Many of the blogs I read are documenting their birth stories as a way to promote Baby Week on the Discovery Channel (I am not promoting it, but I will watch). I have loved reading other people’s birth stories so I thought I would document Will’s here. (Sorry, it’s long!!)
Monday, March 2, 2009
I went in for my 38 week check up. My blood pressure had been running high at my last couple of appointments, so it had been a small concern. My doctor, Dr. Hoover, wasn’t overly worried about it, but she had me checking it at home just to see what it was at different times during the day. That day is was higher than she liked, so she sent me to Labor and Delivery to be monitored for a couple of hours. Clay and I were not prepared to have the baby that day, and luckily my blood pressure was cooperating for the most part so they sent me home on strict bed-rest. That is where I was to remain until I reached 40 weeks. I had orders to return on Wednesday for a blood pressure check.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009—Will’s Birthday
I went in around 9 am to have my blood pressure checked. I figured it would be the same that it had been—high but not dangerously high. I was wrong. As soon as I saw the numbers flash on the machine, I knew I would be having a baby that day. I don’t remember the exact numbers but it was around 170/100. Not so good considering days before it was 140/90 and usually I have extremely low blood pressure (110/60). Also, I had gained 6 pounds in two days due to water retention. Swelling was also a big concern.
After talking with Dr. Hoover for a few minutes, they got my paper work together and sent me over to Labor and Delivery. Clay and I walked from The Kirklin Clinic over to the hospital (only about a block and a half). On the way, we made all the necessary phone calls and were ready to have a baby. I had packed my bag in the car and we had installed the car seat the night before. When I arrived at L & D, I was given a hospital wrist band and sent to my room. My nurse was great!! She helped me so much and really calmed my nerves. Around 10:15 am, they started my IV with Pitocin to get my contractions going. Up to this point I had not had any contractions and was not dilated at all! My doctor wanted me to go ahead and get an epidural because she said there was 50/50 chance I would have to have a c-section due to having a small pelvis. So at 10:45 am I got an epidural and I was happy as I could be.
Dr. Hoover came to check on me during her lunch. I was already 3 cm, so they broke my water. She said that I could have a baby in my arms by 7 pm (she was right). I was so excited. By this time all the family started arriving and Bro. David (our pastor) came by to see me.
Because of the epidural, I never felt a thing. Between 1 and 2 pm they slowed the Pitocin and then stopped it all together because I was having contractions back to back. At 3:15 pm, I was at 7 cm. I was really proud that my body was really doing this and that I was going to be able to have this baby without the c-section. Will had other plans.
Between 3:15 and 4:15 things changed. My epidural had worn off a little so I was starting to feel some pressure from the contractions but it wasn’t terrible. It was like a 1 on a scale of 1 – 10. During that time, the nurse got concerned because Will’s heart rate would drop dramatically during the contractions. At its lowest I believe it dropped to the low 50s. Not good. So the head nurse and on-call doctor came in to evaluate me and the baby. They decided it was time to call Dr. Hoover and see how she wanted to proceed. They all came to the same conclusion: C-SECTION. Not my first choice, but if that is what was going to get my baby here safely, that is what we were going to do.
The on-call doctor was very dramatic. She yanked all the monitors and cords that were attached to me out of the wall, and they literally ran down the hall pushing my bed. I, of course, started to panic and cry because I wanted Will to be okay. Once we got back in the OR, they hooked Will’s heart monitor back up and his heartbeat was back in the 120s. They started getting me ready for the surgery and Dr. Hoover showed up. She ran over from the clinic and said she was going to deliver this baby. I was so happy to see her because I knew she would take care of me.
At 4:38 pm, Will entered the world wide-eyed and screaming. I got to see him for two seconds and I cried. They needed to take him to evaluate him since he was a tad early. I told Clay to go with him and to not let him out of his sight.
Side note: Dr. Hoover told me after he was delivered, that the cord was wrapped around his neck. That is why his heart rate would drop when I would have a contraction. Since the contractions were coming so close together, he didn’t have time to recover between them. He was fine after delivery. His Apgar scores were 9 and 9, and he came straight to my room after getting cleaned up.
The rest of the day is kind of a blur, due mostly to a little thing called a morphine drip. Here is what I remember. Dr. Hoover told me to try and go to sleep while they closed me up. When I woke up in recovery it felt like it had been a few minutes, it had been an hour and a half. I stayed in recovery for maybe an hour and got to hold my baby for the first time. I cried again. At around 8 pm I was taken to my room. All the family was there and Will got to meet everyone. It was my favorite day!!!
