Sierra's Birth Story - A Halloween Treat

A Halloween Treat

Eleven days past your due date doesn’t seem like much…until you are living it out, getting more impatient by the day, fielding numerous “what’s taking so long” inquiries (as though you are in control of this phenomenon) and dreading the necessary induction if you reach the two week mark.

Multiple weeks of Braxton Hicks and phantom contractions made Saturday, October 30th seem pretty consistent with the past 5 weeks or so of waiting. The only difference was the regularity, but every six minutes of very mild contractions doesn’t mean a whole lot. Thus, we began our immensely long to-do list of last minute baby requirements and routine chores/errands. Item 1: finish packing bag for hospital on Tuesday, when we were scheduled to be induced. Good choice. We never made it past that.

While lamenting to my younger sister via telephone that things were not happening the way I desired, I felt my water break…at least I thought I did. It wasn’t a big theatrical gush, so I wasn’t completely sure…really, how are you supposed to know? After ascertaining that I had, indeed, lost a bit of my bag of waters we abandoned our to-do list in favor of inspiring the labor that I still did not completely believe was happening.

The remainder of the afternoon was rather anticlimactic – contractions were only slightly stronger and no closer together. My parents joined us in the evening for a welcome distraction from obsessing about when things would actually get rolling. They left around 9pm, when I started to get tired, so we could attempt to rest in preparation.

I realize now that lying down in any way was a big fat bad idea for me. I didn’t sleep, just switched from side to side during contractions that were becoming more frequent, though only just uncomfortable enough to keep me awake. It is amazing how long you can be in your head, debating the correct course of action and attempting to will yourself to get some sleep, rationalizing that at least you are resting…somewhat. Let me just say that sleep is not overrated, if you can get it.

Three o’clock saw the last of my patience; I woke hubs and let Lisa know we would be on our way soon. Hubs gathered up the ‘last minute’ items (this took so much longer than I thought it would…and most of the stuff was probably not necessary) while I attempted to help (until I was ordered to sit down) and then we were in the car and on our way. Driving to the hospital in the middle of the night definitely enhanced our excitement.

As we walked in to the ER (since it was after hours) some teen tried to bum a cigarette off of us (seriously?). At triage we learned that I was only at 3 ½ cm, but there was no way they were sending me home at almost 42 weeks gestation and already losing amniotic fluid…so we were led to a room to get settled in (the birthing suite…sweeeeet). As soon as I could, I hopped in the tub (oh tub jets, how I love thee and thy amazing pain relieving powers), where I spent several hours (talk about pruny fingers!) until Lisa arrived around 9am and suggested I get checked and try another laboring position.

Back to the bed, lying on my side, contractions became intense. And I was only at 4cm. Lisa rubbed my back and encouraged me to relax through each new wave for about an hour or so. Finally, after over 24 hours of labor, I reached my breaking point and began begging for an epidural. This was an extreme deviation from our intended birth plan, but I believe God’s hand was in this decision, as the rest of the birth would have been extremely difficult without the epidural and quite probably would have led to a c-section. We came pretty close as it was.
Once Hubs and I agreed on the epidural (he wanted to make sure I would not have regrets about it) I kept asking if the anesthesiologist could come before the next contraction (negatory). As I waited and got hooked up to every machine in the entire hospital and then some I repositioned to my happy place – sitting cross legged and rocking back and forth, completely zoned out to everything around me (including the spewing IV fluid due to a messed up tube). I was glad to have a break and be able to rest once the medicine began working.

My “rest” was short lived – the epidural, it seemed, was what my body needed to enable it to relax enough to dilate…in minutes I went from 4 to 8cm and shortly thereafter I was at 10 and it was time to push! With an epidural this is a very weird proposition. At first I just made the appropriate “pushing” face and hoped it was doing the trick. Eventually Lisa told me to use my stomach muscles, which made so much more sense and helped me to become more efficient. My cheer squad (my parents and Hubs) were so supportive and enthusiastic during this 2 ½ hour process. At the beginning everything was very serene and they would quietly say “push it out” (which made me think of Bill Cosby – “push it out, shove it out, waaaaay out!”) or “don’t stop” (and I kept thinking “don’t stop ‘til you get enough!”). My favorite was Hubs telling me to “crank one out.” I frequently heard, during this time, that the baby was coming…so often that I stopped believing that the current contraction was actually bringing baby into the world.

