Meet Preston Alexander!

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s another birth plan flying straight out the window! Can you tell I’m trying to have a sense of humor about this?

It’s a reeeeally good thing I am not some type of crazy perfectionist Type A planner, because if I was I might be having a hard time with the fact almost nothing went according to plan when Preston decided to make an entrance a week ago today.

And this is why, although I prepared the best I could to create the birth experience I wanted ahead of time, I always prefaced my plans by saying, “I realize at any point things can change.” In so many cases, they just do, and I've always been realistic about that.

Still, I don’t think I could have possibly predicted the course of events as they actually played out. Sometimes our bodies just do what our bodies want to do. Here are some noteworthy and “shake my head” moments from our delivery...

Saturday 8/16
10:45 PM - Stood up and felt something wet. Proceeded to lose my mucus plug, then felt a HUGE POP (my water breaking like Niagara Falls), and began feeling real deal contractions all within the same hour. This after my recent OB apt showed 0% effacement and 0 cm dilation just days before.

-I remember that my OB is now on his weekend anniversary getaway. How convenient!

-Call my doula, who is already working another overnight doula job. She instructs me to sleep and she’ll try to make back-up arrangements. Sleep. Ha! Losing water by what seemed like the liter with each gush and contractions are becoming stronger.

-Hubby urges me with each contraction to just go to hospital, and I continue to justify all the reasons why I don’t want to go too soon. We arrive at hospital 6 hours after waters broke. Our doula is able to meet us there.

-Arrive 90% effaced, yet only 1 cm dilated.

-On-call OB is already insinuating Pitocin is needed at this point. Shut it lady!

-Nurse, on the other hand, is awesome and totally backing up my birth plan.


Sunday  8/17
-Continue to labor naturally ALL DAY LONG in a multitude of crunchy ways (shower, birth ball, mooing like a cow, etc).

-Dilation occurring slow as 100 year old molasses. Yet, the contractions keep on coming and hurt like a SOB. This is mostly because my water broke so long ago and there’s nothing to cushion the blow of each contraction, so I’m feeling EVERYTHING times ten.

-Even though they’re strong, they’re stuck at 3-4 minutes apart forever.

-Shift change occurs. Receive 2^nd nurse. Miss my old nurse.

-Learn that baby has not engaged his head, but as he’s come down a bit, he’s decided to turn face up (this is not what you want for a natural delivery).  OB is unsuccessful turning him, but will try again once he descends a bit more.

-After 18 hours of labor, I’m told I’m still only 3 cm dilated and that I’m not even technically maintaining “active labor” at this point. OK, now you’ve got to be joking, because I guarantee this has to be active labor. Nope, technically it’s not.

-After 24 hours, OB is now insinuating a C section is going to be needed, because she can’t turn baby’s head after multiple attempts and I’m basically not progressing.  Want to punch said OB in face, but ignore her and continue working with my nurse and doula on creative ways to avoid it.

-Consider getting an epidural at the slight chance that it can give me enough rest and reprieve to allow my body to just relax enough for things to turn around. (This does actually occur in a small % of people). I’m told there are no guarantees that the epidural won’t slow my contractions, but that because they are so strong on their own, it’s slightly possible the epidural could benefit me without “slowing down labor” necessarily. It’s worth a shot at this point if it can help me relax and build strength to try pushing on my own. What have we got to lose at this point? I get the epidural.

-Holy crap, I can’t feel a thing. I get a nap. I wake up and have them stop the epidural meds so I can regain feeling and try pushing this baby down some more. Contractions have unfortunately spaced apart further now though, which is what we were hoping to avoid. I knew it was a risk of course.

-I’m STILL only 4 freaking cm dilated. Laughable.


Monday  8/18
-I’m urged to do something to help things progress and am reminded that even ACOG would recommend using synthetic oxytocin (Pitocin, etc) to augment a stalled progression at this point  (18-24 hours post water breaking).  Neither I, nor my doula could argue that point. I agree to start a small dose of Pitocin (Damnit!), but told we can back off of it if enough progress occurs with contractions.

-3rd shift change, and I get back my original awesome nurse. Have we really been here that long??

-Pitocin is indeed working to increase contractions and dilate cervix. Want to cry tears of joy when they tell me I’m dilated to 8 cm. I really think I can do this.

-Because I want the best chance to push, we do something really brave and taper off the epidural as well to catch a window where I can just push to my heart’s content and actually FEEL what I’m doing. I know I am completely bat shit crazy by the way.

-As we all see it, we are nearing our “last chance” attempts to move baby down to engage and get him to turn on his own for better positioning. Everyone in the room (nurse, doula, me, hubby) are determined. OB is taking a nap somewhere.

