Introducing Gabriele William Nanni
Gabriele (the Italian form of Gabriel) William Nanni was born on 5 October 2010 at 10:52 pm. I was induced at 38 weeks as that is the Dutch policy for women with gestational diabetes.
This is his birth story!
Dan went to work on Monday morning and at 1:00 I headed to the hospital with his mom, Karen and his stepdad, Perry. I had been doing okay all morning. I finished packing my hospital bag ate a large meal of lasagna and turkish pizza. Emotionally I was doing great until I stepped into the elevator to leave and then I lost it. Karen gave me a big hug and lots of reassuring words and we took off. Dan met us there and we were shown to my room. I was really disappointed to discover that I would be sharing a room with three other women until I was actively in labor. I've never had to share a hospital room before so that was a bummer. I also would have had to pay extra to use the TV! Once I discovered that, I asked Dan to bring our netbook with some TV shows and movies for me to watch to pass the time.
After I settled in, they hooked me up with a belt monitor to check on Gabe's heartbeat. As usual, it was perfect!
Off to a great start!
Dan's parents left after making sure I was settled and shortly after the midwife and the assistant came in to check my cervix. I was really anxious to see if I had any signs of going into labor. To everyone's surprise I was already 1 centimeter dilated so she inserted one tablet instead of the usual two to get things going. Then they monitored his heart for 40 minutes. After about 2 hours they checked me again and I hadn't progressed to they inserted two more tablets. I was feeling what can be compared to strong menstrual cramps. I kept walking the halls and climbing the stairs, repeating my birth class instructor's mantra of "Upright, forward, and mobile!" Dan went home to get some more things and came back to see me one last time before visiting hours ended. They brought me dinner, which was a brat, peas, mashed potatoes and some vanilla vla (sort of like pudding). Very typically Dutch!
After dinner, I settled in and watched some episodes of Glee. I didn't sleep well due to the other women and babies in the room plus the cramps were becoming more intense. In the morning, they checked my cervix again and I had dilated enough for them to break my waters. This meant it was time to move to the birthing room! We packed up my stuff and walked down, but not before taking one more belly picture:
We got settled into the room and met our nurse. I gave her my birth plan which she really worked hard to follow as much as possible. They started me on an IV, which was a mess. The guy must have been new at it because he got blood all over my hand! I was attached to a belt monitor (which was disappointing). The midwife came in and broke my water. It started as a slow trickle and there wasn't that much. I was thinking, "Hey that's not so bad" and then GUSH! A ton of water came out and continued to come out every time I got up or moved! The water was clean which was a good sign. The midwife inserted the internal monitor and then we were left alone to let things progress.
The contraction became stronger. Dan helped me get up so I could move around the bed. I went to the bathroom a few times, which Dan was such a trooper about. He had to unplug me and help me bring all of the IV equipment with me to the bathroom and then reattach me when I came back to the bed. After awhile he had it down to a science and the nurse was teasing him saying we didn't even need her anymore!
We watched some movies while the contractions became stronger. I used the birthing ball for awhile and Dan massaged my back and pushed my pelvis in which felt great. After awhile the contractions became so bad that I couldn't talk through them and just had to work on breathing. Dan's family stopped by and I don't really remember much about the visits because I was starting to get into that labor trance I had heard about. The nurse was fantastic with helping me breath through the contractions, but her shift was ending and our new nurse came. I was worried she wouldn't be as good, but she was also great.
Around 4pm the midwife came to check on me. At this point I had been in labor for about 24 hours and I was in a lot of pain. I told Dan before she came to check me that if things hadn't progressed we were going to have to consider some pain relief. I had been hoping to avoid this but things were getting unbearable. I was so disappointed when the midwife announced that I hadn't made ANY progress! I asked for an epidural and the nurse told me that the anesthesiologists were very busy and that they'd call when they could administer one. They were so busy that we might even have to go meet them instead of them coming to the room. About two hours later, we got the call that they could give me an epidural but we'd have to meet them in the recovery room. So the nurse and Dan wheeled me out and down.
Getting the epidural was horrible! It was so painful and it made my blood pressure drop along with his heart rate. We had to stay down there for awhile until they felt things were regulating. At that time I only felt some tingling in my legs. By the time we got back upstairs, my entire right side was totally numb but I could still feel my left side. This lasted for the rest of my labor.
