Avi's Birth

July 29, 2010
We went to the doctor’s appointment at 11:30. I had sent out a text to Erin, Mom and Emily to give guesses on how dilated I was going to be. We all guessed would be a five, Erin and I also put in I would still be a four. I asked Gunnar when he got home to take me to the appointment, he said we should bring my hospital bag and the car seat, because I would be so far dilated they would not let me leave, so we packed up. When I got into the room, the doctor had just left to deliver a baby, we waited a little bit then he was able to come in and do the examination. He said I was at five or a six- I asked him which one, because we had bets going in the family- he said six. He told us to go home and get my bag and take a walk if I wanted- to give them time to clean up after the last delivery and come back and he was going to pop my water and the baby was coming today.
Gunnar called his work, and they let me stay with me. We went to eat at Maine Street café- we got sandwiches and salad. They were very tasty, but I was not feeling good, so I did not eat much. I was thinking I was having contractions, but wasn’t sure, maybe it was baby positioning, but now I know it was labor. We went home after and cleaned up. I got a present ready for Katherine, my visiting teacher, I wanted to drop it off before we went to the hospital. I had a large bloody show, and contractions started hitting harder. Gunnar asked- “We’re just straight to the hospital- not to Katherine’s?”- I said, “Yes!”- Gunnar asked if we could say a prayer, I hesitated, said fine, but I would not be able to kneel. Gunnar said the prayer and I paced through contractions.
As we drove to the hospital Gunnar was being cute, and saying- I don’t even know, but I was cross- I asked him to please be quiet and not to patronize me. Since we live about two and half blocks from the hospital it was a short drive, half a block away, Gunnar remembered he could turn on his emergency lights, and did so, for all thirty seconds.
We go to the labor and delivery it was around 3:00 pm- our Nurses name was Suzanne. She was our coach. I told them as I came in I was at a six and I should be able to go naturally. I thought with how painful the contractions were I had to be to a seven. The nurse checked me and said I was at a six. I told her the doctor hours ago had told me I was at a six. She said he was more generous then she was. The doctor came in a bit later to break my water.
The contractions started getting worse and worse- ha! I thought they had hurt before! The nurse had had four children naturally, so she was a life saver. She asked if we had taken any classes- I told I had been on bed rest- she gave us a doubtful look. Once transitional labor was in full swing I was out of it- I had started by needing to pace, then I was on the bed, then I was standing next to the bed leaning onto it- it was about then the nurse told Gunnar about counter pressure- I did not let him leave me- tried to move, to do something else, and I insisted he stay on the counter pressure. Then I was back in the bed, then I was kneeling on the bed- with the head of the bed up- I leaning over it. I just remember pain. The nurse told me to do the classic labor breathing- I did a mocking attempt- I did not have the where with all to really even try- it was more like a he he ha ha he he ha ha. At some point I said this was bad- I wanted the epidural. The nurse asked if I was sure- the anesthesiologist was out and it would be a bit till they could be here- I said to get them here!
I remember on one contraction I was laying on the bed and it hit- I reached over to Gunnar and grabbed on- it turned out I had grabbed his chest and twisted hard. Poor husband, and that was not all… later he leaned over the bed and looked me in the face during a contraction and I slapped him. He said I punched him a couple of times, but I don’t remember… I do remember wanting to hit the nurse, but knowing it was wrong, so I resisted. Another contraction I remember- since I had gone into labor I could not feel the baby- Gunnar told me, it is okay, this pain is bringing the baby closer- I responded, “What baby- I can’t feel a baby- there is no baby!” (or maybe that was during pushing- probably both)
The nurse at some point put a drug in the I.V.. It took off the edge and made me even more out of it. I remember waking up one time, feeling as if I was waking up from fainting. I had no concept of time. The anesthesiologist showed up. I was at an eight. The nurse urged me that by the time the epidural set in I could have already had the baby. The anesthesiologist was ready to give it to me. They asked what I wanted- I trembled- a stutter of, ‘I, I, I, I…” the anesthesiologist looked at the nurse, the nurse said, “I only gave her one ____(c-c, or milligram, or dose… whatever)” I finally got out that I thought I did not want the epidural. The anesthesiologist told me, if I did not want it, she would have to leave. I mournfully pleaded, “Please don’t leave me!” They asked if I wanted it, I said no, then I was into the next contraction far enough I did not notice the anesthesiologist left.
At some point, it was time to start pushing. I had missed in all of my research that you have to push for a while. I thought once you started pushing the baby just came out. I was tired and out of it, consumed with pain. I was making straining noises, the kind the ladies always make in the movies- the nurse told me not waste my energy on making noise, and to use all my breath for pushing- I told her I couldn’t. I felt I really wasn’t pushing. I just felt constipated, like I was trying to push out poo. It seemed when I hurt the most they said it was a good push. I would run out air as I pushed, I felt I would have to stop pushing, but I couldn’t stop, I would take a breath- and it hurt so bad to stop and take that breath- it was more painful than the pushing!
Gunnar told me he could see the head, what I felt pretty early on, then after the pushing the head would slip back in. I did not believe him that he really was seeing the head- in my thinking I thought if the head could be seen, the doctor should be called and the baby should be out! Only she wasn’t. I kept pushing- at some point I told them to just take her out! Gunnar also told me she had hair- also didn’t believe it, because Erin had told me Wayne told her that when she had Aliea, and it had just been the blood. Finally I had a couple of good pushes and they called the doctor, Dr. Rhymer, in. It turned out she was face up.
I had dreaded tearing or getting an episiotomy this entire pregnancy, but he gave me an episiotomy, and I thought it was the best thing in the whole world! I felt pressure release. And he told me now this baby has room to come out- let’s get her out. (Light at the end of the tunnel!) Because she was face up- he had to vacuum her to help her get over the ridge. –the nurse had said she was not in the right position earlier in labor, and we had hoped me changing positions would rotate her- Once her head was out- it was immediate release! The rest of her body slipped out smoothly and they placed her right on my belly- her head was misshapen from the suction, but she was soooo beautiful. I could not believe it! She was soo lovely. A little piece of heaven- she was mine. Quickly they prepared and had Gunnar cut the cord- kind of funny the doctor hit Gunnar with cord and got blood on his pants. Shortly after the cord was cut the placenta delivered- probably about one to two minutes after baby. I was just marveling at this beautiful little angel on my belly. The nurses put the eye drops in, gave her the vitamin k shot. They let me hold her a bit then, they took her and weighed and measured her. Her one minute APGAR was an eight, her five minute APGAR was a nine out of ten- impressive!! Her head was 13 inches in circumference, her chest 12 ½ inches. She was 19 inches long, and 6 pounds 14 ounces. They put a hat on her head- you would never guess she had a suctioned head. She was just so beautiful. My little baby girl! Delivered at 5:17 pm. I had pushed for about 45 minutes.


They gave her back to me and I was able to hold her and hold her. They said she would naturally go to feed. I wish they would have taken some time to give us some pointers, but that didn’t happen till the night nurse- and she was shocked no one had helped us- she thought they had because she said I looked like I knew what I was doing, I had done some reading, but it is not same and I couldn’t remember everything.
Gunnar made some calls, I was so tired and out of it, I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to hold my baby. Gunnar became the P.R. man. He took pictures and sent them out on his phone, and did the calls. I was not ready to call till the next day.
Gunnar was sweet and let me hold her most the evening. Finally at night the nurses needed to take her to give her a bath, and do her stats. I slept while she was gone, but that was the best sleep I got, once she was back, I was too concerned with watching her.