-Epidural officially worn off and pitocin is in agonizing full force. That drug is PURE EVIL! I push for about 2 hours straight like this.  Can’t believe I lived to tell about it.

-Trying everything to push and turn this baby. Nurse has used enough olive oil to feed an Italian army, and I am like a contortionist trying to push sideways, sitting half way up, on all fours, squatting, you name it.

-We can see baby’s head and hair while pushing, but it always goes back up during rest.

-After 30 hours of labor, my cervix is stuck at 9 cm, baby’s head is still facing wrong direction and won’t engage.

-OB voices her opinion that we should seriously consider doing a C section. I’m told that I could labor for another several hours with no further progress, even though I’m currently 9 cm, but especially considering all that we’ve already tried. My body had not established a very consistent pattern of labor on it’s own since the beginning. Highly unlikely baby will magically turn to allow shoulders under the pelvis either.

-My nurse and doula discuss the choice with us as a couple. I wish that my water hadn’t broken BEFORE having contractions, but there is nothing I can do to change that now. I cry because this is exactly what I didn’t want to happen, but I know in my heart that we’ve tried A LOT to get this baby out, and he’s JUST NOT COMING on his own.

-With either choice there are inherent risks. I realize how lucky we are that baby has not gone into distress this entire time, but there are no guarantees he won’t. I'm completely exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. I’m ready for the pain to be over, and we’re beyond ready to meet our baby.

-We choose to go ahead and do the C section. The minutes seem like hours as we wait for anesthesia to arrive. There is zero rest between the Pitocin induced contractions at this point, and it makes me even more content with our choice to get baby out NOW. Just do it already!

-We’re moved into the OR so fast that the anesthesia doesn’t even have time to fully work apparently, because I can actually feel them opening me up…I’m not talking about “pressure” here people. I can feel OB performing the procedure.

-Shaking like a leaf from the anesthesia being pumped into me, but moaning from the intense pain. The OB is literally yelling across the curtain at the anesthesiologist to “Get this girl something for the pain!” I can’t help but feel like I’m trapped in a bad episode of Days of Our Lives or something. lol Is this for real right now?

-Trying to get a hold of myself mentally, and the thought of meeting Preston and becoming a family with hubby gets me through. The other staff in the room try to maintain a light attitude and play “guess the baby’s weight” around the room. I guess with confidence that he’ll be 8.5 lbs.

-A few minutes later, at 6:08 AM (31 hours after my water broke), Preston Alexander finally met us face-to-face. His cry was THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I’ve ever heard in my life, and I began bawling like a baby myself the moment I heard it. He was given to me right away for skin-to-skin contact as they stitched me up, and we resumed following what was left in our birth plan as far as bonding time, breastfeeding, etc. He received a 9 out of 10 Apgar Score, and guess what…He weighed exactly 8 lbs. 8 oz. :)



Tuesday 8/19- Thursday 8/21
-Admitted for the mandatory 3 days post C section surgery recovery. Dad and baby all stayed in room with me the whole time.

-Half way through our stay Preston's weight dropped below normal weight loss levels (10.8%). He was deyhdrated, and completely stopped having wet and soiled diapers. He tested in the "very high" category for bilirubin (which indicated he had jaundice). He was inconsolable at times. It was heartbreaking to see him not well after being so healthy at birth. Scary couple of days for us!

-Preston received phototherapy for over 24 hours straight and was put on formula supplementation (delivered through SNS/Supplemental Nursing System). I delivered his formula through a small tube placed at the breast while I continued to breastfeed colostrum to him simultaneously. (more on this later)



Friday 8/22
-Preston gained a little weight back and began pooping/peeing again. His bilirubin returned to a healthy range.

-Discharged and finally returned home after being gone a full week. So thankful to be home!


So there you have it. "Overprepare, then go with the flow" was definitely put to use for the birth of our first born child. He was worth every prayer, every book read, every expert consulted, every battle fought, every moment we waited, and every single tear of joy and pain shed on his behalf along the way. I still can't believe that Preston is actually here and he's ours. He's absolutely perfect in every way!

Born 8/18 @ 8 lbs. 8 oz.

Snuggleworm

Broke my heart to see him so unhappy like this under phototherapy lights.
I know it could be worse, but this was really hard. I didn't sleep a wink.

Having some fun one night on a break from phototherapy.
Michael Phelps has got nothing on this kid's armspan!

Doing MUCH better the next day. All ready for his big
debut into the real world. If only he'll stop snoozin!

Can't believe we are finally a family of 3. :)

My handsome little date.

My two main squeezes together. Love these guys!

Trying out his snugapuppy swing. Two thumbs up.

Continuing to get some sun at home to clear out any remaining jaundice.

This face just makes me melt. Perfection.

All of us are settling in little by little.