A Caleb Birth Story

Only hours after I gave birth to the most handsomest little man on the planet, I wrote a quick birth story of my experience on Facebook. I was eager to share and record the details and my thoughts and feelings of the entire process. However, it WAS only hours after I gave birth and I was tired and exhausted and didn't include as much detail as I would have liked. So, I figured I would take the time to write it all down here.

As I stated in my last post, I started having timable contractions Wednesday morning at 8 AM coming 8 minutes apart. I signed on Gmail chat to tell John since he would have been at work by then. He got really excited and asked me if he should come home. I told him no because the contractions weren't painful and I wasn't convinced I was in actual labor. Why did I doubt? Well, the last two weeks of my pregnancy were LONG and drawn out. I was tired, miserable, and so over being pregnant. I really started to think I would be pregnant forever. I was so anxious to be done being pregnant that I asked to be induced at my doctor's appointment the previous Monday. I had a scheduled induction at 6AM April 4th and I fully intended to have Caleb then.

Since I had made up my mind that Caleb wasn't coming until the fourth, I doubted I was in real labor. So I got up and tried going about my day as if I wasn't feeling contractions. I ate toast for breakfast (just in case I WAS in labor, I didn't want anything heavy in my stomach) and went back to bed to chat with John via Gmail chat. My contractions stayed consistent for about an hour or so, but then seemed to stop. I decided to take nap.

About an hour later, I woke up to contractions again and they were painful enough to wake me up. Was this really it? Nah. I got up and was determined to continue my day as if I wasn't contracting. I read my Bible, blogged and visited my favorite news websites. I kept contracting, but I convinced myself it was false labor.

Over the next few hours, I continued to have contractions. Some were pretty painful, some were barely noticeable (that meant false labor right?). I had a chiropractor appointment at 3 that day and I fully intended on going. However, as the day wore on and some contractions had me bent over in pain, I decided that laying on the chiropractor table during a hard contraction might not be the easiest thing to do. So, I called and cancelled. The receptionist (who I know fairly well) got very excited when I told her I might be in labor and I had to cancel. She told me to walk, walk, WALK! I hung up and started to believe that this might really be it.

I took the receptionist's advice and pulled out the treadmill. My contractions still weren't regular, so I figured the walking would help. I walked for two hours only stopping once or twice with intense contractions (they can really take your breath away). While I was walking, my contractions became very regular, coming every few minutes.

At around 4:40PM, I decided to get off the treadmill and take a shower. I wanted to make sure I looked good during labor if this was the real deal. While in the shower, I started thinking about whether or not I should go to the hospital. I did not want to be the girl that went to the hospital thinking I was in labor, only to get sent home because I was wrong. That would just be embarrassing.

John got home just as I was getting out and he looked concerned. He could tell by the look on my face that I was having some strong contractions. For anyone who cares, the contractions were not painful. I was very quiet and serious because I was trying to figure out what was going on, but not because the contractions hurt. They were very tolerable.

He asked me if we should go to the hospital and I asked the same question back. Neither of us were sure of what to make of my contractions. We waited an hour and tried to time them. At about 6PM, John told me to call the doctor because, although my contractions weren't at exact intervals, they were coming every few minutes. So, I called the doctors, even though I was still hesitant not believing I was actually in labor.

I called the "labor line" and requested the doctor call me back. Within two minutes, the doctor called me back and asked me what was going on. I explained to her everything I had been experiencing throughout the day and even told her how I was afraid of being sent home because of false labor. She told me to head to hospital anyway. So, John and I packed up a few last minute things and headed to Galloway.

The car ride was interesting. I had a few contractions on the way and tried to time them using the clock in the car. I was praying they would get longer and stronger as we got closer to the hospital just to reassure me this was it. Be careful what you pray for because one contraction made me want to jump out of the car. I almost asked John to pull over so I could walk through it. Thank goodness, I only one contraction that was THAT intense. The others were minor.

We got to the hospital and I walked in on my own (nothing like you see in the movies where the husband leaves the car by the entrance way). I told the receptionist I thought I was in labor and she told us where to go. We got on the elevator and went to labor and delivery.

When we got there, they sent me to a small triage room. Thank God my contractions weren't awful because I would have been a miserable mess while 3 nurses asked me 1903493 questions, drew blood, and hooked me up to two different monitors. Finally the doctor came in. Time to be checked.

I have to admit, I was nervous. I was afraid that I was still only 2 centimeters like I had been two days before and that she would send me home. A minute later, I heard, "Oh yeah, she's a keeper. You're 5 centimeters.You're having this baby tonight. Admit her." This was like music to my ears! I looked at John and we both were smiling so big. Caleb was coming to meet us! FINALLY!

