Ryan's Birth

Reid was born via c-section because of malposition. He was OP and asynclitic and was never able to turn. I did get complete with him and pushed but he was just not going to budge. This entire pregnancy I was OBSESSED with trying to keep this baby in the best position which according to Spinningbabies.com was on the Left side. I also got regular chiropractic care and cranio-sacral therapy. I did an inversion every night (basically getting in a handstand), pelvic rocks, and practiced optimal fetal positioning. Despite all of this, this baby like Reid favored my right side and only occasionally and briefly ever stayed on my left.
My doctor had my due date as January 26th but I thought it was January 24th. Since Reid was born on his due date I fully expected to have this baby before his due date, so I was shocked to see myself going to my appointment on January 23rd. I had been sad that day, feeling very much like I was going to end up with another c-section. I told my doctor my concerns but when she checked my cervix I was 2-3 cm/ 70% effaced/and -1 station. This was an improvement from the week before. I had thought I was in labor on the Monday before, as I was having regular contractions, but they petered out. At this visit my doctor stripped my membranes. That evening after my appointment, I started to again have regular contractions. I was SOO sure this was it. I called my friend Melissa who is my friend and a fellow nurse to come over. I had checked myself earlier and I was 3 cm, so that also made me sure I was in labor since it was different from what my doctor said. Anyway, after a few hours Melissa and I decided she shouldo go home as these contractions also spaced out and I was able to go to sleep. Even L&D nurses think they are in labor when they aren't:) Thursday came and nothing happened all day.
I woke up Friday to some bloody show and thought that was a good sign that things would be happening that day. I started to notice some contractions but went about my business to try to not focus on them too much (the picture above is of me on D-Day:). I had my sister (who luckily was staying with me at the time), take me to the chiropractor for one last adjustment to get me all nice and lined up as well as one last Webster technique to get him to turn from OP. I was having mild but painful contractions in the car on the way there and while I was there. The contractions started to get more regular and about 10:30 am I called my friend Melissa to come over. She checked me when she got here about 12:00 and I was 3. Not very much change from the previous exam, but the contractions weren't killing me yet so that was okay. I called the doctors office and told them I thought something was happening and the midwife told me to call before I went to the hospital. I also called my doula, Heather. I told her that I thought the baby felt OP and I was having some back labor. She gave me instructions to get in open knee chest position for an hour then to go on a walk and lift up my abdomen when I had contractions. I did all of this and it worked because during the walk I noticed that he felt completely OA in the perfect position!! After our walk at about 5 pm, Melissa checked me again and said that I was 3-4 but the head felt lower and she felt a bulging bag. I decided to get in the shower after that news. I showered until there was no hot water left. I came out and ate a peanut butter and jelly and that is when things started to get really serious!!! The contractions were getting really intense and I had to lean against the counter to deal with them. This went on for a bit and Melissa checked me again at 7 pm, I was 4cm then. Again this didn't surprise me too much, but of course I wished I was more dilated. I called my doula at that point because I was having a really hard time dealing with the contractions, and started to tell my hubby to get our son ready for bed because I had a feeling we would need to leave soon. Heather got there around 7:30 and worked with me through some contractions, she did some hip squeezing that felt marvelous.
Erik put Reid to bed and came out to make some coffee. I guess it was about 8 or 8:30 that I said okay lets go. So we all left for the hospital. I was really worried about the car ride but Heather helped keep me focused and handle the contractions. This picture is of Heather doing the hip squeeze. It was amazing having Erik there with me and feeling his strength.






The good thing about contractions is that they end:)














My nurse checked me again and I was 8cm/100%effaced/ and 0 station. She left to go call Dr. Slade who was over at Memorial (where I work). I really started feeling pushy with these contractions. When the nurse came back in she said Dr. Slade was stuck at Memorial doing a c/section (on whom later I found out was my friend Kristi) and was going to call the Dr. vanScriver but if she didn't make it, there was another doctor in the hospital who could do the delivery. Well that didn't excite me to think some random doctor would be doing my delivery, but I wasn't in too much of a state to worry too much about it.


The rest of this is a blur. I know I started pushing with some of the contractions and then at 11:30ish my water broke and then I had an intense urge to push.



I think Dr. van Scriver came in at that point (after she heard me scream- oops, not as compsed as I had hoped to be). They said I had an anterior lip but that they could reduce it. The next hour I pushed. I know I asked Dr. van Scriver at one point if she thought he would come out. She said she thought so and her only concern was that my contractions had spaced out and they were coupling (sometimes a sign that the baby's head isn't fitting). I think I pushed really well with the next one because the nurse asked me if I wanted a mirror. I said yes, I was actually able to see where his head was and I for the first time truly believed that he would come out. With every push I saw his head move, but it felt like FOREVER. He crowned forever too. At 12:35 am on January 26th little Ryan Anthony came into the world. I actually was able to lift him out of my body which is an incredible experience. He cried right away and was of course beautiful!!! He weighed 8lb 4oz, just 2 oz shy of his brother and was 20 and ¼ inches long. I did not even need any stitches which was an added bonus!!


It was by far the hardest most painful thing I have ever done, but also the most rewarding. It was the birth I had planned of and dreamed about and it is still very hard to believe that it actually happened!!! I feel so incredibly grateful for everything right now. I feel grateful for my doctors who believe in birth, my friends and family who believed in me and tolerated my OCD, my doula who kept me from going completely insane, and my friend Melissa who made sure my baby and I were safe at home. I am grateful for my amazing husband who is always so supportive of me. I am also grateful for my first little boy who paved the way for this little guy and was so tolerant of all of my appointments. Finally, I feel grateful for this wonderful little soul who has entered into my life in such a beautiful way.