Nathan James Kevin Boots Birth Story

Warning: may be a little graphic is some places.

Friday December 3rd I was set up for an induction because of the baby measuring Large on ultrasound. He was estimated to weigh 9 pounds 15 ounces. 

Kevin, my Mom and I all arrived at the hospital a little before 7:30. My mom had to work but she works at the hospital so she was able to come in and out all day. I got checked in and headed up to the Labor and delivery floor a little before 8:00. When I first got there I changed into a hospital gown and then the nurse went over some paper work with me. She tried to start an IV but could not get it in so she called IV therapy up and that guy was able to get it started on the first try. Around 8:45 the pitocin was started. Every half an hour the pitocin was increased. At first I did not feel anything. Then I started to feel a few contractions but they were not painful at all. Around 11:00 they had it so that I was contracting every 3 minutes but they still were not painful. They contraction strength was only about half of what it needed to be.

By 1:00 p.m. I was still only 2cm dilated and I was still barely feeling anything even though they were 2-3 minutes apart. I was starting to get really anxious and wanting to feel the pain so that things were start progressing more.

At 2:20 The doctor came in and checked me again. I was still only 3 cm. She said it was probably because the baby was too big and not moving down against the cervix. She was really pushing for a C-section all day. Pretty much every time she came into the room she brought it up in some way or another. For some reason she decided to break my water. She tried for quite a while and then was about to give up because she just couldn't get it to break. But then at the last minute it started to drizzle out slowly which she said was better because it was less likely for the cord to get in front of the head that way.

By 5:30 P.M. I was really starting to feel some pain which was good because I knew that things were probably progressing then. At 6:30 the doctor rechecked me and I was only 3-4 centimeters still. That was so depressing to me. I thought that I would have been progressing more by that time. 

Around 7:45 I decided to get an Epidural. I was really hoping to go totally (Pain) drug free but since things were not progressing I was hoping that the epidural would help me relax my pelvic muscles better and his head would come down. The anesthesiologist was something else, lol. I felt bad for the poor nurse. He was ordering her around like he owned the place. I would NOT want to have to work with him. But even though he seems like kind of a jerk he was great at doing the Epidural and it worked awesome! It was so good that I could still feel the pressure but was not in pain. I was also still able to move my legs. (When I had one before for Gabby I was totally numb from the waist down.)

At 8:45 P.M. I was 12 hours into the induction and finally to 7 CM. When the doctor told me that I knew that getting the Epidural had been the right thing to do. I was so relaxed. Actually I think through the entire labor I was the calmest person in the delivery room.

By 9:30 I was at 9cm But the baby's head was still high up at -2. This is the point where the doctor really was saying she thought it was time to just go ahead with a C-section because she didn't think the baby was going to move down. I just kept thinking to myself that she cannot start cutting into me without me consenting so either she was going to deliver the baby or else someone else in the room was going to! 

I am not sure of my nurse's name but she was awesome! She was giving me little hints here and there on what to do to get the head down. I am so happy I had her for a nurse! Everyone who has a baby should have a nurse as great as she was! She made me feel so confident that I was going to be able to do it!

At a little after 10:00 the doctor said I was at 10 with just a little tiny bit of cervix left. I told her I really felt the urge to push. She said I could go ahead and try. I started pushing and pushed for about 15 minutes but then she made me stop because the baby's heart rate was dipping down every time I pushed. She really wanted me to just get a C-section at that point. My nurse suggested I try to lay on my side again and wait and see what the baby's heart did with the contractions without me pushing. The doctor said okay and went out of the room. 

His heart never dipped down again so I started pushing again around 10:35. I think the doctor was sweating more then I was. She looked so nervous. If I had not been in labor I probably would have been laughing at the look on her face. It was almost like she had never delivered a baby before. She was so worried that the baby's head was going to come out and the shoulders would be stuck.

After pushing Hard for a little over 20 minutes Nathan James Kevin Boots made his way into the world sunny side up and one hand came out next to his head. The cord was wrapped once around his neck which is probably the real reason for the heart rate dropping.

The doctor was so relieved and I remember her saying the shoulders are not going to be stuck, Push again. I pushed and out came the other shoulder and the rest of his body. They laid him on my chest and I knew he was going to be over 9 pounds. He was so heavy! They didn't let me hold him long because the NICU nurses were there to check him out because of the Gestational diabetes and due to his heart rate dropping. He was perfect though and got a 9 on the Apgar!

After he was born the doctor was like a totally different person. She was so relieved at how easy I pushed him out. All I can think is maybe she had a birth not turn out so well before or something. 

Nathan's birth weight was 9 pounds 14 ounces and he is 21 inches long. Lots of black hair, small feet but long fingers. I was hoping one of my kids would look like me but so far he is looking more like his daddy.

He is a pro nurser already! He has a bit of Jaundice and went to the doctor yesterday. His level had gone up more but now that my milk is in really good it should start to come back down. Tomorrow he goes back to the doctor again to be checked out.


I am doing fine also and didn't even end up with a single stitch. Bet I would have had tons of them if I had ended up going with the C-section.