Introducing Andrew Rowan!
>> Thursday, May 28, 2009
You probably all guessed that I had my baby during my disappearance. He arrived on Thursday, May 21, ten days after my due date, after a long induction process. He weighed eight pounds even and measured nearly twenty-two inches. He's beautiful. 
I finally had time to type up my birth story. Here's the short version, followed by the more detailed version, which I wrote mostly for myself.
Short version:
The induction process began on Tuesday afternoon with the insertion of Cervidil to soften and dilate my stubborn cervix. After monitoring me and the baby for a couple of hours, they sent us home to let the Cervidil do its thing. On Wednesday morning my cervix was still closed and they told us to come back at 4:00 p.m. By then I was 1 cm dilated and declared "rupturable." So they broke my water and started Pitocin at about 6:30. I held out until just after midnight before asking for an epidural and was upset to learn that I had only made it to 4 cm. But things progressed rapidly after that and I was fully dilated around 7 a.m. There were some issues with the baby's heart rate and I had to wear an oxygen mask for a while. The doctor guessed that the cord was wrapped around his neck and that turned out to be the case. Before I started pushing she told me it may have to be a forceps delivery and could even end up a c-section. Thankfully he tolerated the pushing well enough, and after an hour and a half (and a small episiotomy) he was here! The doctor described him as "stunned" at birth, but he stabalized within a few minutes and they finally brought him to me. So it was a little bit dramatic but turned out very well. He's absolutely perfect.
Long version:
I went to see my OB on Tuesday, May 19, for my regularly scheduled 41-week appointment. I knew we would be talking induction, especially when the internal exam revealed that my cervix was still closed, but I was not prepared for her to tell me to head over to the hospital to get things started that day! She called ahead and apparently someone told her it was a slow day in L&D, so it was good timing.
Keith met me and my mom at the hospital around 1:00 p.m. — and L&D was packed. They sent us and two other couples away for lunch, saying they’d figure out what to do with us while we were gone. Um, what? I can come back another day. Really, I don’t mind…
I finally got in around 4:00 p.m. They inserted Cervidil to soften and dilate my cervix and monitored me and the baby for two hours, then sent us home with instructions to return in the morning to begin part two of the induction: Pitocin to start contractions if they hadn’t started on their own. I had no contractions and felt nothing at all, really, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when the next morning my cervix was still closed and they sent us home to give it more time.
When we went back at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday I was 1 cm dilated and declared "rupturable," so they broke my water and started Pitocin at about 6:30. I laboured mostly sitting upright in bed, disappointed that they wouldn’t let me off the monitors so I could use the awesome-looking Jacuzzi tub.
Just after midnight I finally asked for an epidural and was frustrated to learn that I had only made it to 4 cm. The nurse had me sit on the side of the bed to wait for the anesthesiologist, and I had a little breakdown, upset with myself for not holding out longer, and also in greater pain in that position. I was shaking uncontrollably and wondering how I was going to be still for the insertion. The procedure itself wasn’t so bad, and I was able to nap on and off for the rest of the night.
Things progressed rapidly after I got the epidural, though there were some issues with the baby’s heart rate dropping that seemed to improve when the nurse had me lie on my side. I had to wear an oxygen mask for a while. I was fully dilated at about 7:00 a.m. The nurse had me push a few times but then wanted to wait for my OB to arrive because the baby’s heart rate kept dropping. It was so hard to ride out those contractions without pushing!
The doctor finally arrived around 9:00. She guessed that the cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck and told me that it may have to be a forceps delivery and could even end up a c-section. Thankfully, this time the baby tolerated the pushing well enough. The end was so hard, and I found myself crying that I couldn’t do it. The doctor assured me that it shouldn’t hurt, that I should only be feeling pressure, but there was definitely pain. Finally, with the help of a small episiotomy, it was over and my sweet baby was here! (I was surprised to learn later that I pushed for an hour and a half.) The cord was indeed wrapped around his neck, and the doctor described him as "stunned," but he stabalized within a few minutes and they finally brought him to me for some skin-to-skin time.
So it was a little bit dramatic but turned out very well. He's absolutely perfect. He sustained a broken clavicle during the delivery but we were assured that it causes him no pain and will not be a problem.
A couple of random observations:
1. I was shocked by the amount of amniotic fluid that came out of me throughout the labour process. At one point the nurse unhooked me from the monitors so that I could go to the bathroom, and I gushed fluid all the way across the room to the toilet. My socks were soaked and the nurse had to mop up behind me. The nurse regularly had to change my bed pad and “diaper” because the fluid gushed every time I shifted position.
2. Keith commented that he was unprepared for the, uh, horrible odour that came with every push and especially with the delivery. He thought I should share that with all of you. He also said the placenta seemed to be almost as big as the baby!