Two hours into pushing Lisa was getting concerned, so she brought in Dr. Harris for consultation. He watched a few pushes and then he brought out his arsenal of baby removal products. First up was an episiotomy, followed by an unsuccessful vacuum attempt (due to baby’s head being at an odd angle) and finally he just reached in and pulled baby out manually. [Sidebar: fourth degree tear – yowza! That battle wound caused me to be known around L&D as “that girl”.]

When the head appeared the cheer squad went crazy, reaching a mighty crescendo. It took me a minute to realize that they weren’t bluffing this time and I watched as baby emerged with the biggest pouty lip – ready to berate us for removing him from his warm and comfy home. The moment to discover the gender of our baby arrived moments later and we were so shocked to see that we had a son! My dad (a former ultrasound tech) watched the sonogram DVD months prior and feigned that he couldn’t tell, but the whole time he had a pretty good idea, so when baby arrived my dad shouted “I knew it! I knew it!!” while the rest of us yelled “it’s a boy!”
Little Love was then monitored, warmed and cleaned up a bit, and then Papa (Hubs) got to hold him – such a sweet father-son bonding moment. During all of this, my Dad kept returning to the bedside to tell me how perfect and good looking his grandson was. I had to agree.

It appears that Boo was just waiting all that time to have a very special Halloween Birthday. Giving birth was the most amazing thing I have ever done, and I wouldn’t change a second of it. I am woman, hear me roar.

Shout out to Lisa for her amazing support, encouragement and wisdom during a difficult birth; and to Tiffany for her awesome prenatal and postpartum care, as well as her patience through alllll of my questions.

Nursing Mothers Group Discussion Topics

Nursing Mothers Group Discussion Topics
*** December 2010 ***
Wednesday Mornings: 10 AM – Noon
PLEASE PARK ON 37TH AVENUE; CROSS INTO THE PARKING LOT
ON THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF THE CLINIC

Join us in the Breastfeeding Support Center. Babies and toddlers
always welcome. Bring your questions and concerns –
In addition to the discussion topic, we’ll explore answers that work for YOU. This is informal and fun!




Dec 1 Do I Have Enough Milk?
How do you know? Tips for calibrating a plentiful milk supply in the early weeks will be discussed.

Dec 8 Nursing Mother’s Book Club
What is your favorite book or resource about breastfeeding and why? Bring a copy to show and tell.

Dec 15 Ouch! Is Breastfeeding Supposed to Hurt?
In a word, NO. We’ll discuss why many women believe this, and review the mechanics to prevent this from happening to you.

Dec 22 Baby’s First Holiday Season
Take a break from the busyness of season and enjoy some down time with other mothers.

Dec 29 Your Extended Family and Your Breastfed Baby
Family relationships are important. Your extended family can interact with your baby even if they can’t feed him or her. There are a MILLION ways to encourage this so no one feels left out. Come and share what has worked for you and pick up some tips.

Our New Student - Kylee

I guess I should have listened to my mother when she told me in high school that she thought I'd be great at working in women's health. I disregarded her then, but now here I am, having decided to be a Certified Nurse-Midwife! I get to provide care to women and their families, AND I get to catch babies! How lucky am I? So I guess the old saying "mama knows best" was correct!

