Holdyn's Birth Story Part I

It all began after a long walk with Macy on Wednesday Oct 1, 2008. We took our usual route, about a 45 minute walk around the neighborhoods near our home. When we got home, as usual I had to pee...when I sat down t do just that I noticed some blood.

Uh, OK I thought, is this really what I think it could be and mean? So, I called our midwives office and spoke to one of our midwives. I explained that I had just taken a walk and came home to find a little blood. Long story short, she concluded that it could have been my mucous plug and that we might in fact be meeting our baby in a few days! I was a little beside myself with happiness and I admit I also felt the littlest bit of worry, but that didn't last long. Then I called Matt to tell him the news, he was shocked and I could tell he was nervous and concerned and HAPPY! I told him there wasn't a need for him to rush home, I felt fine with no signs of contractions. So, I went about my afternoon, lying low and resting as best I could. Talking to the little Bunny rabbit who we would in fact meet in a few days time.

Matt came home from work, and shortly thereafter we headed to the mall to the bookstore because I needed to use the wifi as we had been without it all day at home and I needed to get some work done just in case I went into labor. It was also a good excuse to look through some baby name books (since we hadn't finalized on any of our choices!). We went to sleep that night....and let's just say we gave things a little push to see if my body would start some contractions!

Sure enough, when I woke up to pee around 4am....I WAS FEELING SOME CONTRACTIONS!!! They were small, but definately there and noticeable! I woke Matt up to tell him, we both agreed that we should get some more sleep. I was only able to doze off a few times, the contractions were getting stronger as the early hours of the morning went by. We had our scheduled weekly midwife apt. that morning at 8:30. As we were getting ready to go to it my contractions were getting even stronger....so it took us a little longer to get to the appointment. Finally we got there around 9am, I peed in the cup, stepped on the scale and had my blood pressure taken. When we got into the room and I sat up on the table I felt like I might puke, and seconds later I did just that! Banana and oatmeal all over the floor, YUM! The midwife who saw us brought us to another room, she checked the heart rate, checked me and I was 3cm (i think, I can't remember at this point!), anyways, then they got me set up on the monitor which I was happy to have and be able to hear Holdyn's heart beating away beautifully while I contracted. We stayed on that for a while, then our midwife said that she was going to have us head to the birth center for more monitoring and ultrasound, again I was happy to hear this news!

So, on our way we went. Matt called Ron (Macy's uncle, our dear friend Ron) to come and get her, that we were in labor and heading to the hospital.

When we got to the hospital around 11am and parked it was nearby the doorway we had entered when we were in labor with Birdie. It was a door that we had both feared, but we just had to go through it, and down the hallway was the birth center. When we got to the door, we could see familiar caring faces of many nurses who had taken such tender care of us after Birdie died. We felt safe that they would be there for us and with us this time, through this labor and birth experience.

We were brought into one of the outpatient rooms, the monitor straps were secured to my very round contracting belly and I felt relief again to hear our babies heart beating away in my ear. He was doing so well, with each contraction he did so GOOD! Of course there were decels here and there, but his heart rate would bounce right back up as it was supposed to! He was looking good and so healthy, and an ultrasound also confirmed this as well as him being ready to be born when the time came. After the ultrasound I got up to walk the hall a bit, not too long after getting out into the hall and walking I felt like I was going to puke! I warned Matt so he tried to get me back to the room....it was too late! I projectile vomited ALL OVER HIM! Thank goodness it didn't stink, but he was soaked with it! The nurses gave him clean scrubs to wear, I felt so bad for him.

The midwife who was at the hospital checked me every hour or so, I was dialating but at first it wasn't certain if I would be admited. By around 2pm I think I had made it to 4cm (maybe it was earlier, I can't remember!) so I was admitted and we were assigned a room. So, we moved down to the room and got settled. It was a nice big sunny room all the way at the end of the hall, the opposite end of the hall from "Birdie's Room".

This was it, I was in labor and we were going to meet our little miracle soon! I had been hoping for an earlier delivery....but I had in mind 38 weeks, but since the baby was ready and healthy it was totally cool that the birth happen at 37 weeks!!!

For a good portion of my labor I did use the hypnosis, and it seemed to help, I wanted to make sure to mention this because I had talked about it in earlier posts.

OK, so we got settled in our room, then the nurse (one of the lovely nurses who cared for us the last time) tried to put in the IV (I needed fluids because I puked so much water up!). Well, my veins were not too good...so after a good bit of poking the anesthesiologist was called to get the IV in. After some fancy work she was successful! After this I ate a popsicle, a yummy orange popsicle! I loved eating popsicles when I was in labor! I ate ALL the orange ones! Anyways, so some of what happened next I can't remember details, but I do remember that I got up and Matt and I walked the hallway back and forth a few times, then we would get back to the room and I would lay down for a little while, or sit in the glider....or my favorite...get into the shower and let super hot water run on my back. My contractions were becoming much stronger....OH BOY were they powerful, still I was using hypnosis and it was still helping.

By the middle of the night, maybe 1am or so I couldn't handle it anymore, I needed some "help". Matt and I had a word that we agreed on, a word that only he would know if it was totally last resort that I wanted some "help" to ease the intense contractions. I tried for a very long time to use the hypnosis to hold things together, but I could feel that I was losing control a little bit, my breathing through the contractions was at a point that I was not able to ease through. My labor had been going on at that intensity for some time, I was making progress but not at the rate it felt like I was. So, I was given some pain meds via IV, it made a difference and I was able to rest a little bit. I should also mention that at some point I was given a very very small dose of pitocin to try and get my labor sped up. The baby was still responding well to the contractions, but I was progressing a little slow, again it felt to me like I was moving faster than I was. All the decisions that were being made were agreed to by me and Matt, all that we were focused on was having the baby born alive.

Anyways, a few hours later I was encouraged to get up and walk around, I was given a few options of what to do next as well...we all agreed that I would walk to the other end of the hall to the birth tub room, and before I was to get into the tub my waters would be broken, I was at 8cm I think at that point and things needed to get going. So, we slowly made our way down the hallway, Matt, the midwife and the nurse, nurse Tina (who I must tell you was AWESOME in helping me to keep calm when my contractions were becoming more than I could handle, she stayed by my side calmly encouraging me to breathe calmly...and I think she helped Matt to keep calm too.

Part II Coming Soon! Also.....CHECK OUT THE POST BELOW!!!!!!!!!!!