Heart Strings

Thursday December 13: Contractions started and were every 3-7 min. The first experience with this type of pain and it didn't stop. Friday December 14: Waiting until contractions became every 2 min apart and heading to the hospital. Then being sent home because (after 2 people trying to check my posterior cervix) I am only dilated to 1-2cm 80% effaced! Saturday December 15: DUE DATE Contractions every 2-7 minutes. Daddy and I paced all day. We have not slept at this point. Sunday December 16: Continued Contractions every 2-7 min. I am so uncomfortable and can barely breathe through the contractions. We decided to go to the hospital again. The contractions remained so severe. Pacing, pacing, pacing. Daddy rocking me. The ob triage RN says I am only 3cm and 80% effaced. I have not slept since Thursday now. I am emotionally and physically exhausted. I am given pain meds which let me sleep for 3 hours and sent home with contractions continuing every 2-3 min. Monday December 17: At this point I have not slept and have labored in early labor since Thursday. I am at my wits end and can not see going another night with contractions every 2 minutes, back labor, no sleep, and distressed. I made the decision to call my physician and ask that if I am not at 4cm that I be admitted for induction. We agreed and we were on our way to MVH. My nurse upon seeing me immediately went to get pain meds. Kristin was wonderful! Missy the Midwife came in to access. I was 4-5cm dilated. Rick and I decided to go ahead for the epidural. I must say after having the epidural there is no other route! I labored throughout the night but with the epidural was finally able to get some rest. Our parents at the bedside. Pitocin was started at some point and I dilated to 9cm. At shift change of 730 I was told I was to "labor down" then we would hopefully be pushing. This is when my easy labor came crashing down. Around 930-10am the nurse midwife on call came in to check me. At this time little man was pushing against my 90% effaced cervix at 9cm. While she was checking me his heart tones dropped out and stayed there. I could see the concern and panic on the faces around me. I was placed on all fours, then on my left side, on my right side with no changes in little man's tones. I could hear them making phone calls and getting no response. I could hear Rick demanding to know what was going on and the panic on our mother's faces. My nurse then quickly made the decision to call a "CODE GREEN" or a baby in distress. I was trying not to panic and keep it together as my room flooded and they ran me out the door. We were on our way to the OR for an emergency c-section. The OR was so crowded and I could not find Ricks face. They had transferred me to a different bed and were redosing my epidural. The attendees face came into view and I was distraught telling him to get my baby out. At this point Rick was gowned/masked up to my left and they had me and little man hooked back up to the toco external monitor. His heartrate had dropped into the 40's but was currently recovered to be aproximately 110. The attendee explained that we needed to get him out quickly to avoid a c-section. Forceps were used which eventually led to a sulca tare that spewed blood in the doctor and residents faces. Later we found out the little man's head was compressing the cord. So at 1041am on 12-18-12 Foster Birt made his appearence into the world. 7 pounds 9 ounces, 21 1/2 inches long. His APGAR scores 9 and 9. He was so swollen and bruised but he was there. He was okay and I could breathe again. Suppress the terror and fear. That event was the most frightening experience of my life. I'm now holding him in my arms and I can't get enough... Rick and I keep looking at each other with awe in our eyes. This little bit of perfection we made. He is ours.