Derrick's Emergency C-Section
Posted
Thursday, January 19, 2012 3:56 PM
"Sometime during the wait, my baby’s heart rate had dropped dangerously.
I was told that I’d need an emergency c-section."
A bumpy ride
My husband, Derrick, who is
a truck driver, was going to work the Saturday I was 39 weeks pregnant. May
5—my due date—was only six days away, but I felt totally normal, so I decided
to go along with him. At the end of the day, he was trying to drive his truck
over a huge hill. We had no idea how difficult this would be! We went over a
few bumps, and the truck was bouncing like crazy. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain
in my stomach. Derrick instantly got concerned that I was going into labor. “It
was just one pain,” I said. “I feel fine.”
That night, Derrick and I
went to a friend’s house for dinner—we had a feeling that this would be one of
our last nights out for a while. During dinner, I felt a strong pain in my
back. Thinking I was just sitting in an uncomfortable position, I tried
adjusting myself. But by the time we were heading home, the pains were only
four minutes apart. Shortly after, we grabbed my bag and headed to the
hospital.
At the hospital
We arrived at the hospital
at 3 a.m. By the time the doctor checked me, I was dilated 9 centimeters, but
my water hadn’t broken, so she broke it for me. She told me to wait an hour to
see if I could make it to 10 centimeters naturally. Seems like smooth sailing, I thought. I began to relax and thought
about meeting my baby boy.
A different kind of bump in the road
When my doctor returned,
however, I had actually gone back down to being only 7 centimeters dilated.
Even worse, sometime during the wait, my baby’s heart rate had dropped dangerously.
I was told that I’d need an emergency c-section. However, I wasn’t numb enough
for the surgery, so I would need to be unconscious. I wasn’t happy about it,
but my only concern was that my baby arrive safely, so I agreed.
Welcome to the world, Derrick!
Derrick was born at 6:36 p.m.
on May 1 and weighed 8 pounds, 2.8 ounces. I was so tired after the surgery
that I could barely keep my eyes open. All I wanted to do was hold my new baby
boy, but since I had a fever, the doctors told me I needed to wait so Derrick
wouldn’t get sick. In the meantime, I could be in the same room as him as long
as someone else was there to hold and feed him. I couldn’t help but be upset
about this—a part of me was worried my baby might not know who I was.
But once I was finally able
to hold him, I knew it was worth the wait. When I held my newborn baby in my
arms, I was speechless and so overwhelmed with joy. I don’t think there was a
single thought in my head that wasn’t about Derrick. I’m so glad my baby boy is
here, and I’m excited to be his mom!
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