Shae's Birth Story

For those of you who like to read happy birth stories . . . It might be a little long.



So, a little after 2 am on September 9th, I woke up with some contractions. They weren't really painful, but they were consistently 5 minutes apart. It hurt more when I way lying down, so I decided to just watch some TV. I let Jacob know what was going on and watched a few episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air on Nick at Nite. Around 4 am, Jacob came out to check on me and I told him I thought I should call the hospital and talk to the midwife on call. He decided to get in the shower while I called. My contractions were still 4-5 minutes apart and getting a little bit stronger. I was sure they were going to stop because I felt completely fine in between the contractions. I left a message for the triage nurse and she talked to Anita (the midwife). They told me to come on in. So, around 4:45am, I told my parents we were headed out. We got to Labor and Delivery and Anita said I looked way too happy for someone in labor.

We got checked in and went into an exam room so I could be hooked up to the monitor and see what my contractions were doing and check the baby's heart rate. Everything looked fine and my contractions were consistent. Anita checked my cervix at 5:50am and said I was about 3 cm and 80% effaced. She suggested I walk around the hospital for an hour and come back. So, Jacob and I walked around and he got some breakfast. I ate a protein bar and drank some water. We headed back to to Labor and Delivery and Bridget was now the midwife on call. We went back into the exam room and Bridget checked me. I hadn't progressed at all. So, she said we would monitor me for about 15 minutes and I could go walking again.

The monitor showed that Shae's heart rate was dropping with my harder contractions. This concerned Bridget, so she kept me on the monitor a little longer. I was moved into a delivery room and they continued to monitor Shae's heart rate. I sat on a birth ball while Jacob pushed on my lower back. Shae's heart rate was still dropping with my contractions, but Bridget agreed to let me get in the bathtub for about 15-20 minutes. (We were planning a water birth, but the hospital's birth pool was broken the night before.) Around 8:30 or 9, I got into the water. It was relaxing, but the contractions were actually more uncomfortable. I had 2 contractions in the tub and I felt/heard a pop just below my belly button. I told Jacob, "I think my water just broke." I stood up, but I couldn't tell for sure. The next contraction I had was A LOT harder. I had 3 more contractions just getting out of the tub. The monitors were hooked back up and I was squatting through the contractions. Very quickly, my contractions got really hard and were really close together. I was not able to focus in between them in order to relax. Bridget was growing more concerned about Shae's heart rate. She checked me again and I was about 5-6 cm and almost completely effaced. She thought maybe getting some fluids in me through an IV would help Shae and me. I agreed and got an IV. The nurse knew that I really hate IV's, so she did a really quick job of it. I was having so many contractions that I didn't really notice her putting it in anyway. The OB, Dr. Z, came in to consult and was concerned about Shae's heart rate, also. I needed some relief from the intense pain and pressure and asked for some pain medication. Shae's heart rate was dropping dangerously low (62 bpm) and I was feeling the need to push.
The Dr. and Bridget put the continuous fetal monitor on Shae and saw that he wasn't quite turned face down and was a little high for me to start pushing. I had to sit up in the bed for the anesthesiologist to administer the 2-hour epidural shot. Bridgit and Jacob pushed on my knees through the contractions so that I wouldn't push down - it really helped. After three tries, the anesthesiologist could not place the shot in my back. It was only about 5-10 minutes of sitting up, but it helped Shae descend the rest of the way. I felt like I was sitting on his head and I felt an incredible urge to push. I rolled onto my side and, sure enough, he was ready to be born. I pushed through 3 or 4 contractions and he was born. The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. That was why his heart rate was dropping. His apgars were 8 and 9 and the NICU alert was cancelled. I had a small 2nd degree tear and a small episiotomy along my old one. Overall, this recovery has been much easier than my first.
What has amazed me the most about this birth is how Heavenly Father makes our bodies. My body knew that Shae had to be born quickly because of the cord being around his neck. If I would have had a slower labor, he would have been in distress longer and may have needed to be delivered surgically. Going from 3 cm to holding my baby in 3 hours is pretty intense, but I am so grateful that despite the distress he went through, Shae is perfectly healthy.