He was due on Monday, May 18.
Sunday evening, just before his due date, I noticed a shift in contractions
away from typical Braxton Hicks contractions to more labor-like contractions.
Because I had labored for 59 hours with my first, I settled in for the long
haul. The contractions continued for the next several days, waking me at night,
feeling perhaps a little stronger every day. By Wednesday, I was getting
concerned about my mental stamina. I was weary, and what I thought was early
labor had pressed into more than 60 hours. I knew we were walking into a
holiday weekend, and I knew that my contractions with Susan never did become
more regular, even during active labor, so I wanted some guidance about how to
proceed if I hadn’t met the classic labor signs that are supposed to be the
signal to head to the hospital. “If you think you’ve been laboring for that
long, go on to the hospital now,” was the answer we received. We decided to
wait until Thursday morning so that Jim, at least, could get a good night’s sleep.
We left home at 9:00AM on
Thursday. I cried as I told Susan goodbye. I was so sad thinking that I was
leaving her, to return days later and turn her little world upside down. And
yet, I was 85 hours into what I would later learn was non-productive prodromal
labor instead of true early labor. I was weary. I was ready to bring our new
baby into the world.
The labor and delivery unit
was very busy when we got there. We had our temperatures taken at the door and
had masks handed to us at the L&D check-in counter. We spent no time in a
waiting room, but were sent directly to triage. Our triage nurse was kind,
encouraging, and calm even though she was extremely busy. I had not made any
detectable progress since my OB appointment three days earlier, so she called
my OB to confer about my case. They decided to monitor my contractions for an
hour and then re-check. Still, no progress. Another call to the OB. Unknown to
us, he was in the operating room, so we waited a long time. During that wait,
my contractions became harder and started coming regularly – about every 2.5
minutes. I started dilating more quickly. When my OB called back, they decided
to admit me. And then, everything slowed down. My contractions became erratic
and wimpy.
Before the end of the work
day, my OB visited me in my L&D room. He wasn’t on call that night, but he
assured me that the on-call OB was good. “It’s up to you,” he said. “If you
want us to augment your labor, Dr. Wyatt will deliver you tonight. If you want
to labor slowly all night, I’ll deliver you tomorrow. I’ll tell Wyatt it’s your
call.” I really love how laid back my OB is about these things. Jim and I
talked through our decision. I knew from experience with Susan’s birth that I
wasn’t interested in Pitocin unless I also had an epidural. Ultimately, we
decided to go for Pitocin with an epidural. Everything was started by 8:20 PM.
Based on my previous experience, I expected my labor to still take several
hours – in fact, I thought it was quite possible that my regular OB would
deliver me in the morning, even with the augmentation.
Three hours later, at 11:34
PM, I had dilated to 8 centimeters, and the nurse was telling me to let her
know when I felt like pushing. My epidural was good, but not as effective as
the one I had with Susan, so I was feeling some pain with my contractions. As
soon as she walked out of the room, I felt the first pushing contraction. “No
way,” I thought. I waited for a few minutes before telling her what I felt.
Sure enough, I was completely dilated when she checked me at 11:57 PM. Dr.
Wyatt was in the OR, so I breathed through contractions as best I could while
my nurse got things ready. I told her I thought it might take me a while
because I pushed for three hours with Susan. She told me that she was pretty
sure it wouldn’t take nearly that long this time. By the time she had
everything ready, Dr. Wyatt was there and I was so glad. I don’t think I could
have kept from pushing much longer.
My pushing and birth this time
was one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever done. Because my epidural was
not as effective as my first, I could feel a lot of what was happening. I loved
that. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was so empowering to work with the
sensations and to listen to my body. I knew when his head was born, his
shoulders, and then there was the relieving squish as the rest of his body was born.
I pushed for ten minutes - maybe. I kind of lost track of time. I loved the
encouragement I received from the nurses, doctor, and my husband. It was kind
of like I had my own team of cheerleaders. They were so enthusiastic, so encouraging.
I heard Jim telling me that
Christian James had arrived – we didn’t know his sex until he was born. I
cried. I wish I could describe the intensity of emotions in those moments just
after birth. I remember the same when my first was born. I was so tired, so
happy to be done with that hard work, and so very happy to meet my baby.
Chris, like Susan, was Coombs
positive, which put him at high risk for jaundice. I anticipated that this
time, so I worked hard on nursing him regularly in the first few hours to
encourage him to have bowel movements to clear the bilirubin from his system.
Even with my efforts, Chris ended up under UV lights to help his body clear the
bilirubin. We stayed an extra day in the hospital. Because of pandemic protocol,
no one could come to see us – including our sixteen and a half month-old
daughter. We missed her so much.
We brought Chris home on
Sunday, May 24. We loved reuniting with our daughter. We enjoyed six more days
of my mother’s help and company. Susan had bonded with her so well, and I loved
watching their relationship grow. We’re home alone as a family of four now. Jim
goes back to work on campus on Monday, and I’ll go to work as the only parent
at home during the day during this summer. I admit that being outnumbered by
children under two years of age feels overwhelming to me, but I’m excited to
see what God does in my heart and character as I learn to parent these two
precious people. I’ll be praying lots for His Spirit to dwell in me and produce
good fruit.
Birth is exciting. It’s a beautiful blend of beginning and end. The end
of the hard work of pregnancy, the beginning of a life outside the womb. I’m
thankful for the respite from growing a child in my body. I’m excited to watch
Chris’ life unfold. I’m grateful for my sweet little family. May God grant us
the wisdom and strength to parent these two children well.
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