Hi Lisa!
We have a beautiful baby girl named Cecilia Anne!! She is a pipsqueak and weighed just 6 lbs 4 oz. She was born on March 12, three days before my scheduled c-section.
Here's my story (the longish version) :
I went into labor at 1:30 am on March 12th. My water broke, but just in a tiny trickle (I went up to go to the washroom and was so tired that I wasn't sure if I was imaging things or not - seriously, there was just the tiniest trickle). I was having some contractions which were irregular, and felt like the cramps I used to get as a teenager. Uncomfortable but somewhat painful, but nothing crazy, I called Ros and talked to her. I was pretty sure I was pushing the panic button so I tried to go back to sleep or at least rest, in case I was in early labor. Contractions were still irregular, but I had a couple of batches that were quite close together and my water continued to break in small trickles. Mike took me to the hospital at 4:30. I was already 4 cm - oops! Guess I was in labor after all :).
The OB on call was Dr. Stewart, who does not do breech deliveries, but did train with Dr. Martel. She suggested that we wait for shift change and then Dr. Martel could do the delivery. However, she contacted Dr. Martel and unfortunately she couldn't come in due to personal reasons (she was supposed to be available). The resident did an ultrasound and the OB consulted with Martel, but baby was still not in a favourable position. So, I had a c-secction and baby arrived at 7:27 am. Boy things sure move fast at RUH. It makes your head spin. Fortunately Ros was able to join us in time for the section and was able to stay with us in recovery until she was off to see another one of her ladies who was having contractions!
We weren't able to keep much from our birth plan (basically, Mike was able to tell me the she was a girl). No to skin to skin (the OB said it's a sterile environment, so nope, and NICU said it was too cold in the OR). Ros unfurled her from her swaddle as soon as I was across the hall in recovery.
I wanted to thank you so much for your excellent classes. Mike and I both learned so much and your classes got us talking a lot about issues we never considered. We were able to prepare for our plan B (or E by my estimation), even though it was not an option we would have chosen for bringing Cecilia into the world. Not to say that I haven't had a few weepy moments about what we weren't able to do, but at the end of the day I really am okay with how things unfolded and was not traumatized by having a c-section ( as I am quite sure I would have been if it wasn't for your classes). It was also a lot less traumatic since Cecilia got to pick her birthday! It was very exciting to know that I was in labor and Cecilia was on her way to meet us. I know that a scheduled section would have been a lot more difficult for me to cope with.
Thanks again Lisa! If you ever need any testimonials for your website, please let us know!
I hope you had a good trip to the U.S. !
Keep in touch!
Gill
