A birth story

My first thought is how far to go into detail in the blog.  Hmm... we'll see.  So, on Tuesday, November 9th, we had an induction appointment (gels - cervical ripening agent) scheduled at 2:30 pm.  Travis and I went to Subway at 2 pm bc he thought maybe I would want to eat out since I had been nervous all day.  We arrive at the hospital at 2:45 pm, late, bc Travis didn't think we needed to be on time (I can just hear his brother, Cooper, now, Uncle Cooper, saying he's not surprised by that one bit).  We finally get called back at 3:30 pm and after being monitored for a while, we find out that I was dilated to 3 cm and that the gels will probably kick me into labor.  Good thing we packed the baby bag.  So after a round of gels, we walk around for 45 minutes and then I'm monitored again and at 4 cm.  We walk around one more time for 40 minutes, go to the parking lot and sit on the birthing ball that we brought in the car, do some stairs (walking) and return.  After being monitored and check, I'm at 5 cm and we are told we are getting admitted into labor and delivery (yay!).  We go for another long walk and even do some stairs again and I then I get on my hands and knees for 10 minutes to try to turn the baby bc I was having really bad back labor.  So now it's around 10:30 pm and we go to labor and delivery and I am no longer having cramping in my lower back with the contractions (which really are starting to hurt by now), so the baby must've turned!  Woo hoo!

Unfortunately in labor and delivery, I am still at 5 cm, so we walk again and do stairs and I sit on the birthing ball and around 1 am, I finally dilated to a 6 1/2, so my body progressed, a little slower than expected, but that's okay!  I am dying to have an epidural now, so I tell the nurse and she says that after she starts pitocin, she will give the anesthesiologist a call.  Luckily, at 2:30 a.m. someone else wanted an epidural so the doctor was already here and at 3:15 a.m. I got an epidural.  And it totally made my night (not just bc of the pain, but bc the doctor said he could tell I worked out bc I had a very slim back and it was extremely easy for him to figure out where to put the needle, and I have always loved working out my back muscles).  ANYway, the epidural needle poke actually kind of hurt me a little bit, and Travis told me a lot later that the needle was huge and thick, but after I got that I didn't feel any contractions at all and it was 100% amazing.  Unfortunately, my body really slowed down.  The nurse had predicted I'd deliver the baby before her shift ended at 7 a.m. but I stalled at 6 1/2 cm for the next several hours.  We did sleep for about 2 hours that night, though, and I was starving to death.  I will admit that Travis snuck me some fruit snacks and some crackers.

So at 7 a.m. we got a new nurse (who predicted Tristan would arrive by the end of her shift at 7 p.m.).  Around 10 a.m. I had progressed to 7 1/2 cm with the help of some pitocin and everyone said the baby would be there by 2 p.m. Around 3 p.m. the doctor comes in and breaks my water.  Tristan became very distressed and his heart rate starting decelerating and they inserted an intrauterine catheter to give me back the fluid (amnio fusion) and Tristan got a little monitor as well to measure his heartbeat along with the intensity of my contractions.  I am given extra oxygen for the rest of the time.  We're told with no improvement it will be a C-section and I have to sign the C-section consent forms.  I really didn't want a C-section just bc of the slow recovery period and I was really bummed out and stressed out, which probably wasn't helping the situation.  So over the next hour I ask for prayer, I pray, take deep breaths and I make sure that Travis is praying over there.  And God is good and Tristan's heart rate is normal for a whole hour and a bit before 5 p.m. I am 10 cm and 100% effaced and I feel the urge to push!  Awesome and still feeling nothing!!  Tristan would be there soon, everyone was sure bc he was so low in my pelvis. 

1 hour later of pushing, I am pretty tired and the nurse tells me the doctor has asked if I can stop pushing for 20 minutes while she runs off to perform an emergency C-section on someone else.  The nurse says I only have to stop if I feel comfortable and I verify that it will be only 20 minutes and I figure I can "hold back" for 20 minutes and say yes, but I planned on pushing if I really felt the urge.  We don't up the epidural dose bc I am told I am close.  My aunt Lisa dropped by at this time and brought us some cute baby outfits from the Christian bookstore, I was pretty tired/frustrated, but it was nice that she dropped by and it was a good 20 minute distraction!  Well, the nurse comes back in and says we are going to start pushing in about 10 minutes, so my aunt leaves and I am ready to get going again, since I was pretty much pushing on and off during my "break" anyway.  Well, it turns out the C-section takes much longer than usual, so after 1 1/2 hours of "holding it back" I am finally cleared to start pushing again.  It is now around 6 pm and I feel so much pressure it's not even funny and I've got pretty good control of my legs and I am realizing that the epidural has worn off, but I was told I was very close, so I don't push the button to receive more.

