if joshua was the marathon labor then i'd certainly describe Bennett's birth as the dream labor. not only were all my desires for the birth met but i was half wake still in dream state when it was time to push - literally like i was dreaming! the summary is 15 hours of active labor and 15 minuets of pushing was all it took to bring our little Bennett into this world. here's how it all happened...
THURSDAY, MAY 19
THURSDAY, MAY 19
- 3:40pm – had scheduled apt with dr. tran complete with bio-physical sonogram. we had set an induction date for monday but since i was 3cm and 80% effaced were hoping that it wouldn't come to that.since i was only 2cm and 60% at my monday's apt i do have to credit that change in dilation to evening primrose oil which i was taking two of every 3-4 hours from monday to that thursday - really really helped to get me ready. to move things along even further we had planned to have my membranes stripped to try to induce labor mechanically, but for very reasons Jim wisely lead us to decide not to and to wait it out instead..
- 5:00pm – so much for waiting till monday! just an hour after our final dr apt i began counting contractions...
- 6:30pm – since Jim's mom was watching Joshua and we were in early labor we went on spontaneous double date to Baja fresh with my mom and dad which really helped to pass the time.
- 7:30pm – after dinner went to see THOR movie, counting contractions the whole time which averaged 30-40 seconds long and 2-3 minuets apart as i'm texting my friend, Ana, who is a practicing doula (shameless promo for her - she's awesome!), for input on the labors progress.
- 9:40pm – after movie went to restroom and got the bloody show. to this point all these contractions and classic labor signs were completely new to me since Josh was induced. felt like a was having my first because it was so unfamiliar.
- 10:10pm – called the practice's emergency hotline and found our that one of our favorite dr.s was on call that night!!! they paged dr apgar page and after we spoke he encouraged us to come in.
- 11:00pm – after grabbing our bags we left house for hospital.
- 11:40pm – we were checked in to the hospital.
- 12am – 3cm and set up on monitors in triage. this was definitely the most frustrating part of labor! having to labor in bed for an undefined period of time in isolation with rude nurses who weren’t getting a good reading on the contractions and wouldn’t allow me to labor out of bed. after an hour in bed i was telling Jim i wanted to just go home and they can't force me to stay in this bed any more! i was pretty irrational :)
- 1:40am – moved to labor and delivery, used bathroom, signed paper work, saw Maria (same nurse that was there for Joshua’s birth 2 years ago!), began iv drip which Maria so helpfully explained was necessary because i needed to have one full bag in my system before they would give me an epidural.
- 2:45am – got epidural! so glad because i was very tired and need to get rest before we pushed.
- 3:15am – felt it all kick in, no more painful contractions!
- 3:45am – catheter was placed and checked me at 4-5 cm
- 5:30am - apgar came telling us he would check me again around 6:30am
- 6:15am - dr tran gets the call I’m in labor
- 7:30am – wake up to dr tran in room, she checks me. i'm fully dilated and she can feel baby’s head and membranes in tact. after a quick c
- 7:40am - breaks water, began pushing
- 7:59am - Bennett is born after only 4 cycles of pushing for 15 min
PRAISING GOD THAT...
- no pitocin was given during labor!!
- began labor on my own
- very clear when we should go to the hospital
- dr apgar on call! wonderful surprise!
- nurse maria and cheryl were working familiar faces
- dr tran delivered!
- got to sleep before pushing
- no tearing
- very efficient pushing
- bennett placed on chest as soon as he was born! loved that!
- mom and jim great support system and so helpful
- wisdom on timing of epi and no slowing down of labor
After this dream labor we had a slightly longer stay at the hospital then we expected. Early Saturday morning Bennett's nurse sent him to the NICU for a rapid breathing rate (tachypnea). After a chest x-ray they discovered fluid in his lungs that was probably not expelled during the quick delivery. To be on the safe side, they treated him on antibiotics for 48 hours to be sure there was no infection and monitored his respiratory rate to make sure it had stabilized. Sunday evening we transferred from the NICU to the pediatric ward to finish his antibiotics and wean him off his IV. Monday morning, blood work showed that he has no infection and he is one healthy little boy! Thankfully this problem was found and treated quickly. We're so grateful to God for the excellent care of the hospital staff and our family (esp. sisters who watched Josh for us) while we were in the NICU and I appreciate being home now with Bennett so much more!
Here are some pictures from our stay in the hospital...
3 Comments:
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May 28, 2011 3:11 PM
Congratulations, Tessa! He's a cutie. =)May 29, 2011 12:48 PMso incredibly neat to see how the Lord answered each specific prayer for you guys!! His mercies certainly are new every morning! and bennett is precious! can't wait to meet him. congrats again!May 31, 2011 8:34 PMSo glad all went well Tessa! He is gorgeous! COngrats again! Praise God for sweet gifts =)
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