A Very Long Birth Story...

I have been writing bits and pieces of Ulysses birth story over the past week. I think I finally compiled it. It is long but I want to remember it! It was not how I initially envisioned it, but I am really am so happy about how it went and all that it helped me to learn. Read if you dare...

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Pre-natal Stresses

I stressed WAY too much this pregnancy about where to go for care. With Oscar I had a planned home birth with a midwife, and we ended up transferring during labor to St. Al's. With Angus we went to The Baby Place and had a really great water birth at their birthing center. I started out this pregnancy at The Baby Place, but at 15 weeks no longer felt comfortable receiving care there. Mainly because their sole midwife was newly licensed (within a few weeks), so I decided to look elsewhere for care.

 I did not see any provider for about 16 weeks. After a lot of  agonizing about where to go, I started care with Treasure Valley Midwives (TVM). However, as the weeks went on my confidence in their care decreased, and my disappointment with them increased greatly for a myriad of valid reasons (one of which includes them thinking I was some 35 week pregnant lady named Tammy at my very last appointment!). I never felt fully at peace with the decision to be seen by them.  It seemed like every time I went in for an appointment something tiny in my gut twisted and whispered "this feels wrong," but I pushed it aside.  Five days before my 42 week mark, they told me that they legally can not provide care for me past 42 weeks. This information should have been disclosed when I had an initial consult with them (especially since they knew I have a history of carrying babies to 42 weeks) but it was completely overlooked. So at 41½ weeks I was back to searching for a care provider. Ugh. Adios TVM for good.

A 42 Week Change of Plans

But as it turns out all of my discomfort and disappointment with TVM, led me to something better for me and baby. So, on to a 42 week change of plans! I made an appointment with Dr. Weyhrich, a recommended OBGYN, on Wednesday 10/10/12 (at 5:00 pm on my 42nd week mark).

So there we were in Dr. Weyhrich's office at a full 42 weeks. He was really nice, really respectful of our situation, and very matter of fact about our options and his recommendations. After discussing possible plans of action with him we decided to have an ultrasound right then to check the amount of fluid around the baby. Often the later in a pregnancy, the lower the fluid. The lower the fluid means the placenta is getting tired, therefore the nutrients getting to baby can diminish (above 5 is fine, below...not so fine). My fluid was at a 3½, and he could see lots of particulate matter (meconium/baby poo) in the fluid. Not super fantastic. He also checked my cervix and I was at 5 centimeters dilated, so all the on/and off contraction I had been having for days were doing something...just very slowly. He gave us his pager number, told us to go think about what seemed like the best choice to us and then page him, as he was on call at the hospital.

Bryan and I talked about it for a bit, but we both knew when we left the office that we were in the right place. We would go into the hospital and have my water broken that night. It was obvious to both of us that continuing to wait it out was not the right choice. I have had a fear about having a baby in a hospital, as well as a fear of having labor start any way but completely on its own. I really like for my body to have control as much as possible. So I was still really nervous about choosing the two things I was afraid of. However, I can honestly say that in the consult with Doctor Weyhrich I finally felt peace and relief. Two things that had eluded me thus far. I really, really felt in good hands with him, like I no longer had to worry and that felt really comforting. It is funny how sometimes the thing we fear or the options we are determined not to consider, are actually the ones that are the better fit for our situation. Sometimes it takes running out of options, to finally see the right option.

Anyway. So we had decided to go into the hospital that night. We went home, got the boys dinner, and tucked them  in bed. I called the Doc and told him we were coming in, we got our bags packed, I received a blessing, and Bryan's mom came over to babysit the boys. Then with much nervousness, but a confirmation this was the right thing for us to do, we headed to St. Luke's.

At The Hospital

We checked in and then were greeted by our wonderful first nurse named Chelsea. She was really great. Once in the room she got my antibiotics going (first time I have ever been Group B Strep Positive), and monitored babies heart rate. All looked good. Then Doctor Weyhrich came in. We discussed the plan again, and I had him check to see if I had dilated any more in the last two hours, just in case I did not need to have my water broken after all. No luck, I was still a 5. So I braced myself, and he broke my water. As we suspected, it was murky with meconium. That was one long night in the hospital because nothing, aside from a few irregular contractions, happened with labor between midnight (when water was broken) and 8 am. I did not know whether to try and sleep and rest, or take a walk to try and facilitate labor. So I ended up staying up all night, getting monitored every half hour and listening to 4 other babies make their first cry. When Dr. Weyhrich, and my new nurse, came in the next morning around 8 I was so tired and discouraged. He recommended that they try and break the water again, that maybe the first puncture resealed itself or that maybe there was a fore bag of waters (once the afterbirth was delivered we realized I did have a fore bag). At 8:30 he broke my water again and things then finally began to get rolling.

