Here is the story of Cedar's birth, from Daniel's point of view...
"Cedar was born Thursday, June 7th, 2018. We picked it because it was easy to remember 6-7-2018… and because 7 is lucky.
We were anxious for her birth because of everything she had already been through and we wanted to see how she's doing after fetal surgery. We were also very excited because she's our only girl and our last. I already felt like she was a part of our family and it was now her time for her birth… which was not the beginning of her life like most people associate with their children (even as I did with Riley and Miles). Since it was scheduled, there was no drama and we simply got ready that morning (had bags packed from the night before) and we left for the U of U hospital. We checked in. The C-section was scheduled for 9:30. Camee’s nurse was Casey/Kasey who was very nice and professional despite the funky blood bath IV.
In addition to me, Lori, Kim, and Kristy were all present. I recall praying silently in Camee's room that all would go well. Camee soon after got an epidural in another room. I put on scrubs and a cap and booties and was told I would be summoned to be with Camee in the OR.
I was summoned and when I got there, Camee was lying on the table with her arms straight out to the side and legs nearly flat (basically making a cross.) There were at least four doctors/nurses on the operating side and two more doctors next to me near Camee’s head. Camee had a blue curtain positioned vertically at about her shoulders about 5' tall which I could look over to see what was going on which I did several times. My mom previously recommended that I sit down whenever I needed so I wouldn’t faint. The nurses in the OR asked if I had ever seen Brave Heart and I said I did... I had actually made a reference to that earlier when the family was all together. I was a little paranoid that I would faint, but I never even felt sick because of the blood.
Camee's incision was already made when I entered the room. I sat to Camee's left by her head. I believe I kissed Camee on the forehead and told her that she was doing great. I never thought that much about C-sections but now that I’ve been in the OR I know that it’s a huge event with lots of craziness (doctors, machines, tools, drugs, etc) all going on at the same time and it filled me with even more awe for my wife that she had the courage to do all of this for Cedar. It’s intimidating being in the OR and probably more so for someone consciously being operated on with little to no ability to control anything that’s going on.
Camee was awake and from my perspective was uncomfortable. She was alert and yelped "Ow!" a few times which was very different from the very long and groggy "ow" she said as her first words to me post fetal surgery. These seemed more like sharp, prolonged pains. Her discomfort and volume increased as the surgery went on. I knew that Camee was fairly numb where her previous incision was, and I found it odd that the doctors' procedure for testing the pain medication was pinching that area very hard. I mentioned that to one of the doctors and she nodded and said, "Oh yeah, you may be right." I was just thinking, well, yeah I’m right… and how come you didn’t know that?!
As Camee's groans and discomfort increased, the anesthesiologist and other doctors seemed to panic a bit that Camee was in pain and they added a drug to her IV which made her "loopy". As Camee closed her eyes, the scariest thought ever came to me which was that I could lose both Camee and Cedar. Although I knew this was a possibility with each pregnancy, it never felt real until I was in the hospital without my new baby and with my wife having closed eyes and doctors panicking over Camee's drugs. I asked the doctor next to me if Camee was alright and she said the medication would make her "loopy." One or more times Camee opened her eyes and further expressed discomfort. I believe Cedar had not been born yet but she was born very soon after.
Cedar's birth was very fast. One of the doctors carefully pulled her out. I was standing and watching. I asked if I could record it on my phone but was not allowed. Cedar was gray in color like Riley and Miles when they were born, had her mouth open, and had dark hair! One doctor immediately took her to the window where another doctor or nurse took her to where the newborns are taken care of (in the NBICU). Another thought came to me and scared me that maybe they would confuse my baby with another person's baby!! Then a half second later I remembered that Cedar had had fetal surgery and that there would be no mistaking her.
I wanted to see Cedar to see if she was breathing because I didn't know at this point and Miles needed CPR when he was born. I also wanted to stay with Camee to make sure she was going to be ok. I was torn to not know for sure on either! Camee's eyes were closed when Cedar was born but I told her, "You did it!" and "We have a baby girl!" I cried because I was so happy that Cedar was here and because it was Camee that made it all possible.
The next step was to perform the tubal as Camee and I had requested but as they began, Dr Monson saw that doing so would be risky. The surgery was starting to take longer than what seemed they liked but Dr Monson knew Camee's and my wishes to do the tubal. Dr Monson wasn't sure what to do at this point and openly asked the room if she should not do it. No one said anything until I said I agreed. I didn't want anything risky and especially not now. The rest of the room then simultaneously agreed or nodded to not doing the tubal. Camee's surgery was completed without the tubal. Before they finished, I was notified that Cedar was breathing and was a nice pink color and that I could go see her. I asked if Camee would be ok and was told that she was. That was a great relief and I felt good enough about her condition to leave her and I was led to the NBICU to see Cedar.
When I first saw Cedar in the NBICU, she was 34 minutes old. I was the first family member to see her. I immediately took a picture of her and it was upside down. I suddenly remembered I get to have a bunch of the firsts with her. I told her I loved her (first). I held her hand (first). Besides her dark hair, one of the first things I noticed about her was her feet. Cedar had been breech for so long that her feet had formed so that her toes were nearly resting on her shins. One of her feet was also turned in which reminded me of Miles's club foot. Seeing her feet and knowing she had had her back closure and thinking of the trials she has already had and the trials she will have in her life made me weep for her in front of everyone in the NBICU. Some time passed and after regaining my composure and wiping tears and nose, I was the first to hold her in arms. I was so happy to hold her! I thanked Heavenly Father for Cedar.
I texted Camee's family and my family that Cedar was born and then all the texting craziness happened. Everyone wanted pictures and I sent one to Lori, Kim, Kristy, Haley, and the same to my mom, dad, and Joseph. After about 20 minutes, Dr Bullough came to inspect her back closure and was very pleased with how it looked. There was no leaking or major inflammation. He also inspected her head and had me inspect her head too to ensure that her soft spot was not bulging which would have been indicative of hydrocephalus. This was great news! Additionally, I was quite surprised that her head was a normal size... I was fully expecting Cedar to have a giant head due to her large ventricle sizes.
I was told that Camee was awake and that I could see her. It was hard to say goodbye to Cedar after just having met her in person but I was able to do so knowing she was in the best hands. I was shocked that Camee was ready because it didn't seem that long ago that she was still in the OR. I was anticipating that she'd be loopy for hours like her fetal surgery. When I came to Camee's room, we were given privacy after pushing some blood clots and we cried together (my third time for the day). I showed Camee the rest of the pictures I had taken and as well as the video of our brand new beautiful baby girl. I also told her the good news that Dr. Bullough had said about her back and head.
I really felt that so many prayers and so much love and hard work had all come together and were now visible. I loved this day. It was filled with craziness all over and yet it was such a beautiful day. We are now the Faulk family of five!"
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