Birth Story
My story actually starts 2 days before Connor was born so this might be a little long.
Thursday
We were supposed to start the inducing process on October 14. The way that works here is we were told that the hospital would call us and tell us when to come in but after sitting around all day we finally got a hold of the induction and assessment ward at our hospital. We were told they were pretty busy and had no room/time to start another induction so we were “scheduled” for the next day.
Friday
After an ENTIRE day of sitting around waiting for the phone to ring the day before I was in NO hurry to get out of bed Friday. But at 7:45 the phone rang. It was the hospital. We were up for induction and were to come in as soon as possible. So off we went.
We got to Induction and Assessment at around 8:30am and were hooked up to the monitors. They monitored Baby for abut 30 mins, then the doctor came in and checked my progress. I was still at a “loose” 1cm – the same 1cm I was at in the doctors office for the past few weeks. So in went the cervidil. Then we waited. They monitored baby for 2 more hours and then we were allowed to leave.
For the rest of the day on Friday I had to call into the hospital every 4 hours and answer a series of questions about contractions, bleeding, etc. I was feeling like NOTHING was happening so the answers were easy. I was having mild cramps much like menstrual cramps but nothing much else. We were told to come in the next morning to be checked again and see how things were progressing.
Saturday
After a horrible sleep we headed back into the hospital for a check on my progress and the cervidil. We were monitored again for 20 mins before they checked my cervix. This time we were about 2 cm – the doctor still described it as a loose 1-2cm so very little progress from the day before. But they did tell me that everything was much more soft than the day before and they assured me that the first day of cervidil had in fact done some good. So we got cervidil number 2. I was again monitored for 2 hours after the cervidil was placed.
The routine was exactly the same on Saturday as it was on Friday. I had to call in every 4 hours and answer the same questions again. Saturday felt much like Friday but I was sure I was having even less cramping. So the plan was to head back to the hospital again Sunday.
Sunday
Morning finally came and we decided to head in a bit earlier than normal (normal for the past 2 days had been 9-10) but today we went in around 8. Induction and Assessment was not open (staffing issues on the weekend) so we headed to Labour & Delivery as directed. I was fully expecting the same as Saturday. I was expecting to hear that we had made no progress and would have cervidil number 3 and would be sent home. BUT that did not happen.
Instead the doctor checked and I was 3cm. She said there was no reason for another cervidil and instead we would start IV Oxytocin to get things going. And this is when things got interesting. The doctor who had checked me was a resident (I have absolutely no issue with that at all) so about an hour later the attending doctor came in. In the meantime the nurse who was with me had been setting up the IV and getting me ready. So the doctor (Dr. Jan) repeated the process of the previous doctor but decided to break my water as well. However, while he was checking me there was a lot of fluid so he had the nurse swab and check for amniotic fluid. It appears that during one of the checks or in between them my water had broken on its own. I had no idea. It was nothing like I was expecting. There was no gush, there was no constant trickle of fluid, there was hardly a symptom of my water breaking.
So on to the “interesting” part. My doctors had discussed the possibility of c-section and not being able to deliver Connor vaginally because of his size. But the doctor was very clear that he thought inducing/labouring was a waste of time. He respected the wishes of me and my doctor and allowed us to continue on with our original plan of attempting labour and seeing where things went. So his opinion was very clear – c-section was imminent.
My nurse was talking to me about labour and how it was going to go. All the different methods of coping with pain and the fact that I need to give labour 24 hours to work. She was very against the idea of c-section and thought I had NO reason to think I needed one. She even felt my tummy (the doctor didn't) and told me that it didn't feel like a 10 lbs baby anyway so she was very clear that her opinion was vaginal delivery all the way.
You can see what a strange situation that put me in. On one hand I had a doctor say c-section all the way and a nurse say vaginal delivery all the way. But luckily for me I actually got to dictate how it all went.
