Backstory part 2 - warning, obstetrics involved

So, this is - I don't know, maybe 9 hours after Nolan was born. Go back one post to read the start....

- I left off with the cell phone call, when I couldn't reach the call bell because of the contractions (I couldn't uncurl to reach it). I couldn't talk between contractions because there was really no "between contractions" so I just gasped "Come Now!!" and Mike sounded taken aback and just said "OK" and came pretty quickly. My staff parking pass was very handy because the lot is right by the Women's Centre. He probably felt bad that he'd been chatting it up at a party I was missing, and I likely didn't sound too good.

- somewhere in there the epidural was requested, after a trial of morphine made me feel unpleasantly buzzy and in pain, and nitronox (yep, laughing gas- MUCH more fun when not in labour) made me feel buzzy, floaty and in pain.

- the monitor started showing some decelerations in the babies heart rate WITH contractions, which is not great, but they always recovered well after contractions , which is reassuring. No one else seemed to be looking at this but I was, a lot.

- eventually others started focusing on this too, and after the epidural was in (I found it very hard to sit up for this as was all balled up around the contractions, and still couldn't talk either until it started working- YAY epidurals) we started repositioning me to see if it helped with the decels. It didn't.

- the OBGYN on call that night came in, to say that if this kept up (with me not very dilated and the decels) a C section may be in order. I was feeling a bit determined to do whatever was best for my wee heartrate dropping but recovering valiant baby.

- I asked them to call my OB as she said I could let her know if there was anything wrong, and I considered this ungood. She came in (which was very nice as she was not on call, but WAS on call the next day).

- She looked at the strip, and agreed that a C section was indeed likely if I was really only 4cm, but when she checked I was 7cm (in an hour and a half, which is pretty good) and baby was engaged...so she said "I think we can do this without a Csection", but put the OR on hold.
- the next 2 and a half hours were a worry wait game of decels (recovering", a scalp monitor for the baby, multiple repositions to try to help the decels in case the cord was pinched positionally, and finally the command to "Push!".

- after that, things were going OK- core strength needed, but OK-until a BIG long decel that ended in a mid- forceps delivery, done quite quickly and decisively.

- Nolan had the cord around his neck 4 times (explaining the problems with contractions, with each one his blood supply was decreased a lot....four loops is quite rare) and it was difficult to slip the loops over his head (I was watching), and then when they were tranferring him to the table (where the NICU team was waiting as they had been called) the Kelley clamp slipped off his cord and he spurted some arterial blood until she could grab the end and reclamp. Darn she was skilled and unruffled (well, until she vented about the clamp which had been packed sterilized but was defective. She swore out loud and broke the clamp so it couldn't be used again, I believe.).

- he was a bit blue at the very start but was good with suction and oxygen very quickly- no meconium, either. I was very worried -what a physically and emotionally stressful time! I was anxiously watching the crowd around the baby, and no one talked with me AT ALL until the anesthesiologist, who had come in to top up the epidural before the forceps (without an epidural that would have been really brutal)- peeked in and told me "He's OK!". I almost cried with relief.

- Then placenta delivery, blah blah blah, and many, many stitches (likely needed because of the the forceps delivery, again- yikes).
I was too tuned up to sleep (and got very sore too) and then I didn't sleep well again until...well, maybe 8 weeks later....

- I'd say that if I wasn't a physician things may have gone differently, because I was pretty proactive (especially over shift change), and my OB was really extremely good at what she does- a family doctor delivery may have been problematic, with the decels and cord etc. Also, really coming away from that with a healthy baby and no C section is amazing. In a nonmonitored setting, early rupture of membranes and so on would have been bad, with huge risks of prolonged preterm labour, infection, fetal distress. In a way this is about why healthcare really can be amazing.

And, that night I just stared at the sleeping little guy (essentially all night) and couldn't believe he had made it through so perfectly after so much stress, and couldn't believe that he was a whole new little unique person. I was utterly overwhelmed with responsibility and awe and amazement and love and my first awareness of how deeply parents fear, how deeply parents love, and how fiercly parents will protect.