Samuel's Arrival!!! (Part 2)

   Thankfully, when we arrived at the hospital, I was already dilated to a 5 - meaning they were going to keep me - even though his head still wasn't engaged yet!  I was so relieved to know we didn't have to go home and come back at 5:30 the next morning.  (I forgot to mention that we were planning to induce Friday morning if he hadn't started coming on his own yet.)  My doctor had been calling the hospital to check on me and they updated her on what was happening.  She told them to start me on some pitocin to regulate my contractions more and try to get him engaged where he should be.  I was so thankful to discover that I could have the epidural whenever I wanted it now, so I put in my order for it.  (My body was in shock with Abigail when they gave it to me - and holding still enough for it was not easy.  I was not in shock at this point so I hoped to get it going before I got to that point.)
    Even though I did have to wait a while for it (there was some kind of mix up about possibly doing blood-work first before I could have it), I still got it before the "shock" state set in.  Unfortunately, it only worked on one side of my body this time.  I could feel everything on the other side.  We tried having me roll to the side that wasn't working for a while so gravity would bring it over, but that never did work.  I'm sure they would've eventually re-done the epidural had the next events not transpired.
    My doctor arrived around 5:30 and came in to check my progress. The nurses had told her that the baby still wasn't engaging yet so she was going to break my water to really try and get the ball rolling.  Before pulling out the tool(s) they use to do that, she checked me again... mainly to see just how high he really was.  Well... that in itself 'got the ball rolling'.  I was still at a 5, but the process of checking alone broke my water.  It was then that she realized something.  She felt a bottom, NOT a head.  She ordered an ultra-sound.
   Sure enough, just as she suspected, the ultrasound confirmed it - his head was up in my ribs and his little bottom was mooning the world - He was breeched.  "You know what that means..." my doctor was saying.  I did.  Everyone started moving around quickly to get me ready for a c-section.  I really only have to favorite memorable parts for this period: 1) They gave me this drink to swig down as fast as I could, saying "It's nasty, and will be hard for you to drink, but do it as fast as you can and it'll be over.  It'll help keep you from throwing up."  I only mention this as a memorable favorite because of my response after drinking it: "That's nothing [Kool-aid, if you will] compared to the junk you drink for a colonoscopy!"  The nurses thought it was funny.  2) John got to wear an outfit that made him feel like he was in Back to the Future.  (I love that man and his sense of humor!)
   This is the point where I get a lot of "Were you scared?"  "Did you freak out?" etc.  Honestly, no.  I trusted my doctor.  I love the way she keeps everyone calm (Like with Abigail's birth when the cord was wrapped around her neck as well as this time with having to change plans so quickly).  I not only trusted my doctor, but there had been many times in this pregnancy where I'd thought about the possibility - not really thinking it might actually happen that way, but knowing I'd have a peace about it if it did happen.  In the very few moments John and I had alone together before I was taken in, I discovered that he'd had the very same thoughts.  God had prepared us both without our knowing it! ***I love it when He does that!***
    Due to the way my epidural was not kicking in on my right side, the anesthesiologist suggested the spinal block.  Using his words, I told him "I'd rather take the 'for sure' thing than keep hoping the epidural would kick in" - even if they had to re-thread it.  Getting a spinal block after already having an epidural makes the process a bit more difficult... especially when one side of your body is not yours to control.  And by the time we got to it, my body was going into the shock that I'd dreaded... so to stop the shaking was not an easy task, especially when I could still feel the contractions on one side of my body.  It was then that the anesthesiologist further encouraged me that the block was the right way to go... since I shouldn't be in that much pain after an epidural.  Moments later, I had little to no feeling below my chest.  The relief was wonderful.
   While all of this is being done, everyone around me continued to prep the c-section room for the operation.  And one of the nurses was checking on favorite Pandora stations with John.  They set it to a "Sha-boom" station - a bunch of oldies, basically.  Not sure if the nurses have ever done "The Twist" while helping to deliver a baby, but they sure got a kick out of the music, none-the-less!
   Since they put a sheet up where we can't see anything (which I'm sure we're grateful for), I can't give all the gory details of the c-section (which I'm sure YOU are grateful for). All I know is that when I heard his little cry, I couldn't fight back the tears - and kept holding tightly to John's hand... our son was here!  "Sha-boom, Life Could be a Dream" was the song actually playing when he was born at 6:34 pm (a song John has danced with Abigail to since we got her home from the hospital).  They cleaned him up and I could hear him cry every now and then - as my tears just kept coming.  As the nurse handed our son to his daddy for the first time, John said, "He looks like Sean!"
   "Of course he does," I replied, "it's Samuel!"