Birth story 20 months in the making...
So a friend of ours is in the hospital being induced today in the very room I had Kevin in almost exactly 20 months ago. (In about 25 minutes, 1:40PM, it will be exactly 20 months.) This has inspired me to write about my birth experience in an organized and coherent manner, because the original write-up was my jumbled thoughts while I was under the influence of Percocet. So, without further ado, the whirlwind that led to the arrival of Kevin Robert Webb.
Thursday, February 21, 2008 (37w1d): I went to Perinatal at the hospital to have my weekly ultrasound and one of my twice weekly non-stress tests that I'd been having since 30 weeks because I had high blood pressure and borderline gestational diabetes. I was supposed to have an amniocentesis with my ultrasound to check Kevin's lungs before Dr. Willett would say yes to an induction at this stage of the game. I was very uncomfortable, and Kevin's official weight estimate was 8lbs 14 oz. However, when we got into the ultrasound room, the perinatologist couldn't find a big enough pocket of fluid, and didn't feel comfortable sticking the needle in my belly for fear of accidentally sticking Kevin, so we were off to see Rachel, the nurse who did my NSTs down the hall. While I was having my NST, the perinatologist (who decided my fluid was low, and said it was all the excuse I needed to be induced.) called my doctor's office, and as soon as we were done there, we went across the street to get checked out. Dr. Boulton checked my cervix, and told me I was dilated 3-4cm, so she scheduled my induction for 5am the next morning. (We'd have to be there at 4.) She also told me that she stretched me out a little bit, and not to be surprised if I spotted some. This is relevant later.
It was about 11 or 11:30 or so by the time we got out of the doctor's office, so we rode through McDonald's drive-thru for lunch. My phone apparently rang while I was sending texts telling everyone the good news. My pregnant brain didn't recognize the number, so I just let it go. Tim dropped me off at home to get a few things together for the hospital, and he went to work. I started almost literally running around in circles because I was so nervous. I called my mom, I LJ'd the news, I talked to a few more people on the phone. I couldn't concentrate on any one thing for very long. Then, around 2pm, the phone rang for the bazillionth time since I found out what was happening. It was from the same number that came up in the car earlier. Turns out, it was Dr. Boulton's secretary who wanted to tell us to go to the hospital ASAP before the impending snowy weather hit. So I called Tim, and he came home to take me to the hospital after only being at work for two hours or so.
We got to the hospital around 3pm, and they took me to my room while Tim went back downstairs to admitting. Even though I was already pre-registered, and the doctor said to just go to the birthing center, we still needed to go to admitting first. He brought up a few forms for me to sign, and I did so while a nurse took my history. Or, rather, she started taking the woman in the next room's history. Two of us came in at the same time from the same doctor's office, and she had her chart instead of mine. All of my answers were different than what she had on the chart, and it took her an awfully long time to figure it out. Strange considering that I don't think I look forty, and this is indeed my first baby. Not my fourth. But oh well...we finally got that straightened out, and I had more forms to fill out and/or sign that I could hardly keep anything straight. I got hooked up to a fetal monitor for a little while...listening to Kevin's heartbeat was always fun...but there was no excitement yet. We chilled in my room for the duration, watched American Idol, waited for Tim's "comfy" bed, and called it a night.
Overnight: I. Could. Not. Sleep. Seriously, I couldn't no matter how hard I tried. Around midnight, I noticed that I was really nauseous and was back and forth to the bathroom all night long. When I wasn't sitting on the toilet, I just laid there in bed listening to Tim snore. I was bleeding a little, but I paid it no mind because of what Dr. Boulton had told me earlier about spotting. Besides, I wasn't having contractions...I was just sick to my stomach. Apparently, I'd dropped off at some point, because the next thing I knew, my parents had walked in. That was around 4am. They drove in straight through the night from Virginia to be here when Kevin was born.
Friday, February 22, 2008 (37w2d): Around 5am, the nurses came in and hooked me up to the fetal monitor again. They asked me if I could feel the contractions. What contractions? Apparently, I was in labor, but they could have fooled me...I only felt like I was going to be sick. They gave me a bucket just in case, and gave me some Phenergan in my IV for the nausea. I never needed the bucket. When a nurse went to check my cervix, she saw that the chux pad I'd been sitting on was covered in blood. She looked alarmed and asked me if I'd been bleeding like that all night. I hadn't been to my knowledge. But then again, I hadn't gotten up in awhile. I was dilated 4-5 cm, and was told the doctor would be in in a little while to break my water and start the Pitocin.
