At our last doctor's appointment, they decided to schedule an induction for us since Emersyn was not coming on her own. I heard over and over again the phrase "your cervix is not favorable" for several weeks, and the Friday before her birth, I heard this phrase once again. I was only dilated to a 1/2 cm still. The doctor told us to arrive at Spartanburg Regional on Sunday, October 26th at 5:15pm, and I would be given Cervidil to help soften my cervix for Monday morning's induction. Sunday morning I mopped the house and did some other last minute cleaning. We packed the car and Daniel and I had one last "date" at Fatz on Sunday afternoon before heading to the hospital because I was craving their rolls and calabash chicken wrap. I also knew that once midnight hit, all food and drinks were off limits.
We arrived at the hospital and checked into our room. They explained that they would begin the Cervidil shortly, and I would have to lay still for 2 hours. Then I could eat and drink until midnight. They placed an IV in my left hand, which did not take correctly, so they had to redo it in the side of my left arm right under my thumb. This was just the beginning of the craziness that happened over the next 36 hours. After a while, I noticed my left hand and arm were swelling pretty significantly. When the 7pm nurse arrived, I shared my concern about the swelling so she wrapped my hand with an ice pack. About an hour later, they checked again and my arm and hand were so swollen and tight I looked like the Nutty Professor!! The nurse decided to take the IV out and move it to my right arm. As they were taking the IV out and wrapping my arm I began to cry because it was so tender, tight, and swollen. I felt like an idiot and thought, if I cannot handle a silly IV in my arm, how in the world am I going to deliver a baby!!
After fixing the new IV, they told me to hold my left arm up or prop it on pillows throughout the night to help with the swelling. The nurse told me that she thought what had happened was the previous nurse missed my vein which cause the fluids to pump under my skin instead of through the vein. At 9pm, I was able to get up brush my teeth, wash my face, and other nightly routine things to prepare for bed. I also had a small snack and water since this would be my last opportunity to eat. The nurses came in to check on me and said to try to get as much rest a possible, that I would need it for tomorrow. Well, any of you who have stayed over night in the hospital know that rest is near to impossible. I had a blood pressure cuff on my left arm that took my blood pressure every 30 minutes or so, and if my blood pressure would not read correctly, an alarm on the machine would go off. On my right arm, I had the IV, which beeped several times throughout the night if my medicine or fluid bags got low and for when the battery on the machine was getting low. I had two monitors on my stomach, one to track contractions and one to track Emersyn's heart rate. My temperature was taken several times throughout the night, and I had a nice monitor screen right over my bed that shown light directly on top of my face. Needless to say, my sleep was very minimal, and every time I needed to use the bathroom, I had to unplug the two monitors, take off my blood pressure cuff, and roll the IV bag stand into the bathroom with me.
Around 6am Monday morning, I was taken off of the Cervidil and was given the chance to rinse off and get ready for the big day. I was able to get my make-up on and brush my teeth. I had the curling iron plugged, but before I could get to my hair, I started having terrible cramps. I had to lay back down in the bed. Dr. B. Giep came in around this point and said the cramps were a normal side effect from the Cervidil. He checked my cervix and once again I heard the famous words, "your cervix is still not favorable, you are dilated to about a 1/2 cm." Talk about disappointment!!
Dr. Giep explained that he was going to start the Pitocin drip and would come back to check me around noon. I had pretty severe cramps from 7am until noon but they were not contractions because they did not come and go. They were constant on my right side. The nurses assured me that nothing was wrong, but that the pain was simply a side effect from the Cervidil. By mid morning, I was in so much pain that I asked if they could give me anything to help. The nurse decided to add a drip of Morphine for the pain and Finagrin because I was beginning to feel nauseated. This helped greatly, and I was even able to catch a few moments of sleep in between nurse checks.
Dr. Giep came in again around noon to check my cervix. I knew with all the pain I was having and with the help of the Pitocin that I would probably be around a 4 or 5 at least. Nope! I was only dilated to 1 cm!! He went ahead and told me that I would probably have to redo the Cervidil again Monday night. He would come back and check me around 5pm and if there was little change they would take me off the Pitocin and redo the Cervidil. Another disappointment, but we continued to pray that little Miss Emersyn would change her mind and decide to come into the world on Monday.
Since there was no progression, the nurses gave me a break for a while or either the Finagrin was strong enough to knock me out because I went into a pretty deep sleep for the afternoon. Around 3pm, I felt a huge pop in the lower part of my stomach and it scared me so much that I sat straight up in the hospital bed. When I sat up, I started leaking heavily. I thought, great, here I have peed on myself and we are going to have to change all these bed sheets. I tried to stop the flow, but it continued to gush out. Mama and Daniel knew exactly what had happened and ran out of the room to tell the nurse that my water had broken. The nurse came in and helped to change the bedding, but the flow continued and continued (probably because of all the fluid they had given me the night before to prevent dehydration). Dr. Giep came in shortly and said that there was no turning back now. We would not do the Cervidil and would continue with the Pitocin. He told me I could also go ahead and get an Epidural if I wanted, so of course I said YES!
