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| I can still see this little baby face when you sleep ;-) |
Can you believe that you're seven?! Seven years ago, before medical school, before obstetrics and gynecology, Mommy was just a college senior having a baby. It is fun to reflect back on your birth story with my OBGYN knowledge now. So, in honor of your birthday, here is more than you probably care to know about the day you were born...
Your birth story starts a few weeks before January 29th, when Mommy got a medical school interview invitation to Indiana University. The date of the interview was a week after your due date. After freaking out about this, my sweet OBGYN doctor advised that it was totally safe to have an elective induction at 39 weeks. So it was settled. Mommy would have you a week earlier so I had two weeks post-partum before I had to do anything for which my future hinged on.
On January 28th, a Thursday night, Mommy and Daddy went to Sinai Grace Hospital with movies, snacks, and more baby clothes than anyone would need. Lita and Grammy were there too!
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| Detroooooit! |
When we got to the labor room, we got settled in, and Daddy took tons of pictures.
Then it was time to get my induction started! Of course, as a nullip (first time mom) at 39 weeks, I was not dilated at all. So this means that they had to give me medicine to help start my labor.
There are many ways to induce labor - at my program (UNC) we use a lot of foley balloons. For my labor with you, a medicine called Cervidil was used. To spare you the details, it is a "local" ripening agent. Most of the time *cough* Isabelle *cough* it doesn't put you into labor, but it helps to get things more receptive to the medicine used later called Pitocin.
So, that night, as the Cervidil worked it's magic, Daddy and I watched a ton of movies, and I remember texting all the people patiently awaiting your arrival - your uncles, Mommy and Daddy's besties, and Mommy's line sisters (who lovingly called you "Ja'Nathan" LOL). Even before you were born, you were so loved! As time went on, Lita and Grammy went back home with the plan to come back in the morning.
Then it hit me...the contractions. And man, they were intense. So intense that it was time for some medicine. I don't remember what the name of the medicine was, but it was just what I needed to get some sleep. Mommy was feeling niiiiice...Daddy may or may not have blackmail pictures of Mommy in her analgesic euphoria ;-)
In the morning the Cervidil was removed. Lita, Grammy, Maimeo, and Auntie Jenny all camped out for Baby Watch '09. I was about 1-2 centimeters after the night - definitely disappointed because I expected more given how uncomfortable I was, but we powered on. The pitocin was started and then things got real o_O. I have no idea how long it took, but it felt forever, and by 4 centimeters I was tapping out and ready for my epidural. This was around 8:30AM.
Mommy's nurse asked if I wanted to try and hold out a little longer so that I had a great story to tell you about how much pain labor was. I quickly said, "no" and Anesthesia was called. She came quickly and even today, after having seen many patients get epidurals, I feel like she was one of the fastest.
The epidural was sweet relief. Mommy hadn't been that comfortable since the night before, so it was time to take a nap.
After what seemed like a few hours of sleep, I was awoken by my doctor who had a concerned look on her face. She told me that your heart rate was down and she needed to place a monitor on your head so that we could know your heart rate at all times. It sounded scary, but she broke my water and placed the monitor quickly - that monitor what I now know is a Fetal Scalp Electrode. Then the nurse put an oxygen mask on me. Now, I know that putting an oxygen mask on the Mommy helps to increase oxygen flow to the baby. We do this when we see decelerations - or drops - in the baby's heart rate with contractions.
It was almost noon, and I was still four centimeters dilated. So we were back to waiting...
Since not much was going on, Mom and Grammy ran downstairs to get lunch.
Soon after everyone had cleared the room, my doctor rushed in again. She checked me and said it was time to push. 4cm-10cm in thirty minutes. Your dad was in shock. He hurriedly called Lita to get back upstairs, because it was go time. Then the room was PACKED - there were nurses, nursing students, medical students...and they told me to put the oxygen back on.
I pushed three times and at 12:28PM all 6 pounds, 10 ounces of you were here!
It. Was. Awesome.