Monday, March 2, 2009
I went in for my 38 week check up. My blood pressure had been running high at my last couple of appointments, so it had been a small concern. My doctor, Dr. Hoover, wasn’t overly worried about it, but she had me checking it at home just to see what it was at different times during the day. That day is was higher than she liked, so she sent me to Labor and Delivery to be monitored for a couple of hours. Clay and I were not prepared to have the baby that day, and luckily my blood pressure was cooperating for the most part so they sent me home on strict bed-rest. That is where I was to remain until I reached 40 weeks. I had orders to return on Wednesday for a blood pressure check.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009—Will’s Birthday
I went in around 9 am to have my blood pressure checked. I figured it would be the same that it had been—high but not dangerously high. I was wrong. As soon as I saw the numbers flash on the machine, I knew I would be having a baby that day. I don’t remember the exact numbers but it was around 170/100. Not so good considering days before it was 140/90 and usually I have extremely low blood pressure (110/60). Also, I had gained 6 pounds in two days due to water retention. Swelling was also a big concern.
After talking with Dr. Hoover for a few minutes, they got my paper work together and sent me over to Labor and Delivery. Clay and I walked from The Kirklin Clinic over to the hospital (only about a block and a half). On the way, we made all the necessary phone calls and were ready to have a baby. I had packed my bag in the car and we had installed the car seat the night before. When I arrived at L & D, I was given a hospital wrist band and sent to my room. My nurse was great!! She helped me so much and really calmed my nerves. Around 10:15 am, they started my IV with Pitocin to get my contractions going. Up to this point I had not had any contractions and was not dilated at all! My doctor wanted me to go ahead and get an epidural because she said there was 50/50 chance I would have to have a c-section due to having a small pelvis. So at 10:45 am I got an epidural and I was happy as I could be.
Dr. Hoover came to check on me during her lunch. I was already 3 cm, so they broke my water. She said that I could have a baby in my arms by 7 pm (she was right). I was so excited. By this time all the family started arriving and Bro. David (our pastor) came by to see me.
Because of the epidural, I never felt a thing. Between 1 and 2 pm they slowed the Pitocin and then stopped it all together because I was having contractions back to back. At 3:15 pm, I was at 7 cm. I was really proud that my body was really doing this and that I was going to be able to have this baby without the c-section. Will had other plans.
Between 3:15 and 4:15 things changed. My epidural had worn off a little so I was starting to feel some pressure from the contractions but it wasn’t terrible. It was like a 1 on a scale of 1 – 10. During that time, the nurse got concerned because Will’s heart rate would drop dramatically during the contractions. At its lowest I believe it dropped to the low 50s. Not good. So the head nurse and on-call doctor came in to evaluate me and the baby. They decided it was time to call Dr. Hoover and see how she wanted to proceed. They all came to the same conclusion: C-SECTION. Not my first choice, but if that is what was going to get my baby here safely, that is what we were going to do.
The on-call doctor was very dramatic. She yanked all the monitors and cords that were attached to me out of the wall, and they literally ran down the hall pushing my bed. I, of course, started to panic and cry because I wanted Will to be okay. Once we got back in the OR, they hooked Will’s heart monitor back up and his heartbeat was back in the 120s. They started getting me ready for the surgery and Dr. Hoover showed up. She ran over from the clinic and said she was going to deliver this baby. I was so happy to see her because I knew she would take care of me.
At 4:38 pm, Will entered the world wide-eyed and screaming. I got to see him for two seconds and I cried. They needed to take him to evaluate him since he was a tad early. I told Clay to go with him and to not let him out of his sight.
Side note: Dr. Hoover told me after he was delivered, that the cord was wrapped around his neck. That is why his heart rate would drop when I would have a contraction. Since the contractions were coming so close together, he didn’t have time to recover between them. He was fine after delivery. His Apgar scores were 9 and 9, and he came straight to my room after getting cleaned up.
The rest of the day is kind of a blur, due mostly to a little thing called a morphine drip. Here is what I remember. Dr. Hoover told me to try and go to sleep while they closed me up. When I woke up in recovery it felt like it had been a few minutes, it had been an hour and a half. I stayed in recovery for maybe an hour and got to hold my baby for the first time. I cried again. At around 8 pm I was taken to my room. All the family was there and Will got to meet everyone. It was my favorite day!!!
And for making it this far, your reward is a picture of me and my sweet boy on his birthday:
Thanks for sharing this sweet story! I LOVE birth stories :)
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