Brennan's birth story, Part 5
WARNING: Bloody and graphic.
The epidural took care of the pain, and I was able to relax and dilate the last few centimeters in record time. Unfortunately, at this point my room was covered by a really unsympathetic and dismissive nurse who was unwilling to explain to me what was going on and what I was feeling. I told her that I felt a lot of pressure in the upper part of my vagina, and she acted like I was bitching about the epidural not working. She said I was supposed to feel pressure, the epidural wasn't supposed to take that away. I told her I understood that, I just wanted them to know I was feeling it in case that meant the pushing stage was coming up. At one point I thought I felt something actually come out of my vagina, and I told her this as well. She took a very cursory look, said "you're fine" and "it doesn't work that way" and walked off! I didn't think it was the freaking baby, but it could have been a prolapsed cord or a big old chunk of placenta that they really needed to know about. She didn't even tell me what I'd felt, or what might be happening, or act interested in keeping me informed about my own body at ALL. I continued to feel enormous amounts of pressure, and I became convinced that the baby's head was making its way down my vagina whether they wanted to believe it or not. I kept saying so until finally the nursing shifts changed and I got a decent nurse, who said it was time to see how I did at pushing. They dismantled the part of the bed that my legs had been resting on, set up the stirrups, and called my OB in. We asked Lauren if she wanted to leave. I haven't mentioned Lauren much so far, but this isn't because she wasn't being useful. Her pre-determined job as a labor support person was to keep Blair and Kelly company, make sure they took breaks and ate meals, and to contact everyone by phone or email whenever we needed it. She was also in charge, with Heidi, of making sure our guinea pigs and gerbil got fed while we were in the hospital. Lauren wasn't planning to stay for the pushing stage, but once it started happening she decided to stay in the room, but on the far side looking out the window. She later told me that she spent the bulk of the experience counting people getting onto a transit bus outside to avoid vomiting, but was glad she stayed. Kelly and Blair stood on either side of me to help push my legs up as I pushed down. Everyone got into position, and the good nurse coached me through 10-15 minutes of hardcore pushing. I had to tell them when I felt a contraction coming on, based on the amount of pressure I felt in my vagina. Then I had to take a deep breath and let it out, then another one and hold it, then I had to push to a count of ten while holding it. I had to keep doing that until the pressure stopped. This was NOT easy. It wasn't exactly like taking a really huge dump, but it did use all the same muscles. Everybody was yelling helpful things at me, most of which I didn't process at all. Kelly was the only one telling me what kind of progress I was making. The doctor yelled out before the baby's head was even out "he has red hair!" Kelly told me when the head was out- I honestly couldn't tell, it didn't really feel any different. I think I said "oh thank God." Then they told me to push one more time after they'd suctioned his mouth out, and by all accounts Brennan entered the world with a pop and a splash and actually had to be caught, he came out with so much force. Kelly's shoes got christened with various fluids. Blair had to jump backwards to avoid the same thing happening to him. I just felt massive gushing, and finally, FINALLY, a release of all the pressure I'd been feeling since the epidural went in about an hour ago. Kelly yelled "he's beautiful!" and they put him on my chest for a very short time so I could see him. I was pretty stunned and don't remember much of that time- I think I said "hi" to him, and Kelly says I made cute noises. Then they took him to the warmer to be cleaned up, and Blair went with him. At this point I began to feel absolutely wonderful. Sure, my stomach felt like a deflated balloon, but the pressure was gone and everything seemed right with the world. I think they actually asked how I was doing and I said "I love EVERYone!" Blair told them that the baby's name was Brennan Page, and he was cleaned, dressed, given an 8-9 APGAR score (that's good), and had his footprints taken. All this was done in a little alcove that I could see off to the side of the room. Blair says that he was the first thing Brennan saw when he opened his eyes for the first time under the warmer. Meanwhile, the next time I felt a contraction I had to pass the placenta. It didn't hurt, it just felt very gross and squishy. I never had to see it because I was lying down, but everyone else in the room accidentally caught sight of it at one point and reported a train-wreck fascination. The nurse began helping my uterus go back to normal size. In the pregnancy books, they call this "massage." In real life, the nurse leans on your belly with all of her weight while you breathe deeply, in order to make you gush out all kinds of gook and cramp up so that you don't hemmorhage. The gushing wasn't all that pleasant, but I was still in love with the world and didn't really care.
