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Anne0784 · July 2009

Contractions started that night at 11pm, they came fast and furious at 5 minutes apart. By 1:30 A, we decided it was time to head to the hospital. Got checked around 2:30 and was 3cm, 90% effaced. The hospital doesn't admit you until you're 4cm, so they suggested I walked around for an hour to see if things progressed. Walking was the most miserable thing for me, stopping every 2 minutes to "sway" through contractions. By 3:30 AM, I still had not progressed, but since I was contracting every 2 minutes they decided to admit me and break my water. Water was broken at 5:30, contractions became immediately 100 times more uncomfortable. I asked for and received an epidural at 5:45 (heaven on earth!)

I was finally able to rest and while I wasn't resting, I was talking/laughing. I think I had the most amazing epidural I was checked every hour or so and was progressing at 1-2cm per hour. By 3:20pm I was told I just had "a lip" of cervix left and could try pushing to see if that would help.

So, 3:20 I started pushing - very strange experience since I couldn't feel a THING. I kept asking if I was even doing anything, nurses kept re-assuring me I was pushing perfect. Pushing continued for 1.5 hours, at this time they started pitocin. The first 1.5 hours of pushing I could handle, it was not bad at all. The second hour started to get a little rough, I was tired! The third hour came and I thought this was impossible. MD came to check me, the baby's head was sideways and that's why it was taking so long to come through the canal - he gave me 2 options. I could continue to push and he would use the vacuum to assist or we would have to head for the OR for a c-section. We opted for the vacuum. Long story short, after 3 hours of pushing and the use of a vacuum, Max arrived and my world turned upside down. He was purple and not breathing. Turns out he swallowed meconium on his way out. Doctor explained that he became very distressed for sitting in my pelvis for so long. He was immediately whisked away to the neonatal level II nursey. Neonatal NP came to tell me they thought he'd would be transferred to Children's and be intubated.

I was numb, this is not something you ever expect - for your baby to be sick. However, after a couple hours of monitoring he really turned around and was able to stay with us at our hospital. He remained in the level II nursery during our entire stay, but was well enough to come home the same time we did after 3 days. He really turned around by the second day and we feel extremely blessed that he did so well!

He was 8lb, 8oz and 20.5 inches long - a much bigger baby than anyone anticipated!

We've been home for about 3.5 weeks now and are just in love with this little guy!