Birth Story

How did my sweet little boy get into my arms?

Short version:
Friday
9:30 a.m. - water broke
noon - got to the hospital
2:00 p.m. - pitocin started
7:45 p.m. - epidural
8:30 p.m. to 11 a.m. - sloooowly dilate, try to sleep
Saturday
12:30 p.m. - 10 cm, start pushing
2:07 - BABY BRUCE!

Long version:
I had been on bed rest starting at 34w3d on February 28th for a week and a half until I was 36 weeks. After that, Chris and I would do one or two things a day, but nothing that lasted too long or required me to walk too far. My body was just too sore and I was too tired. If I walked too far, I'd contract and I always had to be near a restroom. Such a pain! Most of my days were filled with napping and watching lots of t.v. and movies. Because of my night shift schedule for work, Chris had adapted and usually sleeps from 5 a.m. until about 2 p.m. When I worked I'd sleep from 8:30/9 a.m. after work until about 2 p.m. and then take another nap before work from about 7 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. Then, I'd work from 11 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. On maternity leave, we basically kept this schedule, sleeping from 5 a.m. until 2 p.m.

On Friday, March 29th, Chris and I went to bed a little later than our usual time, at about 6 a.m., and around 8 I got up to pee and again at 9:30 a.m. While walking back to bed, my water broke. All I kept thinking was, "noooo, we didn't get to sleep!". I woke Chris up and he jumped right out of bed! I told him I'd take a shower, I need him to do laundry and pack some snacks for the hospital. I called the hospital to make sure there was a bed for me and told them we'd be in shortly. Well, shortly turned into a little longer than I predicted and we didn't get to the hospital until noon.

At noon we made it to the hospital, but I wasn't contracting much at all, maybe a few an hour, not painful at all. My Group B Strep was positive, so I needed IV antibiotics. Karen, one of my co-workers, was my nurse and we talked, she did my admission, started my IV and started my antibiotics all around 1:30 p.m. I still wasn't feeling any contractions and from seeing this scenario for 4 years with my patients, knew this whole process was going to take forever. My doctor came and between her, my nurse and the other doctors that were on, decided to start pitocin instead of waiting a few more hours to see if my body would kick into labor by itself. I mean, I hardly felt a thing at that point. We started pitocin and Chris and I went to sleep. Finally around 5 or 6 p.m., I started to feel cramping. Around 7, I had such horrible back pain with contractions. Chris stood next to my bed and kept massaging my back. At this time, baby's heart rate tracing was a little...wonky. The monitors weren't picking up my contractions, but the baby's heart rate was dropping every once in a while and his baseline was all over the place. My doc, Ale, placed an IUPC (internal monitor to monitor my contractions) to see how often and how strong my contractions were. They were every 2-3 minutes, and moderately strong. I was 5 cm dilated, 80% effaced and baby was still high, -3 station. I knew this was going to take many more hours (the exact time though, I still underestimated!) and decided to get an epidural. Thank goodness my favorite nurse anesthetist was working that day! I got a great epidural from Jason, felt nothing, and went back to sleep.

The next handful of hours are a big blur. Karen did a double and was with me from noon (she got there at 7 a.m. though), until 11 p.m. Ascension visited me during the day and then went home to sleep because she came back to work to be my nurse through the night shift. My doctor was there during the day, went home to tuck her own son into bed, and then came back to the hospital around 10 p.m. Mary, one of my classmates from nursing school who works in our NICU and on our unit as our ALS (advanced life support) nurse for the babies, was with me in the wee hours of the night, went home to catch a quick nap, and then came back later that morning. I got checked every few hours, and each time, while I didn't dilate a lot, I still dilated a little bit. I tried to sleep/rest on and off this whole time, but woke up every time my blood pressure cuff would go off - every 30 minutes.

Ascension worked 4 hours extra, so she was with me from 11 p.m. until 11 a.m. At 11 a.m., Nancy took over. Nancy cupped her hands over my belly and spoke to my son and told him to come out! At 12:30, my doctor came to check me and said, "you've been 9 cm for 5 hours. If you're not complete (10 cm), I think you need a c-section." I knew that was coming. I've seen this scenario a million times at work. Okay, well, what was my exam...? I was 10 cm! Thank goodness!

