Today, Theo is one. This year has flown! I have wanted to share this story for a year now, so what better day than today 😆
Theo brought our family a lot of hope. While he came at a big transitional time for our family, he also came at the perfect time. He is such a blessing to our family, and I know Heavenly Father sent him when we needed him most. His name does mean, “God’s gift.”
Birth Story: (mostly written the morning of 6/19)
Wow what a night! I had a baby! Yesterday at my appointment, my midwife gave me the okay to try some castor oil to induce labor.
(Yes I know this wasn’t the best idea.)
I was going crazy! Mostly because I couldn't walk and I had this idea in my head that he’d come early. I typically walk a lot before I give birth, but this time I couldn’t. It was too painful. I was having some piriformis issues I’m pretty sure were caused by a chiropractor I started seeing at 32 weeks.
Terrance was in between semesters at school, I had family coming into town and we weren’t living in our own home. For some reason I thought he would come earlier than Irie, she came on her own at 39 weeks. With much discomfort I was doing everything I could to get this show on the road.
At 38 weeks and 4 days, really not thinking it would work, but worth a shot, I made a fancy drink containing castor oil that was supposed to NOT make me sick but could induce labor. I drank it around 10:30 PM and went to bed. I washed my face thinking I’d have plenty of time to get ready before going to the hospital. Pack my bag? No I would have plenty of time to do that too.
By 11:30 ish while laying in bed I was having some contractions and thought, wow it actually worked! And I’m not even sick! This is great. Maybe I’ll have a baby tomorrow.
I Tried to go to sleep but was hit pretty hard with intense contractions. Crap.
I ended up on the toilet feeling like I was dying. At this point, 12:30am, T woke up, and was pretty concerned. I was having contractions one on top of the other with little break in between. I wasn’t sure if it was labor, or if I was sick from the drink. Terrance wanted me to call my midwife because things weren’t looking good. I thought I was just sick from the drink. I call L and D and the nurse is like you sound awful! Get to a hospital ASAP! Panic. She said we might have to stop at Utah Valley, she wasn’t sure we’d make it to Orem. (We were driving from Spanish Fork)
I’m feeling a little dumb for drinking that drink and kept praying it would all be over soon. Here I thought I was just sick from the drink, not sure I’d be having a baby. We get in the car, at first not a fun car ride. T drove pretty fast, hazards on running lights kind of fast. We decide to stop at Utah Valley, just in case.
I get to the hospital at 1am ish. Utah valley is under construction. We go inside and have no idea where to go. I’m walking around, in so much pain. Luckily we find a doctor who helps us get around the construction and up to the right floor. At this point, I’m still contracting pretty bad and telling T I’ll take the epidural ASAP 😂 Remember I’m definitely all for natural birth, but this was something else 😆
We get checked in at 1:20am. I get checked by the nurse and I’m at a 2, a 2!!! By the way I was contracting and acting, you’d think I was ready to push, and all the nurses thought so too. I kept thinking it was all my fault (the drink). They told me they’d give me an hour to see if I progress, and if not, I would have to go home. I was like no! I cannot go home like this!
Longest hour of my life. Hard labor, dilated to a 10 kind of pain. Terrance had to go park the car, because I’m sure we parked illegally. I was struggling. Towards the end of the hour I threw up everything I drank (first time I have thrown up in all of our marriage haha) Around 2:30am the nurse checks me and I’m at a 3.5! Hallelujah I get to stay and drugs are offered. There was no way I could go home.
Contractions were like 3 at a time and then maybe a 15-30 second break. I had no way of coping. What T and I usually do during labor was NOT working. Things were so crazy I even forgot to call my doula. It all happened so fast and to be honest I didn’t really know what was happening.
At this point I really didn’t care that I wanted an epidural, I needed a break. Luckily, the anesthesiologist was outside waiting for me 🎉 After my IV, he came in at 2:45am. The epidural was hard because I was contracting so frequently. Even he was surprised. Once I got the epidural in, it took what seemed like forever for it to work. I was numbish, feeling a little better but half my body wasn’t numb at all. That was tough. He gave me an extra shot of epidural meds. I really thought it would be instantaneous.
Finally my legs are numb but one spot on my belly was not numb and really, really hurting. Another shot of meds. Still a lot of pain, after it was in and situated, 30 min later, the nurse checks me so she can put in the catheter. Which I was dreading! She checks my cervix first and guess what!? I’m at a 10!? 3.5 to a 10 in like 30 min!! Say what!? But no doctor was there and they were calling my midwife. I kept asking for any OB but they said it was too much paperwork to not have the midwife there. Like really??! Then I get educated on how castor oil causes too many contraction’s etc. I’m feeling awful about that. Turns out I’m in so much pain due to a placental abruption. (The one spot on my stomach that I thought the epidural just wasn't working on) I’m feeling lots of pressure and just want to push! Still no doctor. I’m now on O2. Baby’s heart rate has dropped because contractions are too much. They give me a shot to slow them down. It works. Baby recovers and midwife arrives! 25 min after I was officially at a 10. 4-5 pushes and he’s out! Born at 4:07 AM, 7 pounds 4 oz. 19 in. long.
Placental abruption confirmed.
Midwife said he was posterior (face up) and that if he wasn’t he probably would have been born in the car, also why things were so painful.
Also that because of the placental abruption, its was a good thing I had an epidural, they are very painful. I’m very grateful to have a healthy baby but feeling bad about the drink. They told me I was misinformed and that it was not my fault. The midwife was new. I have no ill feelings towards her, just a little disappointed in how the others treated me and made me feel about it.
But! T was with me and could be for the next few days and I was so grateful.
I did tear a little due to him being posterior and couldn’t move due to the 2 extra shots of epidural meds. I can’t believe it all happened so fast but grateful it didn’t end in Pitocin or c-section. My biggest hesitations with an epidural were feeling stuck for hours, waiting. I’m grateful things went quickly and none of those fears weren’t an issue. But the epidural did take 5 hours to wear off! 🙈
He is just the sweetest happiest baby. Our hearts are so full!
He has been such a good baby. He loves to clap, dance, say “hey,” play in water, and is almost walking!
No comments:
Post a Comment