Caelin Steven Clingan 6lbs 14oz & 20 in @ 4:59

We arrived to the hospital at 9:45 PM on Wednesday, March 14th for Caelin's 10:00 scheduled induction to begin. We were quickly admitted and assigned room # LDR2. The room is incredibly spacious with an LG T.V., a pull out sofa, big windows, message board, and so on. Around 11 PM Dr. Cruz checked my cervix and did an ultrasound to see the baby's position. He was head down which was great news; however, my cervix was completely closed. At this time they decided to insert the first Misoprostol (Cytotec) pill to begin to ripen my cervix. Around 4:30 AM Dr. Cruz came back in to the room to check my cervix; she claimed I was one centimeter dilated but still very high and posterior. Although this meant I did not make much progress, she said I did not need another pill and that the Pitocin drip would begin around 6AM. At 5:50 my nurse, Jenna, began the low Pitocin dose. I was pretty nervous at this moment for the contractions and pain to begin but they were not as bad as I had imagined them being. After being on Pitocin for almost 4 hours, a different Resident came in to check my cervix. My cervix had made absolutely no progress and although I was experiencing contractions, was no where near labor. At this point the nurse and Resident contacted Dr. Helfgott (our Physician/Perinatologist) and he instructed them to take me off the Pitocin to try another round of Cytotec. At 10:00AM my new nurse, Gail, inserted the second Cytotec pill and we hoped I would progress. I was still contracting, but rarely felt them. Then around 12:50 Dr. Helfgott arrived to check my progress for himself to be sure he knew exactly how ready or not ready I was. As he was checking he himself felt I had made no progress and that my cervix simply may not be ready for delivery. At this point we began discussing different options. I broke down because I was 90% sure before this moment that we were going to have to resort to a C-Section. (For everyone who we are close with, you know how much I had my heart set on a vaginal birth so I would be able to hold my son and get as many pictures as possible with him before being rushed to the CVICU and unable to hold him.) So the different options were: 1) We try a 3rd dose of Cytotec and hope it works 2) We try a 3rd dose of Cytotec and it does not work, which at this point they would consider it a failed induction and we would have two options: to come back to the hospital a week later and retry an inductions or do a Caesarian Section Saturday morning around 9AM. Continued from yesterday... (Dr. Helgott came into the room when I was creating this post) 3) Skip the last dose of Cytotec and plan for a Caesarian in the afternoon. Dr. Helfgott left the room and left the decision up to us. He said he would return at 2PM to discuss which option we had selected and answer any more questions.

After much contemplation, quite a few tears, and a long conversation between Sean and I, we decided to go with the C-Section this afternoon. We went with this option because the nurse and doctor Helgott were incredibly reassuring and compassionate towards my major concerns and fears with a C-Section: 1) I would not be able to hold my son because my arm movement would be restricted 2) We would not be able to take many, if any, photographs of us holding our son. We knew there would be a ton of nurses and team members in the room because of his condition and we were not sure if there would be time or someone available to snap a family photo of us because my Dad would not be allowed in the operating room. They said they would do everything in their power to make sure I am able to hold my son and get the pictures I wanted. My nurse, Gail, even offered to contact a hospital photographer who takes pictures of the new babies and families once they are delivered and in the Mommy & Baby Wing. Gail was able to get in touch with Jenny, the photographer, and ask her how she would feel about taking photographs in the O.R. during and after the procedure. After speaking to her supervisor, Jenny said she would love to take the photographs! All of a sudden, most of my fear subsided and excitement overwhelmed me (it did for Sean, too).

So the surgery was unbelievable (in a good way :) ). When it was time, Gail came to get me out of the delivery room and walk me to the O.R. Cassie and my Dad went toward the waiting area to be with Keetha and Angie while Sean dropped our personal belongings off and then waited to me to be prepped so he could sit right next to me in during the operation. For the surgery, I walked into this white room with two tables and a bunch of machines- it really was a scene from out a television show (this was the first time I had ever seen an operating room). The first thing they did was give me a spinal block to numb my body from the bust down. Almost instantly I felt my toes getting tingly and numb. Then, they laid me down, hooked me up to a blood pressure machine, put a thermometer strip on my forehead and chest, checked my I.V. liquids, put up the curtain and finished preparing my body for surgery. They also gave me medication for nausea because I started feeling sick fromThe entire nursing and supporting staff were wonderful! I could not have asked for a more compassionate, understanding, trustworthy, and knowledgable group. Just as I was asking for Sean, the nurses finished the prepping and in he came! He sat to my left and held my hand the whole time. I did really feel anything- not even too much tugging or pushing/pulling. When he was just about to make his entrance, the nurses told Sean to stand up and he could watch Caelin come out! :) This moment was completely consuming! He loved watching him come out and started describing him to me (he came out peeing! hahaha). Doctor Helfgott then showed him to me over the curtain and the nurses took him to the back of the room to clean him up, weigh him, and check to make sure everything looked good. I could hear him crying but it did not sound very loud. I said, "I thought his cry would be louder." And the nurses and doctor Helfgott replied, "That's a real loud cry! (and they chuckled)" The nurses even said that was one of the loudest they had heard all day... I guess my ears were a little muffled. lol After I heard he was 6 pounds 14 ounces and born at 4:59P.M. they brought him over to me to hold! I started crying, I was so overcome with joy, excitement, and amazement. The photographer was snapping all kinds of photos- it was THE BEST MOMENT OF MINE AND SEAN'S LIFE. I got to hold him for what felt like an eternity because I had waited so long and had prepared myself for the disappointment of not being able to hold him (it was probably close to 10 minutes which was the best 10 minutes of my life).