The Fourth Birth Story: Rachel

Disclaimer to my brother and any squeamish folks:  this post contains the words 'dilated,' 'membranes,' and 'epidural.'  If you don't like those or associated words, then skim the text and just look at the pretty pictures!!!

After a few weeks of evening contractions and wondering, "Is tonight the night?" tonight was never the night.  We ended up doing it the modern (my mom says cop-out) way and had an elective induction scheduled for Monday morning at 7:00 a.m.

This is me two weeks before at 37 weeks pregnant.

This is the morning of my induction.  My 39 week belly seems to look smaller than it did two weeks before, but I'm guessing it is because the baby dropped/lightened over the weekend.  I have no excuse for the puffy face.  Oh wait - yes I do - I am pregnant.  Plus I had to get up at 6 a.m. to get ready and be up to the hospital in time for our appointment.

The baby in all her glory.  

We arrived at the hospital a few minutes later than 7:00 (I'm normally punctual, but at this point, I didn't care.  They weren't about to send me home for a 15 minute penalty.)  Because in my previous pregnancies things had really gotten moving once my water broke, my doctor agreed to come in and break my water at the very beginning rather than waiting to see how the labor progressed first.  So I had AROM (artificial rupture of membranes) at 7:40.  At this point, before any real labor contractions to speak of, I was 3 cm and 70 % effaced.  Debbie, my RN, started 4 mu of Pitocin at 8:15.  (I ended up staying at 4 mu of Pit the whole time, which is pretty low.)  The contractions were starting to hurt a bit, so since the anesthesiologist was in a c-section, I asked for a dose of fentanyl.  Mostly it achieved making the room look fuzzy, but it must have helped with the contraction pain, because I didn't have trouble waiting until he came in at 8:40 to place my epidural.  

Now, I'd been told by my doctor that the anesthesiologist that day was the best at the hospital and that he gave very heavy, 'Dead Leg Specials.'  That did not turn out to be the case for me.  I ended up able to move and feel my legs the whole time and towards the end I did feel a little contraction pain, but not enough to make me upset with him.  An hour after he placed the epidural I was in a little pain in spite of pressing my magic button, so they had to call him to come redose me at 9:30.  At that time the nurse checked me and I had progressed to 5 cm and 90% effaced.  Ten minutes later I felt a lot of pressure and, having had 3 babies before, knew to call my nurse and ask to be checked again.  This time I was complete with just a small anterior rim, but since my doctor's office is 25 minutes away from the hospital, we called her and she headed over right away.  Strangely enough, after four children, I've never heard any number higher than 6 cm!  It's always, "You're a 5 or 6 cm," and then shortly afterward a surprised (and sometimes panicked,) "You're ready!"

This is about 9:30, right about when I am completely dilated and just waiting for the doctor.  See the smile?  See the eyes, free of panic?  Hear me singing praises to the Epidural?  This is also just minutes before I got the teeth-chattering shakes.  My sister took a video, but I won't post it because I look too weird.

The doctor finally arrived at 10:15, to greet a crowning baby!  As I laid in the bed waiting for her, I kept feeling more and more pressure and wondering if she would make it before the baby fell out in the bed.  I chose not to say anything because I didn't want to freak out my dad, who was in the room and who had instructed me, "I would like to come to the birth if I am still invited, but please make sure nothing scary or bad happens.  I don't think I could handle that."  After 7 or 8 pushes, the baby arrived safely at 10:17 a.m!  Start to finish, just around 2 1/2 hours of labor.  Can you believe it?!?!  

I wish I had a prettier cry-face.

The baby's pretty cry-face.  She was a loud girl, right from the start!

Rachel was pretty blue when she was first born, so she got her Halloween mask a few days early.  (It could be because she had a loose nuchal cord.)  She's the only one of our kids ever to get more than just blow-by oxygen, and her Apgar scores of 8 and 8 were the lowest of all four kids.  Hope that's not a sign of things to come...

Dad had a bad cough and cold on Rachel's birth-day, so he had to wear a mask too.  At least it covers up the fact that he refused to shave that morning!

Everyone was making fun of me because I was (I admit it) 'charting' the times that everything happened during the birth.  I used the back of the folder they gave me and wrote down the times of all the events.  Luckily the birth was short, thus so was my homemade chart!

Rachel Ana Toone

(middle name is pronounced ah-na)

born Monday, October 20th

10:17 a.m.

8 lb 10 oz, 20 1/2 inches long

We are so happy Rachel is finally here.  She is healthy and we are blessed!