Hunter's Birth Story
As promised...here is Hunter's complete birth story!
At 39 weeks and 1 day, Ken and I headed to the hospital for the induction. Dr. McFadden had off this day, however, was willing to stop in and place the first Cytotec (this is a tiny little pill they place on your cervix to help it ripen) to get my labor moving. He did work the next day, and felt that I would not be in a good labor pattern until the next morning. My last two pregnancies ended with terrible inductions that took over 18 hours each. They were miserable and horrible, and I expected nothing less from this one.
Dr. McFadden showed up around dinner time and placed the first pill on my cervix. This could be done once every four hours, at least four times. Ken and I sat and talked and wondered what our little man was going to look like. We were both incredibly excited. At around 10 p.m., the nurse placed the second Cytotec. My cervix was doing very well, and had dilated another centimeter. We were progressing! It was getting late, and since we had no idea if or when labor would start, Ken got as comfortable as he could in the hospital recliner, we dimmed the lights, and attempted to sleep.
Right around Midnight, I woke up with a strong urge to go to the bathroom. On my way there, my water started leaking. because of this, they decided not to place another Cytotec and just see what would happen. Within 20 minutes of my water breaking, I was in full blown labor. I woke Ken up at 1230, asking for him to rub my back through the contractions. They were very intense and centered directly on my back and bottom, which was completely miserable. The nurse suggested that I sit in the whirlpool tub and just try to relax. The hot jets on my back were heaven, and helped me through over an hour of pretty intense contractions. After that hour had passed, the jets were losing their ability to keep me comfortable, so I asked to get out of the tub.
I was in the stage of labor where anything that touched my skin HURT. I didn't want to be touched. I didn't want to be talked to, I didn't want to hear anything positive. I was in pain, and I didn't care. The nurse checked me after I exited the tub, and I was at a 6! That was enough to keep me in the game, and keep trying to avoid any medication. This lasted for about 45 minutes. The nurse, Nikki, tried to have me lay on my side. About this time, if I so much as took too deep of a breath, I would have a body splitting contraction. I was trying to breathe, but most of the time it just came out as a moan. I was sobbing and scared. The contractions were right on top of one another, I didn't get any sort of break in between, and I started to panic. I called for the nurse and begged for some medication. Anything to take the edge off. The five minutes it took her to draw the Nubain seemed like an eternity. She placed it through my IV, and it worked...for a total of two contractions.
Once again, I started to panic. Nikki had me get up on my hands and knees to see if I could get some of the pressure off of my back. Trying get to that position from lying on my side was torture, but I made it, and the pressure was eased a very tiny bit off of my back. Again, just enough to keep me breathing. I called her back in, and begged for the epidural. I couldn't take it anymore. She said she would call anesthesia, and it would probably be 15 minutes before they would get there. She was gone for a few minutes and came back in to tell me they were on their way. Just for the heck of it, she checked me again. I was COMPLETE and ready to start pushing!!! Well, so much for the epidural!
I stayed on my hands and knees and cried. My water was still leaking terribly, and I must have been quite the sight to see. My bare butt sticking in the air, blood and water leaking down my legs, crying and moaning every few seconds. I'm so glad my husband still loves me after seeing me like that!! Haha! The only thing that kept me holding on was knowing that pretty soon I'd be able to push, and seeing that the assistant and the nurse were getting the warmer and all of the supplies ready.
Dr. McFadden came through the door just after 3 a.m. He was way too perky for that time of the evening. Of course, the way I was feeling, I'd probably have thought a corpse was too perky too. They needed me to get on my back so I could start pushing. There was no way on Earth I could do that. I couldn't move by myself. My body was locked with such pain, I just couldn't, and I told them that I couldn't. Several times. Finally, between the nurse, the assistant and my husband, they managed to drag me over to my back. The pain was excruciating. The pain that was radiating through my lower pelvis and spine was worsened tenfold when being forced to lie where the pain was the worst.
