Judah's Birth Story

Monday, November 1st.  Wow! what a day that was...

The pregnancy was pretty rough at times, I was put on bed rest and made 3 over night trips to the hospital--one of them for a week due to preterm labor.  Many people came to visit me at home (and at the hospital) bringing food and encouragement and while I was in the hospital for that week, people from work even came over to help clean our house.  So many people were praying for Judah's safe arrival that Jared and I were blown away.  People we don't even know--or that I have never met were praying.

Around week 30, I was put on a medicine called Procardia to stop (or slow down) the contractions.  I continued to take it until we reached 'term' at 37 weeks.  Not only was it term, but that was also the time where we'd be able to do a water birth.  It was something I really wanted to do so that Judah could enter the world in a peaceful manner--and without the use of medicines that would make him anything other that exactly what he was supposed to be like in his first few hours of life.

On the Thursday before he was born, I stopped taking the Procardia.  I started getting uncomfortable over the weekend and called our midwife, Sheela, on Sunday to update her with what had been going on.  She said I could come down to the hospital to be checked, but it was getting late, and we decided to go in first thing in the morning.

Sheela waited until we got there (around 9:30 am) and we went up to maternity.  They had the room with the tub in it ready for us--just incase--and we made ourselves comfortable.  (Sheela had called the night before to tell the nurses that I would be in and to make sure the tub room was ready for us, how nice!!)  The nurse hooked me up to the contractions monitor and the monitor to check the baby's heart rate. His heart rate looked great as it always did and the contractions on the tape this time around looked like a bunch of mountains--big, wide mountains--whereas before, there was a bunch of irritability and sharp spikes here and there.  They started my antibiotics and I got some fluids then the nurses unhooked me so that I could be more mobile.  I knew over the past few days that something was different, but I really didn't think Judah would be coming that night.  (Jared and I had a deep conversation the Saturday prior about letting go, and knowing that the baby would be safe, and it really helped me relax.  That night, I felt me stomach relax in a pretty amazing way and I felt him drop down really low in my belly)

I spent Monday slowly walking the halls and rocking back and forth on an exercise ball.  The one nurse didn't take my pain seriously because I was joking and smiling and she made a snide comment, ugh.

Finally it came to the end of the work day and Sheela came back from the office to check me again.  Jared and I decided that if nothing really changed, we'd go home to spend the night (or next few nights, who knew?!) in our own enviroment.  We talked about staying a little longer sincve my contractions and symptoms always had a way of getting worse around 8 pm, but we decided to go home and coe back at 2 am, or the next day, or whenever need be.  I was only dilated to 3 cm (only 1/2 cm more than the morning) and Sheela agreed on the plan.

We left the hospital and waved at all the nurses as I happily waddled past them.

We wanted to grab a bite to eat and we were going to spend the night together watching season 6 of "The Office".  On the way home, I ordered an avocado roll from my favorite sushi place and we went to the grocery store to buy some frozen vegetables, paper towels and some other things that Jared wanted.  Oh, and we stopped at the candy store next door to get some reduced priced Halloween chocolate :)  That would have made my last "meal" before Judah was born a ginger kombucha and a piece of chocolate haha.

I was so uncomfortable on the car ride home from the hospital and also home from the store.  I was really antsy feeling and just felt like I needed to get out and stretch.

We pulled in the driveway and I looked at Jared and said, "wouldn't it be funny if my water broke?"

He made his way into the basement and I moved my leg to get ready to push myself up and out of the car (everything was such an effort and was slow-going for me).  No sooner did I finish asking the question, I heard a weird noise--it wasn't a pop--it was more like a knock--and my face dropped.  "Was that..." I thought. "Oh my goodness! My water just broke!"  I couldn't believe it!  I stood up and it was like a pail of water was dumped down the front of me.  Jared had tears in his eyes and we both stood there and laughed about what had just happened and hugged each other.  I came upstairs to change.  Jare put away the groceries and made some phone calls to his dad and Lindsay and after 20 minutes we left for the hospital.

The contractions were getting very strong, very quickly.  I called my dad to tell him, but I had to hand the phone to Jared because the pain wouldn't allow me to think straight.  There were entire stretches of roads that I don't remember...The contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, lasting about 1 minute a peice.  I looked over at Jared at one point and saw that he had 911 dialed and ready on his phone because he wasn't sure if we were going to make it to the hospital in time.  We passed cars on scary, back road, no passing roads--beeping our horn, flashers on, high beams flashing.  The final car we passed got mad and high beamed us.  The other cars took a while to pull over too--it's like, com'on people....obviously there's something going on, we're not just trying to get to somewhere silly in a po-dunk town at 8 o'clock on a Monday night.... 

We finally saw the hospital and it was SO relieving.  There were wheel chairs on the vestibule and I got in one and Jared wheeled me near registration.  He told the lady that I was in labor and that he'd be back down to check me in.

At this point, I was shaking so bad and a lady walking down the hall was like "how can I help?!  What can I do?!" and she pressed the button for the elevator.  The elevator door finally opened and Jared quickly pushed me up the maternity doors.  They buzzed us in.  Our nurse from earlier in the day said, "Oh!  You're back..." then realized how intense and how much pain I was in and they rushed me back into the room.  This is where most events start to get very blurry for me.

