Love Without Borders: An Unforgettable Day

Alana's Birth Story

So as many of you know, I was on modified bedrest at home from March 16-24th, 2010. I kept having contractions that would get closer together, every 2-5 minutes after working on my feet 12+ hours. I cut down my work hours to 8's, but still had a hard time with the contractions and I noticed that I began to swell up overnight it seemed.

Upon my first day back to work on March 25th, I was exactly 37 weeks (now considered "full term" by all the textbooks out there)....I had an OB appointment for my 37 week checkup. I went on my lunch break. When they asked if I felt the baby moving, I did mention to them that I felt her moving less the past week. Consequently, they decided to send me to the Fetal Monitoring Unit in another part of the hospital to check on the baby.

So I waddled over there and the put me on the monitor. Well, Alana was sleepy and didn't give them the two "accelerations in heart rate" that they were looking for in a 20-minute period despite me drinking some juice and eating some crackers... So therefore they decided to send me to Labor & Delivery (where my office is conveniently located!) for "extended monitoring".

So once again, I waddled over there and they put the baby on the monitor. She was waking up at that point and they got their two accelerations in heart rate in a 20 minute period but decided to do a spot check BP on me. It was 150/92 (high for me, since I'm usually 116/60). Half an hour later they took it again and it was 160/99, then 170/110 30 minutes later. They drew preeclampsia labs and checked my urine again and compared it to the results from 3 weeks prior. ...the results were very concerning...

At first they were only going to admit me for a 24 observation, but as soon as my BP's starting escalating they changed their minds. They said that they are inducing me NOW for the safety of me and the baby. Luckily, I've had my bags packed and in the back of my car for the last 3 weeks, so I had my stuff with me. I called Chad and told them that they are inducing me and to make his way to the hospital as fast as he could. Well of course it was traffic time and he was running around like a maniac trying to get the dogs situated, pick up some things I needed from home, etc.

It seemed like forever for them to get a bed cleaned in labor/delivery. I was on a Triage bed and it was so uncomfortable. I really wanted to take a shower, but they wouldn't let me, as they were worried that I would have a seizure in the bathroom....so much for looking nice and tidy down there for my doctor friends! hehehe

So eventually I got a room and I got all hooked up to the IV's. Chad came just as we were starting the induction process, so about 8pm on Thurs. March 25th...I didn't want to get on pitocin right away, and wanted to try other ways of inducing. I ended up getting a foley bulb placed....it's kinda like a catheter, where they inflate the balloon and it is like a physical irritant for the body and it signals the contractions to get stronger. I was already contracting on my own, just not regularly and strongly. I was already 1-2cm dilated and 75% effaced when they started the induction.

Once the foley bulb comes out, that means that you are 3cm dilated. So for the beginning I used the birthing ball, was breathing fine, was walking around, etc. I asked for a remote monitor for the baby so that I wouldn't be on a "leash" so to speak with the monitor. I was on IV medicines (IV fluids, magnesium sulfate to keep my BP in check, and penicillin every 4 hours because I was GBS +. The epidural dude came in to consent me to an epidural at this early stage just in case I wanted one later and was in lots of pain!

Chad was kinda bored for the first few hours because not much was happening and he was on his iPhone and laptop a lot which kinda irritated me. He set up some relaxation music for me on Pandora, and that was nice to have on in the background. Around 3am he went back home to take a nap there (not a comfortable sleeping chair for my 6 ft 4 hubby!) and to let the doggies out.

Around 05:00am the foley bulb came out and around 06:00am they artificially ruptured my membranes....lots of warm fluid came out! I didn't realize that once your bag of water breaks, it replenishes to an extent(especially since they were pumping me full of fluids) and keeps on breaking over and over...I had gushes all throughout the rest of my labor.

About an hour after they broke my water (a warm gush....more fluid than I expected!), that is when the crazy contractions started! At 07:30am (shift change!) I was in agony. Since I work there, I found out who was on that day and got to choose my L&D nurse...I chose my friend Margaret Grace because all of my patients have great experiences with her. She calmed me down, and asked me what I wanted for pain. This was now 12 hours of NOTHING for pain and I was already 4-5cm. I asked for the epidural, because the contractions were just too much and were one on top of another. They were every 2 minutes and lasted 1.5 minutes....so not much time to rest in between. I was crying and shaking and desperately trying to use a tennis ball on the small of my back because I was having insane back pain (I thought my baby was going to come sunny side up....and I ended up being correct in the end!).