My path has been pretty straight-forward to my goal of being a CNM: I was hooked on women's health as soon as I took my mother/baby course in nursing school. We all have those people in our lives who make a huge impact on us, and my maternity instructor was one of them. I finished nursing school at Northern Arizona University with my mind set on what I wanted to do, began working on Labor and Delivery at a hospital in Phoenix, and there I have been the past four years. I made my way through school part time with a job and a baby, a part of the rich history of the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. I am so excited that my time has finally come to meet all the wonderful women, babies, and families that I get to be a part of caring for as a student midwife. I see the close bonds that the midwives at Bethany have with the women they care for, and I know it is because they really and truly care. I can't wait to begin forming those bonds, and look forward each day to meeting all of the wonderful families as I learn from the Bethany midwives.

Looking forward to meeting you all!
Kylee Lowdon, SNM

November Nursing Mother Group Topics

BETHANY WOMENS HEALTHCARE
3660 W. Bethany Home Road Phoenix, AZ 85019

Nursing Mothers Group Discussion Topics
*** November 2010 ***
Wednesday Mornings: 10 AM – Noon

PLEASE PARK ON 37TH AVENUE; CROSS INTO THE PARKING LOT
ON THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF THE CLINIC

Join us in the Breastfeeding Support Center. Babies and toddlers
always welcome. Bring your questions and concerns –
In addition to the discussion topic, we’ll explore answers that work for YOU. This is informal and fun!




Nov 3 Accidental Holiday Weaning
Find out how “holiday weaning” can sneak up on a mother and what you can do to avoid it.


Nov 10 Nutrition (and Fitness) While Breastfeeding
With the holidays right around the corner, we’ll review healthy food and exercise choices for nursing mothers.


Nov 17 Baby’s First Holiday Season
If the additional busy-ness of the upcoming holiday season is already stressing you out, take a break and enjoy some down time with other mothers. We’ll discuss whatever is on your mind!


Nov 24 Happy Thanksgiving!
Share your favorite “new baby” memory from the past year. What unexpected changes did your baby bring into your life? How have you grown?

The Life of a Student Nurse-Midwife by Jaime

Because of the scarcity of Full-Scope Midwifery practices, Student Midwives often have to branch out from their school locations in order to find CNMs (Certified Nurse-Midwives) to learn from. I was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ (Moon Valley High School, Class of 2000!!), but I relocated to Nashville, TN to pursue my education at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. I love Phoenix, and I find myself drawn here every chance I get J

So here I am, in my final semester of school. Looking back, I cannot believe how far I have come since I started this journey, but when I look forward, I see how far I have yet to go. I feel so fortunate to have landed in Phoenix, AZ for clinical training. Not only do I have my family here to support me, but I have been learning from the fabulous Midwives at Bethany Women’s Healthcare. Seeing the wonderful relationships that develop between the midwives and the women and families they serve is truly amazing, and it has helped me stay passionate about my goal of becoming a CNM.

I would love to answer any questions about being a Student Nurse-Midwife. So shoot!

Jaime Pickering SNM

Teressa's Birth Story

Friday, August 27,th was the day after my due date. I remember it clearly as it was 119 degrees outside, and I was over being pregnant. I decided to swim laps in my pool and walk on the treadmill alternately for over an hour even though I could barely move. I had heard that exercise, pineapple, and lots of walking could bring on contractions, so I did all three. That night, around midnight, I felt my first contractions. I started timing them, and finally decided to go to the hospital around 7am.

I was dilated to 3 cm when they checked me, and I decided to stay. I did a lot of walking at first, and remember asking the nurse at what rate I could expect to progress. She said approximately 1cm an hour, so I remember playing mind games with how well I was doing, and stated at 12 noon I wanted to be checked, expecting to be at least 6-7 cm and almost done. Well....I was at 4 cm at noon, and while the pain was bad- it was somewhat manageable in the tub. I had back labor, so the contractions were painful, but they were far enough apart that I could handle it.
The pain in my back began to worsen around 1pm, and I tried several positions with a ball and in the tub to try to get the baby to turn. I decided the tub was the most comfortable, so I went back there to wait. Shortly after I got in the tub, my midwife had to leave to deliver another baby. It did not seem like I was progressing, so I thought this would be more than fine. By the time the nurse came in to check the baby’s heartbeat the next time, I was yelling in pain and was thankful to throw up to get a break from the pain. My contractions started happening one on top of another, and I felt like I could barely catch my breath. I literally fell out of the tub with each contraction while the nurse was asking me to “rate my pain from 1-10”. I made her leave, and during one horrible one yelled, “I need an epidural now!” to my poor mother sitting outside the bathroom. She ran to get the nurse I had just told to leave, who needed me to get back to the bed to check me first.

