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Saturday, May 23, 2015

The Birth Story of Ares Caspian Quill

The Birth Story of Ares Caspian Quill
Born 5/22/15 at 12:59am
7lbs 9oz 20 inches long

I was scheduled for induction at 39 weeks because of a history of fast labors. I was already 5cm and 50% effaced the week prior. I came in at 7:30am and they hooked me up to antibiotics because I was GBS+. It took several hours for them to just get an IV on me, after many attempts they finally got an anesthesiologist from the OR to come up and start a line in my hand. I was having regular contractions every 2 minutes at that point, but they were not painful. About 11 hours after I came in they broke my water. It took forever for the antibiotics and it was annoying needing them every few hours. I walked around a bit, sat down to rest for a few minutes in the rocking chair, stood up and gushed for 5 solid minutes on the floor. The nurse came in and said my water broke. Apparently the doctor missed both parts of the sac and only one had ruptured the first time. I walked around some more and told my husband that it felt weird. I was feeling contractions in the front, not a spot I normally feel them. I told my husband it almost felt like a hand or something. We walked more and I stayed upright. The doctor came in and checked me awhile later and said if there wasn't any change by 2am that they'd start pitocin since my water had been broken awhile now and as she was checking my cervix she got a strange look on her face. She said, "This may hurt just a bit." Then she shoved her hand up and twisted a few times. Ares had his hand up and over his head so that his head wasn't the only part bulging. (It was his hand I felt!) So she pinched his finger gently and tried to encourage him to move his arm back. They wanted me back on the monitors at that point and not walking around anymore and told me that the water birth I was so.close to having this time, wasn't really an option at that point and either was Pitocin. So my options were basically to hope that he moved his hand and stayed away so his head could come down or else it may be a c-section. I was mentally panicked. I've never had a c-section before. The contractions were in my back and coming every 1-2 minutes at that point. And I couldn't even get off the bed now. I was annoyed. It hurt. I asked my husband to tell the nurse I wanted some Nubian or something. It was after midnight, I was tired. She said she needed to ask the doctor. The doctor said if I was asking for meds that she wanted to check me first. I told her my back just really hurt. She checked me and I was still at 5cm's but at least 100% effaced. Then she frowned again and said, "I'm really sorry about this." She went up higher, and started twisting and pushing. Baby Ares not only put his hand back out my cervix, but his whole arm and elbow were completely above his head and coming out. No wonder my back hurt! She said the Nubain was fine since I was only 5cm still. The nurse gave me some. It doesn't mask any pain but makes me feel a bit less anxious. They hooked me up to the telemetry monitor because with every contraction I felt like I had to pee, so I would get up and go. 2 minutes after the doctor and nurse left the room, I stood up to go to the bathroom again, went and on the way back to the bed couldn't walk when a contraction hit. I was shakey and cold. My husband, being the epic man that he is and we've had so many babies together he knows me well, said he was getting the nurse. I told him, "no it's probably just because of my back pain. I'm good." He said, get in bed Ana and nudged me. I didn't move. Suddenly I realized I was uncontrollably bearing down. And I felt something touching me on the inside of my thighs. He ran to the call button and told them to come. The doctor and nurse ran in and found me standing near the bottom of the bed. I sorta flopped down sideways on it as the doctor said, "It's time for a baby!" And I said, "Now!" and my body automatically pushed. He was halfway out and the nurse was frantically trying to get my undies off that I still had on. He was born in seconds. The cord was around his neck and looped around his body as well. They said that was likely the cause of his decreased movement the past few weeks. I tore down the same spot I have for all of my kids and was stitched up. I didn't feel the tearing at all, but I sure felt the needle with lidocaine being put in my anus! I think that and the IV in my hand were the worst part tbh!
The birth just went so fast. I had a few hours of uncomfortable but very doable contractions that I normally wouldn't have even come to the hospital for, and was still 5cm's at last check at 12:57am. Ares Caspian was born at 12:59am, exactly two minutes later. 5cm's to baby? Yeah this one would have been another highway birth for sure! If it wasn't for the compound presentation, he likely would have been born very shortly after my water broke. It was that hand and arm that slowed things just a tad, and when she moved his arm that last time (sorta hurt just a bit) he was born minutes later. It was such a fast birth and very much like his big brother Odin's who was born in the car on the highway. Ares cried initially when he was born because he wanted to nurse but I still had all my clothes on including my underwire bra. Once I finally got help wrestling out of those I was able to nurse him and he was content. He sleeps so well, isn't a fussy newborn (so far) and has been just a little angel in the hospital. The nurses and doctors were all talking about how quickly birth happened. Which I found funny considering it's how it usually happens for me, that's why I was being induced in the first place! I guess when my husband called down, there was only one nurse right there and she was holding someone's baby. So she had to run that baby back to its room and run to mine. They just barely made it in the room. I'm one day postpartum now and he finally has started pooping and peeing well. I feel awesome! I didn't need cold packs, spray, tucks, and I'm barely even bleeding. Cramping while nursing is minimal, but my uterus is nearly back where it belongs already and aside from a sore tailbone, I'm feeling the best I have out of all 7 babies! πŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘ŒπŸΌ the compound presentation is rare, occurring in 1 out of 1000 births. (I Googled in between contractions πŸ˜‚) though the outcome could have been different, I am immensely overjoyed that my likely final birth went so well despite that. We are so in love with our newest little guy. πŸ’™