Saturday, August 16, 2008

Birth Story

In honor of Jonah's first birthday, I thought I'd (finally) post his birth story. So here it is!

Warning: this post is looooong. And, um, detailed. So there is TMI. You've been warned!

I've been writing this in bits and pieces since OCTOBER, so I'm sure there are parts that are a little disjointed. Oh well!


My birth story sort of starts 2 weeks before Jonah was actually born: on Thursday, August 2, I was 34w2d -- my due date was August 28 -- and I had a routine appointment with my midwives. My feet were very puffy, and it turns out I had gained 12 pounds in the 3 weeks since the last appointment. That was unusual, since until then I had only gained about 20 pounds over the entire pregnancy. Then, the midwife -- Heather -- took my blood pressure, and it was high. I knew that this combination meant that I was at risk of developing pre-eclampsia, and I knew that the only cure for pre-eclampsia was delivery. We weren't ready for that! Heather told me to rest as much as possible and to keep my feet up, to eat very healthful food and go easy on the salt, and to come in again on Monday.

That day, I started taking evening primrose oil and drinking red raspberry leaf tea, because I wanted to do everything I could to get my body ready to go into labor. I did not want to be induced, because I know that induction can make labor harder, which can eventually lead to a c-section. And the idea of a c-section really scared me.

I was hoping for a drug-free delivery, with Trevor, his mom Claire, and my best friend Becky there with me. We had taken Hypnobirthing classes to prepare, and until the high blood pressure thing, I had had a really easy pregnancy. We -- the midwives and me -- thought I would probably have a fast labor, because my mom did. I'm her first child, and she was only in labor with me for 4 hours!




That weekend, Trevor and I went to Target & Babies R Us to get the rest of the stuff we needed for the baby, in case they decided to induce me on Monday. I got a birth ball, too, because I'd read that bouncing on one can help the baby drop. Mouse was still very high, pushing his little butt up underneath my ribs! I also made my packing list for the hospital, but I didn't get around to actually packing the bag -- I figured if they wanted to induce me, I could beg for an hour to go get ready, since we live only 10 minutes away from the hospital.

On Monday, I saw FraNa, another midwife. My blood pressure and puffy feet were holding steady, but I had dropped a couple of pounds. FraNa told me to keep doing what I'd been doing, and also to lie down, preferably on my left side, for an hour at lunchtime and another hour after I got home in the evenings. She wanted me to come in again on Thursday, and she said that she might take me off work if things hadn't improved.

On Thursday, August 9, everything was pretty much the same as it had been on Monday. FraNa did a non-stress test (basically, a 30-minute doppler test -- they wanted to make sure the baby's heartbeat accelerated appropriately). He passed with flying colors, but since my BP was still up, she took me off work. Luckily, my boss and I had arranged for me to work from home if that happened, so I didn't have to start my maternity leave early! FraNa scheduled me to come in again on Monday, and I was to stay off my feet -- preferably on my left side -- as much as possible. That weekend, I did the preliminary packing of my hospital bag. There was still plenty of stuff I needed on a daily basis, so I didn't pack that, but I at least got the big stuff ready.





That Monday, the 13th, I saw Heather again (she's my favorite of the three in that practice -- they're all great, but I clicked best with Heather). My blood pressure was down, my feet were visibly less swollen, and I had lost a couple more pounds -- the bedrest was working! Heather checked my cervix, and I was already dilated! She first said I was 4 centimeters, then said, "No, you're 5!" I guess the evening primrose oil had been doing its job! She stripped my membranes, said that I had a "nice roomy pelvis," and said that she wanted to fix my blood pressure by delivering the baby.

I was crampy and back-achey the rest of the day, and had a little bit of bloody discharge from the exam (I had had a little before the appointment, too, so I wasn't surprised that I was dilated. I was surprised that I was dilated that much!). The next day, I lost my mucous plug over the course of the day, but I wasn't achey anymore. The baby still hadn't dropped, either. I got more of the hospital bag ready, though, just in case!

