Brynlee Vivien's Birth Story :)

Brannyt · #1 April 26th, 2010, 12:44 PM

We went in on Sunday, April 18th at 5 p.m. to start my induction. They placed cervidil near my cervix at around 7 or so that night. Before they started the induction, I was a fingertip dilated and 30%effaced. The OB on call said that they would be extremely pleased with my progress if, when they checked me the next morning, I was at least 1 full cm. So, I crossed my fingers, took some Ambien and zonked out! And let me just say, wow. Ambien made me loopy! Lol.

Anyway, I woke up the next day and Yay! I was a full cm dilated and 40% effaced

They started the pitcoin and I lasted about 8 hours before I got the epidural. I was only 1.5 cm dilated and 50% effaced at that point, and the pain wasn't unbearable, but I didn't wanna wait til it got to that point. They also broke my water, so there was no turning back! I knew I'd have my baby soon!

And the epi worked great! The only negative thing was that my legs were so numb that I had to have DH help me move around in bed! Dead weight!

Long story short (and boring part omitted), I progressed from 4.5 cm and 50% effaced to 8 cm and 80% effaced within a 2.5 hour time period. I was shocked when the nurse said that she thought I'd have my baby within the next hour and a half! I was so excited to meet her, and so scared of the work I knew lay ahead. Around 10:45 that night I started pushing. Everything was going well for a little while, but when my OB came in and got me pushing again, Brynlee's heart rate dropped dramatically. She was averaging 150 bpm, and had dropped below 70. Needless to say, I was freaking out. My OB put me on some oxygen and told me we were going to labor without pushing to relax the baby and get her some steady Oxygen before we started again.

But we never started again.
She came back in the room and explained that, although my body had done what it was supposed to and I was doing everything she wanted, Brynlee was one of those babies that just couldn't tolerate labor. She told me she didn't want to risk the baby or me, so she wanted to prepare me for a c-section.

I held it together long enough for her to leave the room. I have been scared of a c-section this entire pregnancy, and it seemed as though I was going to be robbed of the experience of pushing my baby out on my own and holding her in my arms, covered in vernix and goo. I knew I couldn't hold her right away and it broke my heart.

Anyway, they got me prepped and the docs were wonderful. They eased my mind and the whole experience was actually pretty great. I had never had surgery before, so I didn't know what to expect, but it all went smoothly

At 1:08 am on Tuesday April 20th, Brynlee Vivien came into the world with a head full of hair, screaming her head off! She was so mad

! They showed her to me over the drape and I couldn't stop sobbing! It was the best moment of my life. I was shaking from the meds pretty badly, so I couldn't touch her when they showed her to me. But I haven't let her out of my sight since! I truly feel blessed! She is the light of our lives and worth every stretch mark and scar on my body