Friday, January 4, 2013

Being Born Isn't Easy!

I was great with child. 
 It's funny, looking at this picture now I don't seem that HUGE
 But then I look at this picture taken 10 days later, and it turns out I was huge.
This is a picture of me in the hospital room when I gave birth to Jack, just over 8 years ago. I was in labor with contractions about 5 minutes apart here. Cool, right?
This is the long version. Just skip to the pictures if you don't want all the details :)
Thursday, Jan 3rd was exactly 1 week before my due date. I had an appointment with my midwife that morning. I was hopeful that she would strip my membranes and I would go into labor (this is what happened for both Henry and Amelia, so I had good reason to hope). Plus, 1/3/13 is a really cool birthday, right? 
So my appointment was at 9:30 am (and I was dilated to 4.5 cm, awesome!), but I didn't really start having contractions right away. I sent Tyler back to work and his Mom came from dropping his Dad at the airport around 1-ish? I told Tyler to not take too long, but to wrap things up. I napped until a little while and then made a popcorn snack. I'd been having some contractions, but nothing really major. Tyler got home at 3:30. I was sitting at the table with his Mom and the kids having popcorn. I know he was thinking, "I just came home for a popcorn snack!?!" but then my contractions started to come much more intensely and much closer together. We started getting things together to go to the hospital.
By 5 they were about 5 minutes apart and getting more intense. Ladies who have unmedicated births usually labor at home for as long as possible, but I tested positive for Group B strep, so I needed to get antibiotics (2 doses 4 hours apart). Plus, I didn't want to spend transition in the car. Driving to the hospital, with the normal bumps in the road, is uncomfortable enough. Transition in the car would be brutal. I was already really uncomfortable, which is very different from my last 3 labors. 
We got to the hospital (here's where I put in my plug for Orem Community! BEST HOSPITAL AND NURSES IN THE VALLEY!!) and I couldn't make it from the entrance to the check-in desk without stopping for contractions. I made friends with the check-in nurse and she took us to the room where (as I already mentioned) I gave birth to Jack. It was a pretty special moment. We arrived at 5:50, just in time for the shift change. Our nurse was the same the entire time and she was AMAZING. 
Except I was already really, really uncomfortable.
That isn't normal for me. I just couldn't get into the hypno-zone, even though I was able to totally relax my body. I felt really discouraged when the nurse found me at only 5 cm. The midwife on duty was reluctant to admit me, thinking I might not be in active labor since it was such a small change from the morning. They wanted to monitor me. So they did (I stood and leaned over the bed the whole time. Weird, but WAY better than lying down this time!). After they saw that I really was in active labor and that baby was handling the contractions well, I was at 6 cm and they started the antibiotics. Tyler and I went and walked. Actually, mostly we stopped and he held me up through contractions. 
I started getting tired. My right thigh was cramping up from standing and gravity was causing a lot of contractions. However, I couldn't get comfortable lying down. It made the contractions way more uncomfortable. 
So, after I finished the first round of antibiotics at 7:20, we tried a lot of different positions to relax. Standing, even with the leg pain, was still the best. I was at 7 cm, so we thought it wouldn't be long. 
But an hour or so later, even though contractions were getting intense enough that I told Tyler "I never, ever want to do this again. Really.", I was still at 7 cm. 
I was worn out and I was slowly losing my ability to cope.
I asked about them breaking my water, knowing it would get things moving along (even though I really didn't want them to have to break my water, since that was usually when I lost coping ability during labor). Like, in 3 contractions I'd be pushing and then 3 contractions after that I'd have the baby and be done with a labor FOREVER.
The nurse was really reluctant. It was only 1 hour until I could have the 2nd dose of antibiotics and they really, really wanted me to get that dose. However, she told me that it was still my choice.
Tyler just gently reminded me of how much I wanted to NOT have my water broken and that I'd regret the choice to do it. 
So I decided (I think I was inspired) to get into the tub.
The nurse needed to located the wireless monitors, but the midwife OK'd it after they checked me again.
Still 7 cm. 
So very, very discouraging.
So we waited. And waited. And waited for the nurse to come back with the wireless monitor. And then we said, "forget you!" and got into the tub anyways. The nurse was totally cool with that when she came back. 
And then I needed to get OUT. So I did.
And it was time for my next round of antibiotics. Yay.
It was 11:20. I pretty much gave up on having a baby that night.
Good news was, I had actually dilated more. I was able to lean on Tyler again through contractions. We decided we'd walk around again, but then I started feeling "pushy". With a tiny push *POP* my water broke.
And then things got a little hectic...but I never felt out-of-control like I do when they break my water. My body started pushing, and there I was, stuck leaning against Tyler through the next contraction. I did not think I could move so the midwife let me know she could catch that baby any-which-way. And then I was moving up onto the bed, leaned over the upright back of the bed and on the next contraction, pushed out a little baby! (the midwife said he looked like a little fish coming down--he was kicking his way out, too). He had the cord wrapped once around his neck and he started screaming before he'd fully vacated the premises, so he ended up swallowing a lot of blood. They had to quickly cut his cord and hand him over to the pediatrics team to suction the blood out of his stomach. Both the midwife and Tyler apparently announced that it was a boy, but it didn't register until I asked, "wait, what did we have?"
I was also very insistent that I wanted my baby NOW, which was a little unusual for me (usually I'm shaking so hard I can't hold the baby for a little while). Of course, it's the one time they had to actually treat the baby for something...:) But it worked out ok.
They handed me my messy, gooey little baby and I fell completely, totally, head-over-heels in love.  He was absolutely perfect, with lots of dark hair and a round little head. They didn't even get the chance to weigh and measure him (I'm sure they were thinking, "dude, just hand the lady her baby and maybe she'll shut up about wanting to hold the kid").
 Proud papa was my rock during labor and delivery. He'll be a rock for this little boy his whole life.
  
First bath!
First mohawk!
 It's official: It's a boy!

 Meeting the family the next day! What a sweet big brother!
 Grammy and Amelia had coughs or runny noses. Grammy kept her mask on. Guess what Amelia did?
 Big sister love! Sheridan was so gentle with the baby!
 Obsessed, stalker-type love from Amelia! She truly believes he is HER baby!
First family picture!!!
It took us until we were discharged to agree on a name. Literally, I handed the filled-out form to the nurse as we were leaving. 
Tyler Cole Campbell Vigue
7 lbs 13 oz 
20.5 inches long
January 3, 2013 11:52 pm