Jonah's Birth Story Part 2

I figured Mother's Day would be a good day to wrap up Jonah's birth story.  You can view part 1 here. The pictures displayed were taken professionally from Sarah Carter Photography.  Please also like her Facebook Page.

We arrived at the hospital I think around 4:00 am?!?  We got checked in, I got to skip triage because it was very obvious I was in active labor.  My contractions were still strong, but not coming any closer together, maybe every 6 minutes.  They hooked me up to the monitors like usual.  The Dr. chatted with my midwife looking over my prenatal record.  We signed the papers to get an epidural as I was ready to sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.  Before the anesthesiologist came in, they checked my dilation progress.  Before leaving for the hospital  I was a 4.  The Dr. said "Uh, you are a 9 with bulgy bag of water!" While everybody was rejoicing and joking that we should just go home,  (I would have loved to, but the thought of delivering in the car during the 40 minute ride home didn't sound appealing) my heart sunk and I thought ooooh noo!  I knew I wouldn't get the epidural, (I prefer natural birth anyways, why I opt for a home birth) but I was TERRIFIED of putting my feet up in those stupid stirrups for pushing.  I had a normal hospital birth with my first child and I KNOW the drill.  Going to the hospital for the epidural, I figured my pain would be knocked out and I could deal with the horrible positioning of the stirrups.  But if I am going to go all natural…that thought scares the dickens out of me.  (I also vividly remember the episiotomy that I felt when giving birth to my first)  I begged my nurse for at least some pain meds in the IV…she verbally agreed, but it was never administered.

I continued laboring.

I went to the bathroom as frequently as possible.  Keeping your bladder empty helps the head to drop (which we were struggling with) and with no epidural, they let me roam the room pretty freely.  

During the last bathroom stop I made, I sat on the toilet and a huge contraction came (normal) and a massive pop/plop sound. My water just broke in the toilet.  It was just my husband in the bathroom with me.  I then started yelling, my midwife came in, then the nurses and doctors.  (My main doctor was a 1st year resident, being accompanied by a 3rd year resident, being overseen by the attending physician, confused?) I started yelling "I"m pooping! I'm pooping!" I felt like I was pushing out the most massive poop I've ever had. (it's a birth story…I'm going to be honest with ya'll!) They got me off the toilet and they could tell my body was pushing the baby, I had no control over what was happening.  

The doctor wanted to move me to the bed.  The nurse was in front of me, my midwife behind me and I remember my nurse saying.  "NO she is delivering..NOW!!!" In this tiny bathroom was myself, my husband, my midwife, at least one nurse, and two doctors.  The doctor that was assigned to me (remember 1st year residency) I think was in shock/panic he didn't know what to do.  What appeared to me, was the nurse and my midwife started taking over.  The nurse (who had previously worked in a hospital that allowed midwives to practice so who is used to natural labors and mamas birthing where they birth!) told me to put my arm around her and my husband and squat.  I tried to do as I was told, my body pushing at the same time. My midwife started  yelling for towels towels! (Hello, slippery baby about to come out!) A small wash cloth was presented…ummm no!  So somebody got a chucks pad.  I squared, continued to push, and my midwife behind me and the doctor in front of my guided the baby out together.  

It was quite a scene.  

Baby was delivered safely and handed immediately to me.  Of course they wanted the cord cut quickly to get me moved to the bed.  This was not what we had wished, but we were in the hospital out of our element.  Daddy got to cut the cord…in the bathroom.

And we made our way to the bed.  

 The doctor asked if anybody had looked at the clock when baby was born.  Nobody had.  My midwife said I got up to go to the bathroom at 6:00, we returned to bed at 6:10, so it is estimated that baby was born at 6:05 am, March 8, 2014.

I had a second degree tear that required stitches.  I think I was the first victim for this residency doctor to stitch…ouch.  And then we cuddled with baby.

Later in the morning, the girls came to see their new baby brother.  We knew his first name would be Michael, but we didn't have a middle name yet (which is what he would go by).  