The next day -- Wednesday, August 15 -- I had no more discharge, no more cramping, nothing. My best friend, Becky, came over and hung out for much of the day while I rested and did some work. She started knitting a baby hat for Mouse, and after she left, I started one, too.

That night, I went to bed a little after 11pm. Right after I crawled into bed -- Trevor was still getting ready -- I had a painful cramp that felt different from every menstrual cramp I'd ever had -- it took my breath away a little! Trevor walked into the room and I said, "I just had a really bad cramp! I wonder if it was a contraction?" Trevor replied (jokingly), "Well, now I'll never get to sleep tonight!" I said, "Nonono, you go to sleep and I'll let you know if I need you." So he did. I stayed in bed, and exactly 15 minutes later I had another contraction -- and that one did take my breath away. I had to breathe through it; it hurt! I said to Trevor, "That was definitely a contraction," but he was asleep and didn't answer. I had another one 15 minutes later, and then they started coming every 7 minutes. I was really uncomfortable in bed, so I got up and went into the bathroom for a while, and then went out into the living room. The cats didn't really know what to do about me being out there with the lights mostly off, the TV off, and me moving around!

I putzed around a bit, packing my bag in between contractions. They had gone from 7 minutes apart to 4-5 minutes apart pretty quickly, and I found that standing and rocking, using the arm of the couch for support, was the most comfortable position for me. I didn't consciously use any of the Hypnobirthing techniques I'd learned; I didn't feel I needed them. I kept my mouth loose and used the yoga breathing (inhale 4 beats, exhale 8 beats) that our Hypnobirthing instructor had taught us. That was very helpful to me, probably mainly as something for me to focus on. I was trying to keep track of how far apart my contractions were, but it was tricky since I was moving around to pack and didn't always have my notepad with me!

I woke Trevor up around 1:00am, saying that I was definitely in labor and that it was time for him to get up, shower, and start packing his bag (in retrospect, we should have made a packing list for him, too, because he ended up sort of running around trying to figure out what he'd need). I paged the midwives after I got him up, and Heather (yaaay!) called me back while Trevor was in the shower. After listening to me for a minute, she said that she thought I still had some time but that we knew it was going to be pretty quick, and that I could stay home if I wanted to or go to the hospital if that felt better to me. I said we'd probably stay home for a little longer, if only because we were still packing and we live so close. She said that she would let the hospital know that I was in labor, and that we could just show up and they'd call her when we got there.

Then we called my parents (in California) and woke them up to tell them. We called Trevor's parents, too (here in Seattle) and left a message for them, since they didn't answer. We continued packing up as I breathed through contractions, and then called Becky when we were getting ready to leave for the hospital, so she could come join us. We also called Trevor's folks again, but they still didn't pick up! So we called his sister (who is also local), just to let her know. In addition to packing, we also had to go stick a note under our neighbors' door (Jim & Jamie), so they would come feed the cats in the morning! I managed to write the note while Trevor was running a load of stuff down to the car.

We got to the hospital around 2:30am. The car ride to the hospital wasn't great, but it wasn't that bad -- it took us about 5 minutes, tops. The contractions were coming right on top of each other at that point, which was hard. We got up to the room, and while the nurses were off getting stuff ready for us, I told Trevor that I was considering asking for a little something for the pain, because I just didn't have enough time between contractions. Luckily, though, they spaced out again after that and were manageable. I was definitely making noise with each contraction by this time -- it helped. Our nurse (whose name we didn't write down and I don't remember, but she was very nice!) got me into a gown and asked if I wanted to be checked. I didn't, yet, and they were okay with that.

Becky arrived a little after 3am, and Trevor went to move the car (from Emergency Room parking) a few minutes later. My water broke at 3:17, while he was moving the car (of course), and the fluid was nice and clear. I immediately felt a little pushy, which made me a little nervous - Trevor wasn't back yet, and Heather hadn't arrived! The nurses took my temperature and put the little heartrate finger-monitor on me.