It took me about ten minutes to get back to the bed because the contractions literally made me fall over. The nurse thought I was exaggerating my pain I am sure, and thought I was just being dramatic. We got back to the bed, and I was at 6cm, and my water had popped sometime while I had been in the tub yelling. My midwife was still delivering another baby, so she gave the ok for an epidural. I was so frustrated with myself that I had not “stuck it out” with natural childbirth, but I felt like I was passing out and I couldn’t think of an alternative. I remember looking at the clock, which read 3:40pm. I was convinced the clock had stopped for several hours and that it could not possibly still be the same day. The epidural involved getting an IV in and some fluid that the nurse promised would only take ten min. She could not get the IV needle in my arm for about ten minutes, because my contractions were constant. By the time the fluid started entering, I was begging her to make it go faster, and a minute later I was overcome with the urge to push.

The nurse looked at me, somewhat shocked, as it had only been 30 minutes since I was at 6cm, and said she should probably check me. I was at 10cm and could not stop pushing. She ran and got my midwife, who ran in as I was already pushing regularly. This part I don’t really remember at all, but it was not painful. I was on a mission, and it felt like my body took over as if it knew exactly what to do. I was told I pushed for less than 15 minutes, and I kept thinking I had to wait, because my daughter’s father was not there yet.

Amaya Grace was born at 4:08 pm and weighed 9lbs 2 oz and she was 21 inches long. They put her right on my chest, and I will never forget how she squeezed my finger and turned and looked right at me with huge, beautiful eyes. She had a full head of hair, and was absolutely the most perfect miracle I could imagine. It was almost shock I felt that the whole time I had been waddling around in pain, and wishing away my third trimester, I had the most amazing little girl inside me.
Her dad made it about ten minutes later, and was able to cut her umbilical cord. I sat for a long time with her on my chest, not wanting the moment to be over. I felt a great sense of pride in the fact I had made it, although unintentionally for a portion of the time, through natural childbirth, and I was overcome with love for Amaya, as if she had always belonged in my arms, lying on my chest. She is truly an angel sent by God.

10-10-10

Some would say today is an auspicious day. 10-10-10. There have been 3 babies in our practice born so far today, one choosing to be born at 10:55 (seems like these would be fun numbers for a numerologist!). Sweet babies all. And STRONG mothers!! Such a gift to attend births. Big thanks to all the supportive nurses at Phoenix Baptist! It's a very good day!

Melissa's Birth Story Part 3

Kimberly didn't seem too worried that I was feeling pushy, but Kevin was a different story. He was frantically running around the house, packing the car, and getting ready to head to the hospital. I was still in "my birth zone," and hadn't noticed, but Kimberly mentioned that he seemed pretty anxious to get on the road. A few moments later, Kevin approached us and said "I think we need to go." They both looked at me, and I responded that I really didn't want to get out of the birth pool. "We REALLY need to go," Kevin repeated, and I once again made it known that I really didn't want to get out of the water. "How am I going to do this in the back of a car?" I cried. Deep down inside I knew we needed to go, but it didn't make the task any easier. "OK," I sighed, as I prepared myself to leave my comfortable watery home.

