I did not finish this post for a long time (like 10.5 months AFTER Samuel was born) so here are my foggy memories:
Once the forceps did not work, I knew that I was going to have a c section. I pretty much just laid in there and cried and tried to not cry while people went into action. Dr. Bozeman was really sweet and as I was signing my life away he told me, "You tried everything you could. You are not failing." My response was to cry harder and ask Ian to bring puke bags into the Operating Room with us.
Ian was getting scrubs on. Dr. Bozeman was stitching me (becuase I pushed long enough/ hard enough / whatever enough to tear). Even with an epidural it was not a pleasant experience. I found out that Sara could not go with us into the operating room. Only one person was allowed and we thought it would be good if Samuel's father was there for his birth. I was nervous about Ian holding the puke bags.
They wheeled me into the operating room. People kept walking up to me and introducing themselves and telling me their duties. I did not care in the least at that moment, but I do remember thinking, "there are SO MANY people in here". I had to be switched to a different bed and I was so impressed by how amazingly smooth the procedure went (I am guessing this is part of people's every day job, but for someone who has never stayed in the hospital for longer than a few hours, I was impressed!)
Dr. Bozeman had another doctor assisting him with the procedure. It just so happened to be Dr. Jill Ingenito. Dr. Ingenito just so happened to be the doctor who removed my arm stick 38 weeks and 5 days before Samuel was born. She told me to start taking prenatal vitamins and to stop drinking alcohol (at that time). I was all like, "Oh it is going to take us years to get pregnant. I will think about possibly starting prenatals soon." Dr. Bozeman and Dr. Ingenito had a chuckle about it. I was not chuckling.
Anyway, I do remember that there were two anesthesiologists or one anesthesiologist and one assistant to the anesthesiologist. One was a man and one was a woman. The woman anesthesiologist gave me the play by play of what was happening. She stood above me and would hold my face in her hands and bend over and talk right into my face any time she wanted to tell me something. At the time, it was reassuring and sweet.
Dr. B and Dr. I were going about the c section and shooting the breeze like it was no big deal. I was crying, trying not throw up any more, and trying to process my life. I did throw up once or twice in the operating room. I can't remember if it was before or after Samuel was born.
They did announce, "Your son is about to be born.... He is here!" (I don't remember what they said but it was something along those lines.) Soon, I could hear his cry. I had not really stopped crying in the last 45 minutes, so I just kept crying.
Ian went over to check on him and ended up cutting the umbilical cord (not by his consent, but it makes for a funny memory). Eventually they brought Samuel all swaddled up in a blanket over to let me see him and hold him. The man anesthesiologist took a couple "first family pictures" I did not look at the camera. I did not smile. I laid there and cried. I don't know if I even held Samuel. Then they took Samuel and Ian off somewhere. I can't remember when I stopped crying, but I was trying to pull myself together while they stitched me up.
I feel like it was half an hour later that I was wheeled into an alcove of a hallway with a chair for Ian. Samuel was in his little plastic bed thing, just taking the world (I was surprised he was not crying). Ian and I tried to process our life and call people and send pictures etc. We did it! We had become parents. Ian did not faint. I did not make it anywhere close to having an unmedicated all natural birth, but a few months later I would finally accept it. We did find out that Samuel had a slightly over 15 inch circumference of his head which is huge. One nurse practitioner mentioned that I may have broken my pelvis or something if I had pushed him out (Lordhavemercy). Samuel Cary weighed 8 pounds 7 ounces and was 21.5 inches long when he was born at 3:01pm.
I could probably ramble on and on about our stay in the hospital but I will end here. The adventure of parenting has just begun. We are so thankful for our friends and family that supported us so much the first few weeks of Samuel's life. We would not have made it without yall. Much love and thanks.
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