Alice Rena McCartney

Don't read this if you don't want all the gory details!!

Around 10 p.m. last night I went to bed with Kate.  She was a little restless and I was exhausted.  Around 10:30 I felt something - it felt like a punch that was trying to escape between my legs.  I was drifiting in and out by this point and it jolted me.  I continued to lie there wondering what the heck that was.  I ignored the voice that said get up and put on a depends, your water is going to break.  And about five minutes later me and the bed were covered in amniotic fluid - bummer.

My first thought was one of frustration, no, not now, I'm tired, I need to sleep.  I reached for the phone, paged Ken and informed him that I was lying in a pool of fluid.  He moved Kate to her bed and I went and stood in the shower, continuing to gush.  I phoned Antoinette and told her that my water had broke.  Antoinette had agreed to take Kate when I went into labour.  Next I phoned the hospital, they asked me a series of questions and then said they'd like me to come in and get checked.  I was hoping that they would tell me to come in once my labour had started, but no dice.

Ken packed a bag for Kate and delivered her to Antoinette's.  I had a shower and then Ken and I packed my hospital bag.  We set off for the hospital - there was a lot of snow.  We got to the hospital about 1 a.m.  I was immediately hooked up to a monitor and put in triage.  Next more questions.  They didn't seem to have any medical info about me - none.  I didn't understand this, oh well!  Once they knew I was hoping for a vbac the conversation changed slightly.  I knew I needed to go into labour on my own, so when my water broke and I didn't have any contractions I thought, great, this is Kate all over again - at least this time the fluid was clear.

They continued to monitor me, and told me they weren't loving what they were seeing.  Great!  Next the ob came to check my cervix.  She assured me she wasn't trying to grab my tonsils and informed me that my cervix was located in Barrie.  (Barrie, Ontario is about a thirty minute drive north of Newmarket which is where I was)  Great!  Next they brought in the monitor to check the position of the baby.  Three weeks before this I had gone for an ultrasound to check size and position.  Size - BIG, position - head down.  So I wasn't concerned.  However, the baby had flipped and was now breech - bye bye vbac, hello c-section number 2!

I wasn't excited about having another c but I'll say this, there was some relief because at least I knew what to expect, I'd been through this before.  I was told that they'd deliver the baby after the two other women that were now in the middle of pushing had delivered.  Ken slept in the chair beside me and I tried to sleep.

I don't remember the time they took me into the operating room.  I walked over, dripping fluid the whole way - so elegant!  Next step, epidural.  I wasn't concerned.  The epidural with Kate was awesome and the guy who did it got the spot in ONE try.  I don't remember it hurting, just mild discomfort.  This time - YUCK!  They guy froze me three different times and went through four needles.  He couldn't find the right spot, he kept digging around sending pains shooting down the left side of me.  YUCK!  Just before the fourth try I said a little prayer asking Heavenly Father to guide his hands, and guide them HE did because that's when he got it right.

Next all the prep, then finally Ken could come in and then we waited.  The ob was very excited about getting to announce the gender - something she doesn't get to do very often any more.  Ken and I were expecting a boy - just because that was the feeling that we had...  So at 5:15 when they pulled the baby out and announced it was a girl we looked at each other and laughed!  We watched them clean up our little girl, she was poked a little, weighed, measured and then wrapped up and handed to Dad.

I was wheeled into recovery and got the shakes - really bad.  After a bit the nurse said that the best cure for the shakes was to hold the baby.  It did calm me down.  And we latched and then we were moved into a private room - yay!  Things were fine until I started barfing.  I barfed on and off for a couple of hours, not good.  Finally that seemed to subside and I could again hold and enjoy my new baby.

Alice Rena McCartney
8lbs 11 oz    20.5 in
Monday, February 21, 2011  5:15 a.m.
Newmarket, ON

Welcome to the world little one!  We're happy you're here.