Sawyer's Birth Story

I wanted to post this before I forget it or it gets lost on a dead computer or something like that. At 4 months old it seems like we have had him around forever but re-reading this and editing some things made me smile remembering this crazy weekend! (warning, its a long post)

Sawyer’s Birth Story

Since my husband and son have same name I will just refer to husband as hubby to avoid confusion.  

Friday 2/24/12

37 weeks 3days pregnant (although I swear I thought I was about 38 ½ weeks but maybe my due date assumption was wrong and the midwives were correct, who really knows due dates are estimates anyways right?)

I had a midwife visit at 11am. Everything was fine. Heartbeat was a little lower than normal: 130 instead of 140. But this is still normal range. I noticed he had been very quiet all day and the midwife said well if it seems out of the ordinary call later today, we can always have you stop by L&D (Labor & Delivery) and get monitored to make sure things look good. She did not check my cervix or do any internal exam, just listened to the heartbeat. I also never pee in a cup or do any other testing at the midwife clinic.

So between me being extra careful and paying attention to my stomach all day at work and a little stressed out I DID think he was very quiet. He barely moved all day which is very unusual. I left work at 4pm telling my boss I was going across the street to Salem Hospital to get monitored. Of course all the ladies at work wanted me to text or call later and let them know everything was okay.

I went to triage at L&D and was hooked up to monitors for 40 minutes. Baby was fine and I only had one or two contractions during this time that were not painful. This had been happening for weeks now anyways. I saw the on call midwife from my clinic; Elizabeth, and she said I was fine and sent me home. She did not check my cervix or do any internal exam. I got home around 5:30 pm and proceeded to clean and organize and prep the house for little Mitchell's 6th birthday party which was going to be at 11am Saturday, the next morning. I probably was over doing it being it was Friday night and I had worked all week, etc, but this has been my pregnancy the entire time: go go go always something to be done!

7-7:15pm The whole family was in the kitchen blowing up balloons and making goodie bags when I felt warm liquid run into my underwear. It wasn't a lot like when my water fully popped with Mitchell. I looked up at my husband and was like "uh what was that?"

I ran to the bathroom and some more leaked out. It was like a slow pee but clear and I knew I was not peeing. So thinking maybe it was just extra discharge(normal pregnancy symptom) I changed my panties and put on a pantyliner to carry on the decorating in the kitchen. But more kept leaking and I filled a pantyliner and another pair of underwear. At one point even more leaked out like a big flow of urine over the toilet but again it was clear. So we knew it was my water and I called my midwife. She called back pretty quickly and said well come back to the hospital and we will check you out. I was not having any painful contractions. I kept waiting for them to happen because with Mitchell once my water popped I had immediate painful contractions. But every birth is different!

By this time husband is freaking out and starting calling people like his parents and I was texting and calling a few close friends and my mom. My dad and step mom were still in Hawaii for one more day. I was not supposed to have the baby until March so they could be here. I had some things set aside for a hospital bag so I started packing the rest and the kids were of course running around the house being super crazy and it was just plain chaos. Mitchell was upset I was going to have the baby and what was going to happen to his birthday party the next morning? Madi was all packed and ready to come with to the hospital (this was our plan all along) but of course had all the wrong things packed and was wearing some ridiculous outfit with slippers. At one point I remember yelling at hubby to get off the phone and pack his bag because I could hear him running on about name choices and etc etc. (sorry to whoever he was talking to at the time lol). The poor dog was so confused. Archie has been kinda left in the back burner with all the prep for baby and the poor weather, etc. We made sure he went potty and left him in the house since it was rainy and windy outside.

We FINALLY made it out of the house and dropped Mitchell off at a friends house down the street to stay the night (thank you Matt and Candice!). By this time it was probably 9:30. Madi came with us to Salem.

Since it was after 9pm we had to go through the ER entrance at Salem Hospital. This was super busy since it was Friday night. I found it humorous that the people kept asking why I was there. Apparently my baggy sweatshirt didn't make it I was obviously pregnant. So we had to move through the assembly line of three different people at three different windows getting forms, ID bracelets, more forms. So much for the pre-registration I did on the computer weeks ago. Then a transport person had to wheelchair me through 3 buildings and multiple floors to get to the Birth Center. I wanted to walk since I still was not having contractions but they don't let you do that. I can only imagine how horrible this process would be to someone in labor with serious contractions.

