On August 20, 2019 we welcomed our Selah girl into the world. As with all my kids (except Sadie, sorry Sadie, that story was lost to the Myspace reboot), I want to post about her birth so I can look back on that day whenever I feel the need.
Before August 20th I had been trying everything I could to get Selah to come on her own. The 20th was her due date and I had never been pregnant for the full 40 weeks, so I assumed she would make an appearance by herself. Silly me should have known better and known she would not budge. My attempts were futile (as they have been every single time) and my OB and I talked about an induction because of my gestational diabetes (thankfully all diet maintained) which can possibly make the placenta not work properly as it ages. I agreed on the 20th, my due date, but was hopeful that she would still come on her own. At my 39 week appointment I asked to be checked and was only 1.5cm, 75% effaced and at a -3. Those seemed like good numbers to me, so I continued to work towards helping my body start natural labor. Nope, not a thing. I would have contractions for a few hours every few days, they'd peter out, and the next day I'd have nothing and be full of energy.
Finally the 20th arrived.
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| Taken the night before our induction |
I was nervous for this induction, I knew my OB would break my water and start pitocin at the same time so I worried about pain management. Nate reassured me that he would make sure my worries and concerns would be heard and all would be alright. I wanted to try the birthing stool and the squat bar, I wanted to keep the placenta (for encapsulation), I wanted to go without continuous monitoring, I wanted to be able to move/labor as I wanted to, and I wanted to go without pain meds. I also wanted a healthy me and baby and would have gladly thrown all the other wants out the window in favor of a healthy and alive mom and baby.
As per the usual, Nate and I arrived 10 minutes late for our scheduled induction time 😂. After filling out the obligatory paperwork and waiting for a room for what felt like an eternity, we were taken to our deliver suite. We ended up in a part of L&D I had never been to, a smaller side unit connected to triage that hadn't seen an update since probably the late 90s, early 2000s. I told our nurse that I had never seen this unit before and she said she hadn't either, it was a part of L&D that was rarely used, but the regular L&D unit was so full they had to open that wing up to admit us. Despite the room missing the sweet updates and it being smaller than the other rooms, the coziness suited us and we were just happy to be there.
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| In our room *derp* |
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| On our way to the hospital |
Our nurses, Erin, a new grad, and Lexxi, the preceptor, were amazing. I was apprehensive at first about having a newer nurse, but her newness showed that she had been educated in an approach to labor that fit with all of my wants. She was happy to oblige to my every whim and wanted to see us succeed. There was no eye rolling or setting our wants aside with snide remarks and with her joyful attitude I started to relax and feel like I might just make it through this induction ok. After staring my IV (only 2 pokes this time and no one blew out my vein, HOORAY) my OB, Dr. Rice, arrived to break my water and start pitocin. This was it, no turning back now.
Between 9:30 and 9:45am my waters were broken and pit started. I was checked and informed I was the same as I was at my last appointment, but babies head was in a wonderful position. I figured we would have a baby closer to dinner time, but my OB said she was betting on closer to lunch. I sarcastically agreed with her and she left to start her day at her clinic, assuring me she was a 60 second run away from me. Erin (nurse) talked to me about monitoring and I told her I really wanted to be able to walk and move, she said she had just the thing and introduced me to the Monica system. It is a series of sensors and a wireless adaptor that is able to do continuous monitoring, but completely wireless. She told me that sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, but if it didn't she had another idea (another wireless monitor that requires straps and for me to carry around a bulky adaptor around my shoulders, not ideal, but I had used it before with Brenda). Thankfully, the Monica worked. It was seriously the most amazing piece of equipment. I was able to go on walks around the until and move into any position I wanted, all while they were able to always see the baby.
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| Monica System |
Shortly after Dr. Rice left, the nurses started setting up for delivery. I internally chuckled at their optimism for a quick delivery since Brenda's induction took FOREVER and I was lacking in the optimism department this time. With Brenda, my midwife started me low and slow on the pitocin and refused to break my waters until I reached 4cm, that took 12 hours. After she broke my water, it was only 5 hours until Brenda arrived, but a grand total of 17 hours of labor, my longest yet. I knew this one would be shorter, but a baby by lunch time? Ha! No way. My shortest labor had been Liam's which was 6 hours and I had been more dilated to begin with. Back to Selah's story though… after the Monica system was placed, Nate and I walked the unit with Nate cracking jokes and keeping the mood light and happy. We walked for close to an hour and returned to our room so I could sit on a birthing ball for a while and order some breakfast. Erin, being the awesome nurse she was, told us how to get food for Nate and myself while only ordering one tray. This way Nate and I were both able to get a meal in and not break into my snacks I had stashed away for when I needed an energy boost from laboring.
