Introducing Michael Benjamin Manns

Sorry it's 3 weeks late, but better late than never, eh? I'll give you a rundown of how we welcomed Michael to the world.

4/1/11
April Fool's Day, no less. We had an ultrasound that measured Michael at 9 lbs 9 oz. I told the doctor my discomfort had increased quite a bit, and she was sympathetic, but what could she do? So, I left with some ultrasound pics that showed some pretty chubby cheeks on our son and some instructions to head to the hospital when I start having a lot of contractions (in my case, she defined this as every 7 minutes because she didn't want my water to break outside the hospital since there was so much of it). He was still lying transverse (sideways) but he had flipped the opposite direction of what he was the week before.

4/3/11
Tony and I, after sending Bailey to Grandma & Papaw's for the weekend (not my idea, but it worked out I suppose), decided to go for a walk. We went for 1.5 miles around our subdivision. It was a beautiful day. Sunny and almost 80 but very windy, so it didn't feel too warm while we walked. We had rented some movies earlier in the day and decided to watch those when we got back.

About halfway through the second movie, my contractions started in every 5 minutes. I waited for half an hour before I even mentioned it to Tony because I wanted to see if they slowed down at all and because they didn't hurt, so I assumed they were Braxton Hicks contractions like I'd been having for months. After half an hour, they didn't slow down. The doctors say to lay down and rest to see if the contractions slow down, but since I was already laying back in the recliner when they started, I started to wonder if it was something more.

They still weren't hurting though, but I told Tony anyway. He immediately suggested we call the doc, since that's what she told us to do, and grabbed a pen and paper to write down the timing. I told him I would call the doc, but that I was taking a shower just in case we had to go in. So I called and immediately jumped in the shower. The contractions continued throughout my shower, but they weren't getting worse, just staying consistent. The doctor said to monitor them for another half an hour after I got out of the shower and was able to lay still for 30 minutes straight.

Contractions continued, but still not painful. By this time, it was nearly 8:00 p.m. Tony kept saying we should head in, but I was determined to stay put since they weren't painful. Between 8:00 and 9:00, they got a little more sporadic, not exactly 5 minutes apart anymore, and I thought we were finally going to see them slow down from the false alarm and we'd have to call the doc and tell her we weren't coming in after all.

Then around 8:50, I really started to feel them. Where I'd been able to focus on the rest of our movie before that, these distracted me, and I had to start actually thinking about keeping my breathing consistent (I tend to hold my breath when I'm in pain). I had about 4 contractions that were relatively painful and told Tony I thought we should probably head in. It was 9:20 p.m. and I already felt bad that we were going to keep Dr. Isaacs up late on a Sunday evening, but there was no denying the fact that the contractions were worse.

We got to the hospital and checked in, which couldn't have taken more than 15 minutes but seemed like ages. I had to sign papers, and in the back of my mind thought, "I'll never remember what I'm signing for." And I don't. I just signed whatever they handed me and went on having contractions.

They took me back to labor & delivery and put us in a room to be monitored for awhile. Then we met every pregnant woman's worst nightmare: the nurse from hell.

Okay, so probably not really that bad, but I was in pain and she was getting on my last nerve. I wouldn't consider myself a violent person by any means, but this woman is lucky to have teeth left.

When she asked why we were having a c-section, Tony explained that he was measuring big (9lbs 9 oz) and didn't get more of an explanation out before the nurse said, "well, I had a 9lb 14oz baby naturally" like that somehow made her superior. Meanwhile, I bit my tongue and managed to keep my thought of "Lady, I don't care if you birthed an elephant naturally at the moment" from becoming actual words from escaping my mouth.

Lucky for her, the contractions were able to distract me enough that I focused on them instead of her unless she was asking a direct question. Tony was watching the printout that measured my contractions and letting me know (about 15 seconds after the fact because of the delay in the printout) how big my contractions were. Oh so helpful :)

There were a few big ones in a row that clearly took all my focus, and Tony commented on a particularly long stretch of time where the reading was off the chart. Our lovely nurse, for some unknown reason, decided she would say "That readout doesn't actually measure how painful they are. As small as she is, even a tiny contraction could show up like it was a big one." Seriously. lucky. to have. her. teeth!!!!

