Sierra's Birth Story

As promised....Better late than never...

*WARNING...THIS IS VERY LONG*


I wrote on Sunday, April 6th that I was having bloody discharge and continuous cramping which continued into Monday, April 7th. I went to bed Monday night (Brian was at work) with no significant changes and just feeling tired because I had not been sleeping well. At 4:30 am I woke up having to use the restroom and feeling the first contractions. I really knew this time that the contractions were real because there was no doubt that these pains were different from any I had felt up to this point.

I spent some time in the bathroom and then tried to lay back down; however the contractions were continuing to come every 10 minutes. Brian was scheduled to get off work at 6 am, so I called him around 5:30 am and asked if maybe he could leave a little early to come home and be with me. Brian came home and the contractions continued throughout the day, staying about 10 minutes apart. I drank all my red raspberry tea, and funny enough, while consuming the tea the contractions were about 5 - 7 minutes apart. I "labored" all day at home. Depending on my activity level (walking increased the contractions, laying down slowed them), the contractions were any where between 5 minutes to 15 minutes apart. Unfortunately there was no consistency.

Around 7 am Wednesday morning (26 1/2 hours after contractions started), we called our midwife. I truly was exhausted and had not slept, just rested between contractions all night. We went into the midwifery center at 8 am and had an internal exam. Our midwife, disappointingly, told us that we were only dilated 1 cm (and it was her exam that made us 1 cm)!!! Basically, 26 hours of contractions did nothing to open my cervix. She gave us 3 options.

1. Go home and continue to just wait it out
2. Go home with a sleeping aid - hoping that getting some rest would allow my brain to increase oxytocin production and progress the labor
3. Go to Labor and Delivery (risk out of the midwife center) and receive IV morphine and get some rest to help progress labor

Brian and I talked about it and decided that getting me some rest would be best, so we opted to head home and take a sleeping aid (Ambien). I was told to eat something, take the pills, and lay down. We arrived home and I was not very hungry, but managed to take a couple bites of a bagel, I took the pills and according to Brian, was out of it before I even made it upstairs. I fell fast asleep and woke up around 2 pm (about 3 1/2 hours later) to really strong contractions.

When I woke up my contractions were about 2 - 3 minutes apart and they were longer and stronger. I could no longer talk during them and they were much more painful. Brian and I continued to monitor them and after about an hour, decided to call our midwife. She advised us to come to the center at that point.

When we arrived at the center, our midwife, Nell, did a cervical exam. Honestly, everyone was expecting me to be at least 5 cm dilated at this point. However, after the exam, my cervix was only dilated a disappointing 2 cm!!!! Nell explained our options at that point. We had been in labor for 36 hours by then and she was very concerned about me and the baby and our exhaustion levels. Our options were limited. Basically our only option was to get an epidural, have my water broken and be administered pitocin. Nell left the room to talk to my mother and let Brian and I have some time to talk to one another. At that moment I was feeling so broken. Brian and I embraced one another and sobbed. We knew we had to do what was best for me and for the baby, but everything we had prayed about and prepared for was no longer an option; amid the exhaustion, I feel like Brian and I were both at our lowest points at that single moment.

Nell had given us another option, to break my water and get pitocin and see what happens. However, her fear was that I would do great getting to 10 cm and then be entirely too tired to push the baby out, especially considering my exhaustion level already. We decided to do what would be best for the baby and take the "full cocktail" - epidural, broken water, pitocin".

So around 6pm the "cocktail" was administered and I did well during the administration of the epidural (although they basically read you your rights before giving it - I think my mother was having trouble with that part.) :)

I was so thankful to have my family there with me and having Nell continue to monitor me. Brian was my rock throughout the whole thing and he even was able to sneak in some Popsicles for me! We convinced the nurse to let me eat them and after she saw me eat 2 in a matter of 30 minutes, she recommended that I limit it to only 1 every hour. :) My family left to go eat dinner and Brian and I were able to get some rest. After they ate dinner, around 8:30pm, they came back up to our room to say good night and my mom told Brian to call her when I started pushing.

