Many people don’t know, but during my pregnancy, we found out that I have several gallstones. These stones were causing me extreme pain in my right upper abdomen. (I don’t say this for pity or for anyone to feel bad for me, but it’s relevant to Stryder’s birth story).
Another critical point of background is that Stryder was going to be a planned c-section. His arrival date was scheduled for Thursday, March 28th, in the morning.
After going back and forth with my OBGYN on what could be the reason for my pain for a few weeks, she had me get an ultrasound of my abdomen, which is how we realized I had gallstones. From that discovery, she had me meet with a general surgeon. This is where our story picks up.
The afternoon of Thursday, March 21st, I saw the general surgeon. We talked through the gallbladder issues and procedures. I was in immense pain, and he felt that we should talk about having our c-section early. However, it would ultimately be decided by our OBGYN on what was best for the baby and me. With being in so much pain, the surgeon did say that if things didn’t get better after the c-section, I could have gallbladder surgery about two days after the c-section surgery, as an option.
After leaving this appointment, Theo and I talked it through. If I felt better, I didn’t want to have a second surgery within two days of having Stryder. We just felt like that would be a lot to recover from (as the doctor would have to cut my abdomen open in a different spot than the c-section). However, we were mentally prepared that I would need to do it if I didn’t get better.
After our appointment, Theo mentioned that he would play a card game with his brother at a board game store around 5:30 pm. I had a gut feeling and said, “Make sure you keep your phone handy in case I need to reach you.”
Theo left to go, and I laid down for a little bit because I was in a bit of pain from my gallbladder. I had then gotten up, just about 45 minutes after Theo left, and suddenly felt a rush of fluid.
I immediately called Theo and told him I thought my water had broken. He said he would pack up his game and head right home. I wasn’t sure, so I called my mom to see what she thought. She thought we should head to the hospital. Once I found out we would most likely be going in, I jumped in the shower… (With Archer, I felt I had to clean the stove before we went in; this time, it was a shower, haha).
Finally, Theo got home, and we headed to the hospital. We called our family to let them know that we would appreciate prayers. Then, at about 6:30 pm, we checked into the hospital.
After we got into a room and had a few tests, the doctor told us that he didn’t think my water had broken. He thought that he might send us home. However, based on how I was feeling and seeing, I knew something wasn’t right. I was SO upset…
Before the doctor would decide if we should be sent home, he wanted me to stay on the monitors for a few hours and recheck everything. During this time, he would check back every so often to see how we were doing.
I was mentally going through it. I said to Theo that if we were sent home, I just had this feeling that something would be wrong with our baby. It brought me back to a place in my mind of losing Archer. For a while, I thought I would be leaving the hospital solely as a mom to two angel boys…
I was also physically going through it. The medical staff said I couldn’t eat, drink, or get any Tylenol for the pain I was in. (This was in case they did proceed with the c-section).
At one point, I told Theo I was ready to go home. We had an appointment the following day with my OBGYN, and I thought she would take me to have the c-section, based on the notes from my general surgeon and my ‘water breaking.’
Thankfully, after about three hours on the monitor, the doctor rechecked everything. He finally stated that he thought I was in labor and that it was time to “rocketship me over to the O.R.” (This was around 10 pm).
The nurses came and whisked me off to start prepping for surgery. The team was so sweet to let us talk about Archer, understand our concerns, and provide the best care they could.
Once the procedure started, Theo entered the room. It felt like forever before I heard Stryder’s first cry, even though it was only a few minutes. The emotions rushed out of my body, and I remember welling up with tears. I didn’t get to see Stryder right away because he was getting his cord cut, weighed, cleaned up, and all the things the nurses do to make sure he was okay.
Finally, Theo walked over with my sweet boy; my heart melted.
The long wait for the c-section to be over then started. I don’t know if I took my eyes off Stryder the whole time. When the procedure was done, I immediately wanted to hold him. (I’m not sure I let go of him much, either.)
Theo and I were tired when we got to our room about 3:30 am, but it didn’t matter. We were both so enamored with Stryder that we couldn’t get enough. Being earthly parents again has been important to us, and we FINALLY get that again.
Oh, not to leave you all hanging, But after the c-section, my gallbladder pain immediately went away. We talked to the general surgeon the day after Stryder’s birth and decided it was best to wait until later in 2024 to have my gallbladder taken out. I’ll want this out if I plan to have more babies, as it will just get re-compressed and cause pain if I don’t.