McFadden checked me, and found that I had a second layer to my bag of water that needed to be broken. He took care of that, and within seconds I needed to push. It only took three pushes of ten seconds each before Hunter's head emerged into the world. His first seconds were critical as the cord was wrapped around his neck so tightly that the doctor could not get it to slip over his head. Because of this, he had to cut the cord while it was still around Hunter's neck. After it was off, he put my son on my chest so Ken could cut the cord. Ken didn't WANT to cut the cord, but before he could protest, Doctor McFadden handed him scissors with quick instructions where to cut. It was hilarious, it all happened so fast, he didn't even have time to protest.
That was the last happy thought I remember having, because within seconds, they whisked Hunter to the warmer, and started talking quietly among themselves. Hunter hadn't really let out a big cry, and Dr. McFadden assured me that he was OK, it was just that sometimes when babies are pushed out as fast as he was, their lungs go into a sort of 'shock' and they need help for a while. He needed to go to the nursery for further evaluation and to help him breathe.
The nurses said that if Ken wanted to go with them to the nursery, he could take a picture of Hunter to bring back to me. Ken was gone while I got cleaned up. He returned with the picture, and I knew at first glance that there was something wrong with Hunter. He was too limp, and his face was too contorted, and Oh My God, were his eyes slanted??
Dr. McFadden walked in with an update. He still believed that Hunter's lungs were shocked from the fast delivery, and they were calling the pediatrician on call to come and evaluate him. I looked at Dr. McFadden and asked "Do you think he has Down's?" He stopped and said that he really didn't notice, but hadn't taken a really good look at him. He went back to the nursery and came back looking kind of sad. He didn't beat around the bush when he said "I think you're right. He has many of the Down's characteristics. We will know more when he is evaluated further, but I think that is a very good possibility."
I kept a brave face and waited for him to leave. Ken was already downstairs calling family and friends. I called him immediately from the hospital phone and broke the news to him. "Stop calling friends and family. He isn't healthy. He has Down's."
Then I cried harder than I've ever cried in my entire life.
Well, for better or worse, that is how it happened. So much more after this, and I will get to that piece of the story eventually. I've attached the picture that Ken showed me that made me realize things weren't quite right. I've come to grips with Hunter's diagnosis, and honestly, I still have many doubts and fears. The next two weeks of Hunter's story were some very dark times for me. I will tell those tales next. Until then....
Love, Happiness and Pethair, Shannon
At 39 weeks and 1 day, Ken and I headed to the hospital for the induction. Dr. McFadden had off this day, however, was willing to stop in and place the first Cytotec (this is a tiny little pill they place on your cervix to help it ripen) to get my labor moving. He did work the next day, and felt that I would not be in a good labor pattern until the next morning. My last two pregnancies ended with terrible inductions that took over 18 hours each. They were miserable and horrible, and I expected nothing less from this one.
Dr. McFadden showed up around dinner time and placed the first pill on my cervix. This could be done once every four hours, at least four times. Ken and I sat and talked and wondered what our little man was going to look like. We were both incredibly excited. At around 10 p.m., the nurse placed the second Cytotec. My cervix was doing very well, and had dilated another centimeter. We were progressing! It was getting late, and since we had no idea if or when labor would start, Ken got as comfortable as he could in the hospital recliner, we dimmed the lights, and attempted to sleep.
Right around Midnight, I woke up with a strong urge to go to the bathroom. On my way there, my water started leaking. because of this, they decided not to place another Cytotec and just see what would happen. Within 20 minutes of my water breaking, I was in full blown labor. I woke Ken up at 1230, asking for him to rub my back through the contractions. They were very intense and centered directly on my back and bottom, which was completely miserable. The nurse suggested that I sit in the whirlpool tub and just try to relax. The hot jets on my back were heaven, and helped me through over an hour of pretty intense contractions. After that hour had passed, the jets were losing their ability to keep me comfortable, so I asked to get out of the tub.
I was in the stage of labor where anything that touched my skin HURT. I didn't want to be touched. I didn't want to be talked to, I didn't want to hear anything positive. I was in pain, and I didn't care. The nurse checked me after I exited the tub, and I was at a 6! That was enough to keep me in the game, and keep trying to avoid any medication. This lasted for about 45 minutes. The nurse, Nikki, tried to have me lay on my side. About this time, if I so much as took too deep of a breath, I would have a body splitting contraction. I was trying to breathe, but most of the time it just came out as a moan. I was sobbing and scared. The contractions were right on top of one another, I didn't get any sort of break in between, and I started to panic. I called for the nurse and begged for some medication. Anything to take the edge off. The five minutes it took her to draw the Nubain seemed like an eternity. She placed it through my IV, and it worked...for a total of two contractions.
