From the point when Al entered the operating room until I finally got to hold Austen is kind of a blur. I remember specific things, but there are huge gaps as well. Al has helped me figure out the timeline and flesh out some of the details; here's what we've pieced together (most times approximate): 3:20pm ~ Al arrives in the OR. My arms are spread out on tables or boards on either side of me, kind of like...
December 16, 2004
One of the things we asked Dr. Chen at Monday's office visit was whether there was a certain point at which I should stop eating and/or drinking. I knew that HUP had a policy of preparing for a C-section under general anesthesia, even if general anesthesia was a slim possibility. In our case, if we went ahead with the external version, the possibility wouldn't be quite so slim, so respecting any restrictions on eating and drinking could be very...
December 10, 2004
On the Monday preceeding my appointment with Dr. Beshara (that would be November 22), I'd had about two hours of consistent contractions, and I started to wonder whether I was in labor. Since my strategy was to labor as long as possible at home before heading to the hospital, it didn't much matter; I figured if the contractions got more intense and closer together as the day went on, or if my water broke, I'd call Al at work...
December 5, 2004
Before I get started on this story, I want to make a couple points up front: This isn't intended to be a horror story; it's just what happened to us. (I realized that what I thought of as a fairly straightforward birth experience might sound somewhat horrific when I related the story to my mom.) If you're pregnant and reading this, please don't let any of the details worry you. Overall my experience was pretty darn good, and it...