So the date arrives....
Like Christmas when you are a child I woke up naturally a lot earlier than usual nervous and excited that today was the day our family would become one more.
As advised I hadn't eaten anything since midnight and at 7am I took my antacid tablet. I then gathered the last few items to take in with me such as my phone and charger and added them to my bag.
Our son had gone to stay at Nana's the night before as he had school so it was just hubby and me to get ready. Needless to say we arrived just before 8am at the hospital and anxiously began our wait to see when we would be going in.
We had been advised that there were two planned sections a day and that they generally took place at 9am and 11am. We were directed to the lounge area to wait for us to be seen by the midwife, they arrived and informed us that they were just changing shifts so would be approximately 20 minutes before we would be taken to the labour ward.
The 2nd couple arrived just after us and we all sat there nervously in silence.
After what seemed like an eternity I was taken to the labour ward and introduced to my midwife and settled into a room.
As expected the checks took place, I was assigned a wristband and admitted to the ward and asked to check all of my details.
I confirmed I was 39 weeks and my observations were taken and noted down.
The procedure was talked through and still I seemed to be holding it all together, as I was bombarded with members of the team that would be assisting with my baby's delivery it all still seemed a little unreal.
Hubby was provided with a gown to get ready but once it was on he had to stay on the ward, he stripped off and into his new outfit and was ready to go.
As 9am came and went I started to feel anxious, the longer that I was waiting the more time I had to think of what was about to happen.
I was advised that the team would soon be coming in to introduce themselves to me and then when ready I would be off to theatre.
As the anesthetist arrived he inserted the canular into my right hand, I had informed him about how I was worried about this after my son's delivery this procedure had caused me a great deal of discomfort so he ensured that this was done as quickly and as gently as possible.
The rest of the team then came in one by one to introduce themselves and they completed a check list to ensure that all systems were in place. Then it was time......the tears came......I broke down.
As usual it was the hormones that had gotten the better of me, or maybe it was the fact that I was walking down to theatre on my own as hubby had a great fear or needles so I was on my own with the surgical team to have the spinal block administered. The team were fantastic however, they kept me occupied and reassured me with any concerns I had, as soon as it was done, off they went to get hubby and then I lost it again, bursting into tears.
The realisation that everything I had planned for was now all going to become a reality as the new baby was about to be born.
After a few moments I began to get the sensation of pins and needles as my legs firstly started to feel a little numb, I was then helped to lie down onto the table with my arms stretched out either side of me. One armed with a Blood Pressure Cuff and the other with my Cannular and fluids flowing through.
As the feeling began to work its way throughout my body the sensation was strange and difficult to describe, I could feel the sensation of my legs but couldn't move them. I had the urge to wiggle my toes but as I tried to do it nothing happened, yes the block was working.
Once I was stable the team began to prepare for the section and checked if I had any sensation before beginning. The screen went up and I was told the baby would soon be here. This is the bit that felt like an eternity and was where I felt discomfort but definitely no pain at all.
All I felt was a heavy weight pressing down on my chest as the operation took place, I remember thinking back to when I was having my emergency section as this took place in the same room as when I had my son and scarily things were returning to my memory as if they had happened just yesterday. Everyone seemed a lot more relaxed the team were all talking amongst themselves about their plans for the weekend and I just remember trying to focus on what was playing on the radio in the background.
Then I began to feel ill. I felt so nauseous and I felt about to pass out, I called my husband, he notified the anesthetist who topped up my meds and I soon started to feel better, my BP had dropped.
Many people complain of a sensation similar to someone washing up in their stomach, for me I had no sensation of this, I just had this pressure on my chest which was about the worst part of the whole procedure.
After what felt like an eternity, I was told that my daughter's arrival was imminent and she would be here within minutes, the emotions began to flow again, nervous, excited and anxious all rolled into one.
Then I heard it, her cries for the first time. I cried. My emotions just came, this little person I had been carrying for 9 months was finally here to make our family complete and for me the wait continued as I was repaired and hubby was set on his way to get some pictures for me.
Having a planned section vs an emergency section, everything was a lot more relaxed and also seemed to take that little bit longer. Overall the procedure took just over an hour, I had to have a compression dressing on top as my wound was weeping slightly but I did not require a drain.
My little girl, Zara Louise was here. Weighing in at 7lbs 1oz she was 1lb 1oz smaller than her older brother was but looked almost identical. I couldn't wait to get to hold her.
As I returned to the labour room I finally got to give her a cuddle and get that all important skin to skin contact and her first feed, it was amazing. The instant feeling of love and the bond between us it was as if she had always been here and any pain or discomfort that I felt I was immune to.
Tea and Toast was on the menu and as it approached lunchtime it was the best thing I had tasted, I also was served up lunch, mushroom soup and a sandwich, I was famished and it tasted so good and the Egg Custard that followed was out of this world and I think now they will always remind me of the day Zara was born.
After a bed bath and a few hours to recover on the labour ward I was ready to be moved up to the main ward and settle in to being a new mum once more.
