Sunrise Birth Story

I glanced out the window

towards the west

to see the mountain top just barely reflecting

the rising of the sun

Thursday morning.

Headlights zipping along the main streets

were increasing

as another day began.

I had been in the same hospital room

for almost 10 hours at that point,

attending a birth that I thought

going into it the evening before

would be a "short one"--

"I'll be home by midnight", I told my husband

after I'd gotten the call

from Mama M. just before seven p.m. Wednesday.

Her first birth, 

less than three years ago

lasted a mere eight hours...

it was incredibly easy--

better than textbook, even.

Second births,

are naturally quicker--

I adjusted for that and made my guess

that I'd be back home

before I knew it.

And yet,

there I was,

watching the sun come up

on a new day...

this birth had not gone as 

Mama M. had planned either.

Her water began leaking early Wednesday morning,

but it wasn't a gushing leak,

just a bit annoying.

She didn't call me or even her husband--

just kept on with her day

playing with her son,

unpacking her things as they'd just moved into a new house

a week earlier,

meeting the neighbors

and watching her son play.

Not until later in the afternoon

did she tell her husband about her leak,

and at his urging,

she headed to the hospital

to just "see" if she was actually leaking

amniotic fluid.

Yup.

She was there for the duration.

Because she wasn't having any contractions,

and because her water had been leaking

for most of the day,

pitocin was ordered to induce labor.

I arrived at her room

shortly after she'd gotten in there

from triage...

it was nice to see a familiar face,

as her attending Nurse Kellie,

was a childhood friend

of my oldest daughter--

she'd just come on duty at 7pm

and her shift would take us through the night

until 7am.

The first thing I asked Mama M. was when she ate last?

She had been grazing throughout the day,

but not really had a substantial meal--

and it was 7:15pm.

I groaned inside.

No fuel for energy.

And because she was getting hooked up to pitocin,

that meant she'd have to stay either 

in bed

or next to it,

with constant monitoring.

Which translated into very limited

comfort measures--

no showers,

no jacuzzi bath,

no getting up and walking around,

and only clear liquids,

no food.

Mama M. was just barely dilated to 2cm

at admittance,

and not having any contractions (ctx).

Nurse Kellie started the pit drip at 8pm.

Papa J arrived shortly after taking their son

to a sitter's house--

he brought a rolling cooler with him

full of food--

hot wings, pudding, drinks!

As if he were going to a picnic...lol.

Well, he had to keep up his energy too,

right?

Mama M. was hungry--

we gave her the allowed chicken broth,

jello, and apple juice...

not much compared to Papa J's feast,

but that's all she was allowed to have.

Not until 9:35pm did she finally feel a real ctx--

"Ow! Felt that one!"

At 10:30pm Dr. C came and checked her cervix--

still at a 2cm, 55-60% effaced, minus two station.

We had Mama M. on the ball,

standing next to the bed,

swaying/rocking her pelvis,

doing gentle squats--

to open her up.

She continued to drink lots of water

and had many ctx on the toilet--

which is good for laboring.

At One a.m..

Papa J was in the bathroom with her,

they were both laughing,

and all I heard from Mama M was,

"Don't make me laugh!"--

followed by more laughter.

yeah.

We still had a ways to go,

but it was great to hear her laugh.

A little after one,

labor kicked in--

which was great on one hand

bc that meant her body was working

towards delivery,

but on the other hand,

she was really really tired.

We sat her in a rocking chair

while I rubbed eucalyptus lotion

on her legs and feet

for almost an hour.

Mama M is a supremely great "breather"--

slow and steady

slow and steady

inhaaaaaaaaaalllllllle

exhaaaaaaaaaallllllle

blow it all awayyyyyyyyyyyy

over and over and over again...

She was wonderful.

She had some ctx side-lying on the bed 

when it was discovered that there was just a little bit 

of effacement left on her right side.

We put a "peanut" ball between her legs

for a few ctx's and then she stood up

throught a few more,

arms around Papa J's neck,

swaying back and forth,

Papa J's encouraging words in her ears

while I sat aside for a bit

to give them some time to just "BE"

in labor together.

All the while,

Nurse Kellie was in and out checking on Mama M.,

the baby girl handling it all very well.

Fatigue is a miserable companion in labor

and was definitely taking it's toll on this

sweet Mama M.

By 3:20am,

she was having a hard time keeping up with 

the waves of contractions...

Papa J had taken a few naps here and there,

but Mama M and I had ridden each wave together

and I saw exhaustion all over her body.

The decision was made to get some fentanyl

to take the edge off...

Mama M. rested between ctx's

for almost an hour;

then Dr. C came in and I thought for sure,

the news was going to be 

"completion!" because all the signs were there

that the ctx's were the really good ones,

the ones that open the cervix and move the baby down--

but at 4:20am,

she reported only 5cm dilated, 90% effaced, -1/-2 station.

Disheartening news, to say the least.

Granted, Mama M had only been experiencing good ctx's

for 3 hours,

but, man oh man,

at 4:20 in the morning,

with an empty stomach and pain--

that was the last thing Mama M wanted to hear!

I knew she would take that news hard.

Exhausted tears fell....

after a moment to think clearly,

Mama M made the decision to try the fentanyl

once more,

and if it gave her some relief,

she would be okay,

but if not,

an epidural would be the next choice.

By 4:40am

the fentanyl wasn't even touching the ctx waves,

BECAUSE she was in transition,

just as I had thought before,

and we didn't know it!

That's right--

her body kicked into high gear

and those strong ctx coming on

were moving things rapidly--

but because just 20 minutes earlier

the Dr. said she was at a 5--

the fentanyl wasn't touching her pain level,

so she decided to go ahead with the epidural.

The anesthesiologist was in the room by 4:45am--

I went outside while he did his thing--

that's when I noticed the sun coming up

across our little part of the Rocky Mountains.

I was tired--

not as tired as Mama M. to be sure,

but I'd been awake for 24 very busy hours--

the sun coming up 

just signaled to me

that midnight had come and gone.

Within five minutes--

I am not kidding--

Papa J came out of the room

to get me,

because WHOA--

"She's having the baby!"

I jumped up from my seat

and went to Mama M's side--

"I feel like I have to push.", she said.

The epidural hadn't even had time to take effect

and here she was, 

ready to deliver.

Dr. C checked her again,

nodded a "yup",

and the room filled with staff,

preparing the room for the delivery in

tiny moments!

We held her legs for her,

and with just a few small pushes,

a sweet, long-eyelashed-seven-pound-beauty

with tiny piggy toes, 

and curled fingers 

greeted the sunrise.

It's amazing what delivery does--

such immediate, wondrous relief!

Smiles, happy tears, joyful declarations of love,

tender kisses, ooohhhs and ahhhsss--

these are the moments we welcome

after a long night.

On the way to the parking lot,

I looked back to the west--

the cloudy skies

with sunrays streaking through them

earlier,

now revealed a beautiful blue sky morning.

This.

This was a really good way to start a day.