I immediately asked about an epidural. They reassured me I could get one right away once I was admitted and in my room. Wuhoo!! So far so good, this was pain free! A nurse drew blood and hooked me up to an IV (she had trouble finding a vein which was annoying, but the least of my concerns). I hated the IV in my hand (that was more painful then the contractions). Finally, I was ready to move to my labor and delivery room. Let the fun begin.

I walked to my room while my contractions were still relatively painless. I got in bed around 7PM and waited for the epidural man. He came in about a half hour later. He got me all set up to stick me (I was literally sitting on the edge of the bed, curled up like a cat ready to be poked) and a nurse came running in saying they needed him STAT for a hemorrhaging in a C-section (or something like that). The epidural man was funny. He seemed kind of annoyed and asked the nurse if they could find someone else to do it. The nurse said no. That meant, my epidural had to wait. No biggie, the contractions were still painless.

About a half hour later, the epidural man came back. I got set up for the big needle and braced myself. Before I knew it, it was over. I joked and said I had had dental work that was more painful then that. Everyone in the room laughed. I was serious. A few minutes later, my legs got all warm and fuzzy and I couldn't feel my contractions anymore. Life was good. :)

I tried to relax and just hang out, but I was too excited. Soon the doctor came in to check me and said I was 6 centimeters. I have to admit I was a little bummed. I was hoping things would move more quickly. A little while later, she came back and checked me again. Still a 6. This was going to be a long night if I only progressed from a 5 to a 6 in 3 hours. :(

At around 10PM, I started to feel pain in my left side. I kept hitting the epidural button thinking it wasn't working. Little did I know, all the epidural medicine was going to my right side, not my left. The nurse told me to lay on my left side and hit the button so the medicine could drip to that side. I did this a few times and it didn't seem to work. So, they called the epidural man.

In walked a different epidural man. He was there to give me a shot of some cocktail of drugs to help with the pain on the left. He stuck a needle in my IV and waited. Two minutes later, I felt like I was going to die. I felt so sick and nauseous, I really thought I was going to throw up. I put the little pink bucket over my head and just waited for the barf to come. I heard the nurse say that what I was experiencing was normal and that the reason I felt sick was because my blood pressure dropped really low from the drugs (my blood pressure was 50/45...well below the norm 120/80). The epidural man was obviously prepared for this and gave me another lovely shot to make my blood pressure go back up. He stuck the needle in my IV and within 30 seconds, I felt like a new woman. It was like magic. I was feeling good again.

After all this drama, Caleb's heart rate started to drop and everyone was getting concerned. They told me to lay on my sides and gave me oxygen. They flipped me from side to side (which was totally annoying because I couldn't move myself since I was numb and the plastic from the oxygen mask smelled like poop). I just wanted to rest, but I wasn't allowed. I was also feeling the contractions on the left side completely (still though they were not that bad). Everyone started praying because there was talk of me having a C-section since Caleb's heart rate was so low. I started crying because that was the last thing I wanted. The prayers worked because Caleb's heart rate went back up and the talk of a C-section ceased.

The doctor was in and out of the room monitoring me and Caleb. She checked me again and I was 7-8 cm. Ugh finally. I praised God. They started to get the table ready for Caleb to come. This was for real now. The doctor came back in about 15 minutes later and I was 9 and half cm! Time to push with a contraction. I was so happy.

I had a hard time pushing because I couldn't feel anything on my right side, but felt everything on my left. It was a mess. Caleb hated the contractions (which were now on top of each other) and I had to use the oxygen between pushes (ugh). I also had to lay on my left side between contractions because of Caleb's heart rate. I remember hating the heart monitor that monitored Caleb. I counted the beats as I heard them and it sounded like he was dying. It got slower and slower, but then faster and faster when the contractions stopped. There were a few moments when I thought I was going to deliver a dead baby. I prayed so hard.

Eventually, I could feel the pressure to push and told the doctor I wanted to push out the baby. I pushed so hard. It was tough. I was exhausted and just wanted the baby out. I remember feeling like each push was like running a marathon. I was so drained after each one. At one point, I cried saying I was too tired and couldn't push anymore. They told me I HAD to and I took that to mean that Caleb needed to be out ASAP or things could get really complicated. I don't think I would have pushed as hard if I didn't think Caleb was in SERIOUS trouble. I would have taken it easy. I heard the doctor say the cord was wrapped around his neck (that was why he was losing oxygen) and he had pooped inside the womb (the first thing I saw when they put him on my chest was a black poop in his little butt...definitely my kid). There were a bunch of extra people in the room because they wanted to make sure he didn't swallow his own poop, but I didn't care (I had always said I didn't want any extra people in the room). A few pushes later (a total of 30 minutes), out came Caleb. What a relief! I cried when I heard him cry. It was the most beautiful moment in my life. :)

All the worry and fear I had about labor was a waste of time. I would have done it 1000 times just to have my little man. And it wasn't nearly as bad as what people make of it. Honestly, the recovery was more painful (I had stitches and passed out from all the blood loss). Now I know why people have more kids :)