Finally, the story of Charlie's birth. (Warning, it is very long and may have some oversharing).
I was somewhere between the FLORT and STRIKT storage boxes at IKEA when I realized that the contractions I'd been having for
hours days had suddenly gotten much more serious. I began timing them on my iPod (thanks, iContraction) and was slightly mortified to find them 2 1/2 minutes long and 1 minute apart. (Yikes.) I debated between just ditching my cart or making my last minute nursery purchases, still not convinced that this was actual labor. I suffered through the self checkout process (which I find excruciating even under normal circumstances) and staggered to the car. (Meanwhile, not a single person noticed my distress or offered help- I guess I seemed more composed than I felt.)
I made it to the car and called John to let him know that I was having regular contractions and I'd let him know if they stayed that way after I rested for a minute in the car. I turned on my
Hypnobabies script to calm down and tried to relax. I was still contracting regularly so I called John, who didn't pick up right away. I was feeling a little panicky because I knew I couldn't drive myself home, and I had unfortunately dropped him off at work that day, leaving our second car sitting uselessly at home. I didn't know how quickly my labor would progress and I envisioned having to call an ambulance to take me to the hospital, not my ideal situation.
I called my brother, Steve, whose office is close to IKEA. He also didn't answer his phone! After exchanging some stressful text messages (Steve: In a meeting. R U in labor? Barb: I think so, I need help.), I figured out that Steve was actually downtown at a meeting and that John would borrow his car to come pick me up.
John called our doula,
Heather, and she met us at home (around 1:00 p.m.) I spent several hours laboring at home, mostly in the tub. We really wanted to wait as long as possible to go to the hospital. At about 5 p.m., I felt like it was time to go to the hospital. Heather and John helped me throw on some clothes, any clothes, and later I realized I arrived at the hospital in slippers, a stretchy skirt, an "I Like Dave for Mayor" t-shirt, and a pea coat, completely sans any underclothing at all. As we drove to the hospital (John and I in our car, Heather following us in her car) we encountered the worst rush hour traffic I have ever seen around the University of Utah. Roads were closed and police officers were redirecting traffic several blocks out of our way. I felt like we were in a movie and I was on the verge of making John flag down a cop to get a lights and sirens escort to the hospital. After what seemed like an hour of driving through gridlock (probably more like twenty minutes) and several detours navigated by me through gritted teeth, we made it to the hospital. (Later we found out the entire campus had been evacuated for a gas leak.)
Upon arrival at LDS hospital, I promptly got into a luxuriously large tub to continue laboring. It is amazing how much being in the water helps manage the pain. It is also amazing how modesty was the furthest thing from my mind. I did not care and I couldn't be bothered to even give it a thought that I was completely nude in front of multiple people (including my friend's mom who was one of my health care professionals).
When I arrived at the hospital, I was dilated to four centimeters. After laboring for a few more hours, I was feeling very tired and having a more difficult time managing the pain. I decided to be examined again and then make a decision about receiving an epidural- if I was at 8 or 9 centimeters, I felt confidant that I could push through. I was examined at about 7 p.m. and was dilated to 6 (almost 7) centimeters. I decided I was ready for the anesthesiologist to come in. Holding still in a hunched over position through contractions while having the epidural needle inserted was very difficult. (This was the only part of the entire birth that John excused himself for. I don't blame him at all, if I could have excused myself, I would have, too.)
After receiving the epidural, I was completely comfortable but my labor slowed way down and the baby started showing a few signs of stress. I was put on oxygen and had to drink juice and lay on my side carefully to help encourage him to stay active. At about midnight, my doctor was called in to deliver another baby and she came to check on me as well. I was 8 centimeters and she recommended breaking my water to help me progress. The amniotic fluid was meconium stained, meaning the baby had passed his first stool while in utero. It is another sign of fetal distress and there's a risk that the baby will breathe it in (although it is fairly uncommon). Because of the presence of the meconium, a respiratory team was standing by for when Charlie was born and I was prepared for the possibility of not being able to hold him right away so that they could suction his lungs and mouth really well.
About an hour later it was time to start pushing. I was very numb and I couldn't feel my contractions at all. The contraction monitor wasn't picking them up either, so the nurse and I were holding our hands on my belly to feel when it tightened, and then I would try to push. After a few of those, I realized that we would never get there at that rate, so I asked to have the epidural drip turned off. Pretty quickly I was able to feel my contractions again, and although they were painful, it was a relief to be able to feel when to push.
The staff members at LDS hospital were AMAZING. The room was quiet, no one was coaching me or counting in my face, and I was allowed to try different positions and to push on my own. John and Heather helped me by holding my legs and back and helping me try new positions. I couldn't tell how long I'd been pushing, but later I found out I pushed for 2 hours! I was using a mirror to help me focus on Charlie's little head- I loved seeing his dark hair! I felt so frustrated though because I didn't seem to be making progress. Suddenly (to me), the nurse started bringing out trays and instruments and Dr. Eborn put on her scrubs! I knew we were getting close and it was so exciting! I felt a burst of energy! It probably took another 10 (maybe more?) pushes after that point, but then his head came out! I was so surprised and amazed and thrilled to see his little face that I forgot to keep pushing. Dr. Eborn had to call out to me, "Keep pushing!" and then his little shoulders popped out and he was here!! He was born at 3:03 a.m. on March 25th, 2009, and weighed 8 lbs 14 oz. He was 22 inches long (later amended to 21 inches at the pediatrician's office) and his head was 37 centimeters. I heard one of the nurses exclaim, "Somebody call the Green Bay Packers!"
Dr. Eborn put him on my belly and I touched his head and legs and held my beautiful son. I remember he felt SO HEAVY and solid to me and I was in awe of this little person! The nurse prevented him from crying while Dr. Eborn clamped and cut his umbilical cord, then he was taken across the room to be suctioned and checked out by the respiratory team. John went with him and took photos while Heather stayed with me. I felt so thrilled but also very vulnerable at this point. Dr. Eborn was great about allowing the afterbirth to come in its own time, but the uterine "massage" administered by the nurse to assist with that process was very painful. Charlie was still across the room and I didn't have time to be worried about him because there was still so much being done to me. I wished John could have been in two places at once- with Charlie and with me- but I was grateful that Heather was there to hold my hand.
Soon, I was presented with my beautiful son and our family grew to three members!
Heather stayed long enough to help us initiate breastfeeding. Then John's parents who had stayed up late waiting for their first grandchild came to visit and so did my brother Steve, who was up late working and awake to receive our text message announcement.
The rest of the day was a whirlwind of visitors, nurses, doctors, baby's first bath, heel pricks to test for jaundice (which Charlie had) but it was amazing to have our little son actually here! Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, texted, visited, and for all the wonderful support from friends and family we received both before and after the birth. We had helpers come every day to clean, cook, hold the baby, and finish the nursery. The night we got home from the hospital I had a 101 degree fever, which luckily turned out to be just a virus, but we really needed the help we received!
It's been almost a month since Charlie was born and I still feel exhilarated! I am proud of the choices we made and very pleased with our birth experience.