Throughout the day, I was allowed to have 3 people in at a time so Daniel and my mom stayed most all of the time and then Daniel's mom and my dad rotated in and out. When it came time for the Epidural, only Daniel was allowed to stay in the room with me. I was pretty nervous because I had heard how long the needle was and all about the possible side effects, but I also did not want to feel all the labor pain. They sat me up on the side of the bed and gave me a shot to numb the area before continuing with the Epidural. It was no big deal at all. I have no idea what all they did because I could not see it, but they continued to work on me for about 10-15 minutes putting tape all over my back and finally placing the Epidural in. Compared to the IV mess the night before, the Epidural was a breeze!! I was unaware at the time, but while I was sitting up and they were administering the Epidural, my blood pressure was very low (80s over 40s) and Emersyn's heart rate kept dropping.
I was also given a catheter during this time because with the numbing of the Epidural, I would not be able to go to the bathroom. When all this was completed, they had me lay back down, and they put an oxygen mask over my face. Then Dr. Giep came in and explained that my blood pressure was dropping and Emersyn's heart rate was going very low and that they were going to begin prepping me for a C-section. I started crying and told him that I really wanted to have this baby naturally. I told him I would be willing to do anything I needed to in order for this to happen, but that I did not want to risk hurting her if a C-section was necessary. Daniel was the only one in the room at the time of this news, so I asked him to go find my mama and my cousin Jeanne. Mama had stepped outside the hospital to get warm, so Jeanne came back. I explained through my tears what I had just been told. Jeanne grabbed my hand and prayed over me and Emersyn which calmed and comforted me tremendously. Shortly after, my mama and Daniel came back in the room also. The nurse let me know they had a room ready for me and started doing things to get me ready to move to the operating room.
We continued to watch Emersyn's heart rate on the monitor and my blood pressure. We noticed that Emersyn's heart rate was improving while I was laying on my right side. Knowing how much I wanted a natural birth, the nurses and doctor decided to watch the monitors a bit before taking me back, but they let me know that if it became dangerous, I would be rushed immediately into surgery to get Emersyn out safely. Daniel and I had noticed that when I had a contraction on the monitor, her heart rate would drop, so I started breathing heavily through the contractions (even though I could not feel them because of the Epidural) to help her receive the oxygen she needed. Our goal was to keep her heart rate in the 130s or higher, but it often continued to drop even into the 90s during a contraction. We continued this process for around an hour or so. Then the 7pm nurses came in for their night shift. I was so thrilled to see that it was our same nurses from Sunday night. I told the nurse, Amanda, that I was completely numb in my right leg. She lifted the cover and saw how incredibly swollen my entire right leg was, so they decided to turn me because the Epidural was taking only on my right side since I had laid in that position for so long. When they turned me to the left, Emersyn's heart rate started dropping again. They continued to try several different positions, but each one they tried made her heart rate too low except for placing me back on my right side. They decided to leave me there and continued to monitor.
Dr. Giep came in to check my cervix again and said it was only 2 cm. He said that he thought the cord was probably wrapped around Emersyn's neck or under her arm which was causing her heart rate to drop when I moved in certain positions. He said we were still not out of the clear for a C-section and that if I did deliver naturally it was going to be a LONG PROCESS. He said he was going to get dinner and would be back to check me in a few hours. During this time, the nurses continued to try to move me but were still unable to find a position other than my right side that worked for Emersyn. They did take the oxygen mask off of me, but Daniel continued to let me know each time I was having a contraction so I could breathe deeply to help keep her heart rate up. The contractions were averaging around 2-3 minutes apart at this time.
When the doctor came back several hours later, he checked me again and there was little progression. He explained that I had some other strikes against me delivering naturally. He said my pelvic bones were very narrow and he did not think that Emersyn would be able to pass through. I told him that I have always carried my weight in my hips and people have even told me I have birthing hips, and I knew my pelvic bones weren't too small. He was very amused and explained that it was my inner bones and had nothing to do with the shape of my outside hips : ) He also said that Emersyn's head was to the right of the birth canal and not lined up. He said it would be like trying to go through an open door when you are standing too far over to the right. He suggested that I sit the bed up as far as I could stand it and allow gravity to do its job and he would come back around midnight to check me. Once again, Daniel and I had disappointing news, but we were still praying that I would not have to have a C-section. Daniel went out to the waiting room to share the update to my parents, his parents, my brother, his sisters, my cousin Jeanne, and my aunt Barbara. They were praying, we were praying, even friends and family who were not at the hospital were praying.
Our awesome nurses suggested that I sit up with my feet together in a butterfly like position to try to help her move over and line up with the birth canal. I sat like this for a while and continued my breathing through the contractions. Her heart rate would continue to drop below the 130s every now and then during contractions, but it would come right back up. The nurses said this was okay as long as it came back up quickly. The problem earlier was that it was dropping and staying down. Around midnight, Dr. Giep came back to check me and said I was almost at 3 cm but that the head was still unaligned. He said he would come back around 5am Tuesday to check me again.
