Warning: As the title indicates, this post is about birth. It's not graphic...I've left out those details...but it does provide an actual account of how Tate came into the world. If that grosses you out or if you are not interested, this is your warning.Tate will be two years old on April 1 and I have just realized that I've never documented his birth story. Before Brady arrives and the details become hazier, I wanted to try to recount the events of March 31 - April 5, 2009. Sorry for the length, but again, this is more for me than you.
Tues, March 31: I had an appointment with Dr. Soufi in the morning. No dilation or signs of labor, but because Dr. Stone (my ultrasound MD at Northside) had predicted Tate was going to be big at ~8lbs a few days prior, she wanted to induce me that day. I called Keith at school to confirm that he was ok with Tate arriving on April Fool's Day...but, he didn't really have a choice....I wanted this baby out!! Dr. Soufi also warned me during this appointment that I would likely have back labor because of Tate's positioning.
What my mom and I did that afternoon is a blur, but we went to Crabapple Tavern for my "last supper" that evening (I had a steak salad) while Keith coached the Kell vs. Lassiter baseball game...the biggest rivalry of the year. Thankfully, Kell won, so Keith was in a great mood when he came home to drive me and my mom to Northside around 8pm. We had to turn around about 5 minutes from home because I had forgotten something (hospital registration papers maybe??). We pulled over at a gas station, I found them in the back of the car and we continued on our journey. By this point, I began to notice regular, painless contractions were starting.
Lindsey met us at the hospital as we waited to get checked in, and Keith anxiously paced the lobby while talking on the phone - in need of something to do to keep occupied.
We got settled into my room around 9:30pm and I was in bed and hooked up to all of the monitors around 10pm. My mom and Lindsey left shortly after to sleep at Lindsey and Dan's condo, and planned to return bright and early the next morning.
The nurse started Cervadil around 11pm and then it was time to sleep. Except I couldn't. My contractions weren't painful, but just annoying enough to keep me from being comfortable. Around 2am, I was getting anxious... worried that I was going to be up all night and exhausted the next day. I called the nurse and asked about my options. I was given some type of narcotic (can't remember the name) and was told that it would help me relax and that I might feel a little drunk. She assured me that we were early enough in the labor process that the baby would not be harmed and it was perfectly safe. The drug was not effective and in hindsight, I wish I had just asked for an Ambien to help me sleep.
Wednesday, April 1:At any rate, I got a few hours of sleep before the nurse came back at 7am to start Pitocin and administer the IV (the IV may have happened the night before, I can't remember). I've mentioned before that I hate needles and IV needles are the worst, primarily because of the awkward and painful placement in the hand/wrist. So, naturally, I felt myself getting clammy and sweaty and on the verge of passing out while she was inserting it. I remember calling out to Keith for ice chips from my nearly blacked-out state and I had to drink some juice afterwards until I recovered. (I'll have all of the items on hand upfront this time around because I know it will happen again.)
Dr. Soufi came in around 8am to break my water. The Pitocin kicked in around 8:30am and before long, I was having intense contractions that were taking my breath away. Keith and I struggled to remember techniques from our childbirth classes...tried breathing exercises, walking around the room and massaging my lower back with a tennis ball...nothing offered relief. I expected to be able to make it a little further in the process before calling for the epidural, but I was in so much pain that we called the anesthesiologist in around 9:30am. The epidural had been my biggest fear leading up to childbirth, but I was so anxious for relief that it was not a big deal at all. By 10am, I was numb, happy and 1 cm dilated.
Things began to move quickly from there. I made nice progress by noon and we were predicting that I'd be ready to start pushing by 2 or 3pm...yay! By the afternoon, we had a huge crowd in the waiting room...my family, Keith's family and even the Layfields stopped by my room for a quick visit. The adrenaline and excitement were kicking in and it seemed like just a matter of time before we'd meet our little guy.
But my progress slowed down considerably and I started getting pretty uncomfortable around 2pm with a lot of lower back pain/pressure and a tingling sensation in my top leg (while laying on my side) as the epidural seemed to be wearing off. The nurses came in every so often to adjust my position and offer a booster for the epidural, but eventually the anesthesiologist had to come back to up the dose.
Despite the epidural, I was experiencing full-on back labor pressure, and I was nauseous, throwing up and running a fever. Zofran helped some with the nausea and I was able to rest a little before Dr. Soufi came to check on me around 4pm. During this exam, I was given the news that Tate had passed meconium and that a special team of nurses would have to be on hand to get him suctioned quickly. I was 8-9 cm dilated (same since 2pm) and just needed to get to 10 cm to begin pushing. Again, I felt hopeful that we'd be pushing soon.
Yet, no change by 5pm....and no change by 6pm. At 6pm is when Dr. Soufi first mentioned that a c-section might be inevitable. She doesn't like to wait longer than 12 hours after the water has broken because of the increased risk of infection to the baby. So, the plan was to wait another hour and then make a decision.
