Birth of Baby Number Six!

by Lori Ramsey
(USA)

Labor started on September 22 at around 9 pm. I was in my usual place on the couch when I started feeling that familiar tightening achy contractions. They were coming every 10 to 15 minutes. Still not convinced though, I grabbed a tall glass of ice water and laid on my left side. I finally told my husband that I was going to bed – that if it was real labor then it would wake me up and we could go on to the hospital.

I got up to empty my bladder about 5 times that night, each time feeling a very painful contraction. Still not convinced and feeling very sleepy I would go back to bed. By 5:30 am I got on up and started timing the contractions – they were coming every 6 to 7 minutes. I finally told my husband that we needed to head to the hospital, that I was pretty sure "this was it."

We arrived at the hospital a little before 8 am and went right up to labor and delivery. Just like 5 days prior I was taken to the same triage room and prepped for monitoring. The nurse checked me – 3 cm 85% effaced. So they monitored me for an hour and the contractions came every 6 to 10 minutes. I was getting discouraged thinking that I was going to be sent home again when the nurse came back in to check again.

"I don't know – maybe stretching it to say you're a 4 – and no more thinned out – still very posterior." To which I stated that I'm always posterior. Thank God my doctor walked in the room and grabbed a pair of gloves and said he'd check. "Oh – she’s a good 5 – 100% thinned, grab me a hook, let's get her water broke and order her epidural." MUSIC to my ears!!!!!!

He broke my water and the nurse started my IV. Then they loaded me onto a wheelchair and moved me to the birthing room. I got settled in there – and the anesthesiologist came and started my epidural. By then it was around 10:30 am.

Once the epidural was started I felt the numbness in my legs almost immediately. I was trying to get some rest when I felt like I needed to cough. I discovered that I had a difficult time coughing and the numbness was creeping up my back and to my shoulder blades. I called the nurse to let her know and the anesthesiologist came in quickly to turn down the meds and to have me lay more on my left side. Thankfully the numbness left my back. That was scary, I almost panicked.

I managed to get a little rest over the next couple of hours. Around 1 pm the nurse came in shaking her head saying that she didn’t know because my contractions were still only 6 minutes apart. I commented that when they did happen I felt a lot of pressure. She checked me and declared that she’d never seen anything like it – that I was 9 cm and would be having my baby within 30 minutes!

My doctor arrived and began to set up for the birth. My husband and I exchanged glances and I teared up and said "Our baby boy is about to be born!" The doctor and nurse pulled out the foot pedals and placed my very numb legs onto them. I was having a contraction and my doctor said "Push!" I took a deep breath and pushed. I was having trouble catching my breath, so I had to stop pushing for a moment to just breathe – then I regained strength and pushed 2 more times. I was beginning to feel very light headed.

Another contraction came and I was told to push again. I pushed a 4th time and a 5th. I inhaled a big breath and pushed a 6th time and the room started to black out – I was passing out and told my doctor so. He said "Stop pushing – the baby is coming – just breathe."

At that moment my beautiful baby boy slid out and my doctor suctioned his throat and he uttered his first cries. He had fluid in his lungs so they took him to the warmer to suction him out and take all his vitals. About 5 minutes later they put my precious baby boy into my arms! Tobias Brian – weighed in at 7 lbs 12 oz and was 20 inches long. So cute –looks like a cross of 3 of his siblings. He latched onto the breast like a pro the first time. We are so in love with our new son!