Version and C-Section in Photos

I pretty much told you all the story of the version and c-section I had done on May 7th. However, I did not post any photos to go along with those stories even though you guys know that we did take a bunch of photos! So, here are some more photos to go along with the birth of our child!

EXTERNAL VERSION PROCEDURE

Me in my hospital gown! And, yes, I got my hair done the day before the procedure. I knew that I may be in a lot of photos if Joey came and I did not want to have bad roots! Haha!

Michael and me waiting for the procedure to start.

Me and Joey's vitals are looking good! The docs can show up anytime now!

Alright, we're really ready to do this...

Okay, the version did not work, so we're going to have the c-section today and meet our son!

CESAREAN SECTION (PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE ARE SOME GRAPHIC PHOTOS IN THIS SECTION)

Me getting ready for surgery

Michael suited up for the big show

The docs starting to take Joey out of my belly

Here comes more of him

Ta-Da! We have a baby!

Michael cutting the cord

The first time we're all together on the outside!

The first time I got to hold Joey after the delivery. As soon as he was cut out of me and cleaned up, the nurses and Michael went to another room with Joey to check everything out on him. I stayed in the operating room so they could put me all back together. We stopped by the baby room on the way to the recovery room so I could see and hold Joey for a minute.

OUR HOSPITAL STAY

Daddy swaddling his baby boy! All that practice on the penguin paid off!

Me and Joey talking with family and friends. Our cell phones had no reception in the hospital, so Michael had to leave our room every so often to update everyone.

Father and son


We're going home!!!!

Flip or Vacate!

First off, to everyone that actually read the last couple of posts and is in "the know", we wanted to thank you if you have actually taken the time out of your day to call or text us to let us know that you are thinking about us right now. It means a lot to Michael and me that you all are so concerned. We've been overwhelmed and so happy by the people that have called us. So, to those of you who have contacted us, thank you! We really do appreciate it. Your call means more to us than you know! :)

Okay, this is the deal with Joey. We did not want to do the version procedure tomorrow because Michael couldn't be there, and just in case we had to have an emergency c-section, we didn't want him to miss the birth. The doctors are all busy on Wednesday, so that day is out of the question,too. The doctor said that since we were going to have to wait until Thursday to do the procedure, then we might as well wait until Friday when I will be 39 weeks, 1 day! Since I will be past the 39-week mark, they can give me the epidural. This will really help with the pain of trying to flip Joey.

If Joey does flip, then we will be sent home and we will wait for Joey to pick his day of birth.

If Joey isn't going to flip, then the doctors are actually going to go ahead and pull him out! Since I will be past the 39-week mark and I will have already received an epidural, it will be safe to do a c-section.

How crazy did this story get?!?!

So, on Friday, we may get to finally meet our son! Joey better flip or vacate the premises!

Not Today, Maybe Tomorrow

You gotta love the military...well, you gotta love doing something in the Labor and Delivery Unit. Things can and will change at the drop of a hat. Michael and I were all ready to go in this morning for the version procedure, when we found out that all of the doctors got called into surgery. So, no procedure for us today.

We will either be getting it done tomorrow or the following day. We'll keep you all posted when we find out what's going on. Maybe Joey will say screw this crap and just come on his own today! Then we won't have to go through any of this stuff! C'mon, Joey! :)

Just Like a Man

38 weeks, 3 days

So, we had our 38-week appointment this past Friday.

Let's start out with the good news. Joey's heart beat was in the 130's which is really good and has been very consistent this whole time! I've also lost 5 lbs in two weeks! That was wonderful to hear, so now, total, I have only gained 40 lbs during this pregnancy which makes me really happy! My uterus also measured 38 weeks, so I'm still growing on schedule. Oh, and my iron has finally increased! I guess really taking the amount of pills I was instructed to take worked!

Okay, now onto the rest of the appointment...

First off, I tested positive for Strep B. Son of a bitch! Did I really pop for every damn thing during this pregnancy?!?! So, once I go into labor, they will give me a bunch of antibiotics to treat the Strep B so it is not passed onto Joey. There's no need to treat me now because it could come back by the time Joey arrives.

Now, onto the big news...Joey is breech, meaning his head is up in my ribs now instead of down by my vagina. Also, Michael, Jill, and myself are all idiots, and thank goodness we're not doctors because Joey has NOT dropped at all! He's not even close to my damn pelvic bone yet.

Anyways, back to the breech part. Our hospital will not deliver a breech baby vaginally, so that means c-section. However, Joey does still have a little space left in there to move around so we're going to try this procedure, external cephalic version, where the doctor tries to manually flip the baby from the outside of my body. This procedure shouldn't cause Joey too much stress, but it can be really painful for me. The doctor did suggest us waiting until after 39 weeks to try this procedure where I can have an epidural so the pain wouldn't be as bad. However, by waiting until 39 weeks, Joey won't have as much room to rotate.


The docs will do this version procedure in labor and delivery, so if there are any complications (placenta ruptures, cord around baby's neck, etc.), they can do an emergency c-section right there on the spot. There's a 40-50% chance that this procedure may not work because Joey just doesn't want to flip. If this happens, then we will just schedule my c-section for sometime after I hit 40-weeks.

The benefit of trying this version is that having a baby vaginally is the least stressful for the baby. If we do the version and it works, then Joey can be born vaginally! If the version fails, no big deal, we'll have a c-section.

This was definitely not what I was expecting to hear at this appointment. Unfortunately, Michael was not able to be at this appointment due to work stuff. I made the decision on what to do and then called Michael immediately to get his input. We both agreed on the decision I had made...

We are going to have the version procedure done this Monday (as long as a lot of ladies do not go into labor that morning! Since it will be done in Labor and Delivery, there may not be a room available if people are popping babies out!). We do not want to lessen Joey's chance to rotate due to a lack of space because I am afraid of the pain. So, we are going to forgo the epidural since we would have to wait until after 39-weeks. If the procedure works, then we'll be sent home and then we'll just wait for Joey to make his debut. If version does not work, then we'll schedule the c-section for sometime after the 40-week mark. I should not deliver this baby on Monday unless there is a complication during the procedure. However, if there is a complication, they will do an emergency c-section on the spot.

The doctor did ask if I felt a big bump up under my boobs. I told her yes and she said that is his head. I feel kind of guilty now because I have been poking that big bump since I thought it was his butt! Michael told me that Joey was doing all of this "wrong side" stuff because he was mad I was poking him! I told Michael that this was all of his fault because he has been saying for months that he wanted Joey to come on May 3 since he has a huge work inspection that day! LOL!

Joey is already acting like a man...making things difficult and being hard-headed! ;)