When he left, our nurse Amanda suggested that I sit up and place my knees up with my feet flat on the bed and then rock my legs back and forth. I did this for like an hour. Then I sat back in the butterfly position for a while. Around 2am, the nurse checked me and said I was dilated to a 4 or 5. YAY!! I was actually progressing in a decent amount of time. I asked the nurse how long she thought it would take from here and she said it was usually about an hour per centimeter. This meant I could have around 5 hours left of labor!!
I continued to breathe, tried to stay relaxed, and moved my legs as they had shown me. An hour later, my contractions were averaging only one minute apart so the nurses decided to check me around 3am. The training nurse checked me and said she thought I was around a 5 or 6, but she asked Amanda to check me to make sure. Amanda checked me while I was having a contraction and she said I was more like an 8. She also said that the baby's head was aligned!! Answered prayers!! Daniel was asleep on the bench beside me and he popped straight up when he heard "an 8." We knew it was getting close to "game time" because I moved from a 4/5 to an 8 in a little over one hour. Mama and Daniel went to the waiting room and informed our family that it was getting close!
Shortly after, the nurses started getting the baby bed ready and warm and brought in all kinds of materials and equipment needed for delivery. They prepared my bed and pulled the lights down. All kinds of extra nurses and staff came into the room as well. In no time, my legs were in the stirrups and the nurses were having me do practice pushes. After such a LONG wait, it was surreal that we were actually about to have a baby!!!
Dr. Giep arrived suited up and ready. As he examined me and the situation one of the nurses said, "Dr. Giep, do you want us to call NICU and have them prepare a spot?" My heart fell to my feet... NICU??? What?? Why NICU?? I carried this baby 10 days over, NICU is a place for early term babies. What's wrong with my baby that they are not telling me? All these thoughts zoomed through my head in the few seconds it took for Dr. Giep to reply. Thankfully, his response eased my anxiety when he said, "No, I don't think we will need it."
The nurses and Dr. Giep explained the pushing procedures, and how I had to give all my strength to get her out. Dr. Giep also said, "You remember how you told me you had birthing hips, you've got to prove it to me now." This made me all the more determined to get my baby out quickly and safely. We still knew that there was a possibility that the cord could be wrapped around some part of her body, so she did not need to slip back into the birth canal between pushes.
I pushed 3 sets of counting to 10 probably around 3 or 4 times and the head was almost out. When my next set of 3 came, I finished with the third set and Dr. Giep told me not to take a break. I pushed with all my might through 2 or 3 more sets and she was out, on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at 4:42am!!! I could not see, but Dr. Giep said the cord was wrapped around her neck, but he quickly slid it off when her head came out. They had Daniel cut the cord and then laid sweet Emersyn on my chest and the immediate feelings of love I had towards her were indescribable. God walked right beside us those 36 hours, and now He had blessed us with the gift of our first child.
After she laid on my chest for a while, they took her over to be weighed, put on her little hospital hat and diaper, and brought her back to do skin to skin with me since I was breast feeding. She weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces and once they moved us to the recovery room, they measured her length as 21 inches and her head as 13 inches. Her APGAR score was 9 out of 10 (they took off one point since her feet and hands were a bit purple at birth).
It has been amazing to look back on how much the power of prayer impacted Emersyn's birth story. There were so many set backs: me not dilating, my blood pressure dropping, her heart rate dropping, my pelvic bones being narrow, her head not being aligned, the cord being wrapped around her neck, etc. But through it all, we felt a peace that could only be from God. We know our families in the waiting room were praying for us, people from our Sunday School class were praying for us, family and friends at their homes were praying for us. With all odds against us, it was the prayers that brought Emersyn here safely. Several days after I delivered, I finally had a moment to check all my sweet text messages that people had sent. It was amazing to see the timing that some were sent. I had a text from two people at my church right around 2:30pm on Monday saying they were praying for me right then, and my water broke at 3pm. That's God! My cousin Jeanne praying over me calmed my fears and gave me the strength to persevere and fight for a natural delivery even when all the reports lead to a C-section. That's God! Dr. Giep later shared with us on Thursday morning before I left the hospital that he really thought I would not deliver naturally for many reasons, but that I surprised him. That's God! (And my stubbornness! I told Dr. Giep the day we left the hospital that he did not know what kind of hard headed patient he was dealing with. If you tell me I can't, I am all the more determined to prove I can!!) And finally, we were given a wonderful seasoned nurse, Amanda, who I think was just as determined as I was to help Emersyn arrive safely and naturally. She moved me, twisted me, turned me, and did not give up on me. Her being there to guide me through the process, that was from God!
I hope you enjoyed some of the pictures that were snapped immediately following her birth!! I will have more pictures of the first 2 weeks after her birth in another post. Thanks so much if you were one of those who were praying on our behalf!!
.JPG)