Madi was super talkative and bouncing around and I kept looking at hubby thinking "was this really a good idea to bring her?" It was already after 10pm and I knew it would be a long night for her and me.

Once we got to L&D I was again put in the same triage room as that afternoon and changed into a gown. Felt strange since I was there only hours earlier. I had soaked a washcloth with fluid that was leaking in between my legs. They hooked me up to monitors and we waited for the midwife to come in. It was still Elizabeth on call like I had seen earlier. Out of the 5 midwives at the clinic she was probably choice #3 for who I was hoping would be on call when I went into labor. She did a microscope scan of my fluid and a vaginal/cervix check and thought I was NOT in labor and told me she didn't think my water had broke. At this point the pad thing they lay on the bed under your butt was wet also so I was confused as to what could be coming out of me. I could also tell the nurse and the midwife had some friction between their behavior together. It was a little awkward in the room. I loved this triage nurse though, she was great.  Madi pulled out a tooth while in triage too (always has to be the center of attention of course and had to steal the show while I am in labor LOL). The nurse helped her with water to rinse and a towel to stop the bleeding. We put the tooth in a box for safe keeping.

So there was one last test they could do to test the fluid, a lab test that would take 30 minutes or so. Or I could go home. If the test came back positive I would be admitted since my water did rupture. So… yes of course please do the lab test, we are already here and its after 10pm. At this point hubby is fading fast. He was just all around drained from a long week of being pretty sick (another concern we had since he was still coughing and not feeling 100%-should he even be around a baby if I deliver). Ten is normally bed time for us “old” people haha.

11:15pm 

Test came back positive and I wanted to laugh at the midwife and say Told You SO! But I was nice and we went over what happens next. My birth plan was to go as natural as possible, use the Jacuzzi tubs to labor in and try to avoid epidural. (I did have epidurals with the other kids though). At this point since I am being admitted and I was not having regular contractions the midwife said we could (1)have you walk around for an hour or so and see what happens or (2) start pitocin right away and basically induce you.  Elizabeth likes to start pitocin right away so she was pushing for that option. Well at that point I was tired and ready for bed and I knew I did not feel like walking around the hospital for an hour. I also knew I hate pitocin and it freaks me out and if I get that I know right off the bat I will end up wanting an epidural at some point when the contractions really get going. So my birth plan flew out the window. I was admitted, got moved to a room and an IV started. I just hoped that my body would react well to pitocin knowing its baby #3 and once contractions started everything would go quick and it wouldn't end up in a C-section which I know happens a lot with inductions. Madi was still bouncing off the walls and hubby went to get bags from the car and find himself coffee. I got Madi to settle down and told her she needed to go to sleep otherwise Dad will take her back to Albany and leave her with Matt and Candice too. So she did eventually fall asleep and hubby later joined her on the smallest of bed/couch things ever. It was pretty funny seeing them cuddled up on it together.

So here is a timeline of what happened next:

Midnight: IV started

1am: Pitocin Started, I was about 2 CM dilated and only 80% effaced.

1am-3am: Nurse comes in every half hour or so to turn it up gradually and check on me. Not much sleeping at this point for me since they are in and out so much.

Contractions are regularly 3 minutes apart and getting stronger, I am starting to have to breathe through them and really concentrate.

3am: Nurse gives me heads up that anesthesiologist is on the floor-okay lets get that epidural then! I also was starving so I was allowed chicken broth, jello, and popsicles.

Madi has to wake up to move to other side of the room so the guy can do the epidural in  a sterile environment. He did great and didn't even bother me getting the epidural. It was a great one too because I could feel my legs and move them but contractions were more like pressure not pain. 

Around 4-4:30 hubby was awake and wired with anxiety and stressing over the birthday party and the state of the house we left. (In case baby didn't come in time Matt and Candice were going to be at our house to make sure the party still happened because we wouldn't be there, great friends!) So hubby went back to Albany to clean and prep the house. Yes he is crazy but this is my husband. Madi was still sleeping. I was progressing slowly and still only 3 CM dilated so were assuming it was going to be a long labor. Albany to Salem is about 30 minutes driving, maybe 20 with no traffic.

There was a dip in the contractions after the epidural which is normal and now they were more like 4 minutes apart so the nurse played with the settings and soon they were back to consistently 2-3 minutes apart.

