Introducing Robert Lockwood Cordell

 Robert Lockwood Cordell

Born February 17th, 9pm

7 pounds 6 ounces

20 inches long

The pictures are out of order, but at least I am getting them posted!  This is my first chance to hold Robert in recovery post c-section.  He stared at me just the same as James had, with complete recognition.  

I had gone into labor on Sunday just after 1pm, but at first I thought they might just be practice labor contractions.  By 4 pm I knew they were the real deal but unfortunately were feeling awfully familiar to the way James' felt- like Robert's head was in the wrong position (it had been at my appointment 3 days prior, and we had hoped that in the 11 days between that appointment and my due date that he would get himself in the correct place).  This less than ideal head placement had his head resting sideways on his shoulder with his temple/side of his head lowest against the cervix and somehow also pressing against my spine.  Again, just like James, the position caused me to have intense burning contractions (felt like my hip joints were being pulled apart and acid poured in) but those contractions had no impact on how I was dilating because the head wasn't pressing on the cervix correctly.  By 5:30pm I was trying to decide if I should go in to be checked (the dilemma being that my hospital doesn't officially do VBACs, so I had to come in at 5cm or more to be allowed to labor, otherwise a c-section would be scheduled if I came in less dilated), I wasn't willing to do the 27 hours of natural labor that I did with James if it was going to end in a c-section regardless.  The decision to go be checked was make for me when I went to the bathroom and realized I was bleeding a bit.  So in we went, I was only 2cm when they checked me at 6pm despite the fact that I was having contractions every 1-2 minutes.  We decided to try for an hour of labor to see if there was any progress, and by 7:45 there was not and I was screeching in pain (they can't give any pain killers to a VBAC patient as they wouldn't be able to say if they felt pain that would indicate an uterine rupture).  Since the pain wasn't produce progress I opted to go ahead and just get the dang pain killers in me and get that baby out.  They tried IV Stadol first and it didn't do one darn thing (as it hadn't with James) and I just kept demanding and sobbing for the epidural "how many more contractions before I can have it?!!"  Took about 20 more minutes for them to type my blood and get the anesthesiologist there and me ready.  In the meantime I had contractions one on top of each other, and a few with breaks in between where they took blood, shaved and prepped me for surgery and other bits I don't remember (so much nicer being prepped for surgery when you already have the epidural like I had with James, rather than squirming and crying, and screaming like I was with Robert).  

Thankfully I was the only mom in labor that night, so I didn't have to wait long.  Sometime after 8pm I was in the OR and the anesthesiologist was ready to give me a spinal (vaguely remember him coming into the labor room earlier trying to explain to Tim and I the difference between an epidural and an spinal- I couldn't have cared less, I just asked him how long it would be till I got one of them).  I didn't know how I was going to stay still long enough to get a the spinal as sitting up was the WORST position to have a contraction in, but the OR nurse- an older gentlemen with the MOST SOOTHING VOICE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, was there for me to lean against and hold me still all the while murmuring in my ear that it was going to be fine, it was almost in, etc and next thing I knew the pain was...gone.

They got me draped and set up with everything and then Tim was allowed in to sit at my head.  The doctor started the c-section, mentioned that I had a lot of scar tissue from my previous section (which made sense on the right side of the scar as they had to cut it twice to enlarge it enough to get James out) and that my membrane with really thick.  She confirmed that Robert was indeed twisted in such a way that he most likely would not have made it out on his own.  By 9pm he was out and crying.

I really hadn't wanted a repeat c-section, but given they two birthing experiences if by miracle we decide to have a third, I think I'll just schedule one.  The recovery has been rougher this time as they took out all the previous scar tissue, so more invasive; and I got a spinal headache the first 5 days (which was truly the worst headache I have ever had in my life).  But today I feel almost back to normal, only using Motrin and off the Vicoden (which I loved for the pain killing, but made my head feel so fuzzy).  And Robert has a beautifully round little (or rather not so little as it is 15 inches round) head of a c-section baby.  And since I chose to do the section quickly rather than 27 hours later as with James, but Robert and I weren't quite as tired and worn out.

A little mad at being naked.

My first glimpse of Robert.

Tim took this when Robert was first pulled out and I heard his first cries.

Back up in our room (small hospital, only 4 birthing rooms- and they were do it all rooms...labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum).  I only had to leave for the surgery, of course.