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| Walking the halls |
With our bellies full, the birthing ball properly inflated and contractions steadily coming, we worked through contractions and played the hurry up and wait game. The nurse brought in the birthing stool and squat bar while I paced the room, trying to stay as upright as possible so gravity would help bring baby down. At one point I was getting very sleepy, so I tried to nap a little while Nate applied counter pressure during contractions. This was great and after 30 minutes or so, I was up and ready to get in the fight again. At that point an acupuncturist came into our room and asked if I would like to have a session done. I thought, "why the heck not" and invited her in. I have to say that that was one of the most awesome parts of my labor experience. I got a massage, the acupuncture took the contractions out of my back, and I was able to fully relax into contractions. Highly recommend this service to any other laboring mom's!
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| Nap time |
After the acupuncturist left, I tried to get more serious contractions going. We started up my labor playlist on Pandora (it's premade and a really good one if you're looking for something simple to listen to, just look up "labor playlist" on Pandora), and I did a lot of bouncing on the ball and walking my room. By 1, things still hadn't really picked up enough for me to think I was anywhere near active labor. It had been three hours, so I asked the nurses to check me, they did and reported I was only 3-4cm. Doctor Rice came in right after and said she expected things to pick up and go quickly from here. Again, I just laughed at her because there was no way this baby was coming before 5, I just knew it. So, the doctor left, but a nurse remained in the room with us. I thought that it was weird that she stayed in the room, I had never had one remain when I was only 3cm, but she wasn't a distraction and I didn't mind her being there.
At this point I moved off the ball as it really wasn't helping and I was getting tired again from constantly pacing, so I sat on the edge of my bed. With each contraction I would stand up and sway as I hung from nates neck and shoulders. This seemed to do the trick and contractions quickly intensified. The nurses kept asking if I was feeling pressure, but I wasn't sure because I was so focused on getting through the contractions now. At 1:50 I asked to be checked again. I was having to really work through contractions now and was being very vocal (I'm sure I scared the other moms with my ghost moaning) so I knew things were changing, just no pressure yet.
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| 45 minutes before she arrived, I was clueless haha |
The nurses checked me, I was a 6! So in about 45 minutes things had progressed and I was in active labor, hooray! I got back into position on the edge of the bed and almost right away the contractions changed, Nate was having to remind me to not bring my knees together and to stop curling my feet back. I had a series of back to back contractions, but still not the pressure I was waiting for or even the intense pain I had remembered from Brenda's birth. I didn't think I was close to delivery yet, so I keep up with my routine of sitting on the edge of the bed between contractions, but standing and hanging from Nate's neck during them.
At a little after 2pm I stood up and there it all was, the pressure. Still not the transition pain I had remembered. My body took over and started to push. I let the nurses know and Doctor Rice was there within 60 seconds as she had promised. I crawled up in the bed and asked once more to be checked, yep, complete! Show time! My body took over again and as it brought Selah's head down, the feeling took my breath away so I stopped breathing. Nate had to remind me to breathe as Selah sats went down dangerously low while I held my breath. With his reassuring presence next to me I took great big breaths and everyone asked if I was going to push on my back, that they'd help me into whatever position I wanted to be in. I just held my eyes shut and said "Nope, I'm staying here!" So I did! Doctor Rice said to go for it whenever I had another contraction, right as she said that, another surge came and got babies head out on it's own without me pushing. As the contraction began to wane I thought to myself "I don't want to deal with this pain any more, I want her out," so I actively pushed with the last bit of contraction and out Selah popped at 2:08pm, just 15 minutes after being told I was 6cm (I'm thankful I wasn't in the car or something because Nate would have delivered the baby on the side of the freeway). She came out pink, screaming, and full of energy! She was our first kid who didn't need extensive suctioning after birth and was actively looking for the breast within seconds of being laid on my chest.
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| Cutting the cord |
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| Skin to skin with mom |
I was able to do skin to skin with her through her first two feeds and we were able to do delayed cord clamping. Nate cut her cord and we sat and marveled at this little one who came into our lives so unexpectedly (still feel like paragard owes me child support). After a long time of us bonding and eating celebration snacks, they took Selah over to the warmer to get her measurements. She was 8lbs, 20inches long with apgars of 9/9. She also had the longest nails I have ever seen and zero vernix, so she was a little overly ripe.
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| 8 lbs! |
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| "Feed me more!" |
Nate was such a super hero that day. He did everything in his power to make me feel safe and secure and never complained about me hanging off him during each contraction. I am so beyond grateful for him and his love! Selah has all her fingers and toes, she's a champion eater, and has had no issues with jaundice (Liam and Brenda were both under lights and had daily heel pokes after they were born). She has been such a blessed addition to our family and I'm so happy to not be pregnant anymore!
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