So, many of you know Jake’s arrival to this world didn’t go exactly as planned and might want to know the story. Britton and I both know Jake and I were being watched over and it wasn’t a coincidence that things went so smoothly when things didn’t go…so smoothly.
On Wednesday the 21st of January around 5pm I started having pains that I could only guess were contractions. I remembered my doctor describing contractions as something “you won’t be able to ignore.” I wasn’t ignoring them, but I tolerated them for a couple of hours before telling anyone about them. When I told Britton he didn’t believe I was in labor because I wasn’t screaming. When I called my Mom she told me she was talking to Michelle and she’d call me later. It was actually kind of funny. So, seven hours after the contractions started, I woke Britton up and told him this had to be the real thing and we’d better go to the hospital. We got there just after midnight, and I was hooked up to the monitors by 12:30am. My contractions were 2-6 minutes apart and the nurse told me I wasn’t leaving the hospital without a baby.
After hooking up my IV the nurse informed me that the anesthesiologist was in surgery and they called in a back up to come in and give me an epidural. It was 2:30am before he got there! The nurse warned me that sometimes after an epidural is given your blood pressure will drop which in turn lowers the baby’s heart rate. A few minutes after I got the epidural my blood pressure did just that, and Jake’s heart rate went down in the 30’s. A normal heart rate for a baby is in the 150’s. They gave me some medicine to raise my blood pressure and after a few minute’s Jake’s heart rate went back up. To be on the safe side the nurses alerted my doctor. He came in and took a look at things and put me on oxygen just to be safe. He was convinced it was just the epidural and told me everything was fine, which it appeared to be and I don’t blame him for thinking other wise. After a few hours of not sleeping, the nurses came in and told me I would be pushing soon. The contractions I couldn’t feel were getting stronger and it was getting close to crunch time. Soon after that however, Jake’s heart rate once again plummeted to the 30’s. It went back up to normal, then plummeted, and continued to do this every few minutes. Nothing was scarier than hearing the beeping on the monitor slow down so much. Somewhere in the 6am hour, my doctor came in and I tried pushing a few times. No progress was being made, and Jake’s heart rate was not improving. My doctor than told me that to get Jake out it would take another 30-40 minutes of pushing…but Jake wouldn’t survive another 30-40 minutes with his heart rate. They needed to get him out right away to find out if he had a heart problem or if it was just labor causing his low heart rate. He asked me for permission to do a c-section and my answer was obviously yes. Within 10 minutes I was prepped and on the operating table, and less than a minute later Jake was out. Nothing was more soothing than hearing his cry! My doctor said he had never seen a c-section prep go that fast. Britton and I knew that wasn’t by chance. Jake was rushed to the nursery and put on oxygen, but after a couple of minutes it appeared it wasn’t necessary and they took him off. As they were stitching me up, my doctor told me Jake’s cord had been wrapped around his shoulder. As the contractions got stronger, it was being pinched and cutting off his blood supply, thus causing his heart rate to drop so low. It was also making it so that when I tried pushing it was actually pushing him in the wrong direction.
So, after a very scary experience, everything turned out to be fine. Jake is a healthy baby and everything is going smoothly! We’re so thankful to have him, he’s definitely the best thing that’s ever happened to Britton and I.
On Wednesday the 21st of January around 5pm I started having pains that I could only guess were contractions. I remembered my doctor describing contractions as something “you won’t be able to ignore.” I wasn’t ignoring them, but I tolerated them for a couple of hours before telling anyone about them. When I told Britton he didn’t believe I was in labor because I wasn’t screaming. When I called my Mom she told me she was talking to Michelle and she’d call me later. It was actually kind of funny. So, seven hours after the contractions started, I woke Britton up and told him this had to be the real thing and we’d better go to the hospital. We got there just after midnight, and I was hooked up to the monitors by 12:30am. My contractions were 2-6 minutes apart and the nurse told me I wasn’t leaving the hospital without a baby.
After hooking up my IV the nurse informed me that the anesthesiologist was in surgery and they called in a back up to come in and give me an epidural. It was 2:30am before he got there! The nurse warned me that sometimes after an epidural is given your blood pressure will drop which in turn lowers the baby’s heart rate. A few minutes after I got the epidural my blood pressure did just that, and Jake’s heart rate went down in the 30’s. A normal heart rate for a baby is in the 150’s. They gave me some medicine to raise my blood pressure and after a few minute’s Jake’s heart rate went back up. To be on the safe side the nurses alerted my doctor. He came in and took a look at things and put me on oxygen just to be safe. He was convinced it was just the epidural and told me everything was fine, which it appeared to be and I don’t blame him for thinking other wise. After a few hours of not sleeping, the nurses came in and told me I would be pushing soon. The contractions I couldn’t feel were getting stronger and it was getting close to crunch time. Soon after that however, Jake’s heart rate once again plummeted to the 30’s. It went back up to normal, then plummeted, and continued to do this every few minutes. Nothing was scarier than hearing the beeping on the monitor slow down so much. Somewhere in the 6am hour, my doctor came in and I tried pushing a few times. No progress was being made, and Jake’s heart rate was not improving. My doctor than told me that to get Jake out it would take another 30-40 minutes of pushing…but Jake wouldn’t survive another 30-40 minutes with his heart rate. They needed to get him out right away to find out if he had a heart problem or if it was just labor causing his low heart rate. He asked me for permission to do a c-section and my answer was obviously yes. Within 10 minutes I was prepped and on the operating table, and less than a minute later Jake was out. Nothing was more soothing than hearing his cry! My doctor said he had never seen a c-section prep go that fast. Britton and I knew that wasn’t by chance. Jake was rushed to the nursery and put on oxygen, but after a couple of minutes it appeared it wasn’t necessary and they took him off. As they were stitching me up, my doctor told me Jake’s cord had been wrapped around his shoulder. As the contractions got stronger, it was being pinched and cutting off his blood supply, thus causing his heart rate to drop so low. It was also making it so that when I tried pushing it was actually pushing him in the wrong direction.
So, after a very scary experience, everything turned out to be fine. Jake is a healthy baby and everything is going smoothly! We’re so thankful to have him, he’s definitely the best thing that’s ever happened to Britton and I.
2 comments:
He is so cute and tiny. Sorry to hear it was a crazy experience for guys. But it sounds like everything worked out for the best, it makes you thankful for good fast Drs!! I had a C-Section with my 2nd and it was no fun at all!! I hope you are able get some rest and are healing well!
Enjoy that new baby!
Oh yeah! I've been waiting for you to post. More pictures please! He is so sweet and I'm so sad that I wasn't able to come hold him and help you this weekend! We love you!
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