Birth Story - Part 2

Channing's Birth Story: Part 2

Go here to read Part 1

The tech finally makes it in and we are chatting about this and that while she sets things up. She was really nice. She starts the scan. She stops talking to me and doesn't look me in the eye the rest of the scan. I knew then something was wrong. I know she can't tell me anything so I don't bother to ask. The doctor comes in a few minutes later. She tells me it looks like I'm dilated on the scan. She wants to check to see how much. She checks me and her eyes nearly come out of her skull. She says to me "you've got a bulging bag". I immediately ask if I can have a cerclage. She shakes her head and says "no, we are way passed that". I knew instantly what had happened. Incompetent cervix, just like my sister. I sit there in utter disbelief. I couldn't believe this was happening to me, to my family again. My sister lost twins a few years back due to incompetent cervix and it was devastating for all of us. The doctor tells me I'm having a baby today. NOW. We briefly discuss the baby's chances. She was really positive about the outcome for an almost 27 weeker. She made me feel better. In hindsight, I think she sugarcoated it a little too much. Medically, there weren't any other options so I had to get on board. I say "so maybe this is a dumb question but do I have to have a c-section?". They say "oh yes, definitely". This is when I lost it. This was real. They were going to cut this baby out of me today.

This is where things start to get fuzzy for me. I call MG and I tell him "We are having a baby today. Right now. Come". I text or call a friend tell her what's going on. Her mom is a nurse and lives two miles away. Her mom comes to the hospital right away to be with me. I think I call other family members. I don't remember. They start giving me magnesium and some other drugs that make me really sick. They make you hot and nauseous. While all this is happening they had turned my bed headside down to let gravity help get things back where they should be. They were worried that the bag would rupture which would give them less time to get her out safely. They give me the steroids to help Channing's lungs develop but those take 48 hours to really be effective. After having my bed headside down for about 30 minutes, the Dr. checks me again. No change, bag still bulging. Baby is coming today without the help of the steroids.

We didn't know what to expect when Channing arrived. How big would she be? Would she even be born alive? I was such a wreck, I asked to be put under general anesthesia. They say I can't because it would knock the baby out too. They take me into the OR. MG was with me in his scrubs, shaking like a leaf. Getting prepped for surgery was horrible and surreal. The lights, the equipment, it was so foreign. The spinal sent little eletrical pulses down my legs. I was still sick from the drugs they had given me so I was dry heaving and vomiting the entire time. The doctor kept talking to me, making sure I was ok. I remember grunting back at her occasionally. Finally, they say "baby is out". She cried a little tiny cry. She was alive! I felt better. They brought her over to me and MG. She had lots of dark hair. This was a shock since MG and I were both blonde babies. MG made a joke about that. They told us she would probably be around 2 lbs but she surprised us and was 2lbs 7oz. I took this as a good sign. I knew this was just the beginning of a long road ahead in the NICU. We knew the next three months would be hard but we had no idea how hard.


Our first face to face meeting!