For Part 1 of Sutton and Avery's Birth Story, click here.
We left off with my husband and I, my nurses and my doctor making the decision that I would need an emergency c-section. A decision I knew could happen while planning my birth preferences, but something I never intended on happening.
Once my ivy was in and everything was prepped in the OR, they wheeled me down. My husband walked by my side telling me he loves me and that we would get to meet our girls so soon and he was so proud of me.
That husband of mine, let me tell you, he is the best thing to ever happen to me. He is my rock. He watched everything happen and kept it together. He was there for me and for our children. He is far from being selfish. I love this man more than life itself.
Once I got into the OR, they had me get on the operating table. Let me tell you, it was really cold in the OR. I kept asking for a blanket, but had to wait until I got my spinal.
They had me sit on the edge of the table and hold onto my nurse. I put my head on her shoulders and wrapped my feet around her calves. And I waited and waited while shaking. It took about 15 to 20 minutes to get everything prepped for my spinal. Then it was go time. I had to sit still, really still, so the anesthesiologist could give me a local and then the spinal. I could feel the spinal, but it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. Then they helped me lay down and asked if I could feel anything.
We waited for the spinal to work and then I asked where my husband was and to not start without him. Soon enough they brought him in and he kissed my forehead and said soon we get to meet our little girls.
Now my husband said he didn't want to look over the curtain (this was when we had our talks about labor and delivery before), but when it was go time and he was asked by the doctor, he said yes. So my husband talked to me, kissed my forehead and watched our girls come into the world.
Now I don't know exactly what all happened while having my c-section as parts are really fuzzy, but the rest of the story is from my recollection and my husbands account of events. And warning, the pictures are sort of graphic.
NICU beds all set up for the girls arrival
The doctor told me they were making the incision and my husband looked over the curtain. Not much time passed and they pulled out Sutton Kira Butler.
Sutton cried immediately and she passed her apgar with an 7 and then an 8. She was happy to get out of mommy's belly. Sutton was born on December 29, 2014 at 2:37 am weighing 3 pounds, 15 oz and 17 3/4 inches long.
Next up was Miss Avery. Now Avery was way up in my rib cage area and not so ready to come out. But within seconds of taking Sutton out, Avery Madison Butler came into this world. Avery was born on December 29, 2014 at 2:37 am weighing 4 pounds, 8 oz and 17 1/2 inches long.
Avery took a few breaths and let out a cry, but then she had some trouble breathing. The nurses said she had an apgar of 5, then 6, then 7, but she had to be revived a bit (breaks my heart).
My husband then went over to the girls to cut their umbilical cords.
Sutton
Avery
Next it was time to deliver my placenta. At this point, I was asking a ton of questions about the girls and asking if I could see them. I could only see Sutton's incubator at this time and a bit of her, but I couldn't see Avery. Also I knew something was wrong from the look on my husband's face and the anesthesiologists face.
My placenta broke inside, so they couldn't save it for us. We wanted to dry it out and put it in a pill form, so I could take it to prevent/help with postpartum. But when my husband asked about it, they said it had to go to pathology since it broke inside. Once they got it out, they pulled my uterus outside of my body to massage it. They needed it to contract and it wouldn't. My husband said this was pretty gross to watch considering my insides were on the outside.
I was pretty out of it and losing a ton of blood at this point
I went in and out of consciousness at this point. I was losing a bunch of blood, over 2 liters to be exact, and the anesthesiologist kept giving me shots in my shoulder and put another ivy in my right hand. I must have had at least 10 or more shots in my shoulder. I remember hearing them say they might have to do a hysterectomy if they couldn't get my uterus to contract.
I closed my eyes and remember saying/thinking, I am going to die. I have never felt so scared in my life. I have never felt so weak in my life. I felt like I was slipping away. I was unconscious at one point and my anesthesiologist kept waking me up saying I needed to stay with him. All the while, my husband is watching this go down. He has me losing a lot of blood and his babies are about to be wheeled off to the NICU.
The anesthesiologist told him he needed to go to the NICU with the babies. I remember hearing this and my husband asking if he should go or stay with me. The anesthesiologist told him to go. And so he went.
They were still working on me and I was still out of it. Eventually they got my uterus to contract before having to take it out. Thank god. I am so happy they saved it because we may want more children and I want that option. I am so grateful the doctors did everything they could to save me and my uterus.
I had to have a blood transfusion due to the amount of blood loss. I will spare the photos that show the wall of bloody cloths they used on me since it is pretty graphic, but know there was 16 bloody cloths on a pocket wall.
Once my husband was in the NICU with the girls, he was told that I was in recovery and they saved my uterus.
I only vaguely remember them transferring me from the operating room to the recovery room. But once I was in recovery, my husband came in, and he came in with ice chips. So happy for this as I was so dehydrated. After awhile, my mom came in to see me and I started to feel better. Maybe it was the demorall and morphine shots they gave me to stop shaking. Either way, I started to feel better. Well other than when they check your uterus and push on it to make sure it has contracted. Ouch and they do that every hour. That hurts so bad!
We stayed in the hospital for 5 days. And in those 5 days, I lost all modesty, gained two new baby girls, also gained a new love for my husband as a daddy, and experienced a whole lotta love.
This wasn't exactly the labor/birth I imagined, but it got my babies here safe and sound.
And if you read through the whole two parts, way to go.