Birithing Story

While I was living in So Cal I met a few different women who had natural child births.  Both of them had their children at home.  Also, one of my very dear family friends had planned on delivering naturally but ended up with a c-section because the baby was breech.  I developed an interest in natural child birth and started to do a lot of reading.  I determined that I indeed wanted to delivery the baby naturally.  I just think our bodies are incredible and they are made to do this.  This being my first pregnancy, I wasn't entirely comfortable with delivering at home.  Maybe some of it has to do with the fact that my sister-in-law, Mindy, works in the Peds ICU and has some crazy stories.   I thought about birthing centers too.  Because I'm relatively new to Boise and didn't know anyone else personally here who had a natural delivery, it was overwhelming to figure out who I should go see and where I should deliver.  I went to establish care with Dr Schwendiman (a family practice doctor) and he formally was an OB.  He helped answer a lot of questions and even referred me to a midwife.  I decided to deliver at St Alphonsus Hospital with a midwife.  St Al's supports different birthing styles more than St Luke's.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am very determined.  I knew that if I set my mind to it that I could  delivery naturally.  I hired a doula, Kendra Szudera, to help coach and assist me.  I even typed up my birth preferences for any medical personnel helping me.

I knew when I hit 40 weeks that I needed to start being concerned.  Many doctors want to induce shortly after 40 weeks.  I DID NOT want to be induced.  I went to an acupuncturist to help promote labor.  I was told that in order to go past 41 weeks I had to get another ultrasound.  They scheduled the ultrasound on Thursday March 8th.  I really didn't think much of it.  I should have prepared myself better for the possibility that something could happen at the ultrasound.  When the technician was doing the ultrasound she said "Okay, don't freak out."  That will make your heart skip a beat.  Then she told me that she was measuring the baby at 9lbs 11oz.  She took the measurement a number of times to be sure.  She also told me that he had a big belly.  She left to consult with the doctor.  The doctor came in and told me that my AFI (amniotic fluid index) was low.  It was a 6 and was suppose to be closer to a 12.  She told me that I needed to go to the hospital right away.  I walked next door to my midwife's office.  She checked me out.  I was barely dilated to a 1 and only 60% effaced.  She told me I needed to go to the hospital.  I had not packed a bag or anything and Brandon was at work.  I asked if I would go home first and was told no.  She told me that I either had to be induced or have a c-section.  I asked about the induction options.  I was told that I could only be on pitocin because any of the softening agents could hyper stimulate the uterus and hurt the baby.  She also said that even if I was induced with pitocin there was an 80% chance I would still end up with a c-section.  Basically she was really encouraging me to get a c-section that night.  She sent me over to the hospital and Brandon met up with me there.  Again she went over the options and encouraged the c-section.  I was incredibly frustrated.  The hospitalist actually was telling my midwife to just let me try the induction and see what happens.  What a role reversal.  I told them that I wanted to try the induction.  That none of us knew how my body would respond so I had to try.  They started me on pitocin at 9pm and gave me some ambien to sleep.  Brandon brought me some food from Old Spaghetti Factory.  Ryan came by and helped Brandon give me a blessing.  Kendra came and we talked through some things.  She also brought a "come out, baby" relaxation track that I listened to before I went to bed.

They next morning there was no change.  I was still dilated to a 1 and 60% effaced.  Dr Knutsen (the Dr that oversees my midwife) arrived around 8am and suggested that I get a c-section.  She told us to talk about it and she would be back.  It is hard to talk about something when they don't really give you options.  I guess they didn't like what the baby's heart was doing.  I asked the nurse if I had any options.  I asked if I was up moving around instead of sleeping if that could change the heart situation.  She said that it could.  I decided to stick with the induction.  They turned the pitocin off for 30 minutes and then started it again.  My mom and sister came by around 2.  I wasn't great company.  Pitocin is a horrible drug.  At 4:15 I was only dilated to 1.5cim and 90% effaced.  Finally I was dilated enough to break my water.  All day I did anything I could think of to promote labor.  I walked around, sat on a exercise ball, and even sat in the tub (that doesn't promote labor but I thought it would relieve the pain.)  By 8pm my contractions were back to back, straight up and straight down, and completely horrible.  I was getting so tired and couldn't fathom going all night like that and then eventually pushing out a baby.  When my parents came around that time I yelled out to them "you're not going to want to come in here."  After 24 hours on pitocin I was so exhausted I had to break down and get an epidural.  I was trying to hold off as long as possible because epidurals slow labor down.  I really wanted to get to 5 or 6cm before I had one.  I was disappointed but nothing was going as I planned.  I was just hoping for a vaginal birth.

A couple hours after the epidural, the nurse came to roll me onto my other side.  Apparently the baby didn't like they other side and they had to roll me back.  They started messing with the equipment a lot at that point.  They seemed a little anxious.  They must have started seeing things they didn't like.  Around midnight they placed an internal monitor.  The hospitalist told me that this was my last option before having a c-section.  At 1:40am they took me to the OR for a c-section.  The baby's heart was dropping with each contraction and not recovering as quickly as they would like.  I was pretty upset and disappointed. There was some crying involved.  Nothing went the way I planned.  Up to that point, I had never had surgery before.  I was nervous.  At 2:02 Broden was born.  He was 8lbs 11oz and 20.5 inches.  It was surreal.  He was so perfect and I was so in love.  Brandon held him up so I could look at him and I just started crying.  Beautiful boy!  I was grateful he was healthy and I was healthy but I was struggling with how it all went.

I noticed right away Broden's huge hands, big belly, and big lips.  

Brandon and the baby met me in the recovery room after they were done sewing me up.  I fed the baby right away.  He was good at sucking.  Kendra came in to the recovery room for a few minutes to see the baby and to help me make sure the baby latched properly for breast feeding.

We finally made it into our room around 6am.  I fed the baby again around 7am.  Hospital personnel started coming in around 8am.  I don't think I slept more than 40 minutes combined all night and all day.  I also had not eaten since Thursday night.  I was required to stay in bed for 12 hours after the surgery.  When I finally was able to get out of bed, it was a challenge to walk to the bathroom and back.  I felt pretty helpless.  If the baby was hungry or needed anything, Brandon would have to carry the baby to me.  It is tough to feel so needy when your new baby needs you.  My parents came by.  Ryan and the kids did too.

Myca came during some down time at work.

They usually keep women who had c-sectons for 3 days.  I had already been in the hospital since Thursday night.  They let me go home on Monday.  I don't think I would have lasted much longer in the hospital.

You can kind of see the remnants of my bell's palsy in this picture.  

This is how we took Broden home.  Isn't he the cutest?!  No one warned me that I would look like I'm six months pregnant.  I thought, perhaps, I would look 3 or 4 months pregnant but I wasn't prepared for how big my belly was or how squishy it was.  

I wanted a natural birth.  I ended up with 24 hours on pitocin without drugs.  Then another 5 hours with an epidural and a c-section to top it off.  What a crazy experience!  I am still amazed by our bodies and what they are capable of doing.  Child birth is such a miracle.  I am thankful every day for Broden and I'm thankful every day to be a mom.