Big Brother's Birth Story

Bare with me... I'm writing this again almost 3.5 years later. I have it all wrote down in my pregnancy journal that I keep for each pregnancy, but that's in the office and I don't feel like going in there to copy and paste it with my other computer.

So here goes.

Around 37 weeks I was scheduled for another ultrasound to check the baby's size and my fluid level. I had been measuring big via Fundal Height for weeks on end by this time and they wanted to check everything out. So I went in for my ultrasound and it was found that baby was average sized but my fluid was on the "low side of normal" according to my ultrasound tech. I met with my doctor immediately after and was told that we would induce at 39 weeks if I hadn't gone into labor on my own by then

and I would also have NST's twice weekly until I deliver. I'm not going to lie, I was scared shitless and being the researcher that I am, I wanted to know why or what I could do to increase my fluid level.

So to skip the mundane and boring parts so this post doesn't get thirty miles long, all NST's were fine and an ultrasound at 39 weeks exactly showed a slightly increased fluid level. I met with my doctor and he said he wanted to induce. Being a FTM I didn't really know what to think and didn't feel I had a choice to say no. So, I was given the instructions to call next morning. Since my appointments at this stage of pregnancy consisted of so many NST's and those could only be in the mornings, Ben wasn't able to be with me for those appointments. So here I was, a huge ball of emotions trying to call Ben with the news that our little boy would be evicted the next day. Needless to say, through ugly cry tears, this was a huge feat to accomplish.

We had so much to do, the nursery still wasn't 100% finished so we did our best to finish that up, finish packing our bags and enjoy the last little bit of quiet we would ever have as just the 2 of us.

I couldn't sleep, of course. I was nervous, excited, scared, all the above. I woke up around 4am needing to use the bathroom and noticed I had some cramping. At my doctor's appointment the day before, my doctor stripped my membranes and checked my cervix stating that I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. When I woke up and noticed the cramps and then the nausea, I knew I was up for good. So I jumped in the shower and that's when I noticed I was losing my mucus plug and the cramps were getting a tad stronger. I was excited about this! In hindsight, I feel I would have gone into labor on my own had we let nature take its course.

Since I was nauseous, I couldn't eat anything so I decided to do my hair and makeup and take my very last picture as a hugely pregnant FTM!

I woke Ben up around 530a and we were on our way to the hospital around 6a.

Once there, I was hooked up, given an IV (which took forever and blew the vein on my left hand) and we waited for my doctor to arrive to start the PIT. I was checked again but no change.

Shortly after the PIT was started, I was having contractions. Painful contractions. In. my. back.

So I was advised to get out of bed and move. I did. Which felt wonderful. I was also given a birthing ball to sit on and lean against.

(Notice the white bandage on my left hand... that's from a blown vein that was bruised for weeks after Bentley's birth)

After multiple times of losing his heart rate on the belly monitors and the stupid alarm going off, my doctor asked to break my water and put internal monitors on Bentley. So we did. Again, being a FTM I researched everything except how I wanted birth to go and I went with the flow.

After walking the room, swaying and breathing through contractions and having some of the worst pains, a nurse came in and asked if I wanted an epidural. I wasn't against getting one, I just didn't know when I wanted one. I had hoped I would be more than 5cm dilated before getting one, but being that we had everyone and their brother in our room, the focus was on everything else but me and I felt like the naughty step-child in the corner of the room being punished for nothing while everyone else enjoys the party. So, I took the epi. Plus, it's no lie that PIT contractions SUCK!

I decided after it was in place and I felt heavenly that I would nap. So I put my iPod on and rolled over. Approximately 30 minutes later I was rudely awakened by nurses flipping me over and checking Bentley's heart rate. I was then told that he dipped down low into the 90's but did not recover after my contraction let off like he had been doing (which is normal). So I was given an O2 mask and told to lay on my left side only. They finally got his heart rate to stabilize and decided to shut down the PIT for awhile. After all this I begged for the epi to be taken out and decided I no longer EVER wanted another one. Of course they wouldn't take it out so I sat up as straight as I could and let it wear off. It was determined that when I laid down that he would flip to posterior position and wedge himself into my hip. But when I stood up, he would flip anterior and get into the perfect birthing position. So, naturally I wanted the epi gone and to get out of bed.

A few hours later we turned the PIT back on and I watched the monitors like a hawk. Everything went smoothly for a few more hours and then the decels started again. First to the low 100's. Then to the 90's. Then to the 80's and a few in the 70's. I freaked every time they happened and finally, after being checked for the millionth time and STILL being only 3cm dilated, we opted for the c-section.

I was prepped. The antacid drink they give you is atrocious. I was wheeled into the OR, moved to the table and a spinal was placed since my epi cath somehow managed to come out of my back. I guess I got my wish for it to be taken out! Ben was ushered into the OR and the anesthesiologist was so kind to take pictures so Hubs could be in the moment for his son's birth. As soon as I saw Ben, I started crying. I was having a difficult time breathing, I had the urge to throw up but I was so numb from the spinal that I could't cough anything up. It was a very scary moment for me.

WARNING: These pictures may be gruesome to some

After feeling like I was going to die, needing to throw up, having scares because I couldn't breathe well from the spinal working so well and a lot of tugging, the most beautiful sound in the world erupted the cold silence of that OR.

My sweet little boy was born! When I talked to my doctor after his birth, I was informed that Bentley was indeed in a very bad position for birthing which is why I would not dilate past 3cm. He was not pushing down on my cervix. He was posterior and wedged into my hip. As soon as my doctor opened me up, he had a cute little boy staring up at him!

6lbs 14oz and 18.5" of pure perfection born at 8:24pm on September 23, 2010

After Bentley was taken to the room with Ben, I was getting put back together and stitched up. At this point I had completely blacked out, for how long I haven't a clue, but I blacked out. All I remember is the anesthesiologist shaking my shoulder and asking if I was alright. My c-section went smoothly, but it was a very scary procedure for me. Not having control over anything and having major surgery wasn't fun.

Not to mention, I didn't get my immediate skin to skin after his birth and they wouldn't delay cord cutting either. Thankfully, in today's world, more and more hospitals are taking the route of a "natural c-section" where skin to skin, delayed cord cutting and breastfeeding is being facilitated while momma gets put back together.

You can watch Bentley's birth video HERE.

Today, my little boy is a rambunctious, crazy, pure-hearted, sweet big boy!