By Request...Our Birth Story

As you requested...here's my horrific birthing story...it's pretty long, so feel free to skip to the action-packed end if you like.

I was wide awake at 3AM on Wednesday due to my PUPPS rash and just couldn't go back to sleep. I gave up and watched TV. (There's nothing on at 3AM, btw.) Wednesday we went about our normal business. I had the appointment with the derm and dropped off graded research papers at school. Then, at 10:00 that evening when we were going to bed, pain was shooting down into my area. Walking and crying made me feel better, until I stubbed my toe on edge of my hospital bag. Then I had contractions and a bloody toenail. We started timing them, but they were irregular. I called the doctor's office to let them know and the on-call doc called me right back. He said to wait an hour or two and then call back. I barely waited an hour because the contractions were all about 4 minutes apart at that point. We arrived at the hospital at 1AM. A nurse checked to see if I was in true labor, and since I was, I got to stay.

(I'm beginning to think this is going to be a long post. Good thing both of my men are sleeping right now.)

Joel called and text messaged the people on his list and we sat and waited. Since I have Strep B I had to have an IV of antibiotics. If not, I could have given pnemonia to Owen as he slipped down the birth canal. I was examined and it was determined that I was about 4 centimeters dilated (wide) and about 80% efaced (thinned out). At this point I was pretty tired, as I had been up for about 24 hours. The pain then moved from my abdomen to my thighs. It stayed there the whole time (I never had another contraction pain in my abdomen), so there was no way I could walk. I got about 10 steps before I was crying so hysterically that Joel had to help me back to bed. I got a pain drug called NuBane to help me sleep. I napped off and on for awhile. Then it was time to decide if I wanted an epidural while that window was still open. I was unsure at first, but my doctor convinced me that it really was a good idea at this point. Before they put in the epidural they asked if a student could come in and watch. There was already one student there watching and helping, so I was going to agree. Good thing I asked where the student was from first. She was a student of mine! I said "No." It would be a little too weird for a girl to see her teacher get an epidural.The epidural was WONDERFUL. I couldn't even move my left leg without lifting it up off of the bed first. Things were still moving slowly, but the nurse said the baby liked it when she rubbed his scalp. It was cool and gross at the same time to think that this woman was rubbing my baby's head while he was still way inside of me. I wasn't thinning out properly, so I got another drug to help with the contractions. I have never felt more pain in my entire life. No amout of relaxation breathing was going to help. I screamed and cried until I thought my throat would bleed. EVERYONE heard. My poor mother had to listen from the hallway because I wouldn't let her in the room.

(Phew, this story is taking almost as long as the labor itself!)

At this point I had been up for nearly 40 hours, with the exception of the few drug induced naps. It was time to push, but pushing wasn't working. Instead of sliding DOWN the birth canal like a good little lad, stubborn Owen just spun in circles. At first the nurse commented on how interesting it was because she never saw a baby do that. It got to be a problem because he wasn't progressing and I was too tired to do much more pushing. Joel and one of the students (not from Geneva) got to hold my legs and push my feet to my ears. I later found out that this was the first time the student got to see a human birth; she had previously seen a horse give birth.Then things get a little blurry. The nurse said they lost the baby's heartbeat. She frantically shoved a heart monitor up me and attached it to his head and my leg. (Good thing I went to childbirth class or I would have had no idea what was going on or what this was going to mean for the baby and me.) I remember the nurse calling for the doctor and someone throwing an oxygen mask in my direction and telling me to put it on. Then the nurse told me that the doctor was going to use the vacuum on the baby. I remember a lot of yelling and Joel screaming "PUSH!" over and over and over. There was some burning...okay, A LOT of burning. I just kept staring at the sprinkler on the ceiling above my head. When I felt a big slipping feeling, I knew he was out. I focused my eyes long enough to see him lying on my belly and see the room full of hospital staff. They must have had every nurse in the building in that room. I asked to hold the baby, but theywouldn't let me. They whisked him over to the warmer and did whatever it is they do. Then he FINALLY cried. I kind of "came to" at that point. Joel was shoving ice chips in my mouth and putting a wet wash cloth on my forehead while I was telling him to leave me alone and go see the baby.

The doctor said I could hold him when she was finished sewing me up. She said she cut me but I also tore a little on my own. Awesome. That was the last thing I was worried about. Joel listened and went to coo at the baby. He came over while the doctor was still sewing and said, "I think his name is Owen." He could have said his name was "Sally Sue" at that point. I wouldn't have cared. Then I finally got to hold Owen and feed him while Joel text messaged our parents what his name was and that he was finally out here in the world. The three of us got to bond for an hour or so before the eager grandparents swarmed in on us.

And if you want or need any more details than I've already provided. I'd be happy to share. :)