The Birth Story

Sorry it's taken me over a week to post this but I've been busy enjoying my baby girl and all that fun jazz but I'm not getting to sharing with you all the birth story of Little Miss Rondalynn Izabella!

First for a little back story!

Most people don't know but my body has been trying to go into labor since around 35 weeks so I was put on a med to help my uterus relax and stop contractions so Rondalynn could have longer to grow and develop.

I was told to stop taking the med at 37 weeks and my doctor was pretty sure I would go into labor within a few days of that, but besides for some regular contraction patterns here and there I never really did.

But also around the same time my body was trying to go into labor was about the same time my hips decided they were done with the pregnancy game as well an started getting stiff, popping, clicking, and finally giving out on me every now and then causing me to fall, which I did on three occasions before Rondalynn was born

The morning of the January 9th I woke up around 5 AM to make yet another bathroom trip and my hip was really, really hurting and I figured I had slept on it wrong so I slowly stood up and made sure it was feeling and working okay before I started my short journey to the bathroom.

After a few seconds it felt fine and I went to the bathroom. As I was standing up from the toilet, sorry TMI, both my hips pretty much said peace and gave out on me causing me to once again fall and this time hit my head on the toilet.

I didn't pass out really I just don't remember a couple of minutes. I remember looking at my phone before standing up and noticing the time and then really realizing what was going on as I was sitting on the floor and a couple minutes had passed. So I called for Ron to wake up and come help my poor butt off the floor.

I was almost completely sure I didn't hit my stomach since my head, hips, and butt (from landing on it) were the only things that hurt. My stomach felt fine, I wasn't contracting, and Rondalynn was her normal and active self for that time in the morning. But since I wasn't for sure and since my doctor said if I was to fall again I needed to call him that's what I did. Then as I waited for him to call me back I decided it may be a good idea to get the couple of things ready to go to the hospital just in case, even though I already had an appointment with him that day and I figured he would want me to come in and see him earlier than my scheduled appointment.

When he called back I told him what happened and asked if he just wanted me to come in earlier to see him that day in the office. He said no and that he needed to be at the hospital for a c-section at 7:20 that morning so just come on in to L&D and he would check me out.

I got off the phone, told Ron, we finished getting our things together, and heading to Scottsdale Shea L&D.

Now because we had been sent to L&D a few times for falls and contractions over the past two weeks I wasn't getting my hopes up at all that this could be the real thing and really never got that "Oh my goodness this could be it!" feeling on the way to the hospital.

We get to the hospital, they get me back into a triage room, hook me up to the monitors, and call Dr. DeSanto to let him know I was there. It was at this point we found out that I was contracting. I had barely felt any on the way to the hospital but I was contracting and it was in a somewhat regular pattern.

About 30 minutes later Dr. DeSanto came in, looked at my contraction pattern, and decided to check me. I was dilated to a 3, 75% effaced, baby was at +2, and even though he didn't tell me right then my water bag was bulging. So he slowly exited from checking me and then aid I'm going to go check the schedule and I'll be back.

At this point it had only hit me a little bit that this time we would be having a baby and I figured it would be after office hours or even the next morning. But within two minutes of him leaving to check the schedule he was back and said okay we are going to do the c-section at 9:30 AM! I looked at the clock and it was 7:30 AM and so I looked at him and said "Today?" He just smiled and said yep and I'll see you guys then! This is when it hit me that not only were we having a baby today but we were having one in a little more than two hours! I then got so excited and honestly wasn't anxious or nervous at all!

Our triage room then became a whirlwind of activity as my triage nurse started a line, (on the first try even!), drew labs, hooked me up to fluids, ordered my pre surgery meds, had me use the bathroom for the final time that day by myself as she put it, put on my arch nemesis the dreaded leg pumps, gave Ron his fashionable surgical outfit, and introduced me to my surgical nurse Natalie who was so unbelievably sweet, funny, and awesome!

Once all that was done it was the waiting game as we watched the minutes slowly tick away! During this time I was given an antibiotic which is typical to get before all surgeries and two meds to help with stomach acid since their would be some great pressure put on my stomach during the c-section and they didn't want me to throw up. The meds were Protonix and Reglan both of which I have had before. Well the Protonix does nothing more to me then what it's suppose to do which is minimize the amount of stomach acid in your stomach. Reglan on the other hand for me not only does what it's suppose to and helps with nausea and preventing or helping with acid reflux but it also causes me to became really anxious for a couple of hours and makes my feet all twitchy for anywhere from 12 to 24 hours! Since I know it does this too me I try to stay clear of it so it has been probably well over five years since I've had it if not longer so when she came in and told me what she was giving me my excited self forgot all about this reaction and didn't say anything about it.

Within minutes of her finishing up giving it to me I became just as anxious as I was excited and my feet, mostly my right one, became super twitchy and jumpy! At first I couldn't figure out why I was feeling this way when I was just fine minutes again and now it was almost like I couldn't sit still! I honestly thought at one point I was going to have a panic attack but luckily that was just about the time the Anesthesiologist came in to talk to us and he was so sweet and wonderful! He explained everything down to the T, answered our questions, told us how excited he was for us and to be apart of this, and honestly really helped to calm my nerves some. After he left it hit me why I was feeling this way and I wanted to kick myself for not remembering but since it was too late I just kept telling myself that was why I was feeling this way, took some deep breaths every so often, and did a lot better beside my right foot bouncing around like a four year old on a sugar high!