They had to start an IV on me and I told her to hurry in between the contractions.  She also had to get the baby on the monitor but was having a really hard time find him.  I'm not sure if it was because of the way I was flailing around or if it was for some other reason.  I kept telling the nurses that I had to go to the bathroom (another major sign the baby is right around the corner) and Jared said 2 of the nurses looked at each other. One left the room and came back with 4 other nurses to help speed up the process of getting the room ready and my nurse told me I could go...but to make sure I didn't push too hard.

I don't really remember what or when...but I remember looking up at one point and seeing all the nurses in our room.  Like all the nurses from maternity.  It seemed like there were so many people you wouldn't be able to move.

They checked me again and I was dilating so quickly.  They said they better get the tub ready.  I remember them unwrapping a bobbing thermometer (that looked like a rubber ducky) to make sure the water would be just right.

At some point, Sheela came in from the c-section she was at.  All I remember her saying is "...well, I better get changed out of my street clothes..."I don't remember her leaving, but in no time, she was back in her green scrubs.  They still couldn't get a good heart rate on the baby, so they had to do an "internal lead".  I looked it up...basically it's a little metal clip that attaches to the baby's scalp....sorry Judah :( It was in  my birth plan not to have it done, but they needed to.  The first one failed, so she had to do it again.  All the while I'm screaming the loudest and craziest of my entire life and throwing my body all over the place.  I remember one of the nurses looking at me and telling me to listen to her and to stop screaming  You honestly have no idea what you're doing and I knew I was screaming but didn't know how much, how loud, or how long.  You're not present in your body.  It's so strange.  Something else takes over.

I remember drilling my eyes through one of the nurses eyes and begging her to please just help me.  It sounds funny now.  It wasn't funny then though haha

At one point, I remember dropping down at the side of the bed because I thought it would feel better (the pressure made me feel like I was going blind--that's the only was I can describe it) and I remember looking towards the door.  It was open and the curtain wasn't even closed all the way (I asked Jared about it later and he said the door was open the whole time...).  Anyone walking down the hall would have seen my butt-naked self screaming and writhing in pain--but the same second I realized it--I forgot that quick.  You don't care about anything except getting the blinding pressure to stop.  I guess people were telling me to get into different positions, but the pain was intense I didn't want to do anything structured.  I couldn't do anything besides go with each contraction.  Jared said it was so funny because Sheela said, "okay, but I won't be able to help you then..." He said she said it so laid back and nonchalant.

Judah's heart rate kept dropping with contractions and Sheela said she didn't feel comfortable with me getting in the tub.  I didn't care--and actually, I don't even remember her telling me.

At some other point, I was back in the bed with the head of it inclined...I was sitting up somewhat.  They kept telling me  not to push-- but it's like you have no control over it.  Pardon the analogy, but it's like when you have terrible diarrhea and your body just folds over and the cramps start to push whether you like it or not...it was kind of like that.

The nurses put a bar thing on the bed--like a 3 sided rectangle, if you can in vision that, and I was able to put my feet  on either side to gain leverage.

Next thing I know, the tiny Asian doctor in the practice comes into the room (this guy is hilarious).  They were telling him that I wasn't ready yet and he looks at me and says, "you want to push--you push!!" (In all his Asian accented glory :) )  Then he yells "PUSHHHHHH!!!!!"....at the top of his lungs.  It was awesome and so motivating.  He yelled push a few more times, then was like shes fine and walked out of the room like nothing ever happened.

I was screaming during pushes and as soon as they told me to keep the screams in and focus my energy down to get the baby out, it all made sense and became so much easier.  I wonder what everything else would have been like if someone was coaching me on how to get through the contractions.  That's neither here nor there, though.

They attached handles at the sides of the bed, too, so I could do crunches, essentially during the pushes.

Judah's heart rate was still unstable so they gave me an oxygen mask that Jared held over my face after pushes.  I remember them telling me to "breathe deeply for the baby".

Everything started burning really bad...I suppose during the crowning.  Jared said Sheela death gripped Judah's head so it didn't go back in with the next contraction.  People were saying they could see his hair and Jared and was so excited and said, "I can see him!"  They told me to reach and touch Judah's head.  It was warm and had vernix on it.  With a few more pushes, he was out.  Sheela put him on my belly and I remember looking at him, my eyes as big as saucers, looking all around...looking at everyone...I just couldn't believe what had just happened, that he was finally here, how big he was, that he was on my belly, not in it, and what he looked like...

The cord was wrapped around his neck once, so that's why his heart rate was going down.  They had to take him to check him out, but it was only for a few minutes and only a few feet away.  I wish he could have stayed on me...

At some point, the whole room quieted down--and it was only me, the baby, Jared, and our nurse, Laura who popped in every once in a while.  I don't even remember Sheela leaving.

They wrapped Judah up so tight and put a little white hat one him...Him and his puffy cheeks...so cute...he was so warm...

Later that night, Laura showed Jared how to give him his first bath.  I took a video of it.

I don't recall much else of the night, as it was a huge blur. From start to finish, I was in labor for about 3 hours, and only at the hospital for about 2 of them.  Judah was born at 10:19 pm (Jared said it was 10:17...) and after all the hub bub settled down, it must have been 2 or 3 am and we fell asleep.

..............and so it begins.

See you along the journey--