Finally…the account of Luke’s arrival!
Luke was due on April 19th, 2009 but he just wasn’t ready to make his grand entrance into the world on that date. Instead he teased us with some false labour on three different occasions leading up to his actual delivery date. At my 38 and 39 week OB appointments the doctor performed “stretch and sweeps” and each time they did result in bouts of contraction that lasted 10-12 hours each with contractions coming every five minutes but all of a sudden they’d completely stop. Needless to say it became a bit of a “crying wolf” situation from that point onward…when contractions did begin we were never sure if it would ultimately lead to his birth or if they’d fizzle out again and we’d be disappointed.
At my 40 week appointment the OB performed another aggressive stretch and sweep and finally this kick started a fruitful labour. I had woken up that morning just feeling “off” and a bit crampy so once he performed the stretch and sweep I became increasingly crampy. We ran some errands after the appointment and as we walked around the stores I noticed the contractions becoming a bit more painful than they had been all along. When we got home mid-afternoon I decided to take a hot bath to try and relax and see if this was in fact “it”. The contractions were coming about 3 minutes apart and were getting progressively more painful so we figured this was the real thing.
Adam began packing the car and I took my bath and by this point I was sure there was no turning back. We were going to be having a baby sooner or later. Around 7:30pm we decided to head off to the IWK Health Centre as the pain was getting pretty intense and I figured it wouldn’t be too long before I’d be asking for some pain relief.
We arrived at the IWK and had to check in which was a bit annoying as I had already pre-registered but they asked me the same questions as when I had pre-registered and the contractions were becoming so painful that Adam had to sign all the paper work for me. We were then taken up the secret elevator to the early assessment unit on the 3rd Floor and this was where I feared my birth experience was going to not be a pleasant one. The nurse we encountered had about as much personality as my big toe and while I’m sure she’s seen her share of irrational pregnant ladies in labour, I didn’t feel like she was taking anything I was saying seriously. I was in extreme pain, could not even talk through it and would stop dead in my tracks while trying to deal with the pain of each contraction, crippling over in pain.
She finally got me up on the bed and checked me internally at which point I was experiencing so much pain I could only imagine that this must be what “transition” felt like…that there was no way I could do this, I could not deal with the pain and longer and that I wanted it out of me NOW. She checked my cervix and reported that I was 2cms and 90% effaced.
I NEARLY DIED RIGHT THERE ON THE TABLE…2 cms???????????????????
Needless to say I just about lost my mind in pain at that point thinking there was no way in hell I was going to make it another EIGHT cms!!!
At this point she still would not admit me and basically we said there was no way we were going home, I was just way too uncomfortable so she offered us a birthing unit so I could get in a bath and try to relax. I got in the bathtub and tried to relax but the pain was getting even more intense and I was in such agony that I actually began to wail throughout each contraction. I never in a million years imagined I’d be the “screaming bloody murder” woman in labour but something very primal took over my body and I just felt the only way I was able to “cope” was to vocalize through the pain of each contraction. When I say I was moaning and groaning and grunting at the top of my lungs, make no mistake, I was. I am sure if the other women on the floor heard me they’d think I was dying. Poor Adam!
He realized I was not dealing well with the contractions which were now coming about every 2 minutes and right on top of each other. I barely had a few seconds to catch my breath between them when another one would hit. I was only 2cms dilated and was already completely exhausted. He went out to the nurses’ station and indicated I could probably use some pain relief and the nurse basically brushed him off. He came back and relayed this to me and I think I sank as low into that bathtub as I could. I felt completely defeated and hopeless that I’d survive this ordeal if I had absolutely no one on my side through this from a medical standpoint.
Finally after enough screaming Adam went back to the nurses’ station and flat out told them that I needed pain medication as I was screaming in pain and I could not get out of the tub because everytime I tried I was hit with another contraction that doubled me up in pain. It took the nurse coming in to see me before she’d believe him and at that point she ordered a shot of Morphine and Demerol. She was going to give it to me right in the tub but then decided to help Adam in getting me out of the tub.
