Baby A: a Birth Story

After significant and worrying weight loss and severe nausea and vomiting,

A 500mL bleed at 19-20 weeks thinking he was lost,

23 week early labor that needed to be stopped,

Contractions and cramping throughout,

Gestational that caused hypoglycemic swings to the lower 40s and high 30s,

Steroid shots for early dilation,

A possible high uterine amniotic leak,

Then decreased movement counts and stress due to my left generator shutting off,

Right at 37 weeks we induced Baby A.

It was so weird “knowing” when your baby is gonna happen! It was actually kind of stressful and made for a really long weekend counting baby movements because he was so sluggish.

What do you even wear to an induction? I could’ve just showed up in sweats considering you strip down and they get the show rolling! But I also felt like I needed to be a decent human being and did myself up haha.

Thank goodness for Grandma Carmen being able to handle Toddler R, that was such a huge help cause we were feeling all sorts of second child guilt with Toddler R. He was spoiled during this time!

The induction started off with a cervical balloon catheter which, .... was not fun. I was already dilated to a 2cm, but that thing brings you up to a 4-5cm along with some pictocin. It wasn’t fun but it also was manageable. I had super hard and fast labor with our first, so that’s all I could imagine at the time. When that’s all you can imagine, things become more manageable.

The nurse and doctor actually stopped the pictocin because my body just started doing labor on its own. Apparently I was contracting very strangely, something they’ve never seen before and now I’m curious if they were seeing my Dystonia. They determined it was effective, whatever it was but it was unique! 

As things progressed and my body prepared, my right side with the Dystonia started to act out. My neck locked, my arm had significant tremors, my hip and leg locked and cramped. I did make it to a 6cm-7cm before the epidural was figured out. Again, not fun and barely on the verge of being not so manageable, but I was very surprised at myself for doing well. I was able to talk through everything. 

The anesthesia team was my BEST FRIEND after all was said and done. I was barely able to sit up and needed many people to help. It was not even close to as bad as I thought it’d be or how I imagined when helping patients. It was, however, strange and a little disconcerting when you feel the pressure in your back and funny zings going down your legs. 

Because the labor pains had gone completely away thanks to amazing anesthesia, my body and Dystonia actually did quite well until pushing of course.

Shortly thereafter I was speaking with the lactation nurse, and I felt an overwhelming funny feeling and nauseous. I stopped in the middle of my sentence and said, “I feel nauseous!” As it turned out my blood pressure tanked to some concerning levels due to the epidural, and my nurse immediately called in the anesthesia providers and quickly started opening fluids. I remember this being a big deal because as a Dystonia patient, I cannot have anything that acts on dopamine. Most reversals of epidurals require meds that do. There was only one med I could have and it had to be mixed. I don’t remember much more as my eyes started to roll, everything got faint and muffled. Austin was by my side and I remember looking at him. After a bit I obtained my voice back and tried to let the team know I was coming to and feeling much, much better. My blood pressure stayed just fine after that incident.

A little while later, they broke my water for me (Labor lasted 7 hours for reference just like Baby R!), and  my nurse comes in and just stands in front of the fetal heart monitor screen and soon we both notice dips, or variables. This meant the baby’s cord was being compressed somewhere though he would recover just fine. However, it started to become a bit worrisome so they turned on pictocin again as I was so close to being complete. They called in the doctor too. My nurse started checking around the baby’s head to ensure there was no prolapsed cord. There wasn’t thank goodness! She also noticed that I was complete.

Before I knew it, nursery people, the doctor, nurses, and nursing students who I welcomed in (because how cool would that be to get to help while in school?? I never got to assist in a delivery!) The doctor got ready while a student was ushered to help assist with my leg. They started to tell me to push, and I was also starting to get the urge and could feel the pressure of baby’s head. After the first push the poor student was just mouth open, in awe hahaha! I looked at my doctor and just kind of laughed and I remember saying, “This is absolutely nothing compared to last time!!” Epidurals are amazing!! I have about two good pushes before I hear the doctor telling me to really go for it or “I might have to assist you with forceps..” I thought that was strange. I gave one last good push and the nurse said something to the doc, she nodded and before I knew it the nurse apologized as she forced pressure on my lower abdomen and the baby came out!

He was perfect. The doctor showed him to me and I just remember overwhelming emotion and tears. He looked like his brother! And he was crying (which is always a good sign!) and moving! I had requested he be cleaned off first and brought to the nursery nurses first. Austin followed. I feel immense guilt still for being in shock when Baby R was born, and didn’t hold him at first either. I wanted them to be equal in a weird way as I already felt guilty about this birth experience already going 100x better than last.

Austin brought Baby A over to me and the nursery nurse told us he had slight bruising and a unique feature of an ear dimple. His right ear has what looks like an ear piercing! The first thing I noticed beside him looking just like his brother was his red hair! I really hope it stays! Apparently I was born with red hair but then lost it :( Baby A does look a bit more like my side!

We stayed in the delivery room for quite a while just admiring our little dude. We moved on to the maternal child area, and recovery is recovery. Although this time it was myriads better. I was up and walking just fine. My Dystonia didn’t seem to stop me too bad either thank goodness!

It wasn’t until the next few days at the newborn check up at our kid doctor that we learned from the reports he had shoulder dystocia with the cord up in his neck being pinched off. I am sooooo thankful to the team for getting him out quickly, and most importantly keeping cool and not telling me. My nurse brain would have freaked. Instead it was calm and collected, and Baby came safely. Now that I am more clear in the head I should’ve known as they were hooking me up to oxygen and having me breathe for the baby though I was fine, and the stomach pressure, and also nobody pushes that fast. Forceps tend to be avoided too.

I’m so grateful Baby A is here safe. His brother has been adjusting smoothly, and Baby is busy being an average newborn! Welcome to the family Baby A!