Within an hour I had a good amount of bloody show (I know, I hate that term too), and a few more contractions. I was however going completely stir crazy inside that hospital room, so my fabulous nurse Marcie recommended we go take a walk around outside. So we did, and contractions continued to get closer and stronger and my morale improved with the cool fall morning air. We went back to the room, she monitored baby, and we went out for another walk with contractions increasing about 3 minutes apart. We then went back to the room, ate some breakfast, Marcie monitored baby and gave me another round of antibiotics while I took a hot tub. After that it seemed my contractions slowed for half our or so, so I rested. Then Dr. Weyhrich came in (at about one) and was please to see progress, I was at an 8 and definitely feeling it. I had so much back labor this time around, which I never had with my first two. Man, childbirth pain is real, and raw, and incredible. No matter how many times I do it...it always hurts:). Around 1:30 pm came the all commanding urge to push, so I hopped back in the tub while I still could. Within the hour the urge to push was overwhelming, Marcie had me out of the tub and she called the Doc. This baby was coming. I sort of lost track of time at that point, pain does that to you, but they tell me I pushed for about 25-30 minutes before this sweet baby boy was born fully posterior (head up instead of the ideal head down position).No drugs, no tearing, just like my last two. Bryan said that as soon as he was born I raised my hand and weakly cheered, "Hooray!"


Ulysses was born fully posterior (head up instead of the ideal head down position). Having him posterior explained my intense back labor pain, and his super bruised crown of head. Plus the Doctor said that could have been one reason labor was so slow to start on it's own, because baby's head was not in the best position to put pressure on the cervix signaling it to open.

Because the ultrasound showed meconium in the water a team of NICU nurses were in the room all set to address the needs of baby, and we are so glad they were there. Even though Ulysses' heart rate was fantastic all through labor, he came out grey and limp, not breathing and with a heart rate of 60 (and an initial Apgar score of 1). The doctor cut the cord and handed him swiftly to the NICU nurses. No crying was heard yet, the team suctioned him out like crazy because he had breathed in a bunch of meconium. His heart rate had finally come up, but he was still not breathing on his own so they intubated him to help him breath (at 4 minutes his Apgar was a 4). Finally he started breathing on his own, we heard a few small cries, they took the tubes out and I was able to hold him for a bit (Apgar of 6 at 8 minutes of life). He looked (and does still) so much like his brothers, which was not a surprise at all:).

 They then took him to NICU for mostly precaution and observation purposes to make sure he was doing okay on his own. Bryan was with him the whole time which was really comforting. I went as soon as the afterbirth was all delivered and my bleeding had slowed on its own. I called Bryan in the NICU and was so happy to hear the cries of our baby on the other end, he was doing just fine. I was able to go over and nurse him and help them bathe him, and within four hours (most of which were spent waiting for return of test results) he was back in our room with us for good. We spent tons of time snuggling him and bonding and sharing the good news with family and friends. We were also lucky enough to have my sister (a terrific nurse on the mother baby floor) take care of us all night long, which was so special.

The whole experience was actually a really positive one. I was so incredibly pleased with our nurses and doctor. Really, everyone who took care of us and baby were fantastic. Even though I did not ever think I would choose to deliver in a hospital, I can honestly say after everything involved with this delivery experience that I would choose to do it there again easily. I was able to have a natural delivery, freedom to walk outside, a warm tub, food delivered, all with the security of knowing a team of people were there waiting if the need should arise. I used to think delivering in a hospital would be a scary thing where my wants and needs were not heard or respected, but that was so not the case at all. It was great.

 In my mind I feel like this baby waited so long to come so that I would finally make the right decision about where and with whom to deliver him. I really feel like Heavenly Father was guiding me, but he knew I had built up a wall and couldn't make the leap to the hospital all at once. So he had things prepare me through out my pregnancy so that I could confidently make that choice when the time came. I believe he really knows how we each personally need to learn and be guided.

I am so grateful for a healthy pregnancy, and for this healthy baby boy. I am also so grateful for a positive delivery experience and for all that it has taught this sometimes-hard-to-teach self of mine.