One of the worst parts of my labor was the shakes. It started a little bit before the epidural, but got worse after because they increased the amount of pitocin they were giving me to move along the induction. After the epidural I was shaking so bad. They were all over completely uncontrollable shakes. It was horrible because it really affected my ability to relax during and in between contractions. This was also when things started coming really hard and fast. The contractions were so bad they made me naseous and I was in so much pain they increased the epidural medicine but it wasn't working. The nurse asked me to turn onto my left side to see if that helped the epidural medication to go to my left side. Well because I could still feel everything on the left, the movement made me throw up because it was so painful! Finally she let me lay back on my right side. At that moment, I felt like he was moving down and it was almost time to push. The nurse called for the midwife. By this time, I was telling Dan I didn't know how much longer I could do this. In my mind, I was at the point where I was willing to ask for a c-section, which had always been something I DID NOT WANT. We were in luck though, this time I was 8 cm dilated. The midwife took a blood sample from Gabe's head to check his oxygen levels and make sure I didn't have to have a c-section. She said she'd be back in 10 minutes. She came back in what felt like hours and by that time I had already started pushing because I couldn't hold it. They got me in the stir-ups and I kept pushing. Four pushes later, he was out!!! He was beautiful and healthy. They placed him on my chest immediately and he began rooting. Once he got to the breast though he started sucking his lip instead of latching (this was the beginning of our breastfeeding issues). He was so beautiful! Dan cut the cord and we just stayed there bonding with our new little man. Eventually, I called my parents to let them know he was here and Dan called his parents to tell them to come on down to the hospital.
I birthed the placenta and was amazed to discover I didn't tear at all. So even though I had to resort to an epidural, I still had the birth I wanted: no c-section or stitches!
They weighed and dressed Gabe. He weighed 2.843 kg. They don't measure length out here because it doesn't relate at all to the health of the baby, plus stretching them out to weigh them just stresses them out.
The family came to see us and they brought me some food including the traditional Dutch muisjes, which are buttered biscuits topped with sugar coated aniseeds in the color corresponding to the baby's sex.
One thing that really upset me was finding out that because I had diabetes while pregnant, they had to automatically give him formula and test his blood sugar every couple of hours. This meant we had to stay at the hospital for 24 hours. Nobody had told me of this policy. I did not want to give him formula at all and now I didn't have a choice. I believe this also contributed to our breastfeeding issues. Not surprising his sugars were fine the whole time. This wasn't surprising because mine had been great my entire pregnancy and he was not the gigantic diabetes baby they were afraid he'd be. He was only around 6 lbs!!!
After Dan's family left, I got up and showered and peed. Those were the requirements before going back to my previous room. Dan had to go home (not by choice!) and by around 3 am, Gabe and I were settled in my room and ready to go to sleep. Of course, I was too high on hormones, love, adrenaline, whatever you want to call it and I barely slept. I just laid there staring at my beautiful baby boy! I couldn't believe he was here, healthy, and just perfect! The next morning Dan, rushed to the hospital to be there as soon as visiting hours began. The proud papa couldn't stay away! :)
All in all, I labored for about 31 hours. I could not have done it without Dan. He was the perfect birth partner. He knew exactly what I needed and made sure I was comfortable and safe. He was so supportive and amazing. He never once complained or did anything that wasn't encouraging and full of love. I really am a lucky girl to have two amazing boys in my life!
This is his birth story!
Dan went to work on Monday morning and at 1:00 I headed to the hospital with his mom, Karen and his stepdad, Perry. I had been doing okay all morning. I finished packing my hospital bag ate a large meal of lasagna and turkish pizza. Emotionally I was doing great until I stepped into the elevator to leave and then I lost it. Karen gave me a big hug and lots of reassuring words and we took off. Dan met us there and we were shown to my room. I was really disappointed to discover that I would be sharing a room with three other women until I was actively in labor. I've never had to share a hospital room before so that was a bummer. I also would have had to pay extra to use the TV! Once I discovered that, I asked Dan to bring our netbook with some TV shows and movies for me to watch to pass the time.
After I settled in, they hooked me up with a belt monitor to check on Gabe's heartbeat. As usual, it was perfect!
Off to a great start!
Dan's parents left after making sure I was settled and shortly after the midwife and the assistant came in to check my cervix. I was really anxious to see if I had any signs of going into labor. To everyone's surprise I was already 1 centimeter dilated so she inserted one tablet instead of the usual two to get things going. Then they monitored his heart for 40 minutes. After about 2 hours they checked me again and I hadn't progressed to they inserted two more tablets. I was feeling what can be compared to strong menstrual cramps. I kept walking the halls and climbing the stairs, repeating my birth class instructor's mantra of "Upright, forward, and mobile!" Dan went home to get some more things and came back to see me one last time before visiting hours ended. They brought me dinner, which was a brat, peas, mashed potatoes and some vanilla vla (sort of like pudding). Very typically Dutch!
After dinner, I settled in and watched some episodes of Glee. I didn't sleep well due to the other women and babies in the room plus the cramps were becoming more intense. In the morning, they checked my cervix again and I had dilated enough for them to break my waters. This meant it was time to move to the birthing room! We packed up my stuff and walked down, but not before taking one more belly picture:
We got settled into the room and met our nurse. I gave her my birth plan which she really worked hard to follow as much as possible. They started me on an IV, which was a mess. The guy must have been new at it because he got blood all over my hand! I was attached to a belt monitor (which was disappointing). The midwife came in and broke my water. It started as a slow trickle and there wasn't that much. I was thinking, "Hey that's not so bad" and then GUSH! A ton of water came out and continued to come out every time I got up or moved! The water was clean which was a good sign. The midwife inserted the internal monitor and then we were left alone to let things progress.
