Clayton's Birth story

[LilLegs]

I was going to write this on Clay's birthday, but things got busy and I kept forgetting.  So this is a few weeks late, but I wanted to write this in honor of his birthday anyway.

Clayton was due the second week of May.  I felt so hugely pregnant and I was ready for him to come out.  At my last doctor's visit, he checked to see if I was dilated.  I was at a 2 and my mucus plug came out while he had checked.  That night Tracy and I went to the mall and took a walk to help stimulate labor.  I didn't think it worked.  We went home and went to bed for the night. 

I woke up early to go to the bathroom, like I had for the last 9 months and I felt wetness between my legs.  From going to Lamaze class, I worried that perhaps I had a leak in my water.  The teacher had told us that if your water breaks it's not always a gush of fluids.  So I went to the bathroom and laid back down and waited and there it was again.  I picked up the phone and called my mom (who was going to be my coach) and asked her what I should do.  She told me to be on the safe side to call my doctor.   It was early Sunday morning so I had to call the answering service who paged my doctor who called me right away and told me to go in. 

Tracy was still sleeping beside me, it was 7 am and after I hung up the phone he told me that I should have gone in the other room if I was going to be on the phone.  I told him I thought I had a leak in my water, to which he immediately got up to drive me to the hospital and apologized.  I think he was more excited than me. 

When we got to the hospital, I was pre registered, so all I had to do was go to the maternity ward where I was admitted into the "closet". The closet was where they put you until they are sure you need to be admitted.  The nurse came in and tested me with a strip to see if it would turn positive for amniotic fluid, it didn't.  She kept asking me if I was sure I didn't just pee a little and I told her, I was positive.  So, after checking a couple more times and it keep coming up negative, she called my doctor who told her to send me to the ultrasound tech to check my fluid levels.  After the ultrasound I went back to the "closet" where my doctor met up with me, opened me up more and tested more internally with the strip.  It was positive.  The ultra sound had also shown that my fluid levels were lower than normal. 

I was admitted immediately and put on pitocin to induce labor.  Extremely nervous, but excited none the less, I waited for the contractions to start.  I think it was around 8:30 am when they gave me the drugs and it wasn't until around noon that I started to feel any kind of contractions.  But when they came, they began coming on faster and stronger.  I really didn't want to have an epidural if I could help it, but I did take something through the IV to help dull the pain.  I was tired and hungry, I hadn't eaten anything since the night before and since I had an IV in, I couldn't eat anything now, just water and ice chips.  For those who are pregnant, something that really helped me through my labor was watching America's funniest home videos.  It helped me focus on something else and helped me alleviate the pain through laughter. 

I wasn't dilating fast enough so they kept on upping my pitocin.  I was extremely exhausted by the pain of the contractions and the fact that I was SO hungry.  I finally gave in, and through my tears begged for an epidural.  Right after it was stuck in my back and the medicine began to flow, I was out like a light.  I slept through the rest of my labor.  I woke up a little before 4 am to nurses bringing in the station for the baby after it's delivered and my husband holding my hand.  My doctor told me he had to check me and told me I was ready.  It was almost time to push. 

I asked him, "How long will it take to push him out?" 

The doctor replied, "Since this is your first time probably and hour." 

In my mind, I said fuck that, this baby is coming out NOW.  I began to feel the urge to push, with my mom and my husband by my side holding my hands.  The nurse counted down as I pushed with all my might.  "1....2....3....4....5... Deep breath and again..." She would say.  Then something was going wrong. 

"Susan, you need to lay on your side for a minute.  The baby does better when you're on your side." The doctor told me.

This didn't register with me at the time.  I just rolled to my side and the baby's heart beat went back up again.  They waited a few minutes before having me roll back to my back and push again.  Then my doctor told me that there wasn't enough room for his head, he was going to have to give me an episiotimy.  I felt him cut, even though I had the epidural I felt the cut.  "Alright I need two really good pushes, you're almost there."  So I pushed....I pushed beyond the counting I took really quick breathes and kept pushing and pushing. 

Finally, at 4:33 am on April 26 there he was, crying.  They wrapped him loosely in a blanket and set him on my chest.  Shaking and crying I felt his weight on me and looked into that beautiful wrinkly face screaming at me.  They picked him back up to clean him off, measure and weigh him.  Tracy was there holding my hand smiling and kissed me. 

I later learned that the reason he wasn't doing well when I was lying on my back was because the cord was wrapped around his neck.  As soon as he was delivered, the doctor just unwrapped it quick and got him breathing. 

I will never forget that day.  And now, my baby, who used to be a bump in my belly is 4.

Happy Birthday Clayton.

[MSugarKane]

May. 10, 2008 at 7:32 AM HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO YOU!

[jdmcrice]

Jun. 10, 2008 at 2:29 PM

ohh that made me tear up....what a little miracle!!

When my son was born it took a long time for me to push him out because he was face up and head was sideways. He started going into distress and the doctor had to actually pull him out. I think about that everyday and thank God everything came out wonderful!!