Around 6am, Dr. Boulton came in to break my water and get me going. When she did so, she couldn't believe that I'd had low fluid. I couldn't either because it gushed so much and continued to do so with each contraction for a long time.
From that point until I got my epidural around 9 or 9:30am is kind of hazy. Looking back on it, I was uncomfortable, but the contractions weren't too bad and I was having a lot of back labor. The thing that swayed me was that they told me that the anesthesiologist was going to be going into a c-section, and wouldn't be available for a couple of hours. I was afraid that by the time he got to me, the pain would be too much or it'd be too late for an epidural at the rate I was dilating, so I caved. Tim and my dad were shooed out of the room because the thought of a needle in my spine was too much to take or they only allow one other person in the room while they did it respectively. I leaned on my mom like a limp noodle while he put in my catheter (or whatever it's called). Of course, he had to do it in the middle of a contraction, but I didn't move. I was really starting to feel the effects of my sleepless night, but I still didn't sleep. One of the side effects of an epidural is chills, and boy was I getting them! I was FREEZING to the point where my teeth were chattering for awhile. Eventually, the chills subsided, and I was able to relax for a little bit before the fun really started.
Around noon, I was checked and was fully dilated, so it was time to start pushing. My parents went to the cafeteria for something to eat, since I had said that I'd welcome them for the labor, but rather they didn't stay in the room for the delivery. I pushed with the nurses for awhile before the doctor (Dr. Hanson this time since Dr. Boulton had been called away to another delivery at the other hospital) came in. She was in and out for awhile. The pushing was the worst part of the entire process because it took FOREVER! When it seemed that Kevin was never going to come out, Dr. Hanson gave me a choice: vacuum extraction or forceps. I'd heard horror stories about the vacuum from my best friend, so I chose the forceps. So the doctor got them and I pushed again, felt a searing pain, screamed, was told not to scream, and then he was here. While Kevin was coming out, I heard the doctor say, "well, no wonder..." Apparently, he was sunny side up, but she didn't realize it. They placed him on my chest for a minute before they whisked him away. I had a third degree tear, so the doctor stitched me up while they weighed and measured him and cleaned him up. He weighed in at 8lbs 10oz, and was 21.5 inches long. The period immediately after birth is hazy, too. I'd apparently lost more blood than I should have, so I was understandably weak. I know I tried to nurse, but it didn't work out so well. I had more success with that later on. They took him to the nursery to give him antibiotics since we both had a fever and didn't bring him back until later on that night. So anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :) If you want to know more about what went on after the birth and after we came home, I refer you to my original post about his arrival here.
Thursday, February 21, 2008 (37w1d): I went to Perinatal at the hospital to have my weekly ultrasound and one of my twice weekly non-stress tests that I'd been having since 30 weeks because I had high blood pressure and borderline gestational diabetes. I was supposed to have an amniocentesis with my ultrasound to check Kevin's lungs before Dr. Willett would say yes to an induction at this stage of the game. I was very uncomfortable, and Kevin's official weight estimate was 8lbs 14 oz. However, when we got into the ultrasound room, the perinatologist couldn't find a big enough pocket of fluid, and didn't feel comfortable sticking the needle in my belly for fear of accidentally sticking Kevin, so we were off to see Rachel, the nurse who did my NSTs down the hall. While I was having my NST, the perinatologist (who decided my fluid was low, and said it was all the excuse I needed to be induced.) called my doctor's office, and as soon as we were done there, we went across the street to get checked out. Dr. Boulton checked my cervix, and told me I was dilated 3-4cm, so she scheduled my induction for 5am the next morning. (We'd have to be there at 4.) She also told me that she stretched me out a little bit, and not to be surprised if I spotted some. This is relevant later.
It was about 11 or 11:30 or so by the time we got out of the doctor's office, so we rode through McDonald's drive-thru for lunch. My phone apparently rang while I was sending texts telling everyone the good news. My pregnant brain didn't recognize the number, so I just let it go. Tim dropped me off at home to get a few things together for the hospital, and he went to work. I started almost literally running around in circles because I was so nervous. I called my mom, I LJ'd the news, I talked to a few more people on the phone. I couldn't concentrate on any one thing for very long. Then, around 2pm, the phone rang for the bazillionth time since I found out what was happening. It was from the same number that came up in the car earlier. Turns out, it was Dr. Boulton's secretary who wanted to tell us to go to the hospital ASAP before the impending snowy weather hit. So I called Tim, and he came home to take me to the hospital after only being at work for two hours or so.