Me and my L&D Nurse:

The epidural man and Chad couldn't come back fast enough. Once Chad came back they got into position. They lifted the bed WAAAY up and told me to curve and hug the pillow. My feet were resting on Chad's knees. It was SO HARD to try to stay still during the contractions. I gripped Chad's and my nurses hands SO TIGHTLY that I thought they wouldn't have any fingers the next day! Chad later told me that he had no circulation for a while and his wedding ring was digging in! It took them 3 tries to get the epidural in because they kept saying that I had "taught ligaments" because I am so athletic...geez....who would have thought all those years of dancing would come to bite me in the ass someday!! LOL! My friend Ciana came to visit me right after the epidural was placed and she said I was acting funny and spacey! I was like, "I looooooovvvvvveeeeeee the epidural man!"

Once the epidural was in, I was only numb on the right side. The left I was having HORRIBLE contraction and back pain....and I was like, "Oh no....I don't want them to try again!". They had me lay on my left side so the medication would disperse to the left and after about an hour it did. :) The epidural was great. I was able to rest a bit and the contractions were bearable. I didn't want to be 100% numb, because I wanted to feel them.

Here is a pic of me in labor:

About 4 hours later I got a lot of rectal pressure and started puking uncontrollably...."Could I be in transitional stage of labor?" I thought to myself! I was also giving up at this point saying, "I can't do this! I can't do this! I'm not strong enough! I'm so tired!". At those moments, I had Chad and my mother-in-law in my face, encouraging me, cheering me on, and yelling "Yes you CAN!!". Sure enough, the rectal pressure meant that I was 8 cm. I got a new wind and more energy and got excited. Chad was back at this point and I texted his mom to come for extra support and to bring me chapstick...I couldn't find mine! Seriously, your lips and mouth get SO DRY when you're in labor. And I was only able to take liquids, ice chips, jello, etc in case I needed a c-section down the road.

After the 8 cm mark, things progressed more quickly....1.5 hours later I felt MORE rectal pressure and they checked me and I was 9 and 3/4cm dilated! They set up the delivery table. It was about 3pm on March 26th....I was so numb at times, that the numbness went up into my chest and that was scarey. I couldn't get out of bed afterward because my legs were like logs....I tried to do the squatting bar thing, but my legs kept falling out from underneath me!

Finally I got into a good position and started pushing. I thought it was take 30 min - 1 hour maximum....boy was I wrong!! I asked for a mirror so I could see what was going on. It was so frustrating to have her head come in and out forever! Chad was so supportive and by my side. He kept saying "Next contraction, we will see the forehead!"...."Next contraction, we will see her nose!"...."Next contractions we will have our daughter!"...."You are doing so good honey...". And for someone that is scared of gross stuff, he was right there where all the action was taking place! LOL! My biggest fear was to poop on the table and I don't know if I did or not in the end. I know I gave myself a few hemorrhoids! It honestly felt like you were super constipated and having the biggest poop of your life!

After a painful induction, a 22 hours labor, magnesium sulfate, preeclampsia, 3 hours of pushing and being threatened with forceps, or a vacuum extraction Alana Nikole Barker was born on March 26th, 2010 at 6:36pm! She weighed 5 lbs, 10.2 oz (2557 grams) and was 19.5 inches long! She had a MAJOR cone head! The moment she was out, I turned to my mother-in-law and Chad and said, "I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!".

Here is a beautiful moment captured between my dear husband and I, the moment Alana was born:

She came out blue and not crying and an Apgar score of 5 at birth, 7 at 5 min, 8 at 10 min of life. All I kept yelling was "why isn't she crying?!" and "What are her apgar scores!?"....Chad cut the cord and they kept stimulating her to make more noise. She was what we call "Stunned" and just was looking around. I didn't post the scary blue Alana pics from when she first came out because she was as grey as an alien! They took her to the warmer and the Peds NICU people were there evaluating her. She was so sleepy because of all the magnesium sulfate they gave me during labor for my BP and from being stuck in the birth canal x 3 hours!! But after 5 minutes and pinking up, they said she was fine and healthy enough to room in with me on my home unit in postpartum! The minimum criteria for newborns on Mother-Baby is 2500 grams, and she was 2557 grams! I delivered the placenta few minutes later and I had a second degree tear that they stitched me up with dissolvable stitches. Chad took videos of her getting her eye drops, vitamin K injection, getting weighed, measured, etc.

Here is Alana after she pinked up after a few minutes:

Her getting weighed:

Daddy's First Cuddle with his Daughter

We stayed on L&D for 2 hours during recovery. I was really swollen down there so asked to have a catheter for the night to relieve the swelling. At around 9pm, we went up to postpartum and when the doors opened....a flood of emotions came over me. All of my nursing colleagues all got up and greeted me and were congratulating us....it was so weird going through those doors as a patient, when I was there as a nurse for 3 years every day....

Me heading up to postpartum