She walked out of the room shortly after to tell Dr. Isaacs of my progress and I looked at Tony with bug eyes and mouthed "I WANT A NEW NURSE!" But of course I wasn't going to offend anyone who might have a hand in delivering my child, so I kept my mouth shut like a good girl and continued trying to get comfortable in a hospital bed.

*Cue Mission Impossible music*

It was nearing 11:00 when Dr. Isaacs came in to check on me, so I assumed that meant we were going ahead with the c-section, otherwise she would've stayed home. She was really worried about my water breaking away from the hospital. My guess is that losing that much water so fast would cause stress on the baby. I trust her judgment completely, so I wasn't concerned. She is the best doctor ever.

They did an ultrasound, and Michael was no longer transverse (sideways) but breech (feet first). She said she wanted the ultrasound because if there was one certain way he was laying, she would have to make the incision differently than if he were any other way. Apparently, breech didn't call for a different incision though, thank goodness!

They wheeled me back to surgery, where an extremely tall man was there to do the spinal tap. I didn't do as well on that part as I did with Bailey. I'm not sure if it was because of the contractions or if I'm just weaker than I was then. I was trying to stay hunched over in the most uncomfortable position, while he stuck a massive needle in my spine, but it hurt pretty bad and I flinched. Not supposed to do that!

Anyway, I don't know if that's why he missed the exact spot or not, but it didn't work right and I could still feel pain across my back, which made me really nervous. So when he went for it again, I flinched again. I was beginning to freak out and had to remind myself to focus on my breathing. A couple minutes passed and he asked if I was starting to feel warm, which I was somehow, in the coldest room of the hospital.

My nerves didn't calm when they lifted my legs and laid me on the bed. I could still feel that tingly feeling in my legs, like pins and needles when your foot falls asleep ... only it was through my entire legs. I said as much, fearing I'd be able to feel them cut into me, but when they pinched my stomach with some tong-like things, I couldn't feel a things. Whew. I tried to relax.

Then they brought Tony in and got everything ready. Kind of ironic that even with a c-section I had to focus on breathing. I could obviously no longer feel contractions, and I was hooked up to stuff that may have stopped them anyway, I don't know, but my nerves were frazzled so I tried to steady my breathing.

4/4/11
Before they began, I told Dr. Isaacs that I was sorry ahead of time if I ruined her shoes. She said, "No one has ever said that to me." I explained that the last time that's the only thing I could hear when they made the incision -- water gushing out everywhere. Apparently, she took me seriously, because she told the other doctor to be ready with the little suction thing. He said something, and she said, "No, really. Be ready."

Tony watched this part. He said they made a small cut and stuck the suction thing in there to suck out the water. He said it was like watching a balloon deflate. They had to fill their little container twice, and Dr. Isaacs said afterward that it was about 2 liters of fluid.

Next thing I could hear was Michael screaming. I forgot how wonderful that feeling was -- hearing him cry for the first time. It's just pure relief and joy. Strange that crying would cause those emotions, but to hear him alive with a strong set of lungs was wonderful. The doctor said "what are you doing crying? We haven't even pulled you out yet!" So that was a little strange to imagine him still in my stomach crying out loud. She also said that he had flipped and was finally head-down like he was ready to come out.

We didn't have the camera in the delivery room, so we don't have those pictures this time, but it was the same wonderful feeling as it was with Bailey. He screamed. A LOT, but I was okay with that.

Stats:
Born 4/4/11 at 12:33 a.m.
Weighed 8lb 8oz

We stayed in the hospital for the full length of time instead of cutting out a day early like I did with the first, and my recovery has been much faster than it was with Bailey. I loved almost all the nurses, and even Ms. Lucky To Have Teeth came in and checked up on me the next night. She didn't seem so bad once it was all said and done. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. I'll post pics to shutterfly soon in case you're not on facebook.