Declan's Birth Story

So I've been MIA recently due to the arrival of Declan Bruce on December 28, 2012!! And pictures will have to wait until I get on our other computer, but for now I wanted to at least get his birth story typed up before I forget things!!

So to recap: December 26 - my doctor said I probably wouldn't go into labor that week. My mom arrived from California.

December 27 - I stayed home from work trying to let my hip rest and heal. I told my mom we would finish packing my hospital bag the next day. Went to bed around 10 but didn't fall asleep.

December 28 - At 1 AM, I had to go to the bathroom really badly. I got up and rushed to the bathroom and just made it before my water broke, although my pajamas got soaked. Yes, I was apparently part of the 10% of women whose water breaks first, just like in the movies. I got giggly and excited at this point, and headed back to my bedroom to put on some clean pajamas and try to sleep since I hadn't had any contractions yet and my amniotic fluid was clear and odorless. Adam was sleeping in the living room because his hip was hurting (and because I took up the whole bed with all my pillows) and caught me walking back to our bedroom naked. He had just woken up, and he asked me why I was taking a shower in the middle of the night. I was too giggly to answer for a minute, so I didn't say anything, and then finally I said, "I think my water broke." That really woke him up, and he came in and laid down and talked with me for a little bit. I called my doula to let her know my water had broken, but she didn't answer, so I texted her. Contractions still hadn't started. I called her again, still no answer, and finally she called back. She told me she was going through something personal (I won't put it on here) and couldn't actually come assist me during labor... and her back-up was also not available! I felt bad for what she was going through, but I was also very frustrated and disappointed - how could my doula not be there? For months, we had counted on having her there! So Adam said he would call the other doula we had interviewed to see if she might be able to come help us last minute. This is still at about 1:20 AM, so he said he would wait to call her so it wasn't so middle-of-the-night. Somewhere around that time, more of my amniotic fluid leaked out - thankfully I had put down some puddle pads so I didn't make a mess!

At 1:30 AM, my contractions started. They were very small and I was just "pretty sure" I was getting contractions. But I knew at that point I wouldn't really be able to sleep, and I didn't want to lay down anymore anyway. So I started walking and Adam put on Captain America to watch to pass the time. I was semi-timing my contractions and they were about 30 seconds long but not too close together. I made it to my favorite part of the movie, which is near the beginning, before I lost interest and had to handle my contractions. I tried a variety of positions, but the ones that worked best were walking and sitting on the toilet. I also got in the shower a couple of times, which was helpful. I tried doing some vocalization in the shower but just wasn't feeling it. We woke my mom around 4:30, and called the doula shortly after that. She didn't answer, so Adam texted her telling her our doula couldn't make it and could she come help us? She called back maybe 20 minutes later and said she could come - HOORAY!! I don't remember what time she arrived, because I was still walking a lot through my contractions and getting very focused. Our doula, Megan, arrived somewhere between 5:30 and 6. I was very focused at this point and Adam was updating her on my labor so far and the timing of the contractions. I was handling some contractions on all fours on the bed, and wanted pressure on my lower back for the pain, so Adam, Megan, and my mom took turns pressing on the area. Just before 6:30, they thought it might be a good time to head to the hospital, which is about 20 minutes away. Adam asked me if I wanted to leave and I said something like, "That's fine." Megan helped me get dressed and Adam and my mom packed the car. I was sitting sideways in the front seat and had some really strong contractions in the car. I also burped a few times and I remember wondering if I was in transition! We got to the hospital at about 7 AM and someone came out with a wheelchair to take me up to the birthing center. They took me straight into an LDR room and did a vaginal exam to see where I was - the nurse said I was between 5 and 6. I almost felt like I was ready to push, so I thought wow, only 5 or 6? I handled some more contractions on the toilet and in the shower (they had a great shower with three shower heads, one aimed directly at your lower back!), and on all fours with more pressure. It felt like 15 minutes and three contractions later when I was ready to push, but apparently it was more like an hour and a half. During this time I started doing vocalizations... the best description I have for them would be "roars." Nice and low pitched but very intense! My throat hurt afterward. The nurse checked me again and said I was at 9 with a lip, but I could start pushing if I wanted to, which I really did. I pushed on all fours and with an egg-shaped labor ball, but it didn't feel very effective, and my doula suggested I push in a squatting position for a few contractions. She or Adam would stand behind me to support me while I pushed and that way they could help me lay down between contractions. The nurse suggested a different way to push that might work better, so I tried it and it felt like it was working. I remember doing a lot of pushing in those positions, and still wanting a lot of counterpressure on my back. I could tell my doula was getting up on the bed and leaning on my back with all of her upper body weight to give me the pressure I wanted, which I really appreciated! The doctor came in a couple of times, and he wanted to see the progress I was making with pushing, so he had me lay on my side for a couple of pushes, with people holding my legs as necessary. I didn't think I would want to push in that position, but once I was there I LOVED it because I could rest very easily between contractions. When his head was crowning, my doctor said I was going to tear, and would I rather tear or have an episiotomy? I really didn't want an episiotomy, but I just couldn't make a decision in my frame of mind, so my doula suggested perineal massage to help, which they did. I think the doctor offered a local anasthetic for him crowning, but I refused. Finally, after about an hour and a half of pushing, Declan Bruce was born! They gave him to me right away and he was very calm and alert. He cried some but for the most part he was just hanging out with Mom :-) He arrived at 9:53 AM on December 28, 2012 (which is Adam's mom's birthday and my grandma's birthday, and the day before my birthday!), 7 lb 15 oz, 21 inches long.

I'm very proud of myself for giving birth naturally with no pain medication - that was my goal and I achieved it :) That being said, I can definitely understand why some women get epidurals!

Other interesting things: Apparently, after his head came out, his shoulders didn't follow immediately, so they were coaching me to really push to get the rest of him out because he was starting to have trouble breathing (I think the umbilical cord was getting pinched?). Once he was born, the umbilical cord was already not pulsing, so my mom cut the cord.

Also, I lost a lot of blood during labor and just afterward. The nurse said that a normal amount of blood loss is up to 150 (whatever measurement they use) and I lost about 700. So even though the placenta delivered fine shortly after Declan was born, they eventually did give me some pitocin to help stop the bleeding, because it wasn't slowing on its own. My doctor said that that sometimes happens with quick labors, that the uterus gets "lazy" afterward... I thought, goodness, it wasn't lazy throughout my pregnancy, I got so many Braxton-Hicks contractions! But about 20 minutes after the pitocin, my bleeding slowed enough that they let me take a shower to clean off. I also had two tears with some stiches. But it was definitely worth it, and in the end I'm glad I didn't get an episiotomy.

Another funny thing - there were three Megans in the room while I was giving birth - me, my doula, and the labor nurse! At one point, just after Declan was born, I remember someone saying, "Megan, do you have any scissors?" And I thought, "I'm pretty sure all I have is my baby."

I believe it was later in he day on the 28th that I realized my back felt sore and bruised where I had been getting the counter pressure, and on the 29th I had a large swollen area there! After some ice and ibuprfin the swelling went way down and the pain was gone; however, two weeks later I still have some slight swelling!!

And where did his name come from? Well, I found Declan online and just thought it was awesome - a strong solid name, but uncommon. And Bruce is my brother's middle name (and apparently my uncle's middle name, my great-grandpa's first name, my great-uncle's middle name, and my second cousin's husband's name... even more of a family name than I realized!!)

So I think that's it... Declan is now here, home, and healthy! Pictures will come soon :-)