And then we were a family of 5.  Later that day we decided on Jonah.  Michael Jonah.  See more pictures and a beautiful video here.

We are so thankful for a safe and healthy delivery.  It did not go as planned, but we got quite the birth story out of it!  I never thought I would be a home birth that turned into a hospital transfer, but I can not tell you how thankful I am that my midwife was still an active part of my labor in the hospital, and even helped catch Jonah while he was born.  With all that said, I had a difficult time when I came home from the hospital, seeing all the unused home birth supplies, the birthing pool in our bedroom waiting to be filled with water, and grieving the birth we didn't have.  Stay tuned for part 3 of Jonah's birth story, explaining what it is like to grieve a birth that didn't go as planned.  

Baby Jonah's Birth Story….part 1

I figured there is no better way to start up the blog…again…for the upteenth millionth time, than to share our newest member of the family's birth story.  You really want to stick around for the whole story.  The quick version, he was an intended home birth, that resulted in a non emergency hospital transfer, then born in the hospital bathroom.  Interested?  Stick around….

I wasn't quite sure about dates - so we had ESTIMATED due dates from March 1 - March 8th.  I always "go past" the date, and my midwife likes to pick the last date so we aren't sitting around twiddling our thumbs…as much.  So March 8, baby 3 is "due".  (I hate that term)

My due date was on a Saturday, that whole week I was trying to do natural things, to encourage labor.  The night of March 5 into the 6th, I had mild contractions that kept waking me up, preventing me much sleep.  On March 6 at 8:45 PM I texted my midwife:

"Did chiro and acupunctures (and steps) Kris took me to…..Fudruckers for dinner.  After chiro and acupuncture very very intense contractions coming in a rhythm.  I'm not timing but my guess 8-10 min.  Almost home then going to bed.  Reminds me of how Natalie's labor started.  Contractions just like this at Fudruckers around 9 PM.  Went home to bed, gave up sleeping around 4 am, went to hospital around 9 am."

I knew this was finally going to turn into the real thing, and expected a baby by the next day.  Or so I thought….

Friday March 7, at 5:52 am, I text my midwife:

"I've been awake since 11:30 PM working through contractions, usually in bed because they are strong enough I can't sleep.  They remain 8-9 minutes apart and after all these hours aren't getting closer.  Any ideas on how to speed this up?  I've never had this happen before.  After one night of bad sleep and last night of 1 1/2 hours of sleep I'm pretty tired and don't want to deal with it again tonight."

It's a good thing God doesn't really tell us the future….because I was getting into…just what I didn't want to get into.  Another night (night 3) of no sleep.

My midwife texted back suggestions to get get the baby's head in place.  Later she texted:

"Do you want me to come over"

My response:

"I think I'm ok"

We conversed back and forth about suggestions on what to do to get things moving along. At 11:00 am I get:

I feel like I should come check on you.  Go ahead and get started and I will head your way shortly.  I'll be there 12:30 ish"

See…those are signs of a good midwife!  A trained midwife that puts aside whatever she had going on that day because she has a gut feeling she should come see her client.  

I had a constant pain in my side.  My midwife thought maybe gas?  Told me on the phone to drink Apple Cider Vinegar.  I hate the taste of vinegar, and back out it came with whatever I ate that day.  

My midwife and her assistant showed up around 1:00 PM ish.  We did natural things to get labor going, homeo-pathics, using a breast pump, bouncing on a birthing ball.  I continuously had mild irritable contractions through out the day.  I was mentally going down hill, wondering what is going on.  My midwife had checked my cervix and I had barely started to dilate.  And I mean barely.  Around 4:00 PM on the 7th, I wanted to get outside.  I needed fresh air and a change of scenery.  My husband and I took a walk down our long lane.  I had to stop and lean on him through contractions.  This is a good sign!  We walked for about 20-30 minutes.  Him telling me what he wants to do with the fence around the pasture, me breathing through contractions.  

When we got back, I think that is when my midwife and her assistant realized, ok, this is turning into real active labor….finally.  

