A Birth Story

Well maybe not a detailed story but a birth timeline (better late than never):

February 20th, 2010

5:40pm - Water breaks at home while working on a computer project

5:45pm - Call Labour room at Kelowna General Hospital to inform them water has probably broken and we are coming in

6:10pm - Arrive at Kelowna General Hospital, already 2 cm dilated

6:30pm - Contractions begin, nurse starts IV with antibiotics for Group B Strep

7:30pm - Early labour (more intense contractions) begin

10:00pm - More intense labour, try nitrous oxide, hot shower, exercise ball, massage etc.. for dealing with labour pain.

February 21st, 2010

3:15am - Only 4-5cm dilated after hours of intense labour, try fentanyl to give relief from labour pain

8:00am - Still only 4-5cm dilated, doctor says I should get an epidural to see if it will relax things enough to dilate fully, it helps with the pain even though I'm not totally numbed and I'm still able to feel the contractions

9:30am - Doctor orders oxytocin to speed up dilation, because I've been in labour for too long after water is broken

11:45am - Fully dilated and they tell me not to push but to rest for pushing later

2:45pm - Nurse arbitrarily decides it is now time to push, epidural meds get turned down at my request and I feel the pain of labour and contractions greatly again, start pushing

4:45pm - Still pushing, baby's heart rate is decelerating and there is concern for her safety, obstetrician called and uses forceps to deliver baby

4:54pm - Just under 24 hours after starting labour, Esme Michelle is born.

She has a fever and they are not sure if it is due to prolonged labour, the fact that I had a cold and was hot throughout labour or the Group B Strep. Esme is rushed to the NICU where they draw blood for cultures and they start an IV of antibiotics to prevent life threatening infections in case it is because of the Group B Strep (like meningitis).

6:30pm - I am finally stitched up, cleaned up and wheeled to the NICU to get to really see Esme. Family members are allowed in one at a time to visit her with us.

We spend another 48 hours in the hospital waiting for the results of Esme's blood cultures while she continues to receive IV antibiotics. (Her fever cleared up within the first few hours in the NICU.) Finally the blood work comes back completely clean and we are allowed to take our baby girl out of the nursery to the ward but after coming off the IV she gets jaundice and they make us stay another night in the hospital to see what her blood work says in the morning. Finally at noon on the 24th of February we are allowed to take our sweet baby home.

Yahoo!