, for keeping his promise.