Kevin quickly lifted me up out of the pool and began taking off my wet swim shorts. Kimberly asked me if I wanted some dry underwear to put on, and Kevin threw her a pair he had dug out of somewhere. She began putting them on me, but stopped when we realized that they didn't fit. "I don't need any underwear!" I said, a little annoyed. I figured that I'd be pushing this baby out sooner then later and wearing underwear didn't really make sense at that point. They helped me put my dress on over my sports bra, and we headed out the door. I really wasn't looking forward to the car ride, but Kevin tried to make the experience a little better for me. While I was in the birth pool, he had retrieved every towel,blanket, pillow, and comforter from our house and had constructed a soft nest to labor on in the back of the car. They helped me climb in, and I got on my hands and knees in preparation of the next contraction. Kevin asked Kimberly to ride with us, and she sat in the second row so she could do counter pressure on my back. Her hands were priceless at that point.

Once we were all in the car, we took off towards the hospital. I asked Kimberly to call the midwife's office to let them know we are on our way so they could meet us there. She made the call, and Lylaine (the midwife on call) was on her way to the hospital. Our car came to a stop at a red arrow to get onto the 60 freeway. Kevin's anxiety got the best of him and after a few seconds he decided he didn't want to wait anymore. He slammed on the gas as he turned a sharp left onto the on ramp, and I went flying in the back of the car. Naturally, I screamed bloody murder, and told Kevin to stop driving like a mad man. Fortunately it was all smooth freeway from there, and we arrived at the hospital after about 20 minutes.

It was 205am on Sunday September 12th.

Since it was the weekend, the South Building entrance was closed, and we had to go through the North Building Emergency Room entrance. The buildings connect at a bridge on the 3rd level, and this was our only way to get to the labor and delivery floor. Kevin drove up to the ER doors and helped me out of the back of the Tahoe. Kimberly took my arm, and walked me through the doors while I vocalized through a contraction. There were people in the waiting room, and I could see them staring at me. I really didn't care, and I closed my eyes and continued working through the contraction. Kimberly told the front desk that I was in active labor, having a VBAC, and was feeling pushy. They immediately took me back behind the reception area and gave me a chair to lean over. Surprisingly enough, the lady took her time asking me questions and didn't seem to be concerned that this baby might make his grand entrance at any time. My mouth felt like cotton from all the vocalizing I was doing, and I asked Kimberly for a drink. When Kimberly tried to give me some water the lady quickly interjected, "Only enough to get her mouth wet!" "Yeah," I responded, as in "Yeah right you're gonna keep me from drinking water crazy lady!" You think she would have known better to mess with a woman in labor.

Finally we were good to go, and a nurse suddenly appeared with a wheelchair. I declined the free ride, as there was no way I was going to sit during a contraction. Another pregnant woman was coming with us, and I overheard that she was due in a few weeks and having some minor cramping. As we set out on our trek to get to the other building, our caravan had to stop every 2 minutes so I could work through each contraction. I moaned, I rocked, I even pushed a few times. I felt bad to make everyone wait for me, but my body was in charge and I did what it wanted me to. I couldn't help but think that I was probably scaring the daylights out of this young pregnant woman, but my body was not in the apologetic mood and so I continued to do my thing. Finally, after what seemed like the longest hike of my life, we reached the OB Triage. I saw Lylaine's white hair glowing through the window, and it was like seeing an angel. I was so happy to see her, and I immediately knew that she was going to help make my birth just the way I wanted it.

Once I was in triage, Lylaine had me lay on the bed just long enough to check my dilation. After a few seconds she announced that I was complete, and she asked if I wanted to walk to my room or be wheeled in on the bed. I opted for the bed as it would get me there quicker, and I immediately got on my hands and knees. They began rolling me out of triage, and Lylaine leaned over and whispered "You push whenever you feel like it," in my ear.

Once we were in the L&D room, I stayed on my knees and put my hands up towards the top of the bed. The nurse laid down two straps for monitoring, but before she could even start to put them on me, Lylaine told her that I didn't need them as my baby would be here soon. Instead, she had the nurse hold a monitor to my belly so it could track Dallin's heart tones.

