Part 3 – Kyler’s Birth

Part 3 – The Birth
On the morning of September 22nd, I went in for my appointment at 9 am. I completed the non-stress test and the baby was slightly less active than usual. My blood pressure was also getting higher. I was dilated to almost a four. My doctor asked me when he could deliver the baby and – for the first time – that day felt right. My only hesitation was that the baby was posterior. The doctor said that he could easily flip him with forceps, but only if I had an epidural.

I left my appointment and called all those who would be at the hospital. Johnny and I quickly got some lunch, drove home to pick up my birth bag, and dropped the children off at their cousin’s home. We checked into hospital room 122 around 12:30 pm. They took my blood pressure and started to hook me up to the monitors.

I warned them that I had small veins and that typically a phlebotomist had to place my IV. The first nurse laughed and insisted she could get my vein. After three tries, she was luckily called away to a different labor. By the time my permanent nurse, Jill, attempted the IV, my doulas Rebecca and Marianne had arrived.

I was so happy to see them! Rebecca got out her essential oils and immediately I felt calmer. The nurse was able to get the IV into my arm after her third try with the help of a warming pad. I was so glad that it wasn’t in my hands! When Rebecca and Marianne arrived, the tone of the birth changed. Before when the nurse was trying to place my IV, I was beginning to feel anxious as I had flashbacks to all that had gone wrong with my first labor. Just having Rebecca hold my hand and massage me with essential oils while the nurse placed the IV made me feel so much calmer.

I had been contracting all morning so when the pitocin started, the contractions demanded my attention pretty quickly. As Jill reviewed the hospital policies and paperwork with me, I could feel the pitocin kicking in and started deeply breathing through the contractions. Rebecca and Marianne left to grab a quick lunch. As soon as the paperwork was done, I asked to stand up so that I could rock through contractions. Jill was awesome and got me a tube top cloth to wear under my hospital gown so that the monitors would stay in place and I could concentrate on the contractions.

I decided to lean over and hang onto a chair while I was swaying to help the baby change from his posterior position as per Rebecca’s suggestion. At this point, I was still chatty and excited. I enjoyed talking with my mom while my husband worked out insurance in the hallway. We laughed and I envisioned my little guy getting ready to make his descent.

The doctor came in a little later and checked me to find I was dilated to a five. He asked if he could break my water, but I wasn’t quite ready for that. I wanted to give my baby as much time as possible to switch positions. Johnny texted Rebecca to let her know that I was progressing.

When the doulas returned, I decided to sit on the birthing ball and rock back and forth. I listened to my hypnobirthing tracks as well. Rebecca and Marianne massaged my head and back as well as the trigger points on my ankles. At this point I was so relaxed and felt completely in tune with my body. It felt like the honeymoon stage of labor. I was almost concerned that my contractions had stopped because I wasn’t feeling them as intensely.

The doctor checked me an hour later and I was at a six.

Soon the contractions picked up and began to get intense. Rebecca counted to thirty for me during them which helped me to realize that they weren’t going to last forever. During the contractions, Marianne applied pressure to my arms, sides, and back which helped immensely. This is when my labor began to get noisy! But it really helped to make the low moaning noise and keep my jaw relaxed.

After awhile, I decided to stand up and I swayed with Rebecca during contractions. I only did this a few times before I felt like I needed to use the restroom. This should have been my signal that I was transitioning because that is how it happened with Lily! I went into the restroom and the contractions really picked up. When I came back out is when labor really began to get intense. Suddenly I felt very, very, uncomfortable and couldn’t decided if I wanted to rock, sway, or lay on the bed. I felt my mind go into panic mood and suddenly all I could think about was escaping the pain.

I got on the bed and Jill checked me to find that I was at a ten and fully effaced. My water also broke at this time. I can’t describe the feeling only that it was incredibly intense and that I was losing my focus. I was at the point of tears and begging for an epidural. Definitely the strongest I have ever felt the fight or flight instinct. When I shouted, “I CAN’T do this,” I remember Rebecca saying, “You ARE doing this!” That was a turning point for me. She didn’t tell me that I COULD do it, she told me that I WAS doing it and that was so empowering.

Rebecca told me to talk to my baby. I regained a small amount of focus as I began whispering to my baby with my husband holding one hand and Rebecca holding the other …

The doctor, nurses, and baby team were rushing about the room preparing for the birth. Someone asked me to guess how many pushes it would be until I had my baby. I shouted out “TWO,” to which a nurse responded … “let’s make that ten. The doctor needs to get ready!” But my body knew what it wanted and I could not stop it even if I tried. With one instinctual push, my baby was out and I felt a rush of relief and excitement. The doctor barely had time to pull his gloves up to his elbows and catch the baby.

It was exhilarating. I felt like I had done the impossible. My legs were shaking, but the after pain was nowhere near what it had been with my other births – even with the epidurals. In moments, my babe was laying on my chest as the doctor stitched up a tear. Any pain I had felt disappeared as I held this sweet little soul to my chest.

The adrenaline rush that came after the birth was incredible. Kyler was born at 4:46 pm and the rest of the evening and into the night, I could not sleep. I could not believe that I was able to have the natural birth that I had wanted after almost five weeks on bed rest. It was amazing to be that I was able to keep my little one growing inside me a week longer than I had with my children when we had been concerned about me even making it to 36 weeks.

It was wonderful at the hospital to be able to feel fully present. That night I walked my baby to the nursery and was part of giving him his first bath, something I never got to be a part of with my other children. That moment alone was precious to me. I loved being up and out of bed and changing his little diapers.

Kyler’s birth reinitiated me into motherhood and has given me a completely different perspective. I am SO GRATEFUL to my incredible doulas, my family, and my doctor. For my next child, I will definitely be getting a doula again!