We got to the hospital around 3pm, and they took me to my room while Tim went back downstairs to admitting. Even though I was already pre-registered, and the doctor said to just go to the birthing center, we still needed to go to admitting first. He brought up a few forms for me to sign, and I did so while a nurse took my history. Or, rather, she started taking the woman in the next room's history. Two of us came in at the same time from the same doctor's office, and she had her chart instead of mine. All of my answers were different than what she had on the chart, and it took her an awfully long time to figure it out. Strange considering that I don't think I look forty, and this is indeed my first baby. Not my fourth. But oh well...we finally got that straightened out, and I had more forms to fill out and/or sign that I could hardly keep anything straight. I got hooked up to a fetal monitor for a little while...listening to Kevin's heartbeat was always fun...but there was no excitement yet. We chilled in my room for the duration, watched American Idol, waited for Tim's "comfy" bed, and called it a night.
Overnight: I. Could. Not. Sleep. Seriously, I couldn't no matter how hard I tried. Around midnight, I noticed that I was really nauseous and was back and forth to the bathroom all night long. When I wasn't sitting on the toilet, I just laid there in bed listening to Tim snore. I was bleeding a little, but I paid it no mind because of what Dr. Boulton had told me earlier about spotting. Besides, I wasn't having contractions...I was just sick to my stomach. Apparently, I'd dropped off at some point, because the next thing I knew, my parents had walked in. That was around 4am. They drove in straight through the night from Virginia to be here when Kevin was born.
Friday, February 22, 2008 (37w2d): Around 5am, the nurses came in and hooked me up to the fetal monitor again. They asked me if I could feel the contractions. What contractions? Apparently, I was in labor, but they could have fooled me...I only felt like I was going to be sick. They gave me a bucket just in case, and gave me some Phenergan in my IV for the nausea. I never needed the bucket. When a nurse went to check my cervix, she saw that the chux pad I'd been sitting on was covered in blood. She looked alarmed and asked me if I'd been bleeding like that all night. I hadn't been to my knowledge. But then again, I hadn't gotten up in awhile. I was dilated 4-5 cm, and was told the doctor would be in in a little while to break my water and start the Pitocin.
Around 6am, Dr. Boulton came in to break my water and get me going. When she did so, she couldn't believe that I'd had low fluid. I couldn't either because it gushed so much and continued to do so with each contraction for a long time.
From that point until I got my epidural around 9 or 9:30am is kind of hazy. Looking back on it, I was uncomfortable, but the contractions weren't too bad and I was having a lot of back labor. The thing that swayed me was that they told me that the anesthesiologist was going to be going into a c-section, and wouldn't be available for a couple of hours. I was afraid that by the time he got to me, the pain would be too much or it'd be too late for an epidural at the rate I was dilating, so I caved. Tim and my dad were shooed out of the room because the thought of a needle in my spine was too much to take or they only allow one other person in the room while they did it respectively. I leaned on my mom like a limp noodle while he put in my catheter (or whatever it's called). Of course, he had to do it in the middle of a contraction, but I didn't move. I was really starting to feel the effects of my sleepless night, but I still didn't sleep. One of the side effects of an epidural is chills, and boy was I getting them! I was FREEZING to the point where my teeth were chattering for awhile. Eventually, the chills subsided, and I was able to relax for a little bit before the fun really started.
Around noon, I was checked and was fully dilated, so it was time to start pushing. My parents went to the cafeteria for something to eat, since I had said that I'd welcome them for the labor, but rather they didn't stay in the room for the delivery. I pushed with the nurses for awhile before the doctor (Dr. Hanson this time since Dr. Boulton had been called away to another delivery at the other hospital) came in. She was in and out for awhile. The pushing was the worst part of the entire process because it took FOREVER! When it seemed that Kevin was never going to come out, Dr. Hanson gave me a choice: vacuum extraction or forceps. I'd heard horror stories about the vacuum from my best friend, so I chose the forceps. So the doctor got them and I pushed again, felt a searing pain, screamed, was told not to scream, and then he was here. While Kevin was coming out, I heard the doctor say, "well, no wonder..." Apparently, he was sunny side up, but she didn't realize it. They placed him on my chest for a minute before they whisked him away. I had a third degree tear, so the doctor stitched me up while they weighed and measured him and cleaned him up. He weighed in at 8lbs 10oz, and was 21.5 inches long. The period immediately after birth is hazy, too. I'd apparently lost more blood than I should have, so I was understandably weak. I know I tried to nurse, but it didn't work out so well. I had more success with that later on. They took him to the nursery to give him antibiotics since we both had a fever and didn't bring him back until later on that night. So anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :) If you want to know more about what went on after the birth and after we came home, I refer you to my original post about his arrival here.