Birth!

I will give Duke credit, they were very onboard with trying an induction, and not jumping to c-section.  Unfortunately Rowan was still sitting butt down, head up.  So c-section it was.  At the moment I was so so tired that I was resigned to this without too much internal struggle.  They put yet another catheter in, and started the mag again.  Around 8pm on the 28th I was wheeled down to the OR.  They gave me the spinal block, which meant sitting on the edge of the table bent forward while they poked around next to my spine to find the perfect spot.  Bonus was that the person who did it was clearly still learning, and they were maybe a little too eager about the fact that I have scoliosis.  Listening to the head anesthesiologist explain to the person sticking needles in my back how to deal with the curvature, and listening to her discuss what she was feeling in my back was not really what I wanted at that moment.  Then I felt like I was going to pass out.  The nurse quickly braced me more carefully, and reminded me to breathe.  Then it was done, and I was told to lie back.   They shaved me, washed me, disinfected me, whatever the heck they were doing down there.  Then I was told that the spinal was definitely working, because they just tested by poking me really hard, and that if it wasn’t working I would have jumped off the table.

At that point Zach was brought in.  He sat at my head and he and the nurse or anesthesiologist, or whomever, patted me on the head.  The doctors discussed the houses they were considering buying, which I took to be a good sign.  Then they said “definitely a boy!  He wanted to make sure that was the first thing we saw!” or something like that.  And then he was out at 8:40 pm.  They whisked him off, and after a couple of minutes let Zach back with him while they sewed me up.  They said he was breathing on his own, which is making me cry just to type.  Then they bundled him up and brought him to me and let Zach hold him while I got to see him.  Someone even took a few pictures on Zach’s phone.

Rowan Steven Giles, born 8:40 pm on April 28th, 2015.  3 pounds 3 ounces.  15.9 inches long.  Apgars were an amazing 8 and 9.

I had already pretty much decided I wanted the middle name to be Steven after one of my best friends, but the fact that he was born just a few hours before Steven’s birthday definitely sealed that.

They took me up to recovery.  And finally I was at least allowed ice chips.  I was SO thirsty.  Zach and my mom took turns feeding me ice chips, until Zach was called down to the ICN to be with Rowan.