Once again, I started to panic. Nikki had me get up on my hands and knees to see if I could get some of the pressure off of my back. Trying get to that position from lying on my side was torture, but I made it, and the pressure was eased a very tiny bit off of my back. Again, just enough to keep me breathing. I called her back in, and begged for the epidural. I couldn't take it anymore. She said she would call anesthesia, and it would probably be 15 minutes before they would get there. She was gone for a few minutes and came back in to tell me they were on their way. Just for the heck of it, she checked me again. I was COMPLETE and ready to start pushing!!! Well, so much for the epidural!
I stayed on my hands and knees and cried. My water was still leaking terribly, and I must have been quite the sight to see. My bare butt sticking in the air, blood and water leaking down my legs, crying and moaning every few seconds. I'm so glad my husband still loves me after seeing me like that!! Haha! The only thing that kept me holding on was knowing that pretty soon I'd be able to push, and seeing that the assistant and the nurse were getting the warmer and all of the supplies ready.
Dr. McFadden came through the door just after 3 a.m. He was way too perky for that time of the evening. Of course, the way I was feeling, I'd probably have thought a corpse was too perky too. They needed me to get on my back so I could start pushing. There was no way on Earth I could do that. I couldn't move by myself. My body was locked with such pain, I just couldn't, and I told them that I couldn't. Several times. Finally, between the nurse, the assistant and my husband, they managed to drag me over to my back. The pain was excruciating. The pain that was radiating through my lower pelvis and spine was worsened tenfold when being forced to lie where the pain was the worst.
McFadden checked me, and found that I had a second layer to my bag of water that needed to be broken. He took care of that, and within seconds I needed to push. It only took three pushes of ten seconds each before Hunter's head emerged into the world. His first seconds were critical as the cord was wrapped around his neck so tightly that the doctor could not get it to slip over his head. Because of this, he had to cut the cord while it was still around Hunter's neck. After it was off, he put my son on my chest so Ken could cut the cord. Ken didn't WANT to cut the cord, but before he could protest, Doctor McFadden handed him scissors with quick instructions where to cut. It was hilarious, it all happened so fast, he didn't even have time to protest.
That was the last happy thought I remember having, because within seconds, they whisked Hunter to the warmer, and started talking quietly among themselves. Hunter hadn't really let out a big cry, and Dr. McFadden assured me that he was OK, it was just that sometimes when babies are pushed out as fast as he was, their lungs go into a sort of 'shock' and they need help for a while. He needed to go to the nursery for further evaluation and to help him breathe.
The nurses said that if Ken wanted to go with them to the nursery, he could take a picture of Hunter to bring back to me. Ken was gone while I got cleaned up. He returned with the picture, and I knew at first glance that there was something wrong with Hunter. He was too limp, and his face was too contorted, and Oh My God, were his eyes slanted??
Dr. McFadden walked in with an update. He still believed that Hunter's lungs were shocked from the fast delivery, and they were calling the pediatrician on call to come and evaluate him. I looked at Dr. McFadden and asked "Do you think he has Down's?" He stopped and said that he really didn't notice, but hadn't taken a really good look at him. He went back to the nursery and came back looking kind of sad. He didn't beat around the bush when he said "I think you're right. He has many of the Down's characteristics. We will know more when he is evaluated further, but I think that is a very good possibility."
I kept a brave face and waited for him to leave. Ken was already downstairs calling family and friends. I called him immediately from the hospital phone and broke the news to him. "Stop calling friends and family. He isn't healthy. He has Down's."
Then I cried harder than I've ever cried in my entire life.
Well, for better or worse, that is how it happened. So much more after this, and I will get to that piece of the story eventually. I've attached the picture that Ken showed me that made me realize things weren't quite right. I've come to grips with Hunter's diagnosis, and honestly, I still have many doubts and fears. The next two weeks of Hunter's story were some very dark times for me. I will tell those tales next. Until then....
Love, Happiness and Pethair, Shannon
Comments
Post a Comment