That morning I had decided to do some last minute shopping for the baby, for Father's Day and for the kids. I headed to the outlet mall where I spent too much time in the Croc store trying to decide which pairs to purchase. I kept dropping shoes from the racks and bent over probably 10 times to pick them up. Very annoying at 39 weeks (to the day) pregnant. After a quick stop into Motherhood Maternity I headed home about 12:15 pm. I hung up the phone with a friend after finalizing our plans to meet for dinner and pulled into the garage. I opened the door and stepped down and literally felt my belly drop and something sort of "pop". As I stepped out of the car, I felt this strong gush and looked down to see that my capris were completely soaked and the fluid just kept coming. I was taken off guard and not sure what to do next. I opened the garage door and yelled to Michael, "It broke!!!" Of course he didn't realize at first what that meant, but when it registered he jumped up and came out to see what was going on. He grabbed some towels and got the kids ready to leave for the hospital. I changed clothes (which wasn't much help b/c those just got soaked too), texted a few friends, called my parents and we headed to Allen Presbyterian Hospital.
Once we got to the hospital we weren't sure what to do first. It was a bit chaotic with the kids with us and all our stuff and my mind was racing - I was thrilled I didn't have to be induced and I went thru a mental checklist to make sure we had everything we needed. Thankfully, my friend Julie met us and took charge of the kids while Michael went to find me a wheelchair (primarily so I didn't have to walk in leaking fluid -yuck!). We all went up to Labor and Delivery on the third floor and started the check-in process with our nurse, Holly. We got settled into our room and they hooked me up to the BP machine and I waited for the contractions to start. :)
Soo excited!
Keeping the kiddos busy with iphones while I got in my room
As labor started I noticed these contractions were a lot stronger than I remembered with Luke's labor. But they weren't consistent so the pain, although stronger, was bearable due to the frequent breaks. Holly checked me and I was between 4 and 5 cm. dialated and 90% effaced. We discussed the epidural and she said she wanted to check with the dr. as to when I should get it. My only request was that I get it before the contractions came one on top of each other (I knew the epidural would be more difficult to handle if this happened). Holly kept mentioning I may need "pit" but she needed to check with the doctor. I didn't say anything, but I really didn't want pitocin and was hoping my labor would prove to progress at a steady pace on its own, which thankfully it did. At about 2:00 pm the contractions picked up and I asked for the epidural. The anesthesiologist came in at 3:00 pm and after THREE tries, yes THREE tries, the epidural went in. Just as I had feared the contractions were so strong I could not hold the proper position which made it difficult for the doctor to insert the needle correctly. But once the epidural took effect, I felt relief and knew it wouldn't be long.
Not long after the epidural was in, I had a substantial drop in my blood pressure (80/50) and we also noticed a drop in the baby's heart rate. They asked me if I felt okay and I told them I felt a little dizzy. They then gave me the oxygen mask and the anesthesiologist gave me some sort of medicine to raise my BP, and the nurse turned me over on my side where I stayed until ready to push.
The drop in the baby's heart rate continued and at one point they couldn't get a reading, so they placed a monitor (probe) on his head to keep a closer watch. My BP and his heart rate must have improved, because I don't remember hearing anything concerning after I laying on my sides for the next few hours. During this time, we waited for the doctor to check in, my family arrived and I only progressed to 6 cm (time 4:30 pm).
The drop in the baby's heart rate continued and at one point they couldn't get a reading, so they placed a monitor (probe) on his head to keep a closer watch. My BP and his heart rate must have improved, because I don't remember hearing anything concerning after I laying on my sides for the next few hours. During this time, we waited for the doctor to check in, my family arrived and I only progressed to 6 cm (time 4:30 pm).
So the contractions starting doing their job without petocin and when Dr. Robert arrived at 5:30 I was 9 cm! She asked that we wrap up our conversations so we could all prepare for delivery. I remember we kept visiting then 15 minutes later we all realized that the dr. had really wanted everyone to leave. So we politely shooed them out of the room and the delivery team came in around 6:00. I was 10 cm and ready to push.
We are ready to do this!
It took me a few pushes to figure it all out again. The nurses, doctor, Michael and my mom were very encouraging and I made a lot progress moving him down at first. With each contraction it seemed like this would be it, but at some point he just didn't come down further. I remember everyone commenting on his dark hair which was no surprise to me. Michael, however, was surprised. He really thought this baby would have a head of blond hair. I reached down and felt his head (never did this with the other babies) and I was surprised at how soft it was. I kept pushing and following all the instructions and kind of lost track of time, but I was starting to wear down and my arms were really hurting from holding the rails. The doctor made a few side comments about him being big and having a big head ("oh...great", I thought..."no wonder it's taking longer"). We were coming up on almost one hour of pushing and I was really tired and a little sweaty. There was a lot of conversation in the room in between contractions...this was fine with me and it passed the time...just another day in the office for these ladies! But at some point the talking stopped and then the nurse climbed on the bed and pushed down hard on my abdomen several times. I later learned that his shoulder was stuck - also known as shoulder dystocia. The team did an excellent job keeping me oblivious and getting him through safely. The next contraction I pushed as hard as I could and FINALLY he entered the world. I felt a flood of relief, a few tears well up and when I saw him I remember thinking he looked just like Hannah the first time I laid eyes on her.
Ryan had a little fluid in his lungs which they suctioned out and his breathing became more steady. I was very worried about breathing troubles at birth and was soooo relieved when they told me everything looked good. I found out a few days later that his Apgar scores were 8 and 9 - a very healthy boy!
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