5:50AM midwife checked me still only 3-4cm dilated. My thoughts were “seriously? That’s it” I figured 3 hours of pitocin would do more.

5:53AM Texted hubby that it was looking like it would be a long labor and I wasn’t progressing very fast.

However…

Soon I realized the epi was not holding off the pain anymore. I couldn't really feel the contractions on my stomach but every time I had one I felt like my cervix was being ripped open. It hurt and I really had to breathe and focus. I was in the "zone". 

6:30AM Called hubby and told him to get here fairly soon, things were progressing faster. He asked if had time to shower and I said yes no worries.

6:56AM Called my mom to giver her an update and ended up getting off the phone because I couldn't talk through contractions anymore. They were really killing me and I kept thinking why did I get an epidural if its not going to work! I was pushing the “more” button on the IV and no pain was going away. Madi was awake now and was behaving well and minding her business off to the side of the room.

I called the nurse to have the midwife in to check me because I felt that pooping sensation and lots of pressure and I was pretty sure it must be close to being time to push.

Midwife came in and was shocked that baby was there and ready. She didn’t say 10cm dialted but I was at a plus 2 station and 100% thinned out. The nurse asked where my husband was and I called him to yell at him to get here ASAP. I had gone from about 4cm  to being ready to push in about an hour. No wonder I felt like my cervix was ripping open.

Phone call: 7:30am. Hubby was on I-5 driving past Enchanted Forest. That’s pretty close, about 10-15 minutes from the hospital but he still needed to park and get to the room, etc. Thank goodness it was Saturday and not a work day with the commuters!

I knew the midwife was letting me “labor down” a bit hoping I wouldn’t push to wait for hubby to get there. By the time he walked in the delivery table was ready and the midwife was in her delivery attire and 2 nurses were standing aside. Madi was alert and excited but being good and staying aside not to bother me. I was still in the zone and focusing on getting through painful contractions.

Husband finally came in and we all praised him for being there and I immediately started pushing with contractions.

No one counted to ten or did anything to suggest what I should be doing.  It was super quiet in the room. It was just me focusing on my body and my need to push. They didn’t hold my legs or anything, it was all me and I was silent. I pushed through 3 contractions and he was out!

Just as I started to feel that “ring of fire” and started to actually make a painful cries/grunt his head came through. It was 7:53AM. (only 23 minutes after I called hubby and yelled at him to hurry or he would miss it!)

The rest of him squirted right out and I could tell he was smaller than the other 2 kids by pushing him out. They put him on my chest right away and I knew he was so small. It’s the first thing that was running through my head, he was so tiny I hope he’s okay. He proceeded to cry/whimper on my chest for about 10-15 minutes while we rubbed all the white vernix off him(there was a lot since he was a little early). He had a good cry so I knew he was going to be fine.

Madi cut the umbilical cord.

I was so oblivious to what the nurses were doing. Hubby later said they just stood back and let us have our time. The midwife was waiting for the placenta to be delivered and I just got to have Sawyer on my chest for almost an hour before we finally handed him over to get weighed and poked and prodded by the nurses.

Madi and hubby stood watch while they did all that.

He was 5lbs 11oz and 18inches.

            Madi was 7lb12oz and 20in and Mitchell was 7lb6oz and 20in.

My regular midwife had said all along she thought he would be smaller than the other kids just from my pregnancy but with the combination of him being 2.5 weeks early he was so tiny to me.

Madi took her shirt off and had skin to skin time with him just like I did. It was special having her sit in the bed next to me and share the first moments.

Hubby’s parents arrived not much later so they were the first to see him. We were still in the delivery room on the third floor. Hubby and Madi left around 10am to go back home to throw Mitchell’s 6^th birthday party. They moved me to mother/baby unit on floor 4 for the rest of my hospital stay.

I did not tear, no stitches, in all honesty I felt great really fast and it was probably too easy of a delivery. I knew I wanted to go home Sunday and the Dr seemed really concerned about the baby and they thought maybe I should stay until Monday. Sawyer was doing great though so we were able to come home Sunday afternoon, about 30 hours after he was born.

I am still so amazed at how wonderful it is to grow a life inside your tummy in only 9 months and out comes this amazing little human. Its truly the most beautiful thing in the world I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with three healthy children.