Keeping up with the Joneses: June 2020

I thought my body was very consistent and followed a pattern when it came to labor and delivery until I had Levi. He gave us lots of new experiences and for this momma that doesn't like change, his birth stretched me and forced me out of my comfort zone.

I had an OB appointment when Levi was 40 weeks and 5 days overdue. I was dilated to 2 cm and his positioning was good but I still wasn't having any painful contractions. My doctor didn't want me to go too far over 41 weeks and even though I was so nervous to be induced, the research I read said it was better to schedule an induction at 41 weeks rather than taking a wait and see approach. Scheduling the induction seemed like the best option for my little guy even though I was really hoping and believing he would come on his own.

At 41 weeks and 1 day, we drove to the hospital at 7am to be induced. It was such an odd feeling arriving at the hospital knowing we were going to meet our baby but not yet being in labor. Once we got checked into our room, we were able to discuss options with the nurse. I really wanted to avoid an epidural if at all possible but was nervous because I had heard that when given Pitocin to induce labor, contractions can be even more painful. I was worried that I might not be able to handle the pain even though I'd already had 3 unmedicated births. Thankfully, I had the most amazing labor and delivery nurse who helped me come up with a plan that would use the least amount of medicine but still hopefully induce labor. She really empowered me to believe that I'd be able to give birth without an epidural and I so appreciated her confidence.

Before starting me on Pitocin, my doctor broke my water with the hope that it might be enough to put me into labor. We walked the hall and I had mild contractions but nothing meaningful. At noon, we decided to start me on the lowest dose of Pitocin (2ml/hr). I made limited progress and contractions were still fairly easy to breath through so at 1 pm we upped the dose to 4ml/hr. At 2:15pm, I had a cervix check and was 4.5/5cm which was super encouraging. We decided to keep with 4ml/hr of Pitocin instead of upping the dose so I would hopefully be able to manage the pain on my own. At 3:10pm, I was 6cm and contractions were starting to get more intense. After about 45 minutes, I knew it was almost go time because things were getting super painful and I was getting the urge to push. My doctor was an amazing advocate for me and made sure that everyone knew that once I start dilating things go fast for me (both Naomi and Maxwell started coming out before the doctor was in the room). Once I told the nurse that I thought it was time, she called the doctor and got the bed ready. She checked my cervix at 3:50pm and I was 8cm and I started pushing at 3:55pm. It was amazing timing because my doctor had just finished a c-section and was able to get to my room just in time which I was so thankful for since I had built a great relationship with her over the last 9 months.

The next 11 minutes were full of so many emotions. Once I started pushing, I was getting so excited to meet my little guy. Having my new baby placed on my chest right after delivery is one of the best feelings. After pushing for about 5minutes (the timing is a little blurry), I noticed the room getting busier. More and more nurses were coming in and then I looked at Joe and he was looking away and had tears streaming down his face. This is when I knew something was wrong but I also knew that I needed to stay focused to get my little guy out. The part that I couldn't see and didn't know until later was that once Levi's head came out, his shoulder got stuck. When Joe first saw his head, it was limp and blue. He said it was so hard to watch. Not only was his shoulder stuck but the umbilical cord was wrapped around his body and the doctor had to cut his cord before he was fully delivered. At one point there were several nurses pushing on my stomach trying to help my baby out. It all happened so fast, the room felt like it was full of so much activity but yet time seemed to be standing still. Once he was finally out at 4:06pm, they brought him to the other side of the room where the NICU team had to resuscitate him and give him a thorough check. Once he started to cry, I was so relieved. Joe took the picture of him below and brought it to me so I could see him.

After about 10-13minutes, I got to hold my sweet baby and all was well in the world. I was shocked to learn that he was my biggest baby by far weighing 9lbs 3oz! No wonder the poor guy got stuck on the way out.

Once we got our cuddles with sweet Levi, we called the kids to let them meet their new brother. They were so excited and all smiles.

Around 6:15pm, we were transferred to another room where we would be for the remainder of our stay. We were a little worried about Levi's shoulder being injured from the delivery but thankfully he just had some mild bruising. We spent the next 24hours in the hospital getting to know our little guy. He is just perfect and we are enjoying falling in love all over again.