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As everyone knows by now, Diane and I have finally become parents. Two weeks before her due date, we found out that Kristin was breech. We spent the next few days agonizing over whether we should just go ahead and schedule a C-section or attempt an external version (try to turn the baby).
Diane really wanted to have a normal delivery, but her doctor let us know that there were risks to a version - the cord could be wrapped around the baby's neck and attempting to turn her could put her into stress, or the placenta could shear away from the uterus requiring the baby to be delivered literally within seconds to survive. We changed our minds at least four times - calling the doctor to schedule the C-section, then calling him to cancel the C and schedule the version, then reversing, then re-reversing.
Finally the doctor called us on Friday, March 15th and said "What are you people doing - you're not having difficulty making a decision are you?" He then spent a long time talking with Diane, and finally convinced her, and us, that if we try the version, at least we know that we did everything we could to ahve a normal delivery and there would be no second guessing after the delivery - wondering if things could have been different if we opted for a version. So we scheduled the version for Monday the 18th.
The version wasn't successful. Apparently, Kristin was in a "pike" position and her feet dragged against the placenta too much to successfully turn her. We then scheduled the C-section for very early Wednesday a.m.
But Kristin apparently is like her dad and is no early morning person. Tuesday night, at 9:45, Diane's water broke and we went straight to the hospital where the doctors performed an emergency C-section - and thus Kristin was born at exactly 11:30 pm, March 19th.
Everything about the birth went extraordinarily well - except that Kristin didn't want to come out. The doctor had to corkscrew her out because she was hanging on with her fingers. I guess it was nice and comfy in there. Kristin was very healthy (8s and 9s on the APGAR) and Diane was in excellent shape. She was up walking around at 8 o'clock the next morning. Now Diane claims that a C-section is the only way to deliver a baby. No hours of labor to go through. She would gladly do it that way again.
The only down-side of the C-section was that Diane wasn't able to spend much time with Kristin right after she was born as with a normal delivery. However, I videotaped the delivery and a little bit of Kristin in the nursery - then went back to show the tape to Diane while she was in the recovery room. Being able to see that tape of Kristin made Diane feel a lot better.
It was a wonderful, wonderful experience.
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