Landon,
Seeing as you are 3 weeks old I figure its time to write down your birth story!
You were born at 2:12 am on Friday, September 7th, 2012 after approximately 13 hours of un-medicated back labor. But lets back up a bit....to Wednesday September 5th.
On Wednesday I had my regular weekly OB appointment (38 weeks +2 days). During the appointment the doctor and I discussed your scheduled induction date of September 13th and while we were discussing how my gestational diabetes was going along I told her that it had gotten significantly better and that I was even able to eat more than I could the previous week and still have a lower blood sugar score. She got a funny look on her face and told me that having my blood sugar get better instead of worse the closer to my due date meant that my placenta was wearing out and that birth was close. She decided to check me for progress and found that I was 4 cm dilated. The doctor really didn't think that I was going to still be pregnant by
my induction date so we moved it up to September 11th which was the
soonest she could induce under the circumstances.
I had some mild low back pain over the previous day and skipped my blood thinning shot just in case it was labor but when it went away I figured it was nothing. The doctor had told me that if I thought I was going to go into labor then I would need to skip my blood thinning shot (at this point I had just switched to twice a day heparin- very ouchy shot!). What we were trying to avoid with the induction was having me go into labor spontaneously soon after taking a shot. In fact, the plan was to stop it a day and a half prior. She said the worst case scenario would be to take my shot and go into labor an hour later so if I thought labor was imminent then I needed to skip a dose. Later that night I had more back pain so I skipped my next shot. (two shots in a row). By the next morning I woke up feeling fine. I proceeded to vacuum, dust, clean out the fridge, and clean the bathroom mirrors. Since I felt fine all morning I figured I would need to go ahead and take my afternoon dose since I couldn't skip the shots indefinitely. I took the shot and then decided to lay down for a nap while Ethan napped. Just one hour later I woke up with strong back pains. I still wasn't sure it was labor though since I had been cleaning all morning. I tried to time the contractions but they were 2-5 minutes apart and didn't feel like how I remembered contractions feeling. It was more like timing back pain than stomach pain so I really wasn't sure what was going on but I was skeptical that it was real labor. This was at 1:30 pm (I had taken the shot at 12:30 pm)
An hour later I was still hurting so I sent a text message to your Daddy and to a friend who had offered to babysit Ethan and I let them know that I didn't think I was in labor but I wasn't sure. Then I called the doctor's office and spoke with the nurse who said to go to the hospital when the contractions were 5-6 minutes apart for an hour. When I explained that they were closer but weren't felt in my stomach she was unsure as well but said I could always go to the hospital to be checked out. We agreed that if I still felt this way in 40 minutes then I would go to the hospital. Then she called me back not 3 minutes later and told me that she had spoken with the doctor and she wanted me to go to the hospital as soon as possible since I had so recently taken my shot and I had a history of fast labor (Ethan was 3 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing).
I still felt pretty good so I drove your brother to the friend's house then met your Daddy at the house to go to the hospital. Then we got lost in construction around the hospital and then lost in the hospital itself. The maps I printed out in preparation of your birth were useless to us but we finally found labor and delivery. At this point it was already 4:30 pm. I was sent to maternal observation to be observed for an hour prior to being admitted and we discovered that I was 4.5 cm dilated. They told me that I could either go home or stay for an hour and see if I progressed. I felt so bummed. It sounded like it was a false alarm! I was okay with being patient and waiting for you to be ready but I was upset that I had called your Father away from work and had potentially inconvenienced a friend by having to leave Ethan in her care with little notice just to have to turn around and do it again on another day! We agreed to wait and walk the halls but we we felt resigned that today would not be the day you were born since several hours had already gone by and I didn't feel too much different. After the hour passed I was checked again and was at almost 5 cm so I was given the choice of being admitted to L& D and told that the worst case scenario would be spending several more hours at L&D and then being sent home.