Trevor got back -- finally -- he'd gotten all turned around in the hospital -- and I got on the bed on all fours, because I was getting tired of standing and leaning. Our nurse says that she needs to check me, now that my water's broken. At 3:24am I'm at 8 centimeters! Woohoo!

Heather arrives a few minutes later, just in time to witness a contraction (they've definitely gotten stronger since my water broke). The contractions are maybe a minute apart at this point, and another nurse has come in with the newborn station, to start getting everything ready.

Heather encourages me to try another position -- maybe on my side, on the bed? I try it, and it is THOROUGHLY UNCOMFORTABLE. So we scrap that and I go back to all fours. Heather listens to Mouse's heartrate with a handheld monitor on my belly -- it's still amazing to hear it!

At 3:52am, Heather helps me to the bathroom, making me promise that I won't have the baby on the toilet! She checks the baby's heartrate while I'm in there. It feels so good to sit - my arms and legs are very tired! The contractions are nearly non-stop now, and I'm pushing with each one.

At 3:58, Heather checks me again -- on the toilet -- and says that he's "right there." I have Trevor and Becky get my glasses for me,* so I can see what's going on. We decide it's time to move to the bed.

At 4:00am, Heather helps me walk to the bed, mid-contraction. That was hard. My legs were worn out and the baby was very low and my body was contracting and trying to push! Note to self: don't do that next time.

Heather puts on her baby-catching garb, and arranges the bed so that I'm sitting up kind of like I'm in a chair, and can hang onto the bed rails, which is very comfortable. She applies a special lubricant to prevent tearing, and tells me that I'll need to push more slowly as the baby is crowning, to help me not tear. She'll tell me when that is. The contractions are more spaced out now, giving me time to catch my breath, and more of the baby's head is visible with each contraction. At 4:09am I say, "This is the best I've felt all night!" My head is clear, I can breathe, and I don't feel quite as inwardly-focused. I'd read that this happens, but it was such a dramatic change that I was surprised!

They check Mouse's heartrate again - still in the 140s-150s, which is good.

Trevor has been trying to reach his parents all night, but has still not had any luck! At 4:14am, though, he was able to reach his boss, Josh, to confirm that Josh will take Trevor's shift (which starts at 4:45am!). At least someone's phone works!

At 4:19am, Heather tells me to keep my head down -- chin to my chest -- to help the pushing be most effective. Everything is moving very fast now! I'm pushing constantly (break's over!) and the baby's head is crowning!

At 4:22am, Jonah Thomas is born! Happy birthday, little one!


Heather placed him directly on my tummy, and the nurse started rubbing down and cleaning him up. Trevor cut the cord a couple of minutes later, and Heather and the nurses drained the cord blood for donation.

At 4:29am, Trevor and I called our parents, each on our own phones, to tell them the news and announce his name for the first time. My mom hadn't gone back to bed after I called when I was in labor! Trevor's parents STILL didn't answer, so he left a message. He called his sister a few minutes later, to tell her the news, and she went over to her folks' house to wake them up!





At 4:38am, I pushed the placenta out. That was an odd sensation. "That's a very pretty placenta," said Heather. I'm still not sure exactly what she meant by that! After that was all done, she started to stitch me up. OW. She gave me a ton of lidocaine to numb the area, but I could still feel the little pinchy-sticking of the needle, so she gave me more. And then more. I don't think I tore very badly, but the stitching took about 20 minutes!


While Heather was stitching me up, the nurse weighed Jonah. Before she put him on the scale, she asked Trevor how much he thought the baby weighed: "Seven pounds..... 2 ounces," he said. Well, she put him on the scale, and he weighed 7lbs, 2.3oz! The nurse said, "I've never had a dad guess right, and I've been doing this for 27 years!" That's my guy! Then she measured the baby -- he was 20 inches long, and his head circumference was 13 inches.




