The Birth - Part I

It's snowing...again. Pete is here with me and we've told everyone that the c-section is scheduled for 10:00. There are a lot of people here. My family, Pete's family and a lot of our close friends. So many people. It's closing in on 10:00 and the nurse comes in to tell me I'll be a little delayed. I'm not the 1st one scheduled for a section and the one before me showed up late due to the storm. I lost track of time but at one point they finally come to get me and Pete. We're in a room where the nurse preps me (well - really she just checked to make sure I had shaved...lol). They give Pete a gown, mask and booties to change into. And the anesthesiologist comes in to go over some things with me. It's all happening so fast yet time feels like it has stopped. They eventually take me in to start the spinal. I'm more nervous about this than anything. I've watched way too many baby stories, welcome home baby and special delivery shows. I psych myself up for all this pain and in the end...it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be - yet. It took longer than it should have to do the spinal - he kept missing or something. It took 3 times. I don't care - just get it done. Finally, he gets it. I'm numb and one of the docs says "ok - swing your legs up on the table". Now maybe this was a test but come on...I can't feel anything from the waist down - no way can I swing anything! They help me get all the way on the table. Then they pin my arms down. Really - they strapped them down so I can't move them. I have an IV in one arm, a BP cuff on the other and monitors all around. Someone puts a curtain up so I can't see anything. Now there's oxygen on my face. I'm sweating bullets but shaking and have goosebumps. The doc makes an incision and asks me if I feel anything. No...but where's Pete? He has to be here. I can't see him. Someone leaves to get him and they both come back in the room. Thank God he's here. He sits next to me on a stool and I tell him for the 100th time "don't leave the babies. I'll be fine - make sure you go with the babies." The anesthesiologist stays next to me. He says he's going to give me some meds and monitor my blood pressure every minute. If I start to feel dizzy or nauseous to tell him. They make the incision...