Once I got settled into the room I sent your Dad home at around 7 so that he could pick up your brother and put him to bed and wait for your Aunt Kalyn to arrive to watch him at the house. I was alone from around 6:30 pm to 11 pm but it actually felt great to be alone. The room was so quiet that I didn't even want to turn on the television or the radio. I tried but turned them off. Being in a quiet room all by myself felt luxurious and I chuckled over how I had to have a baby in order to get a little quiet time. During this time I walked the halls, rocked in a rocking chair, and used the quiet time for prayer and reflection as I prepared to meet you. The contractions were coming a bit stronger but I felt very calm and composed.
Not long after being admitted to L&D I was already at 5 cm and told that I would be staying until I had the baby. For some reason I was still skeptical and over the next few hours as I was checked and still found to be at 5 cm I felt anxious that I would be sent home. I walked the halls for hours to try to help labor progress so that this wouldn't happen. Finally it sunk it that they were not going to send me home and I decided to try laboring in the room so that I didn't completely wear myself out. Because you were not yet at 39 weeks gestation and because of the situation with having recently taken a blood thinner they did not want to augment labor with pitocin or by breaking my water. The doctor wanted the blood thinner out of my system for 36-48 hours before intervening and they were fine with letting me stay at the hospital and labor that long if need be. It was already evening and I had not eaten since I had a granola bar at noon at all I had prior was 2 hard-boiled eggs and a cup of half-caf coffee at breakfast. Luckily because of the gestational diabetes I was allowed to eat even though I was in labor. I had 6 crackers and 3 slices of cheese along with some apple juice and it was an amazing meal. It was almost too much food but it gave me so much energy.
At 10 pm my blood work came back and showed that the
heparin was already out of my system! Perhaps having skipped the two
prior doses helped it leave my body faster. I was at 6 cm but with as
much amniotic fluid as you had you weren't positioned low enough to
progress labor very well and the doctor was worried about the risk of
cord prolapse so he decided to go ahead and break my water. Now I
finally felt like it was real and that you were going to be born soon.
Your Dad arrived a little later along with my Mother, the birth
photographer, and your Mimi and Poppy.
Your Daddy and I were less prepared for your birth than we were for your brother's. Since we had been through a birth before we didn't have any formal birth plan. We hadn't even discussed who would be in the room with us or anything prior to recently deciding to have a birth photographer. We didn't do any birthing classes and we had only located the book from the class we took when I was pregnant with Ethan the night before. Because I was taking blood thinners I knew the chance of being able to have an epidural was iffy since it depended on platelet count so I knew your birth would be unmedicated. However, I also thought your birth would be faster than Ethan's so I didn't think I would have much time to labor and use what is taught in birthing classes. With Ethan I arrived at the hospital during the last stages of labor prior to birth and there was no time for labor positions. I was just hoping that you wouldn't be born on the highway or at home. However, I hadn't taken into account that you were positioned to where the doctors thought you were going to be either huge or that you were transverse, or that I would have back labor or that all the amniotic fluid would slow things down.
Because we felt a bit unprepared I am so glad that your grandparents were in the room to help distract your Daddy. Neither of us remembered how to labor for natural childbirth and I know it was hard for him to see me labor, want to help, and not know how. Having people around helped pass the time and because I didn't want to people to see me in pain it helped me to stay composed through the contractions. Right as I was going through the final stages prior to your birth your grandparents left.
I have no idea how long I was in the transition stage of labor or how long the pushing stage lasted. I know I threw up a few times, and I remember the nurse having trouble finding your heart beat and asking me to wear an oxygen mask to help you out. I remember saying that I wasn't sure if I wanted pain meds or not so I decided to go without them then I wished I hadn't but then I was glad I did. In the end, I'm glad we did this naturally because being able to feel my body's response to labor gave me the sense of urgency that I needed to pick up the speed and get you born. Such sweet relief it was to hear your first cry!
And that brings us back to Friday, September 7th at 2:12 am. The moment that you were born.
7 lbs 4 oz and 19 inches of precious baby boy!
** Special thanks to Deborah at Deborah Frances Photography for the wonderful birth photos! **