A little before 9:30 they came in and said that they were running a few minutes behind because they wanted to second OR room to be cleaned and ready before they started my c-section just in case an emergency came in while I was in my c-section. Those last few minutes in triage where probably some of the longest minutes of my life but yet the fastest as well!

Here are some pictures of us as we were getting all ready for the c-section!

This was taken shortly after we found out they were going to do the c-section and before they started getting me all ready for it! Our last picture of just a family of two!

The leg pumps that I completely loathe!

Ron in his oh so sexy surgical outfit!

Me all set up, dressed, and waiting to go!

At 9:35 they came and said it was time to go back! So they wheeled me on back with Ron in tow behind us!

They had Ron wait in this little room while I went back to get my spinal and start being set up.

When I got back into the OR they had be sit on the edge of the far side of the surgical table and within, no joke, minutes the Anesthesiologist had put in my spinal! It kicked in almost right away as my toes and feet started to get that feeling your limbs get when they fall asleep and with in a few more seconds were completely numb as the sleeping/tingling feeling continued up my legs, pelvis, tummy, and lower chest. So within five or so minutes I was completely numb from the lower chest down!

They helped me lay down on my back on the surgical table, had me put my arms out on the side boards, placed a cath in my bladder, started hooking all the probes and cuffs on me, and began cleaning off my tummy. As soon as they had me laid on the table they brought Ron in which we were both surprised because we figured they would bring him in once I was completely set up and they were ready to start. But neither of us minded, in fact I liked having him back there so soon as they were prepping me.

Soon Dr. DeSanto was there and I could tell the prepping was almost done. What I loved about all of this was how awesome the staff all was with working together and how fun and lighthearted they were about everything. We joked about musical artist, tattoos, and medical humor as they worked away getting me prepped. It really made it such a great experience and made any nerves both Ron and I had be so much more at ease!

Ron and I were sitting there talking and laughing with the staff as I tasted something that was given to me through my IV and I looked at the Anesthesiologist and asked if he gave me something and he said "Yep Zofran" I said okay and then thought to myself that they only give that to you once they started and I didn't think they have started yet. But as soon as I thought that I smelled the cauterizing gun and then I asked the Anesthesiologist if they had start and again his reply with a smile you could tell he was giving me under his mask was "Yep!"

All I could say was wow and I figured it would be another twenty minutes and then my baby girl would be here!

But once again I was wrong and a few minutes later Dr. DeSanto was telling Ron to get his camera ready and look over the sheet!

At 10:01 AM we became a family of three as the most beautiful sound filled the OR as Rondalynn was brought into the world with a strong cry!

I was hit with a flood of complete and pure joy and started to cry myself! The nurse brought her over for me to see her real fast before taking her to the warmer and my heart completely melted! Even though she was all bloody and gooey she was still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!

They took her over to the warmer as Ron followed and as soon as she heard Ron's voice she stopped crying and started looking for him.

She got a perfect and healthy from the Neonatologist who even checked her hip twice to make sure they were good and not like mommy's hips which I'm happy to report that they are perfect!

She weighed in at 5 lbs 15 oz which shocked us all! We were told at an ultrasound about a month before that she weighed that much then so we were sure she would at least be in the mid six pound range or higher! But she was healthy and so it didn't matter to us!

She also measured 18 inches long and her head was 13.5 inches around!

They finished cleaning her off, wrapped her up, and then I got another treat I wasn't expecting because of all the stories of other people's c-sections. They brought her over to me because my c-section was surprisingly over, I was sewn up, they were putting my bandages on, and getting me ready to go to recovery and let me hold her! It wasn't for very long and the nurse stood right there because I was still laying down on the surgical table to make sure she didn't fall from me losing my grip or something. But it was the most wonderful couple of minutes as I got to hold my baby girl for the first time and see her beautiful face and features!

After my couple of minutes of holding her bliss they gave her to Ron as they could finish up getting me ready and move me from the surgical table to the recovery bed. If I thought I my heart was melted before I was completely wrong! Seeing Ron hold our little girl finished melting it and I fell even more in love with him as I watched him hold her, talk to her, and just look at her like he has never seen anything more beautiful and amazing in his life. This is probably awesome the point where she got him wrapped around her finger!

Once I was ready and moved we headed off to recovery where I got more time hold her, got a change to feed her (which she is a champ at!), and we finally decided which of the two names we picked out fit her and choose a middle name as well.

Then we just enjoyed the start of this new adventure with our Little Miss Rondalynn Izabella and our new family of three!

Below are even more pictures from the OR (nothing graphic I promise!) and our time in recovery!

The only picture Ron took "Over the sheet" during the c-section when they pulled her out. You can see her little feet in this by the doctor's arm on the left.

The first time I got to see her!

Getting all clear and checked out!

Getting her weight checked!

Waiting to be wrapped up!

Mommy holding Rondalynn for the first time!

I love this picture! This is when we were in recovery. We had just got there and Ron had to push her in the bassinet from the OR to the recovery room and he rolled her right over to me so I could see her.

Getting to hold her again in recovery!

Daddy holding her baby girl! Can you tell he likes her just a little bit!

These are some of the first pictures I took of her the day she was born!

We are so in love with her and are settling into our new life as parents!

We are excited to start the adventure called parenthood and so happy we have a healthy and beautiful baby to start that adventure out with!