Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Unexpected arrival!

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind! Many people have been asking to hear my labor and delivery story, so here it is!

On January 13th, 37 weeks pregnant, I went in for what I was expecting to be a normal OB appointment. My doctor was going to do an ultrasound to determine baby's position, and see if I was dilated at all yet. To our surprise, baby was not head down, he was breech and was positioned to come out butt first. I knew what this meant - I was going to have a c-section.

My doctor knew having a c-section wasn't something I was thrilled about, so we discussed what my options were at that point. We could either attempt to move him by an external version, or I would need to schedule a c-section. I had heard of the external version but knew it was really painful - unsure of what to do, I decided to talk to a specialist to learn more about it - risks, success rates, etc. Since I was already 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant, I was running out of time to do the procedure. In fact, I had to do it that day if I was going to do it at all because if you wait too long into the pregnancy, the baby no longer has room to turn - so the procedure wont work.

I went up to labor and delivery and after talking with many doctors, I decided to go ahead with the procedure. Due to my age, the amount of fluid around the baby, the location of the placenta, and the baby's position, I was a good candidate for the external version and the chances of success were very high. Since I was having contractions when I went in, they gave me something to relax my uterus during the version. The procedure was so fast I barely even remember it. In less than 10 seconds, my little guy had moved out of breech position and was head down. Success!! I have to admit it was quite painful, but it was over very fast.

They had me stay for a few hours after the procedure to make sure baby & I tollerated it okay. When the nurse was going to send me home, baby's heart rate increased to 180. They kept me there for another hour to make sure it dropped. It didnt. After doctors came in and did several ultrasounds to check on baby, they decided to admit me overnight. I initially thought of all of the possible things that could be going wrong with my little guy and I was terrified. They assured me everything looked great and they couldn't find anything wrong, but they just wanted to monitor me overnight in case something was to happen.

They gave Derek the okay to go to work that night, and told him they would call him if anything changed. As soon as Derek left to go home and get ready for work, the doctors came back in and said I was going to have a c-section in 20 minutes!!! Talk about short notice!! Baby's heart rate had been high for 6 hours, and now all of a sudden they couldnt wait any longer. Luckily, my doctor was by my side when they delivered me this news, and she kept me calm - I was very overwhelmed and scared. Everything was happening so fast. We werent ready to bring a baby home. There was so much we still needed to do! Derek came back in about 15 minutes to drop a few things off for me, and I told him there was a slight change of plans - he wasnt going to work, he was going to be a Dad by the end of the night! The doctors immediately gave him scrubs to change into and ready or not, I was escorted into the OR.

Once we got into the OR, I got my spinal and my body immediately went numb. Such a crazy sensation! This was real...I was going to be a Mom very soon! I quickly glanced up at a monitor to see what day it was, since it was clearly a day I would never forget! Within 10 minutes, all of my fears melted away as I heard my precious baby boy cry for the first time! Landen Donald Anderson was born at 11:58pm on 1/13/2011. 6lbs, 14oz, 19 1/4 inches long. Landen is named after Derek's Grandpa Donald, who passed away a couple of months before Landen was born. He was so excited to meet our little boy, but we know he is watching over us today - and we cant wait to tell Landen all about him :)

Words cant express how amazing it felt to see him for the first time. Although we weren't at all expecting to meet him that soon, we were so happy he was here! Landen was completely healthy and his heart rate dropped back into normal range as soon as he was born. Although they didnt find anything wrong with him or any signs that he was in distress, my hemoglobin was quite low prior to the delivery (despite me taking extra iron throughout my pregnancy). My doctor said it was a blessing in disguise that everything happened the way it did, since the situation would've been much worse if my low hemoglobin went unnoticed.

At the time, I had no idea why God decided to bless our lives so early. However, in a little over a week, I found out what that reason was. My Grandma developed pneumonia and after being sick off and on for quite some time, she decided she didn't want to go on with treatment. The doctors said she had anywhere from a few hours to a few days to live. She had made a comment to my Mom that she was worried she would never get to meet Landen, her 30th Great Grandchild. :( We brought him to the hospital that night, and I am so glad we did. She completely lit up when she saw him! It was such a precious moment, and I know I will never forget it. As we were saying goodbye to her that night, she looked down at Landen and back up at Derek and said that she was ready to go now. That was the only time Landen got to spend with his Great Grandma Majerus - as she passed away 2 days later. I am so thankful that I was able to say goodbye to her, and words cannot express how it felt to see her smile and interact with my little boy. God had a plan - and although it wasn't how I imagined things would happen, I wouldn't have changed a thing. Thank you God for allowing my Grandma to meet her Great Grandson before she died. What a precious gift.