Now for some reason, I was under the impression that pushing was the *easy part* of all this. While that may be the case for some moms, it was NOT the case for me. After channeling all the power in my body out through vocalizing, it was hard to start channeling it into pushing instead. After about 20 minutes of pushing, things weren't progressing as much as I had hoped and Lylaine asked if I wanted to try a different position. She had me lay on my side while holding one leg up. I would bear down and push with each contraction while everyone rooted me on and gave me encouragement. Lylaine would start to see the top of his head, but once the contraction was over and I relaxed, it went back in again. I was getting frustrated. I was trying so hard, but I felt like it wasn't doing anything. After another 45 minutes or so, I began worrying that they would call it quits on me or say that I was taking too long. I started saying "I'm trying!," "I'm trying!," hoping that they wouldn't give up on me. Fortunately, my fears never became a reality, and only the opposite occurred. Everyone in the room was so patient and respectful. They remained positive and upbeat the entire time, and never once tried to manipulate my body or control the situation. Finally, my water broke, and it seemed that my pushing was becoming a little more effective. I was getting so tired, and I could feel beads of sweat on my face. Kimberly put a wet washcloth on my neck and gave me water in between pushing. At this point, Lylaine asked Kevin if he wanted to "catch" Dallin, and Kevin said he would. I started pushing harder, and not stopping when the contractions ended. I pushed and pushed, and sweet Kevin began making pushing noises with me. He gave me the motivation I desperately needed at that point. Finally, after a good long push, Dallin's head started to crown and I felt that infamous "ring of fire" that everyone talks about. It really didn't feel that "firey" to me, and I thought "well good, the worst of it is over." Soon Dallin's head was out completely, and I gave one more hard push to get his upper body out. That is where I was caught a little off guard, and I screamed as his shoulders and chest emerged (later I found out that this is where I tore). Lylaine told Kevin to come catch his son, and Kevin immediately placed his hands under Dallin's armpits, and helped bring him out the rest of the way. It was 4:05 am on Sunday September 12th. After 40 hours of on and off labor and an hour and a half of pushing, he was here. Kevin placed Dallin directly on my chest. He was very alert and crying loudly. It was such a surreal moment having him placed in my arms. He was here, and he was healthy and perfect. Everything we had prepared for, hoped for and prayed for was suddenly a reality.

The moment I held him, the discomforts and challenges of labor didn't matter anymore. I was completely enthralled with this sweet new being, and there was no room for thoughts of anything else. I felt an immediate peace and joy as I held him. Everything about that moment felt so right.

Lylaine waited for the cord to stop pulsing, and then she showed Kevin where to cut it. My placenta came out, and the midwife gave me 4 stitches where I had a 1st degree tear.
Once my sutures were done, they brought me some juice and left us alone to bond with Dallin. Kimberly helped me to get him nursing, and once we were good she left as well. About two hours after he was born, they asked us if we were ready to weigh and measure him. The nurse was so respectful of our wishes and never tried to impose anything on us. The girls came to visit him that afternoon, and we left Sunday evening, only 18 hours after he was born. It felt so good to be home.

In Conclusion:
Going through a natural childbirth was the most physically challenging thing I have ever done. I was still trying to process what I had gone through a few hours later, and I couldn't say that I was ready to do it again any time soon. Even so, an intervention free childbirth was what I had planned and hoped for and I was so grateful I got it! It took educating myself and preparing, as well as surrounding myself with a supportive birth team to be able to accomplish what I wanted. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband, doula and midwife as I know that things wouldn't have been the same without them. While it took a lot of patience, trust, energy and endurance on my part, the benefits of going without interventions were so worth it. My body, the birth process, and my baby were respected the entire time and that made all the difference.
What I went through with my girls and their c-section was very intense, and what I went through with Dallin's birth was very intense as well. They both took a lot of sacrifices on my part, although they were different sacrifices. I can however, look back at Dallin's birth and say that everything about it felt right and I have no regrets whatsoever (although we might just plan on staying home next time and having the midwife come to us instead:) I am so grateful for Brenna and Brooke's birth as it taught me so much, and ultimately helped me to attain a much better birth with Dallin.

October 8th

It's my son's birthday today and I am on call. I'm wondering what babies I might be catching that will share a birthday with my son :D