Brian and I continued to rest and around 11pm they came in to check me, I was already dilated 9 cm! The "cocktail" was working! They said they would be back in an hour to check me again and at that point they turned the epidural down (thank God)! However, they did not turn the pitocin down. Almost as soon as the nurse walked out of the room I started having major contractions and LOTS of pressure. I told Brian the baby was coming right then (at least it certainly felt like it). Around 11:30 pm the nurse came back in and I told her I was ready to push. She didn't believe me (of course), but I was really feeling the contractions and the pain! She decided to check me and she said "oh yeah, the baby is right there".

Around 12 am (midnight) they turned the epidural off (which again, I was so thankful for, even though the pain was intense, I wanted to be able to feel everything and push on my own). I started pushing and pushing and pushing. She had me push on my back a few times, then on my side, then again on my back. At one point the nurse said I was almost ready to deliver, so she went to go call for my midwife. She left the room and it was just Brian and I in there, alone, pushing together, with Brian doing all the counting for me and giving me ice chips in between contractions. I would not have been able to do it with out him! He was amazing!!!

Nell came in the room and was able to use the Castor oil that we brought with us. As the head was crowning, they pour Castor oil over the baby's head and it helps to relieve the pain you feel in that area, at that moment. Finally, the head was out and I heard Nell say, "reach down and pull your baby out". :) That was the best moment!!! I basically delivered my own baby, I reached down and grabbed Sierra and pulled her out and onto my chest. What a glorious feeling!!!

Unfortunately, after one short cry, Sierra started to "grunt" or sound wheezy (as we would say). They were telling me to pat her back and rub her back, but nothing was helping. They quickly took her from me and called the nursery for a specialized nurse. Everything was happening so fast and Brian just stood there next to me, holding my hand as we prayed that God would take care of her and help her to breath. I remember I just kept repeating, "Please Lord, help her breath, open her lungs, let her cry Lord". We were wanting so desperately to hear her cry! Brian just kept telling me, "she is okay, she is going to be okay". He seemed so rock solid at the moments when I needed him to be.

Soon they wrapped her up and brought her over to my bedside and told me that she had to go to the nursery. The nurse said, "Say Bye to Mommy" and as they took her away, she was completely purple and my heart was breaking. Nell assured me that she would be okay and that the nursery would take great care of her. Brian left with the baby and the nursery crew and I really felt at peace about the whole thing, I knew God was going to take care of her.

A little while later, my family came in to see me. They were all wondering where the baby was and when were they going to be able to hold her and see her. I was yearning for all the same things! I was feeling tired and overwhelmed and disappointed. The doctor came in a few minutes later with news that Sierra's lungs were filled with fluid and the chest x-ray possibly might be showing signs of pneumonia and she might have a blood infection. All of which turned out negative, praise God; she simply ingested a TON of fluid during the labor and delivery (She was diagnosed with TTN - Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn). However, the docs have a way of scaring you into thinking about all the possibilities.

Following delivery, I was taken to my room and given IV fluids, I was dehydrated and running a slight fever and extremely exhausted! Around 5 am we were finally able to see and touch Sierra, pretty much for the first time. She looked pitiful with all the tubes and wires, but she was beautiful! 24 hours later we were able to hold her and about 36 hours after delivery, I was finally given the chance to nurse her for the first time.

Although I had come to terms about the labor and delivery process not being natural like Brian and I had hoped for; for many days I had feelings of being "cheated". I was so emotional that I missed the bonding time the first 24 hours of her life and the chance to nurse right away, etc. With all that said though, I am thankful for a healthy and happy baby girl. My whole life thus far has been about God using circumstances to teach me to place the Glory and Honor back on Him; Sierra's birth story is just another one of those ways that I can honor and glorify God for the miraculous work He has done. We thank Him daily for our precious miracle! We know she is truly a gift from Him and we are honored that He has entrusted us with her life.


*Side Note* - Nell told us that Sierra came out head first, with her arm and elbow up next to her head. Nell exclaimed "Your pelvis is amazing to be able to deliver all that!" Not sure how amazing I felt pushing all that out, but it seems as though this was the reason that (without the assistance of the pitocin) my cervix was not opening up properly after 36 hours of labor. Later that weekend, my mom ran into my labor and delivery nurse that checked me in, (her shift had ended at 11pm and she was not there for the birth). She asked my mother how things went and when my mom told her that we were able to have a vaginal birth, she said "oh good, I didn't want to tell you all, but they were talking about the "C" word". Thank God I didn't end up with a cesarean, but I guess it was definitely something that was being discussed...I am glad it didn't end up that way! Praise God!