Oooh my knees!!!

I'm sure it's not very surprising to many of you that I'm very "type-A" when it comes to things.  I love to research & plan & research some more....regardless of what it is.  Attending the bully c-section really was no different...except that seeing videos or photos or first-hand accounts REALLY cannot prepare you for what is going to happen.

Maisy had to be at the vet first thing in the morning.  Her c-section was scheduled at 7am & while my alarm went off at 445am I couldn't help but think...ok, getting up at this time of day is really only reserved for airplane rides & dog shows...and now apparently c-sections.  So once I got the bullies & me all set for the day, I met Mary at her house to drive together to the vet.  This way I would hold onto the puppies (**fingers crossed** ) in their container on the way home.

We were the first clients to arrive at the Vet & we had to wait a bit before they were ready for us.  First, they took Maisy back to an exam room where they did a (portable) ultrasound on her.  One heartbeat!  Hooray!  Mary had kept hope alive that there would be two Otto babies in there, but one was pretty awesome!  I've never seen an ultrasound done before so it was very interesting to me.  I think I saw the spinal cord, but for all I know it could have been the umbilical cord.

After it was confirmed, Maisy was brought in back to be prepped for the c-section.  Every vet/vet's office is different.  This particular vet did not let us back during the prep...but shhh...don't tell, while we were back there I did see them prep another dog.  It consisted of a shot of something that makes them yelp (yeah, that's gotta hurt) & some cleaning of the belly...I'm sure there's more, but that's all I watched.

After Maisy was prepped, she was brought into the operating room & put "under".  Now this vet doesn't put them completely under but some do.  The following photos are not for the queasy...but remember I took them (Miss Medically Challenged) so they really aren't that bad.

Once she's all set, the Dr comes in & starts the cutting process.

Then the horns (uterus) are pulled out gently.  This is where the puppies are.  Think sausages...cut the skin of a sausage & POOF!  Puppies! 

After the puppies are taken out of the horn, they are thrown/dropped into a waiting Vet Tech's arms to start the process of getting all the "goop" out of their mouths.  They throw/drop so not to contaminate the puppies.  The Vet Tech will then start rubbing the puppy & sucking out the goop.

Just like a human baby, Mary didn't breath a sigh of relief until her puppy started crying!  And she did & it was sooo cute & quiet...I'm sure it isn't so quiet or cute after awhile though!

If there were more puppies in the litter, this process would be on-going with many hands on deck waiting to catch & rub the puppies!  After the puppies get the goop out, they are placed in an incubator to keep warm while momma gets stitched up.

After, momma gets taken off the table to recover & I was surprised at how fast (MAYBE 20 min) she was up & walking around to leave!  But before that, she was able to recover with her own momma (Mary) right there.

Once it was time to go, we took puppy (named Uma--kinda the female version of Uno as she was the only baby) into a container with air holes that has a heating pad & towels to bring her home in.  Momma Maisy, went right back in her kennel & almost slept on the ride home...almost.

It was quite an amazing morning!  I joked that it was "Jenny's Big Day" because I saw sooooo much for the first time ever.  I'm so glad I went & while I know I will still be freaked when/if Vivi's time comes, at least I know what to somewhat expect....although I have been warned that Sandy's vet does things a bit differently & WE will be the ones catching/rubbing the puppies!  YIKES!

Thanks again to Mary for allowing me to tag along & take it all in.  Of course she has lots of photos & updates on Uma on her blog!  Check it out!

If you're still with me & want to see more info/photos on bully c-sections, Sandy has a great page on her site that you may be interested in.  WARNING: her photos are much closer & therefore more graphic than mine!  You get a much better view of the "sausages"!

Oh & if you're wondering...my knees ONLY hurt when they took the IV out of Maisy after it was all said & done!  I was pretty happy about that!  Progress?  Doubtful...