By 7pm when Dr. Soufi came back, still no change at 9 cm dilated. I was feeling the urge to push, so we decided to try it. With Keith, Dr. Soufi and the team of nurses in place, we timed my contraction and I pushed....and then Tate's heartbeat dropped like crazy on the monitor. Before I knew what was happening, people were massaging my stomach and I was wearing an oxygen mask as they tried to stabilize his vitals. He recovered in a minute or so, but that was the final straw as Dr. Soufi declared that we'd be heading into the OR immediately for the c-section. I remember asking who would be doing the surgery and she looked at me like I was crazy. Funny...I never thought to ask that question during all the months that I was pregnant. I somehow had no idea that an OB was also a surgeon.
A few members of family trickled in to gather up my suitcases and wish me well, while Keith changed into scrubs. The anesthesiologist came back to adjust the epidural, I was moved to a gurney and off we went! One thing I was not prepared for was the uncontrollable shaking and shivering that comes with an epidural before a c-section. My teeth were chattering and my arms and legs were shaking ridiculously and violently as I was being rolled down the hallway.
Once in the OR, my ankles were put into circulation boots, the blue sheet was raised in front of my face and they began to prepare for surgery. Keith was allowed into the room a short time later. It's a weird thing to lay there awake and listen to the surgical discussion as your insides are being opened up. I didn't feel any pain, but definitely felt quite a bit of pressure as things were opened up and clamped and then later sewn shut.
All of the events of the previous 24 hours vanished when I finally heard Tate cry for the first time at 8:10pm and saw his (enormous) body raised up above the curtain for me to see. 9lbs, 13oz and 21.5 inches long! Keith took some great pictures of the birth, etc and went with Tate to the nursery (and to share the good news with family) while Dr. Soufi was finishing up with me.
The three of us got to be together for the first time as a family in the recovery room. I was exhausted and sore and let Keith hold Tate and give him his first bottle. An hour or so later, they released us to our room and we were able to visit with family and show off our sweet, new baby.
Keith and I sent Tate to the nursery around 11:30pm so that we (I) could rest after a long, long day. Armed with Ambien, Percoset and my epidural button, I was all set to sleep like a baby, but little did I know that the nurses would be waking me up every three hours to give meds, change bandages on my incision, etc.
Thursday, April 2:We had Tate returned to our room early-ish the next morning and enjoyed having visitors throughout the day. My pain was moderate - only hurt to cough and laugh - and I was thrilled to finally be able to eat again after fasting for more than 36 hours. (another thing I was not prepared for!)
Our pediatrician made her rounds that evening and came by to share some news. Tate's breathing was irregular (fluid in his lungs), and his QCRP was elevated (a protein in the blood that measures inflammation in the body)...a sign of a possible infection, maybe from the meconium. As a precautionary measure, she wanted to admit him into the NICU to monitor his breathing and continue to watch for any infection, while beginning antibiotics, just in case.
She assured us that he would be fine and kept using the word precautionary, but it was still fairly traumatic to see your day-old baby wheeled into your room in an incubator-type thing so that you can say goodbye before he's whisked off to the NICU. Keith stayed with him during the transition and went down to the 2nd floor to see where he would be located and to meet the nurses, etc. Keith gave him his evening bottle and came back to our room later so that we could both try to sleep.
Friday, April 3:
The next morning, the nurses removed the epidural and I was allowed to shower for the first time since Tuesday (!) It felt so good to be clean and have make-up on again and I looked forward to venturing down to the NICU to see Tate. If there was a positive side to this situation, it was that I was motivated to regain my strength and walk down to see him rather than be taken in a wheelchair. I actually think it helped a great deal with my recovery that I spent so much time walking between our rooms.
I wasn't able to nurse him directly, but the NICU encouraged me to drop off pumped milk that they would mix with formula to feed him. Keith and I made sure that one or both of us were there for every feeding so that we wouldn't miss out on important bonding opportunities. The NICU staff was fantastic and very accommodating as they cared for Tate while also letting us get to know our new son. It was heartbreaking to see so many tiny, very sick babies around our giant 10lb Tate and it definitely made us realize how fortunate we were, even under the circumstances.
On Friday night, I gave Keith a break and sent him home to sleep and Lindsey came to stay with me instead.
Saturday, April 4:On Saturday, the primary goal was to take the infant CPR class at the hospital, which was a requirement before they would release Tate from the NICU. That also turned out to be a good thing...we had intended to take the course during the pregnancy, but never got around to it. With the class under our belts, we were given the option to check out of the hospital, but because Tate wouldn't be released until Sunday morning, we decided to stay one more night so that we could all leave together. But, good news... Tate was discharged from the NICU in the afternoon and allowed to come to our room. Yay!!
Keith taught me how to swaddle and change his diaper for the first time. I had never done either of those things and he became a pro during the first day that we had Tate in our room (I was still confined to the bed). We kept Tate in our room overnight instead of sending him to the nursery and got to experience our first sleepless night as parents...it was great! :)
Sunday, April 5:
By Sunday, we were soooooo ready to go home! We were finally allowed to leave after lunch and my family had a "welcome home" cocktail reception prepared for us...a perfect ending to a long week and a perfect start to our new life....
