Our daughter is born...

Lexie's birth story: Part 3

The OR is a creepy, scary room. It's bright, white and has an intense sterile smell. The big lights shining down from the ceiling are incredibly intimidating. They wheel me next to the operating table where they promptly scoot me over. From there they begin prepping me for surgery.

They tie my legs together and strap them down to the table. They flip my hospital gown up so I lay exposed, which is awkward when there's 8-10 people buzzing around. My lay my arms outstretched and begin lathering my belly up with iodine. They poked needles up and down my sides to make sure I was numb. My husband comes in to sit my by side and hold my hand. The place the sheet thing over my belly, string up the paper barrier and not two seconds later I hear my doctor say "I'm cutting."

I remember laying there feeling tugging and lots of pressure. It's the most insane feeling in the world to be able to feel that. You feel as though they are literally lifting you off the table. Minutes later I heard the most amazing sound I have ever heard in my life...my daughter's first cry.

The feeling is something that is so hard to describe, but the sight and sound of her literally took my breath away. I gasped and cried knowing that my sweet baby was finally here and she was safe. The umbilical cord was wrapped once around her neck, which was causing her heart rate to drop with every contraction. It was basically strangling her, which is terrifying.

They began cleaning her off and they allowed my husband to go over and see her. Hearing her cries was amazing and I just wished I could see her. It felt like an eternity as they stitched me up. Finally they brought my baby girl around to see me and laid her on my chest. She was screaming bloody murder. My voice was horse from crying, but I spoke to her telling her it was OK and that mama was here. They say that your baby will recognize your voice once outside the womb and it's true. As soon as she heard my voice, she immediately stopped crying and looked at me. The feeling that consumed me is indescribable.

They whisked her away for testing to make sure her blood flow was OK among other things. They sent my husband with the baby and I was alone again. From there I was wheeled to recovery where I was able to hold my daughter in my arms for the first time...