Finally around 5:00 am, the nurse came in and said that Dr. Castilla would be coming soon and that I should order a light breakfast because they would start the Pitocin around 7:00 and once I had that going, I would not be able to eat. I forgot to mention that they wouldn't let me eat anything all night either except for liquids so at this point I was pretty hungry. Dr. Castilla came in and took the Cervidil out around 6:00 and said that I had only dilated 1 cm. That was pretty disappointing because that was over a 12 hour period. She told the nurse to get me moved into a labor and delivery room and to start the Pitocin as soon they could get me moved and after I had a chance to eat. They finally moved me and started the Pitocin around 7:30. This started the very long process of increasing Pitocin every hour or so over the course of the day. Dr. Castilla said she would be back around 12:00 and would check me again. I slept off and on over the day and Ashley, Deb, Margaret and my Mom and Dad came to visit over the day. Ashley and Deb stayed with my all day until after Tatum was born. They were so wonderful to me and I truly appreciated the support. Dr. Castilla called and asked if I had requested an Epidural yet and I hadn't because I was managing the contractions just fine. They were painful but not too, too strong and they weren't too close together. It was very manageable. She told the nurse she would break my water when she came at lunch and that I should think about getting the epidural before she did that because then I could avoid the labor getting too intense. I decided that it was probably a good idea and I went ahead and requested the epidural. The anesthesiologist came around 12:00 and placed the epidural. It was pretty painful going in but nothing that I couldn't handle. Dr. Castilla came back when my epidural was going in and checked me again when the anestethesologist was done and I was only 3 cm dilated. She broke my water and said she would be back aroind 5:00 to cehck me again.
Having an epidural was the strangest feeling I have ever experienced in my life. Your legs feel like you're paralyzed but then you still have feeling in them and they feel super heavy. It was the weirdest thing when I would have to rotate from side to side to get the epidural to run into each side. I would have to hold onto the side of the bed and just drag myself over to my side. It was just such a weird feeling that I'm having a hard time explaining. So, Dr. Castilla came back around 5:00 and checked me again. I was still 3cm dilated. :( What a huge disappointment! I had a feeling at this point that this wasn't going to end like I had hoped and that I was probably headed for a c section. She told me that she was going home and that she would call back around 8:00 and have the nurse check me and if I hadn't progressed any, I was looking at a c section. Well, to make a long story short, when the nurse checked me at 8:00, I was still at 3 cm/4 cm dilated and that was it. I just knew it was over and that I was headed for surgery. Sure enough, the nurse leaves to call Dr. Castilla back and then comes back 5 minutes later and says the doctor wants her to prep me for surgery. I was so disapponted but it had been a very long day and I was just at the point that I wanted to get Tatum out and I just wanted her to come out safely so I was okay with the surgery. They gave Rich a funny outfit, boots, hat and mask to put on and gave me a hat to put on. Ashley and deb were still there and were cheering us on. Dr. Castilla came back to the hospital and we just had to wait a little for the operating room to open and at around 8:45, we were on our way.
I remember being wheeled down the hallway and starting to shake uncontrollably. I was cold but I was also scared and I was full of adrenaline, and of course all the meds. I had to say goodbye to Rich at that point because they took me in the o.r. and had to prep the area and my body for surgery. Rich had to wait in another room until they got him right before they started to cut me open. When they were prepping my stomach, I could hear people naming off all the supplies they were using as a check off measure and I just thought it was so surreal. I couldn't believe this was happening. The nurse was cleaning my belly and then someone was asking me if it felt different at one point of my stomach to the other, making sure I was numb. I just answered their questions as I was shaking and completely freaking out. The guy who assisted Dr. Castilla was very nice and talked to me about Tatum, etc. to get my mind off what was happening. He was cracking jokes and was very kind. They finally said it was time and I heard them go get Rich. They put an oxygen mask over my face and then…the first cut.
I could feel Dr. Castilla cutting into me and I knew something was wrong. I said I can feel that and the anesthesiologist said he was cranking up the epidural even more and Dr. Castilla just kept apologizing over and over and trying to make me feel better as I could feel her cutting deeper and deeper into me and then they started pulling on my stomach over and over. It was so excruciatingly painful. I asked the anesthesiologist if it was normal to feel all this and he just shook his head, no. He had them tip the table down forward so that the medicine could run down more into my abdomen but I could still feel it. They told me I would feel pressure and pushing but I felt everything they were doing. It was absolutely horrible. The anesthesiologist then said he was pumping me full of morphine to help so then I started passing out and then I would wake up, pass out, wake up, feel horrible pain, over and over. I was trying to stay awake because I knew she was coming soon and I didn't want to miss that first breath she took and hearing her very first cry. I was still shaking uncontrollably and freaking out. Then all at once….Dr. Castilla says, "here she is" and I heard Tatum cry for the very first time and I just cried!!! Then I see someone flash her over the curtain to me and all I could say was, "Oh my God!!!" while I sobbed and sobbed. It was the most surreal and wonderful moment of my entire life. I had just seen my baby girl for the very first time and she was absolutely beautiful!! All I could ask was was she okay, was she healthy, was she okay??????? I told Rich to go over with her so that he could make sure everything was fine and so that he could continue to take pictures and videotape everything that I was missing. The doctor who was checking her out said she was great, very healthy and that everything was fine. She weighed 4 pounds & ounces and came into the world at 9:19 pm. At that point I was so happy that I didn't really even pay much attention to what was going on with my surgery and I just kept trying to see my baby girl. They finally brought her over to me but I didn't hold her at that point because I was shaking so badly still. She was just so beautiful and I could not believe she was mine. My baby girl. Perfect, beautiful and healthy.
They finally took me down to the recovery room and we met Ashley and Deb in the hall and they loved her instantly too. We got into the recovery room and they finally let me hold her for about 10 minutes or so and Dr. Castilla came in to see me and Tatum and she took one look at her and said she looked dusky, grabbed her and then they started working on her right away. They told me that she was doing okay but that her oxygen levels weren't quite what they wanted them to be and that she would need to go to the NICU for further observation. They assured me that this was completely normal and routine for 35 week baby and not to worry. She would be just fine but they wanted to give her oxygen for the night and that I should get my rest. Ashley and Deb took off and they finally took me up to my post partum room that I would spend the next 4 nights in. My nurse was really wonderful and took great care of me overnight. I was so tired from the incredibly long day and night and I knew that Tatum was being cared for in the NICU and that everything would be okay. I was just so happy that she was finally here, safe and sound and I could breathe a sigh of relief.
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