Meanwhile, I was still bleeding (from the birth, not from the stitching). They gave me a Cytotec suppository (which I think felt vaguely odd at the time, but not nearly as uncomfortable as I'd expected. Probably because there was a lot of Other Stuff going on in that region.) to help my uterus contract and stop bleeding. Mouse got diapered and got his shots administered and eye-goo applied, and then got swaddled for Trevor to hold.




Heather finally finished stitching me up, and then had to mash on -- excuse me, massage -- my belly to get the clots out (also an odd sensation). The mashing hurt. My muscles were so sore and the whole area was just tired and ouchy, and she had to go mash on it! The nurses did that a lot more during the next couple of days, and I hated it every time. I understood why they had to do it -- mostly -- but I still wished they wouldn't.




At about 5:20am we tried nursing for the first time. It was challenging -- Mouse was trying to eat his hand, and I swear you need about 4 arms to get everything arranged just right when you're learning to breastfeed. He would latch on -- ouch -- and then let go, but we didn't worry about it right then.




At 5:40am, Lindsey showed up -- Jonah's first visitor! She came from her folks' house, where she had to practically break in to wake them up. She says they'll be on their way shortly.

Heather packs up to leave, and says that I can go home today if I want to -- I don't -- and that one of the other midwives will be in later to check on me.



Trevor's parents finally show up just before 6am! They had been remodeling their house, so there was no phone anywhere near their bedroom -- they hadn't heard a thing! It's too bad, because the plan had been for Claire to experience labor vicariously through me, but it worked out okay.



Around 6:20am, we called my brother (in California) and woke him up to tell him about his nephew. He was thrilled, even though he was still half asleep! Then we called our neighbors Jim & Jamie, who had only gotten up to feed our cats a few minutes before -- they were surprised to hear from us so early! We called tons of people throughout the day -- Jonah was the first grandchild and great-grandchild on both sides, so everyone was excited to hear of his arrival!



The rest of that day is kind of a blur -- at some point the nurses put me on a Pitocin drip because I was still bleeding and my uterus was not contracting and shrinking properly. Part of this is because Jonah still wasn't nursing -- he continued to latch on and off, not really sucking long enough to get anything. A few different nurse/lactation consultants tried to help us, but they all gave conflicting advice: "Here, use this nipple shield!" "No, don't use a nipple shield!" etc. It was frustrating, but Jonah slept almost all day and didn't seem to be terribly hungry.



My mom arrived a little after 4pm, and was so glad to finally be here! She got in some quality time with Jonah in the rocker. Trevor's parents came by again about 15 minutes later, and our pastor, Mark, arrived on their heels. The baby was passed around, the fast-labor and the Trevor's-parents-didn't-hear-the-phone stories were told. Pastor Mark blessed Jonah -- it was a beautiful prayer. I don't remember as much of it as I'd like, but I do remember Mark saying this: "May he never be ashamed to call you Lord." And I still pray this for him.



We had some other visitors -- Johanna, Karl & Becky, Jim & Jamie -- and then, at the very end of the day, Jonah got his first bath. He did not like that one bit! After the bath, Trevor went home to sleep (we had decided earlier in the day that that would be best -- I would have nurses to help me if I needed it, and at least one of us would get a decent night's sleep!). Things quieted down and Jonah and I went to sleep, too.





And that was his first day!




*Trevor and Rebecca didn't have much to do all night except hand me my water bottle on request -- I didn't want my hand held, or my back rubbed, or anyone to "help" me push. It felt very primal -- the only thing that was going to make me feel better was getting the baby out, and there wasn't anything they could do to help that happen. It was a very strange sense of definitely being not in control of my own body. This thing was happening to me, and there wasn't anything anyone could do to change that. Heather did comment, after the fact I think, that I was so definitely myself in between contractions -- joking and talking and stuff. In one sense I agree with her, but I also think that I was kind of on autopilot, because there was definitely a part of me that was not paying any attention to anything outside of my own body. Anyway, I think Trevor and Becky twiddled their thumbs much of the night! And Becky took notes, which is how I'm able to write this so long after the fact.





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