Next installment: A little more blood and gore, then the cute stuff.
The epidural took care of the pain, and I was able to relax and dilate the last few centimeters in record time. Unfortunately, at this point my room was covered by a really unsympathetic and dismissive nurse who was unwilling to explain to me what was going on and what I was feeling. I told her that I felt a lot of pressure in the upper part of my vagina, and she acted like I was bitching about the epidural not working. She said I was supposed to feel pressure, the epidural wasn't supposed to take that away. I told her I understood that, I just wanted them to know I was feeling it in case that meant the pushing stage was coming up. At one point I thought I felt something actually come out of my vagina, and I told her this as well. She took a very cursory look, said "you're fine" and "it doesn't work that way" and walked off! I didn't think it was the freaking baby, but it could have been a prolapsed cord or a big old chunk of placenta that they really needed to know about. She didn't even tell me what I'd felt, or what might be happening, or act interested in keeping me informed about my own body at ALL. I continued to feel enormous amounts of pressure, and I became convinced that the baby's head was making its way down my vagina whether they wanted to believe it or not. I kept saying so until finally the nursing shifts changed and I got a decent nurse, who said it was time to see how I did at pushing. They dismantled the part of the bed that my legs had been resting on, set up the stirrups, and called my OB in. We asked Lauren if she wanted to leave. I haven't mentioned Lauren much so far, but this isn't because she wasn't being useful. Her pre-determined job as a labor support person was to keep Blair and Kelly company, make sure they took breaks and ate meals, and to contact everyone by phone or email whenever we needed it. She was also in charge, with Heidi, of making sure our guinea pigs and gerbil got fed while we were in the hospital. Lauren wasn't planning to stay for the pushing stage, but once it started happening she decided to stay in the room, but on the far side looking out the window. She later told me that she spent the bulk of the experience counting people getting onto a transit bus outside to avoid vomiting, but was glad she stayed. Kelly and Blair stood on either side of me to help push my legs up as I pushed down. Everyone got into position, and the good nurse coached me through 10-15 minutes of hardcore pushing. I had to tell them when I felt a contraction coming on, based on the amount of pressure I felt in my vagina. Then I had to take a deep breath and let it out, then another one and hold it, then I had to push to a count of ten while holding it. I had to keep doing that until the pressure stopped. This was NOT easy. It wasn't exactly like taking a really huge dump, but it did use all the same muscles. Everybody was yelling helpful things at me, most of which I didn't process at all. Kelly was the only one telling me what kind of progress I was making. The doctor yelled out before the baby's head was even out "he has red hair!" Kelly told me when the head was out- I honestly couldn't tell, it didn't really feel any different. I think I said "oh thank God." Then they told me to push one more time after they'd suctioned his mouth out, and by all accounts Brennan entered the world with a pop and a splash and actually had to be caught, he came out with so much force. Kelly's shoes got christened with various fluids. Blair had to jump backwards to avoid the same thing happening to him. I just felt massive gushing, and finally, FINALLY, a release of all the pressure I'd been feeling since the epidural went in about an hour ago. Kelly yelled "he's beautiful!" and they put him on my chest for a very short time so I could see him. I was pretty stunned and don't remember much of that time- I think I said "hi" to him, and Kelly says I made cute noises. Then they took him to the warmer to be cleaned up, and Blair went with him. At this point I began to feel absolutely wonderful. Sure, my stomach felt like a deflated balloon, but the pressure was gone and everything seemed right with the world. I think they actually asked how I was doing and I said "I love EVERYone!" Blair told them that the baby's name was Brennan Page, and he was cleaned, dressed, given an 8-9 APGAR score (that's good), and had his footprints taken. All this was done in a little alcove that I could see off to the side of the room. Blair says that he was the first thing Brennan saw when he opened his eyes for the first time under the warmer. Meanwhile, the next time I felt a contraction I had to pass the placenta. It didn't hurt, it just felt very gross and squishy. I never had to see it because I was lying down, but everyone else in the room accidentally caught sight of it at one point and reported a train-wreck fascination. The nurse began helping my uterus go back to normal size. In the pregnancy books, they call this "massage." In real life, the nurse leans on your belly with all of her weight while you breathe deeply, in order to make you gush out all kinds of gook and cramp up so that you don't hemmorhage. The gushing wasn't all that pleasant, but I was still in love with the world and didn't really care.
Next installment: A little more blood and gore, then the cute stuff.