Alexis' Birth Story

Because of the events that took place during Haylie's birth, my doctor (Dr. Melner) encouraged us to consider delivering Alexis via cesarean section. He said my chances of  repeat shoulder dystocia and a fourth degree tear were higher. I, being the worry wart that I am, made up my mind on the spot that c-section was the way to go.  Not because I feared another tear, but because the thought of my baby needing her shoulder dislocated in order to be born was terrifying to me. So as much as I was hoping to go into labor all on my own and possibly have a water birth, we decided on the c-section.

I was scheduled for July 19th at noon but told to arrive at 10 a.m. My mother and sisters watched Haylie for us while we got prepped and ready. After I was changed and the paperwork was finished we found out that a woman who's baby was breach required an emergency c-section and that I would go in when she was done. At about 1:50 they came to get me. I asked if the other mother and baby were all right, and they were. Both did beautifully. As soon as I was given the spinal (no epidural) they brought Brandon in. He sat by my head while the doctors worked and even though he's grossed out by blood and said he couldn't do it, he stood up and snapped two pictures of Alexis being pulled out of my stomach because he knew how much I wanted to see her first moments. (I had tried to get the okay on a video camera, but they said no.) Alexis was born at 2:01 on July 19th. I have never wanted to hear a baby cry so much in my life. More so because I couldn't see her, hearing her was the only indicator to me that she was out and okay.

Brandon got to watch as they cleaned her up, weighed and measured her and then he brought her over to me. She was beautiful. I asked him what her middle name was and he said, "Isn't it Michaela?"(I had been trying to get him on my side about Michaela after my dad Michael since Haylie's middle name is Raye, the same as Brandon's mom's middle name, but he hadn't liked it so I was surprised when he said that.)  I couldn't hold her or even touch her, because the spinal had numbed me from the shoulders down. Then they had Brandon take her to the nursery so I could get stitched up. Then they brought her to me in the recovery room. She weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces and was 21 inches long. My family was now complete.