Birth Story (a bit late)...

October 19, 2008

It was 4am, and I was just staring at our clock timing my contractions...5 to 7 minutes apart…and they seemed stronger than the day before. I was amazed I actually was able to sleep for a good portion of the night…well, at least five hours (with a few pee trips in-between). Nate woke up at 5am as he was scheduled to work. While I had a small amount of bloody show, we decided Nate would go to work, and I would call him if there were any changes…he left at 6am. After he left, I finished packing our suitcase for the hospital, took a shower, fed our dogs, and ate a couple of Nutrigrain waffles. My contractions were now about 4-7 minutes apart and still regular. At 8am, I called my OB, Dr. S. He said it sounded like I was in labor and I should go to the hospital to get checked out. I then called Nate, and he was home by 8:45am or so.

We arrived at the hospital around 9:30 am, and I was taken to an OB Triage room. They hooked me up to the monitor to watch my contractions. When the nurse checked my cervix, I was about 4cm and about 80% effaced. She said he was still up high, so she had the OB on-call verify (head) position via an ultrasound. And, yes, he was still head-down. After assessing me, they admitted me to L&D---yay!!!

We arrived to our room at about 10:30am and settled-in…the nurse then hooked me back up to the monitors, measured my blood pressure, and started an IV. At noon, she checked me, and I was 5cm dilated and 80% effaced. After making a few phone calls, Nate and I walked around the hallways of L&D…trying to move things along.

My next cervix check was at 2pm, and I was 6cm…and his head was lower. At this point, I was starting to consider getting an epidural. While the contractions were manageable, I was starting to get back labor…so very uncomfortable. Our nurse had also mentioned the possibility of starting pitocin since my contractions weren’t on a roll as they had been when we first came to the hospital. Between the back labor and the possibility of starting pitocin, I was starting to doubt my pain tolerance…especially when I was thinking about the pushing stage. I was starting to freak out a little.

At 4pm, I was still dilated about 7cm and was having almost constant back pain. I was ready for an epidural. Although natural childbirth was my goal, I wanted relief and I wanted to enjoy the birthing experience. The epidural was placed and took effect by 5pm. Although anything poking into the spine freaks me out, getting an epidural wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. Once it took effect, I was relaxed and felt like a new woman. It was weird not being able to lift or move my legs…but I didn’t care…I had no more pain!

My water broke around 5:30pm when my nurse was checking my cervix. I heard a pop…and she commented on how much fluid was released. It was good to hear it was clear with some blood (the NICU nurse in me didn’t want to hear the word “meconium” in any part of her assessment). I was still dilated about 7cm. A new discovery was the nurse thought she felt Evan’s hand/fingers near his head…a second nurse confirmed the same thing. During this time since my water broke, Evan was starting to have more episodes of heartrate drops (hanging out at 80-110 at times). They placed a nasal cannula on me to provide more oxygen to me and Evan.

Around 7pm, Dr. S came to assess me…and he discovered Evan was either presenting ear-down or face-down…both of which would provide for a more difficult delivery. He brought up the likelihood of a C-Section, but also offered to let me labor longer to see if Evan would correct his position. Nate and I both decided a C-Section was the best option for a safe delivery. We didn’t want to put Evan through any more stress.

By 8pm, they had me prepped for surgery and set-up in the OR. Nate was right by my side when they started the C-Section--he was so amazing during this whole process! Although I felt no pain, I was shivering horribly. I had a lot of warm blankets over my arms and upper torso, but I couldn’t stop shivering. I also felt lots of pulling/tugging sensations where they were operating.

At 8:27pm, Evan Lawrence was born---7 pounds, 14 ounces and 20.75 inches long. Apgars 8 and 9. We found out that he was presenting face-down, and the cord was wrapped around his neck and body (which would explain his heartrate drops).

Right when Evan was born, I remember thinking he had the most adorable cry. Nate and I were both crying tears of joy as we saw our son for the first time. Nate went over to his warmer as the NICU nurses were drying him off and assessing him. After about 30 minutes, they had me all sewn back together, and I saw Evan up close for the first time.

It is such an amazing feeling to have this instant bond and love-at-first sight. Evan is perfect in every way. Nate and I are overwhelmed with so much love for our little guy---it’s the most incredible feeling! We are so very blessed and couldn’t be happier.