My husband cooked us spaghetti (with our homemade canned sauce..mmm) and my husband and I sat down with my midwife and her assistant for dinner.  Contractions continued, very strong, getting strong enough where I am humming and moaning through them.  

Sometime after dinner, my midwife checks me…I'm a whopping 2 cm dilated.  That was a big blow considering how hard my body is working.  The baby's head was not engaged in my pelvis, encouraging dilation. 

The sun went down, my midwife and assistant continued to monitor me and baby.  around 10 or 11 PM I took a shower.  The girls were with my parents, freeing up their bunk bed.  So guess where the birthing team set up camp! ;) 

When I got out of the shower, all the lights were off, my husband in bed (not really asleep) and the birthing team resting as they should be.  Nobody was doing anything wrong, but an emotional pregnant woman in labor going into her 3rd night of very little sleep…I about lost it.  Everybody is resting and I'm working my tail off, and I am beat tired.  My emotional state was going down hill…and fast.  Mostly due to lack of sleep.  

I have a bachelor's degree….I did all nighters during college.  I have 2 kids, I understand lack of sleep and bad nights.  I have never been to this point of exhaustion in my life, on top of working through contractions.  The contractions were still intense, but never getting closer together, probably around 6 minutes apart.  

The evening continued, my midwife and her assistant taking turns monitoring me and baby while the other one rested, my husband in and out of bed, giving me support. Intense contractions continued, but did not get closer together.  Eventually in the wee hours of the morning, a cervix check was done to fine I was a 4.  Seriously?? a 4???  I wanted to die. And I'm serious.  Not from pain, from an emotional state I have never experienced before.  I felt like I was loosing myself.  I believe this is all from lack of sleep.  

My midwife sat my husband and I down.  She said we need to make a decision.  We can continue on laboring at home.  My stats were good and baby's stats were good.  But, I'm a 4, labor will probably continue on for another 6+ hours.  We have no clue how long.  Or, we can go to the hospital, I can get the epidural (you know the one word that every home birth natural laboring mom stays clear of!) and sleep until I'm a 10, get the rest I need to keep it together, and push this baby out!  

She left the bedroom to allow my husband and I talk.  I fell apart.  I melted into a puddle on our bed.  And I'm tearing up as I write this, remembering it all. Kris held me as I cried, and cried, and cried.  The back of my head I was screaming…let's go…let's go now!  I want relief so I can sleep.  I have had a home birth before, a beautiful water birth.  The pool was set up, the birthing supplies set out, all ready for baby 3.  I wanted it so bad. But I felt like the worlds' biggest failure.  Kris and I talked, and we agreed to go to the hospital so I could get relief and sleep.  My midwife came in, I told her decision…and then I fell apart again.  She said "You are not a failure for doing this".  I told her that's what I feel like.  And then, God gave her the perfect words for me at that time.  I don't remember the exact words but it was something like…

I think you are making a smart decision.  An Epidural is a tool, a tool that is overly used.  In this instance, an epidural is good idea, giving you the rest you need to continue, instead of tuckering out at the last minute and then we are really in trouble.  

She brought me out of that failure mentality, and we began packing for  the hospital.  I didn't have anything ready to go, after one successful home birth, I never thought I'd be one of those "hospital transfers".  Since it was not an emergency, we could take our time…and pack our stuff in Walmart bags since our luggage was in storage.  

Around 3:00 am we left for the hospital. I texted both of our moms:

"On way to cox south.  Not an emergency.  Hard hard labor and I'm only a 4.  Baby's head must be funny bc I'm slow dilating.  Night 3 of labor and no sleep.  Debbie thinks it is a good idea for me to get an epidural to sleep.  Don't come yet as I need rest.  Kris will keep you updated." 

Stay tuned for part 2.  Part 2 has great professional labor/birth pictures.  I planned on having a birth photographer present for the labor/birth.  We never called her to our house (which I now regret) because my contractions were not close together so I don't have any from laboring at home.