Blakely's Birth Story

I really don't even know how to start this post. Which for someone that enjoys blogging it just seems a little foreign to me. I have tried to brainstorm different ways to write about such an incredible day but I just keep coming up at a loss. I guess that IS the definition of "speechless." And, well, every time I look at my precious Blakely speechless is usually how I end up.

Blakely was a totally different pregnancy. Morning sickness, nose bleeds, intense muscle cramps... any random symptom you can think of I had it with this girl. At my 36 week apt I was already 2 cm dilated. This was when my doctor first mentioned "elective induction." I went ahead and told him that I wasn't interested and to not even worry about scheduling it. He respected my decision and asked if we could revisit the idea in a couple of weeks which I agreed to. I wanted this labor and delivery to be just like Brady's birth story. I loved everything about his birth and couldn't imagine doing anything differently, well, except the two weeks overdue part. Nonetheless it was my goal to do it the same exact way.

Last day pregnant at 40 weeks 

By 38 weeks I had hit that "pregnancy ain't even cute anymore" phase. I was miserable and had already had one false labor scare. At this point I was 4 cm and 50% effaced which was where I was when I went into labor with Brady. However, this time around everything hurt so much more than it did with him. Joints were loose and I could feel how low she was. The on-call doctor said that there was just no way I was going to make it to my 39 week visit in a few days. Well... I did. At my 39 week apt my OB checked me and I was 5 (YES 5) cm dilated and 90% (YES 90%) effaced. My doctor even joked that they could make a TLC special out of me.

That appointment was a turning point for me. He told me that the induction was totally up to me; however, his biggest fear was that my labor was going to be too quick for me to make it to the hospital since it was a 30-45 minute drive. If and when my water broke it was game over since that was basically all that was holding Blake in.  This had been in the back of mind for sometime. As the famous quote from "Gone With the Wind" goes, "I ain't know nothin' about birthin' no babies!" Brian and I both did NOT want to be delivering a baby on I-77 in rush hour traffic. Also, we were a whole lot less stressed knowing that someone was at the house with Brady as we headed to the hospital.

Ultimately, Brian and I decided to go for the induction.  My doctor guided me in making a birth plan for the day which was great since I had ABSOLUTELY NO plan other than to show up and order an epidural STAT. We walked through a few scenarios and decided that I would start on the lowest dose of oxytocin possible. Brian and I would make decisions from there as we needed to. We kinda like to live in the moment with these things which worked really well with Brady's delivery.

We arrived at the hospital around 8:00 AM. This was totally different from Brady. I was already in active labor with him and it was the middle of the night. With Blake it was so relaxing, no contractions, hanging out with the nurses and my doctor at the nurse's station. I was already getting good vibes for the day.

At 8:30 I was checked in and getting prepped for the oxytocin. The nurse said that it would most likely take 1-2 hours to start feeling anything since we were opting for the lowest dose. I was fine with that since I've heard crazy stories about how painful contractions with this particular medication could be. At 9:00 AM they administered the PIT and within 5 minutes of receiving it I was already feeling contractions 2 minutes apart. They weren't painful but they were most definitely there. 

At 10:00 my doctor came in and asked if I was ready to get the party started. SURE WAS. We upped the meds and ordered my epidural. Again they said having the epidural would slow down my progress a little bit which was fine with me since we had only been there 2 hours and I had only the Oxytocin for right at an hour. This epidural was even better than my one with Brady. I could still feel every contraction. I could move my legs easily and feel lots of pressure during delivery but no pain. 

By 11:00 my doctor came in and broke my water. He stated that he was going to go eat lunch and that he would come back so that we could start pushing around noon. I had dilated to an 8 and it definitely wasn't going to be much longer.  He came back right at noon and check me again. I was at 9 cm just about ready to push. He apparently would have just enough time to go do a C-section and then come back to deliver Blake. (Brian and I couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculously easy and right on schedule the morning was going.) 

At 12:30 my doctor came in and sat in the rocking chair across from me. He asked if I was feeling any pressure to push. I had been feeling the pressure to push for about 15 minutes now and I could tell she was in the birth canal. He told me on the next contraction to go ahead and push. I was completely confused. The bed wasn't broken down. There was only one nurse in the room and my doctor is sitting in a freakin' rocking chair staring at me! He looked at me and said that I had done this before and I knew what I was doing. He said he was going to even let me pull her out myself if I wanted. WHAT?!

Adrenaline hit me and I was ready to do this assisted or not. It was GO time. I pushed two good times. On the second push everything in the room changed. About 4 nurses and a NICU doctor rushed in. My doctor calmly told me to stop. Blakely's heart rate had gone from the high 160s to 55 in one push. I immediately had oxygen on and the doctor told me that he had to get her out on push three, possibly assisted with forceps. The nurse told me to push hard and not to stop until she was out. 

Thankfully within a few seconds of that third push Blake entered the world at 12:55. We weren't able to do skin to skin right away, as she had to be assessed. Within a few minutes she was back in my arms with a healthy heartbeat and not a single mark on her head. 

   

Snuggling my little girl for the first time was the most rewarding experience. I couldn't believe in just a little over 4 hours we had brought one of God's most precious gifts into the world. We spent the next few hours soaking in her sweet face and telling her all of the amazing people and things waiting for her at home.

Blake Elise Anderson born March 6, 2017 at 12:55 pm

     Weight 6 lb 10 oz        Length 19 inches 

She is more precious than rubies; and all the things that you desire are not to be compared to her. Proverbs 3:15

As hopeful as I was that I would go into labor on my own I have been humbled by my experience with elective induction. I think sometimes we are so quick to hear others (OR Dr. Google's) stories and commentaries on how negative their experience may have been with a medically induced birth. We use those comments to compare what may or may not happen with our own experiences and as loving moms we freak.

 I hope that Blakely's story is one that encourages and excites a new mama (or a second time mama)  who may be faced with the decision of induction. Yes, absolutely do your research, but never let someone scare you into making a decision you aren't comfortable with. God had a perfect plan for our little girl's entrance into the world and I couldn't be happier with the blessing we have received from that.