Ok back to the story. The doctor left and the nurse started the IV and monitors. She asked me if I was feeling the contractions that were being picked up on the monitor. I told her not really. I was still feeling the menstrual cramps but still didn't associate them to contractions. Turns out that is exactly what they were – and I had been having them for 2 days (not regularly mind you). So the Oxytocin is started and with that the contractions really picked up. The way they explained the induction process to me is that they would start at 2 units then half an hour later up it to 4 units and so on until my labour was strong enough and the progress was occuring. My contractions were strong and steady so fast that we only hit 8 units for a few minutes before we stopped increasing the Oxytocin and actually started slowing it down. The nurse was great at helping us through the contractions and coaching Steve on what to do to help too. I was progressing well, alternating between standing, walking, sitting and puking though the pain. No one warned me that puking was a common side effect of labour. But puke I did. I was lucky enough to have enough warning that I didn't make a mess of myself and managed to hit the bucket they gave me every time I threw up. My nurse assured me that puking usually occurs at transition so she was sure I was making good progress.
At about 4-5 hours of labour she suggested I jump in the shower/bath. FANTASTIC idea – the shower worked wonders for the pain. While I was in the shower the nurses had shift change and I got a new nurse. Also while I was in the shower my doctor(s) came back a few times and wanted to check my progress. My first nurse turned them away a few times but eventually I got out and got checked. I was still 3 cm and baby was still at -2 station. That means 5-6 hours of labour and NO progress had been made at all. The most concerning thing about the lack of progress was that Connor had not moved down at all. Everyone (all 3 of the doctors that came in and the nurse) thought that if he was going to move down he would have already. So we were left with a decision. Keep labouring and see what happens or go with the c-section.
After quite a few minutes and a phone call to my mom we decided to go with the c-section. My parents headed up to the hospital (they live an hour an a half away) and we waited for everything to be prepped and ready for our c-section. It took longer than I expected because we were “bumped” at least once for an emergency issue. We sat around for a while and were eventually taken to the OR. While I was waiting for my spinal anesthetic I threw up for the third time. Have I mentioned how much I hate throwing up! Anyway Steve got allowed into the room and the c-section got started. And just for good measure while they were completing the incision I threw up ONE MORE TIME.
When they got delivered his head we discovered the cord was around his neck. No wonder his heart rate fell and he had no interest in moving down. It had not been around his neck in the most recent ultrasound so in the last week before he was born and more likely in the last few hours he got himself wrapped up. After they freed his cord they finished delivering him and I got to see him for a split second before they weighed, cleaned and checked him over. Steve followed Connor and I got put back together.
I had lost more blood than normal (either Connor was too big and I tore at the incision site or they cut through a uterine artery – no one really told me for sure) so after my 30 minutes in recovery I was sent back to a delivery room instead of to a post partum room. I stayed there for hours while we waited for some bloodwork to be done on me (hemoglobin levels I think). While I was in recovery and the delivery room Steve was in the nursery with Connor (my parents, Steve's mom, Steve's sister and her boyfriend). Since I had been there for so long the nurses in the nursery called to make sure it was ok that they gave Connor formula – I was in no shape to breast feed. Steve brought Connor to my room. Steve fed him for the first time and I finally got to hold him! My parents stuck around to see how I was doing since it had apparently been pretty scary how much blood I had lost. They left around 11 and my blood work FINALLY came back around 1.
By 2 am (5 hours after having Connor) we finally made it to our private post partum room. We slept fitfully that night being woken up for vital checks on both me and Connor. But it was fantastic to have our family in one room. We spent the next day at the hospital and were released the day after (Oct 19). Considering I had a c-section we were home pretty early but we took the first opportunity we had to come home and start our real life as a new family.
If you have made it through all of this congrats to you!!
2 WEEK UPDATE
Connor is 2 weeks old today. Things are going well. We are finally getting into a decent routine and have a very content baby. He even slept “through” the night last night – from midnight to 6am. We had many friends over yesterday for his first “baby shower”. Our boy was very well behaved and extremely spoiled.
New pics of Connor...
As for me, my recovery is going well. I am 6 pounds above pre-pregnancy weight meaning in the 2 weeks since Connor was born I have dropped 34 pounds of pregnancy weight. CRAZY! It took me 6-8 months to lose that much weight before we got pregnant so it has been insane to watch the scale drop so fast. I have had to be very careful to remember that I had surgery 2 weeks ago so while I am feeling great I need to take care of myself and allow myself to heal.
Post partum picture
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Connor's Birth Story - long
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