By then I had been admitted and a resident had taken over my case. The shot did absolutely nothing for me at all. After a while the resident asked me what my plan was for pain management. I knew it was unlikely I’d get an epidural so soon considering I was only 2cms dilated but decided to tell her I wanted one and the sooner the better. I expected it to take a while before the anesthesiologist could do it anyway. I no sooner got it out of my mouth when he was standing before me ready to administer it. At that point I questioned my agnostic status.
He prepped my back and after what felt like a little bee sting, it was in and the lines were being taped to my back and I began waiting for the relief to set in. It didn’t take long before I felt a dramatic decline in the intensity of the contractions but there was only one glitch. I could still feel the pain on my left side. I should also explain that in all my false labours the pain was in my cervix but my entire stomach tightened up like a basketball. Throughout my entire labour and delivery I only ever felt the pain in my cervix and felt no tightening at all. So, it felt like someone cut my cervix in two and with each contraction I felt the searing pain only in the left half of my cervix. Very odd indeed. However, it was better than feeling it in its entirety!
Because I tested positive for Group B Strep I had a round of antibiotics started via IV and basically just tried to rest as much as is possible when someone is taking your blood pressure, etc every 30 minutes.
They had put external monitors on my belly to measure contractions and to monitor Luke’s heart rate but that proved fruitless. In the end they needed to put a monitor on his scalp (which is like a little wire with a corkscrew wire on the end that they screw into his scalp…sounds barbaric, I know) and then we were able to monitor his heart rate. Throughout the night I had to keep switching from side to side as his heart rate would keep dropping.
Around 11pm they decided to move forward and break my water. Adam had gone for a snack and missed it but I just remember a gush of warm fluid and that’s about it. Nothing exciting. I was 4cms dilated at this point.
I was given an epidural top up and another round of antibiotics for the Group B Strep and continued to labour and try to rest.
By 2am I was 6cms dilated and at that point they decided to administer Oxytocin to ensure the contractions kept moving forward. They did and by 5am I was fully dilated to 10cms. They also had to insert an internal monitor for my contractions as they were not registering using the belly bands. Odd. I sure as hell still knew I was having them (well, only on my left side!)
I was not yet feeling the urge to push so they advised that if I could try and get some rest for 1-2 hours this would allow the baby to make his way further down the birth canal so that I would not have to push him down as far. Considering his wonky heart rate, it was the best decision. I tried to relax and snooze between contractions (because as I said, I was still feeling them on the left side) and somewhere around 6:30am I began feeling the need to push. I breathed through the contractions keeping in mind if I could resist the urge to push just a little longer it would be less of a distance to push him.
By 7am they asked me if I was ready to push and I indicated I was and within minutes the entire birthing unit was filled with medical staff. The end of the bed was lowered and the pushing bar was put on the end. It was decided I should push while laying on my side as he was reacting better to that position as far as his heart rate went and so at 7:10am I began pushing.
I know this may sound odd but I actually enjoyed the pushing part! I was totally in the zone and it was like a big challenge to me to see how quickly I could push him out. The medical staff were cheering me on and he really seemed to be coming quite quickly as he was pretty far down the birth canal already.
Somewhere around the 5th set of contractions Adam said he had red hair and then that gave me the extra incentive to get him out so I could see him myself. I figured if he could see his head then he was almost here. It only took a couple more contractions and he was crowning and they told me to stop pushing at which time I felt what they refer to as “the ring of fire” and oh boy…ring indeed! I did tear slightly but then the pain was over and his head was out and they delivered his shoulders and then pulled him out and there he was, alert and wide eyed and holding his cord in his hand! He was born at 7:31am on April 24th making him a Taurus.
Adam cut the cord and then he was wrapped up and rubbed off and placed on my chest for me to see. What a cutie! I then delivered the placenta pretty much instantly and was given a few stitches for my 2nd degree tear and I also had a few abrasions but nothing too serious. He was weighed (7lbs 5oz) and he measured 21 inches in length. He scored 9 and 10 on his Apgars. We breast fed immediately after his testing and love having him in our life!
PHOTOS HERE
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