The contraction became stronger. Dan helped me get up so I could move around the bed. I went to the bathroom a few times, which Dan was such a trooper about. He had to unplug me and help me bring all of the IV equipment with me to the bathroom and then reattach me when I came back to the bed. After awhile he had it down to a science and the nurse was teasing him saying we didn't even need her anymore!
We watched some movies while the contractions became stronger. I used the birthing ball for awhile and Dan massaged my back and pushed my pelvis in which felt great. After awhile the contractions became so bad that I couldn't talk through them and just had to work on breathing. Dan's family stopped by and I don't really remember much about the visits because I was starting to get into that labor trance I had heard about. The nurse was fantastic with helping me breath through the contractions, but her shift was ending and our new nurse came. I was worried she wouldn't be as good, but she was also great.
Around 4pm the midwife came to check on me. At this point I had been in labor for about 24 hours and I was in a lot of pain. I told Dan before she came to check me that if things hadn't progressed we were going to have to consider some pain relief. I had been hoping to avoid this but things were getting unbearable. I was so disappointed when the midwife announced that I hadn't made ANY progress! I asked for an epidural and the nurse told me that the anesthesiologists were very busy and that they'd call when they could administer one. They were so busy that we might even have to go meet them instead of them coming to the room. About two hours later, we got the call that they could give me an epidural but we'd have to meet them in the recovery room. So the nurse and Dan wheeled me out and down.
Getting the epidural was horrible! It was so painful and it made my blood pressure drop along with his heart rate. We had to stay down there for awhile until they felt things were regulating. At that time I only felt some tingling in my legs. By the time we got back upstairs, my entire right side was totally numb but I could still feel my left side. This lasted for the rest of my labor.
One of the worst parts of my labor was the shakes. It started a little bit before the epidural, but got worse after because they increased the amount of pitocin they were giving me to move along the induction. After the epidural I was shaking so bad. They were all over completely uncontrollable shakes. It was horrible because it really affected my ability to relax during and in between contractions. This was also when things started coming really hard and fast. The contractions were so bad they made me naseous and I was in so much pain they increased the epidural medicine but it wasn't working. The nurse asked me to turn onto my left side to see if that helped the epidural medication to go to my left side. Well because I could still feel everything on the left, the movement made me throw up because it was so painful! Finally she let me lay back on my right side. At that moment, I felt like he was moving down and it was almost time to push. The nurse called for the midwife. By this time, I was telling Dan I didn't know how much longer I could do this. In my mind, I was at the point where I was willing to ask for a c-section, which had always been something I DID NOT WANT. We were in luck though, this time I was 8 cm dilated. The midwife took a blood sample from Gabe's head to check his oxygen levels and make sure I didn't have to have a c-section. She said she'd be back in 10 minutes. She came back in what felt like hours and by that time I had already started pushing because I couldn't hold it. They got me in the stir-ups and I kept pushing. Four pushes later, he was out!!! He was beautiful and healthy. They placed him on my chest immediately and he began rooting. Once he got to the breast though he started sucking his lip instead of latching (this was the beginning of our breastfeeding issues). He was so beautiful! Dan cut the cord and we just stayed there bonding with our new little man. Eventually, I called my parents to let them know he was here and Dan called his parents to tell them to come on down to the hospital.
I birthed the placenta and was amazed to discover I didn't tear at all. So even though I had to resort to an epidural, I still had the birth I wanted: no c-section or stitches!
They weighed and dressed Gabe. He weighed 2.843 kg. They don't measure length out here because it doesn't relate at all to the health of the baby, plus stretching them out to weigh them just stresses them out.
The family came to see us and they brought me some food including the traditional Dutch muisjes, which are buttered biscuits topped with sugar coated aniseeds in the color corresponding to the baby's sex.
One thing that really upset me was finding out that because I had diabetes while pregnant, they had to automatically give him formula and test his blood sugar every couple of hours. This meant we had to stay at the hospital for 24 hours. Nobody had told me of this policy. I did not want to give him formula at all and now I didn't have a choice. I believe this also contributed to our breastfeeding issues. Not surprising his sugars were fine the whole time. This wasn't surprising because mine had been great my entire pregnancy and he was not the gigantic diabetes baby they were afraid he'd be. He was only around 6 lbs!!!
After Dan's family left, I got up and showered and peed. Those were the requirements before going back to my previous room. Dan had to go home (not by choice!) and by around 3 am, Gabe and I were settled in my room and ready to go to sleep. Of course, I was too high on hormones, love, adrenaline, whatever you want to call it and I barely slept. I just laid there staring at my beautiful baby boy! I couldn't believe he was here, healthy, and just perfect! The next morning Dan, rushed to the hospital to be there as soon as visiting hours began. The proud papa couldn't stay away! :)
All in all, I labored for about 31 hours. I could not have done it without Dan. He was the perfect birth partner. He knew exactly what I needed and made sure I was comfortable and safe. He was so supportive and amazing. He never once complained or did anything that wasn't encouraging and full of love. I really am a lucky girl to have two amazing boys in my life!