Coming Home

Daddy getting Macih dressed to come home

In his giraffe outfit from Chrystal ready to go

Tucked in ready to go

Greeted by his brother and sisters…boy do they love him!

Welcome Macih Paul

It was Sunday night the 29th of July, I cooked some dinner and ate a few bites. The contractions started, so I went to lay down and sweet Ryan cleaned up the dinner mess. They stayed steady and eventually made it to 10 minutes apart. I knew they were real because they were in my back. That is how all my other babies were when it was real labor. I called my Dr. and asked when she wanted me to head in. At my last appointment she told me not to waste any time and get my booty to the hospital since he was laying breech. She told me to head in and that she would meet me there. Which she did, She was waiting my arrival at about 10:15 PM

After I changed my clothes and they got me hooked up to the monitors, she ultra-sounded my stomach and saw that he was still breech. This is when the decisions start. I was also Strep B positive and needed to have antibiotics 4 hours prior to delivery. Do we want to try and turn him or wait to see how my contractions go. I knew I was in labor and we didn’t want him to engage in the breech position. Dr. Sheridan had found out that there was on OR team already in the building because some poor soul that an emergency appendectomy, which is great news because there not supposed to be one there at 11:00 on a Sunday night. They will not try and turn a baby without a OR room ready just in case something goes wrong. The anesthesiologist came in and talked with me. She was very nice. She explained that if they couldn’t get the baby turned that they would prep me for a c section and she would come in and give me a spinal, but if something went wrong I was going to have to do to sleep.

Dr. Anderson showed up and reultrasounded my belly. He said that the baby wasn’t in the greatest position to try and turn, he was straight up and down, there was no curve in his spine, but he said it was worth a try. I asked what the risks of trying to turn the baby and he said that there was a 2% chance of my rupturing my placenta, but mine was in a great spot and I had good fluid. He wanted to give me a drug that helped relax my uterus, but I still had no IV in . The nurse they sent in to start it, had poked all the way through my veins in both hands, and I have good veins…I have donated over a gallon of blood. He yelled at the nurse and said give me a needle. He shoved it in my arm and blood started squirting everywhere. He told another sweet nurse that had come in to try and help to get it fixed. She nicely cleaned up my arm and told me I was a trooper. Once the drug had time to work, he pushed and pushed on my belly and it hurt like crazy, but the baby did not move at all. He said that we needed to prep me for a c section and they hooked me back up to the monitors. This is when things took a turn for the worst. They picked up a very slow heart beat thinking it was mine as they kept trying to find his. They couldn’t find anything over 90. His should have been between 130-160 bmp. Dr. Anderson got the ultrasound machine out and was watching his heartbeat. It was not improving. He yelled get her back there. Just like in the movies, everyone started running down the hall like a herd of elephants. They told me to keep my arms in just in case we run into a wall. They pushed me into the OR and the doors closed with me on the inside and Ryan on the outside.My heart sank and tears rolled down my cheeks. It was too much of an emergency for him to get sterile clothes on. Dr. Sheridan wiped the tears from my face and told me she would be there the whole and it would be ok. I remember the anesthesiologist leaning over me and saying “WE ARE GOING TO SLEEP” She put the mask on me to breathe the gas and I woke up about an hour later in recovery. 4 minutes from Dr Anderson yelling the baby was in trouble get her back there Macih Paul Ellis was delivered by emergency c section. They worked fast and they did a great job. They saved my sweet boy from having brain damage. He wasn’t breathing the best when we was delivered. They had to give him some oxygen and rough him up a little to get him going. His ap gar scores were 5 and 9. Remember that 2% chance of my placenta rupturing…I am a beat the odds kinda girl. When he tried to turn him, he put a small hole in my placenta causing it to rupture and put the baby in distress. They said that he had about 5 more minutes until he would have had brain damage. They gave him to Ryan and let him take him to the nursery. They watched him for awhile and then told Ryan to do some skin to skin time with him and talk to him and cuddle and love on him. The nurse told me that the minute Ryan started to interact with him and Macih sparked up and you could watch him make a turn for the best.

I woke up in horrible pain in my back and my body having contractions. My whole body was shivering like I was freezing cold. When they knock you out, they don’t numb anything, you have no pain meds in our body, they just cut you open. It took them awhile to get my pain under control. It was not fun. They tried so many drugs, but finally got to feel a bit better. I got to see my sweet boy. I only held him for a few minutes the first time. I felt so weak, I didn’t want to drop him. We spent 3 days in the hospital and then headed home. My first night home I didn’t realize how hard it would be to get up and down. They removed my 14 staples before they released me from the hospital and put steri strips on my incision. When I was taking care of Macih the first night at home, I pulled my incision a little. I spent the next 5 days going to Soldotna (30 min from my house) to see the Dr who did the c section and getting a shot of strong antibiotics to prevent an infection. Thank goodness for great family and amazing friends to drive me back and forth each day and helping with the other kids and things around the house.

I am truly blessed. My Dr told me that the stars aligned for me that night, I say no…a very loving Heavenly Father was taking care of me. I had a feeling that I was going to end up with a c section, which prepared me a little for what happened that night. I was still scared. I am not going to lie. I am very thankful for all the blessings Heavenly Father blessed me with that night and the ones that he continues to give me everyday, Capable Drs and nurses, loving family and friends, beautiful children and a very sweet, caring husband. I feel that I have a new perspective on life. The things that are truly important and need to be priorities in my life I hold dear, cherish each moment I have with the ones I love. I know I have a Savior who loves me and Atoned for my sins. I am grateful for this knowledge and the peace it gives me.

Macih Paul Ellis

8 lbs 20 ins

July 30, 2012   12:13 AM