Well, guess who gets stuck in the birth canal right by my pelvic bone (the part he needed to slide under so he couldn't get sucked back up again)?  That would be baby Tristan.  1 hour later we are still pushing and I literally am in so much pain it's not even funny.  I pretty much can move my legs and I keep thinking that I might actually die from labor.  Travis keeps telling me I'm doing great every time I start my set of 3 pushes for 10 seconds each and he was a great coach/partner.  At one point he accidentally spit candy on my face and I told him, "I'm really sorry Trav, but don't talk to me and don't spit candy on my face."  So I can happily say that I never yelled at Travis (I was focusing so hard on holding my breath, keeping my chin down and pushing that I didn't really have time to yell), just my one frustrated comment right there.  But seriously, he spit out jolly rancher bits on my face when he was coaching me through a contraction!!  And the nurses keep telling me "you're so close" "you're almost there" and they've been saying that for 2 hours and I am going nuts.  Travis looks at me sympathetically bc we both know how much I LOATHE being told "it's just around the corner" "just a little bit more" "1/2way there" during a race or something. So now it is 7:15 pm and we have really gotten attached to our nurse and I secretly hope she stays through the whole thing bc HOW MUCH LONGER CAN IT SERIOUSLY BE?!  So, for the next 30 minutes I keep on pushing and I start saying discouraging things and begging for an actual time estimate, saying how much it hurts, telling Travis I am done doing this, etc.  Not my finest 30 minutes.  And then, miraculously I am told the baby's right there (yes, I'd heard that a lot, but I felt so much pain/pressure, this time it had to be true) and the doctor is on her way in.  The doctor comes in, I go through 3 sets of 3 pushes and Tristan is out at 7:50 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs and measuring 20 inches!  He has the cord wrapped around his throat twice, so the doctor clamps and cuts it instantly and Travis isn't asked to do the cord cutting.  I immediately beg for pain medication (even though I do feel immensely relieved) and I am given Stadyl (spelling?) and I fall asleep for 10 minutes right away after waiting to hear Tristan cry, so I don't even see/hear Tristan or anyone else for 10 minutes.  Travis tells me I missed some pretty fun stuff down there and that I missed seeing Tristan's cone head when I wake up. 

After I come to, I lay there and my placenta is pushed out, my single tear has been stitched up and I am ready to go to the bathroom.  I am told that I can't walk around after having an epidural and I look at the nurse and say, trust me, I think I can walk around.  So she doesn't believe me, but says okay swing your legs around and I do and she's stunned and I get out of the bed and walk to the bathroom and go (which yes, hurt/burned/stung like none other, but I really had to go).  Luckily, I was given my little peri bottle before and I got all the fun little topical medications and diapers and mesh panties, which have been life savers!!  

So all in all, this was one long and hard labor, but we had a GREAT team of nurses, we got along very well with all of them and they were all very attentive and caring.  I didn't mean to end up going "natural" at the end there with no pain medication, but everything worked out and I didn't die from the pain.  And people are right, you do forget the pain quickly.  And now I have the most beautiful baby boy in the whole wide world.  And again, people are right and you really do think your baby is the most beautiful human being in the whole wide world.  That little guy was worth all the pain in the whole wide world.  And watching Travis talk to Tristan or hold him or cuddle him or attempt to swaddle him really well or attempt to change his diaper are the most endearing things in the whole wide world.  We're both learning swaddling techniques and fast diapering techniques together and I honestly can't wait to experience parenthood (and make our own parenting mistakes just as all parents do) with Travis.  I love him more than anything in the entire world and I am so excited that Tristan has joined us and made us a family of 3!  It's going to be great!

Family visits?  My mom (grandma) is coming down Sunday to Sunday (the 21st) and staying with my Aunt Lisa (great aunt to Tristan, pic below).  The Rileys (grandparents Rick and Karen and aunt/uncle Lindz and Cooper) will be coming down next Friday to Friday (the 19th through the 26th).  Then my parents (great grandparents) will be coming down the following week.

 

Okay, I'll update again later - we have some great pics of Tristan with his visitors from today.  I know this was a ton of reading material, but I just wanted to get it up since I have been asked several times for the birth story. 

Thank you so much to everyone - we can't even express our gratitude for all the prayers, thoughts and support throughout these last few days!

Love, Travis, Holly and Tristan