Gabe's birth story (12/5/12)

Dear Gage,

On Wednesday, December 5, I had my weekly appointment with Dr. Sutton. We listened to the heart beat and Dr. Sutton used his tape measure to measure my belly, just like he's done at every appointment. Once the exam was finished he told me that he thought your brother was measuring a little small and he would like for me to come back in for an ultrasound. This had me worried because my measurements from previous weeks had been normal and there hadn't been any talk of a small baby. As soon as I left the office, I called your Daddy in a panic. He calmed me down the best he could over the phone, but I could tell he was worried too.

Since I had worked the night before, I laid down to take a nap soon after getting home. Your Granny Clarice stopped by on her way home from work to pick you up, so you wouldn't have to go up to the doctor's office that afternoon. I didn't sleep well and kept having anxious thoughts about the ultrasound. I was so worried about your brother and I just prayed everything would be ok.

Your Granny Dows met us at the office for my 1:30 pm ultrasound. I got called back to the little room and the technician went right to work. Before long we were able to see your baby brother's precious profile up on the screen. The technician did measurements on his head and his femur and he measured the amniotic fluid. He also monitored the placental blood flow and the blood flow through the umbilical cord. He did confirm that the baby seemed small but the blood flow looked adequate. After doing some calculations, he determined your brother was probably around 5lbs 8oz. Five pounds! I couldn't believe it. We were only a week away from the delivery date, so I knew he wouldn't grow much more than that before then. The amniotic fluid level was also a tad low, around 75% of what it should be.

The technician took the results back to the doctor while we went into one of the rooms. It didn't take long for the doctor to come talk to us. He expressed his concern about the size of the baby and also his concern of waiting until the following week to deliver him. I thought he meant to wait until the next day, but he said he wanted to deliver your brother that afternoon! Talk about panic time. I was not expecting to hear that and neither was your daddy. I cried and your Daddy and Dows calmed me down. Dr. Sutton left to make a call to the Medical Center to book an OR since we were going to have a c-section. He came back and told us we were scheduled for 5:30 pm and that we needed to get over there immediately for the pre-op blood work.

We drove right over to the hospital and your Granny Dows met us there. We went right up to Labor and Delivery and they took me to a triage room. I was instructed to change into a gown and then a fetal monitor was strapped to my waist. Gabe's heart beat was very strong and sounded great. Once your Dows got up to the room, your Daddy went home to grab our things. I already had Gabe's bag packed and our suitcase was half packed. Daddy finished packing the suitcase and grabbed a few other things and was back up at the hospital before long.
 

While we waited for 5:30 to get there, I was kept busy with several visits from nurses and technicians. I was asked a hundred questions, had blood drawn, and an IV started. I was started on fluids and they made me very cold. I was really worried about my blood work. When I was pregnant with you, my platelet levels dropped below 100,000 which meant when it was time for the c-section, I couldn’t have an epidural or spinal, but I had to go under general anesthesia. This was not something I wanted to experience again. The last time my platelets were checked at Dr. Sutton's office, they were a little over 120,000, so I had my fingers crossed they would be above the anesthesia cut off.

A little while later, we got the first bit of good news we'd had all day, my platelets were 110,000! That meant I could have a spinal block and not go under general anesthesia. Soon after, the nurse anesthetist came in to talk about the procedure. I would be able to be awake for Gabe's birth and your Daddy would be able to be in the room with me. That made me and your Daddy very happy. Dr. Sutton came in to check on me, and it was about time for the surgery so he said a prayer with us. We felt an overwhelming wave of comfort and we just knew everything would be ok.

Waiting to go back to surgery

Before we knew it, they were wheeling me back to the operating room. Your Daddy was garbed up from head to toe in white and blue surgical attire. I was taken into the operating room to get prepped for surgery while your Daddy waited outside the room. I was moved over onto the operating table and they were ready to give me the spinal. First the nurse anesthetist used a local anesthetic to numb the area, and then came the big injection. It didn’t hurt, but I felt a lot of pressure. I was laid down on my back and the nurses started to get me ready for surgery. I felt a lot of tingling and warmth run down both my legs and then nothing. I was numb from the waist down, so that meant it was time to meet Gabe.

Mommy on the operating table. I look rough, but I'm so excited to meet your baby brother

Your Daddy was brought in and Dr. Sutton started the surgery. I started to feel nauseous, so I was given some medicine. It didn’t take long and I was feeling better. I couldn’t feel any pain, but I was able to feel some pressure and tugging in my belly. Before I knew it, it was 6:14 PM, and I was hearing sweet baby cries! Gabe Jaxson Payne had arrived! Dr. Sutton brought him over near my head and I was able to see your precious, tiny brother. I was so happy he was healthy and perfect that tears started to run down my cheeks.

 

The doctor took him over to the nurses, and they started to clean him up. Daddy went over and snapped a few pictures before getting to hold him for the very first time. I got to sneak another peek at him and give him a kiss on the forehead before Daddy took him out to the nursery for skin-to-skin.

Gabe Jaxson Payne

Daddy's hand on Gabe

 It took quite a while for the doctors to finish stitching me up, and afterward I went down to recovery. Meanwhile, Daddy took Gabe out to meet the family. You weren’t really sure what to think when you saw Daddy come out with his mask on and his hair in a net, holding a little baby. But once he took those things off, you knew it was your Daddy and weren’t so scared. You were very skeptical of the little being in Daddy’s arms. You just stared and stared at your baby brother. Daddy didn’t have long to visit before he had to get to the nursery for skin-to-skin. He held Gabe next to his bare chest for over an hour to help regulate Gabe’s body temperature and for the bonding experience.
 

Daddy doing skin-to-skin with Gabe

Finally, around 8:15, I was wheeled out of recovery and into my new room. You were there waiting for me. You didn’t know what to think when you saw me. You just stared at me with a scared, sad, confused look on your face. Why was Mommy laying in a big bed with wires hanging out of her hand? I was so happy to see you and Daddy, and I couldn’t wait to see your brother. It was a little while before they finally brought Gabe in to meet his family. I held him and you kept your distance. You wanted to sit with me, but every time Daddy brought you close, you got scared. Finally we were able to pose for a photo. You were able to stay for a little while longer. Everyone got to hold Gabe and love on him.

Mommy holding Gabe for the first time :)

First family photo

While Gabe’s birth story wasn’t exactly the one we had in mind, we got our healthy baby boy! He weighed in at a whopping 5 lbs. 15.5 oz. and was 19.25 inches long. The ultrasound technician was fairly accurate with his calculations. We are so very blessed to have two healthy and handsome boys in our family.

I love you and your brother more than you’ll ever know!

Mommy