The left side of my body was super numb, but my right side was still pretty mobile. I started pushing a little after 12:30 with Ascension and Mary to my left, and Chris on my right. Nancy was walking all over the place, going wherever she needed to be. I hardly opened my eyes during the pushing stage, but kept hearing lots of encouragement from my doctor, Nancy, Chris, Mary and Ascension. Chris was holding my leg up on the right and had his hand over my hand. Even when he wasn't saying anything, he was rubbing my hand and it was a little silent support and comfort to me.

As I was pushing, my doctor told me that when his shoulders were out, she'd have me grab him and bring him up to my chest. Other than the continuous pressure, her telling me this, I knew I was close! My doc, Mary, Ascension, Nancy and Chris kept saying baby was moving down and coming closer. Mary grabbed our camera, Nancy removed monitors from my belly, I was coached to do small pushes and I knew he was coming! His head came out and after a smidgen of a shoulder dystocia relieved with McRobert's and suprapubic pressure (if this means nothing to you then it's okay, mostly a little detail for all my L&D peeps), I reached down and pulled the baby up to my chest.

I didn't open my eyes for a couple minutes, I just remember bawling my eyes out and repeatedly saying, "oh my gosh" as this little baby squirmed on my chest. He kicked his legs and cried and cried and cried. Chris was rubbing my head and crouched down near my face, staring at our son. Finally I looked at him, saw his little nose and said, "he looks like me!" Right after, Chris looked at his ears and said, "he has my ears!" I have attached earlobes and Chris has detached earlobes and this whole pregnancy Chris has been talking about how he hopes baby has his detached earlobes. Yep - those are Chris' ears!

A few minutes later, Chris cut the umbilical cord in an epic Chris way. After that, I just soaked in the moment of having a screaming baby on me and blocked out everything else happening in my room. Baby stayed skin-to-skin with me and breastfed for the first time. Around 3:30, my family came in and watched Bruce get assessed, weighed, measured and bathed. Mary was the one to get to do all these things for him! It was a little chaotic having family come in at change of shift. Nancy went home and Christie took over for her. I ate my much anticipated salami sandwich while my family took turns holding Bruce.

Around 5 p.m., we transferred to the mother/baby unit. Because my water was broken for over 18 hours, the baby needed to stay in the hospital for 36 hours. Well, 36 hours was 2 a.m. on Monday, so we went home at 10 a.m. Monday morning at a more reasonable hour. During our recovery, we spent most of the time trying to figure out breastfeeding and sleeping. We took a few walks over to the labor and delivery unit to visit with my co-workers and let them see the baby.

I feel very lucky to have the birth story I do. I was admitted at noon one day at 4 cm with my bag of water broken, and didn't delivery until 2:07 p.m. the next day! At almost any other hospital, I would have had a c-section half a day earlier. I felt so comfortable, safe, and well cared for by all my co-workers. I had my best friends care for me and attend my birth and I couldn't be more grateful.

To the people who want pictures, scroll below. Warning - some pictures are not exactly clean! Continue to scroll at your own risk, you've been warned!







In bed with monitors on my belly. You can see one of my appendectomy scars too.


Baby warmer is ready.


Ascension is ready!


Chris on his "dad's bed" eating lunch.


Trying to sleep. Look at all my IV bags!


Me and Chris before I start pushing.


Last picture of the baby bump EVER!


Pushing...


About an hour and a half of pushing and then...

...I pulled my son up to my chest. *sigh* This was amazing.

Kisses from Daddy to Mommy.


Staring at our son!




Good old skin-to-skin with my baby.

Oh my, I love him so much.

Covered in blankets to keep us warm, and with our amazing doctor, Ale.


Can't really see Bruce, but with Chris and Ascension.


Chris holding Bruce for the first time!



Bruce with Mary!


Look at that cone head! He's 8 pounds 1 ounce!


First bath.


My dad, Grandpa Joey, holding Bruce for the first time...and me in the background drinking a coke, yum!


Bruce with my step mom, Adel.


Bruce with my sister, Auntie Sarah.


Bruce with my brother, Uncle Jay.


Bruce with one of my oldest friends (since 4th grade and Bruce was due on her birthday), Auntie Jessyka.


Bruce with Nancy!


There aren't enough words to thank my doctor and all my nurses for giving me an amazing birth experience! I will cherish these memories my entire life.