We Have a 10-year-old in the House!! {and a birth story}

Wow!  

 

Ten years ago the Lord made us parents by bringing Lucius David into the world.  

 

We call him Luke.  

 

His name means light, and that he is in our lives – a shining light!

 

We are so blessed and thankful that he is our son and God chose us to be his parents.

 

 

Since it’s the Big 10 (double digits!!), here are 10 words that describe Luke:

 

Luke is…….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When each of my kids’ birthdays roll around, I have decided to share their birth story on their birthday post.  So here is Luke’s birth story, as a wrote it 10 years ago:

 

 

We had an ultrasound appointment at 11:30 a.m. to determine how big you were and to determine what position you were in.  It was confirmed that your head was down, and then we got a huge shock….. your weight was approximately 9.5lbs.  We couldn’t believe you were that big!  We also found out that the amniotic fluid was very low; on a scale of 8-18, it was a 3.8.  The ultrasound tech called the doctor to give him the information, and he told us to go up to the maternity floor for a non-stress test.  Dr. Page came in at 1:30 p.m. and decided to go ahead and induce us.  He order a medicine to be put on my cervix to soften it and prepare it for labor.  We couldn’t believe we were staying in the hospital.  Little did we know that when we left the house that morning, we would be returning with you, our baby.  Dr. Page came back at 8:00 p.m. to check our progress – 0cm, 40% effaced, -3 station.  Not much progress, but we were still in good spirits.  The doctor gave me a sleeping pill to help me get a good night’s sleep.

 

 

At 7:30 a.m. they began the pitocin.  Dr. Scott came in to check our progress at 9:30 a.m. – 1cm, 70% effaced, -3 station.  We continued to be on pitocin all day and was experiencing moderate contractions about 1 – 1.5 minutes apart.  Dr. Scott came back in at 7:00 p.m. – 1.5cm, 70% effaced, -2 station.  We thought for sure that we had made more progress than that!  We were starting to get a little frustrated.  The doctor turned off the pitocin so that I could get a little rest and he said I could eat some dinner.  Yes!  A break and some real food!  Daddy went and got us some chinese take out.  I continued to have mild contractions throughout the night.  At 10:15 p.m. Dr. Scott did another ultrasound and measured the fluid at 6.5, which is still too low.  He did another exam and we were 1.5cm, 80% effaced, -2 station.  He ordered another sleeping pill for the night and said I could be taken off all the monitors so that I could sleep comfortably.

 

 

Dr. Scott came in at 7:45 a.m. and checked our progress – 2cm, 80% effaced, -2 station.  He started the pitocin again.  After having strong contractions all morning, Dr. Cantwell came in at 1:30 p.m. and checked us and said there was no change.  I started to cry because I was so frustrated, and had to be given oxygen because I was crying so hard.  I thought for sure we had made some progress.  I decided that it was time for some kind of pain relief, so I was given Nubain.  Daddy said that made me happy.  I decided that I wanted Heather (my sister) to come for support, so she came at 2:00 p.m.  Grandpa stopped by on his way home from work at 4:30 p.m. and the three of us went for a walk.  We walked to the lobby and apparently that was too far.  Your heart rate had been dropping and the nurse’s couldn’t monitor it anymore because I walked out of the range of the monitors.  Oops!  The pitocin was stopped because of your low heart rate.  At 6:00 p.m. Dr. Cantwell checked us again – 2.5cm, 85% effaced, -2 station.  She decided to go ahead and break my water and she started the pitocin again.  I was also given another dose of Nubain.  Now things really started happening!  At 8:00 p.m. I was 4cm and 95% effaced.  They started an amnioinfusion, which is a continuous flow of fluid into the uterus.  At this time I also got an epidural.  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I just wanted the pain from the contractions to go away.  At 10:00 p.m. I was 5-6 cm, 95% effaced, and 0 station, and they put in a urinary catheter.  At 11:10 p.m. I was 9cm and +2 station.  Talk about progress; I guess I was making up for lost time.  Daddy’s reaction was, “Holy crap!”

 

 

At 12:20 a.m. the nurse had me try pushing.  We had to wait though, because someone down the hall was delivering.  The epidural wasn’t working as well as it was, and I was starting to feel the contractions in my upper abdomen, which was making me nauseous and was making it difficult for me to breath.  They gave me more oxygen.  I started pushing again at 1:10 a.m. and Dr. Cantwell came in at 1:20 a.m.  While I was pushing, the Dr. put a mirror at the end of the bed so that I could see your head.  It was pretty amazing.  It felt like you were never going to come out, and then I remembered what the ultrasound tech said, you were about 9.5lbs!  Then I thought for sure that you weren’t coming out!  At 2:00 a.m. I started to get tired, so the Dr. decided to try the vacuum.  The vacuum didn’t work because you had so much hair that it wouldn’t stick.  The next step would be forceps, and I wasn’t about to let her try that.  So, this is when I really started pushing, and really started getting the hang of it.  You were born at 2:11 a.m. with just my pushing alone.  The Dr. had me reach down and help pull you out and up onto my chest.  When I looked down to grab you I couldn’t believe I was actually seeing you.  Both your dad’s expression and mine was, “Oh, my God!”  You were only 7lbs 11oz., thank goodness! 

 

 

As I think back to that night and replay all my other births in my head as well, I think about how much my thinking and feelings have evolved surrounding birth.  I was so young and naive during my first birth and had recently graduated from nursing school.  I knew all about the medical side of birth, but not a whole lot about the natural side.  When I look back and realize how many interventions I had (I had a cervical check at least 9 times!) during my first birth, I am so thankful to God that I didn’t end up with a c-section.  I feel He was really watching over Luke and I.  And I’m so thankful that he has changed my views and feelings on birth to see it as natural event.