GregoryBrand.com

Here is the whole, nitty gritty, long birth story in case you’re interested!  Just click “Read More” below.

Also, please email me any pictures you have if you were around the hospital and the baby.  We’ll compile and post them all here on the site!

I had been having contractions on and off for over a week and had a pretty good idea that this baby was going to arrive before his due date.  Starting Tuesday (12/2) evening at 9pm I started having contractions every 20 or so minutes on average.  I would have binges of cramps every 6 minutes, but then go an hour or two with none.  By Wednesday (12/3) at 4pm I had been having strong contractions every 6 minutes for 2 hours.  We called the hospital and they told us to wait a while more.  When they were every 3 minutes we booked it to the hospital!

We were admitted by 7pm after we had an exam saying I was 5 cm dilated, 100% effaced, and at 0 station.  We were very lucky because we got a room with a tub!  (There are only 3 birthing rooms with tubs, the rest have showers.)  One surprising issue was that I had high blood pressure, which was a sign of pre-eclampsia.  I had had only low blood pressure tests since the beginning of my pregnancy, however, my blood and urine tests came out fine and they wrote off the high rating to the fact that I was in pain (duh). 

Labor was laborious.  I enjoyed having the tub, but spent most of my time lying over the back of the inclined bed.  The tub actually made my nausea increase a bit and I ended up puking an impressive amount.  By 1am I was in the pushing stage.  By 3am Greg could see about a silver dollar sized amount of Lloyd’s head. That’s pretty much when Lloyd stopped moving down the birth canal.  He could not wiggle himself into a position to work with the rest of my pelvis, but his heart-rate was fine and he was never in distress.  They popped my water to see if that would help anything, but it did not.  I was totally exhausted and was desperate for progress. 

The midwife eventually suggested that we consult an OBGYN and get them to bring in the vacuum.  The midwife said that one contraction with the aid of the vacuum would get this baby out.  I was totally on board.  I didn’t need anything for the pain, but I had zero gas in my tank and was tired tired tired.  I amazed Greg with my ability to fall asleep between intense contractions, which were only a minute apart.  I viewed it more like passing out.

There were then a series of bickerments between the midwife and me versus the OBGYN staff.  The OBs first assumed I hadn’t been pushing correctly, which wasn’t true.  After an hour of having the OB guide my pushing, she determined that I was an excellent pusher and this wasn’t the problem.  By 4am she was on-board for bringing in the vacuum, but said that they didn’t do vacuum assistance without anesthesia (an epidural in this case).  The midwife argued my case that pain wasn’t an issue with me (because I’m a superhero), and only one contraction with the vacuum would be necessary.  Also, considering how much of Lloyd’s head was visible, the vacuum wasn’t going to be incredible intrusive.  Still, the OB insisted that the anesthesiologist be called-in.  It took one hour for them to realize he was too busy and we didn’t need him anyway. By 5am the OB agreed that I wouldn’t need any pain relief, just something to guide Lloyd through the last push. It took another hour for the machine to arrive.  5 minutes after it arrived in the room, Lloyd was out.  He cried-out as soon as his shoulders were birthed and it was the best sound I’ve ever heard, matching the best feeling I’ve ever experienced.   

There were two minor tears, but I am healing well.  Lloyd was in perfect health throughout the entire pregnancy and labor (Apgar score of 9 and they don’t give out 10s) and remains in excellent condition. 

Special thanks go out to my amazing husband. He was an incredible support system and without him I would have been lost. I also want to thank Kathy Bedikian from the the U of M Nurse Midwives, and the entire nursing staff at U of M for being amazingly sensitive and helpful. Thanks are also due to Kate Stroud from the Center for the Childbearing Year who gave me information, confidence, and back massages (http://center4cby.com/prenatal-massage.html – We did not use her as a doula, but if you are considering using one some day, she’d be the best.)

Thank you also to our amazing friends and family! Everyone has already done so much for us and Lloyd is lucky to be born into such a loving environment.

And of course I want to thank the man-of-the-hour himself for being so perfect. He has already exceeded our incredibly high expectations. : )