The Details...

I went to bed early on Saturday night and was awakened by a strange sensation in my lower pelvis. It was a burning feeling that ran straight across. I had taken it easy all day Saturday, working on a special book/album tracking my pregnancy. I noticed that I had urgency and frequency symptoms associated with a urinary tract infection so when I woke that night figured I might have a full blown infection.

Attempting to fall back to sleep, my thoughts were restless, I tossed and turned and when I sat up and looked at the clock's display reading 2:01, I knew today was the day. I woke up Hubby who suggested round ligament pain. Poor guy. I knew he wanted his sleep but this was different. It was time to call the doc and go to the hospital.

We started with a phone call to my brother, thinking it would be easier for him to crash on my couch than to wake up my mother. Little did we know he was in NYC for the weekend and so we moved on to dialing my mom. She was over in record time. In the meantime, I had gathered a few items, the camera being one of them, and called the service letting them know there was no reason for a call back, I was just going over to the hospital.

This time I took a wheelchair ride up to L&D. I was put in room #7 which is the same number assigned to My Girl's first NICU spot two and half years ago. My view was the same as hers, overlooking St. Charles Seminary. Already comfort! Hubby snapped a couple of photos.

I left a urine sample, hoping that would reveal the cause of my discomfort. I was then hooked up to the monitors. I was contracting. Big mounds of contractions were filling the screen and I could feel the gradual build up, peek and dissolution of the sensation. Hmmm, not sure I ever had "real" contractions before. In fact, it was questionable as to if these were "real" contractions as "real" contractions cause cervical change. I was given three shots of Terbutaline and consented to Dr. Einhorn examining my cervix, which remained closed and unchanged from her last check two weeks prior.

Between each Terbutaline shot (they were spaced about 20 minutes apart) my contractions would reduce to irritability and then bam I would have a strong one. The fact that my contractions were not going away was concerning and even if there was no cervical change, it was still advised that I not contract against my TAC.

Dr. Manko took over the shift and told me if things didn't improve within an hour, it was "game over". I liked her decisiveness and take-charge manner as she was very matter-of-fact as to what to do. She was exactly what I needed.

Hubby and I knew it was time and started making phone calls. We learned who was on in the NICU and while we trust and love everyone on the unit were excited to hear that accompanying Dr. Guida, was Nurse Practitioner, Cindy Cox. She was at Our Girl's birth and it was so special to have her at Baby Boy's birth too.

The resident who was on happened to be the same one I had the week prior when I visited L&D. (He wanted to do an internal and I wanted a transvaginal ultrasound.) It was nice to see a familiar face and I think by standing our ground, while we disagreed with each other, have a mutual respect for where the other person is coming from.

Dr. Manko confirmed that today was the day and so the ball started rolling. I was happy to learn that my urine was negative for infection and at least it wasn't that that put me into labor.

I walked myself back to the OR. This was the first of many, many discrepancies between my two birth experiences. I was prepped, got my spinal and Hubby joined me. I was nervous but who wouldn't be?

In a very slow, methodical nature, my c-section took place. There was a calm over the room, a calm that was very much absent from the rushed and frantic birth of My Girl.

Tears overwhelmed me and I sobbed uncontrollably as at 11:38 AM, our Baby Boy came into this world crying and kicking. I was so proud that my 35w 3d Baby Boy weighed in at 6 lbs 3 oz!



Hubby got to cut the cord and held our bundle swaddled in blankets while I was closed up. He was breathing on his own! His apgars were 8 and 9.