Silas' Birth Story

My water broke. On the kitchen tile thank goodness. I had been on the couch and barely got any on there, or on the carpet as I had headed to go upstairs. But once my feet were on the tile the flood came. Literally. No joke.

My water had broken with Skadi too, but this was about 10 times as much. It just kept gushing as AB stared in awe. Finally he went and got kitchen towels as I was trying to get my pants off and was at the same time dismayed that my leather flip flops (the only thing my feet fit into) were soaked. What in the world was I supposed to put on my feet.

I also then started noting the blood. The fluid wasn't clear. It was pink and there was actual red blood.

When my water broke with Skadi I remember taking my time. But knowing what a good friend had gone through with his wife in January and hearing his refrain in my head - "if you see pink or blood, get to the hospital asap". When AB started moving, I was full on ready to run to the hospital. We got things fairly well cleaned up, got the bags, texted the friends that Plan A was back on and got into the car. I noted the time - 2:58pm. And was also suddenly very happy it hadn't happened a few hours earlier at Bookwalter.

My water was still gushing and I was sitting on towels in the car. Everything felt different, smaller, tighter. Every bump in the road I could feel and the baby's moves were very painful.

But similar with Skadi - no contractions.

We arrived at the Birthing Center and they seemed a little confused - yes, I was the 10pm induction, but I was early, and hello my water broke. I should have just said "my water broke", not started with that I was the induction scheduled for 10pm as they seemed to have stuck on that detail.

They asked me if I had a choice in rooms as only one was occupied and I picked one of the ones with the new spa shower. I was put into what I believe, was the same room that Skadi was born in. Some renovations had been done since she was born, but the location was right and the direction the room faced was right. It was a happy day!

They put me on the monitors and Olivia was my nurse for just a few hours until shift change - Olivia was my nurse with Skadi too. It was noted that no, I was not contracting, but baby was moving well, had steady heartrate and was not in distress. I was put on a penicillin IV ordered for every four hours until delivery because I was Group B Strep positive.

Once they got the first dose of penicillin in me and determined the baby was doing good, I was released to walk the halls. And here we were, same as with Skadi, walking the halls. Only with her we got to watch the sunrise... not the sunset. It was quiet in the birthing center and we cruised the halls. Only a few contractions here and there.

We ate dinner and hung out, walked and waited until Dr. M would call in again for an update and instruct on the path forward at 10pm.

At 10pm he called in and ordered the induction that was initially scheduled for 10pm - same path forward, two doses of Cytotec each 5 hours apart and then start Pitocin at 7am given that I was not having any contractions.

At 11pm my nurse Shana brought in the first dose of Cytotec and AB laid down to try and sleep. I did the same. I was able to successfully sleep some for the first couple hours. The contractions that started in those first few hours were enough that I noticed them, but not enough that I couldn't sleep through them either. Until 3am.

At 3am I was fully awake and having strong contractions. I told myself to let AB sleep and to just go with the contractions for the next hour until they brought in my next dose of Cytotec.

That was THE longest 45 minutes of my life. The contractions were coming pretty strong, very regular and I found myself holding onto the bed rails and counting while breathing to get through them. Finally I woke AB up and asked him to go get the nurse.

Shana came in, checked my cervix and got ready to go call Dr. M to let him know I was contracting hard, should she administer the next dose of Cytotec? I was positive that I was likely at least 5-6 cm by now.

2 cm.

TWO freaking centimeters.

I was so sad and frustrated. I remember with Leif and Skadi being 5 cm before insisting on an epidural. And here I was at two centimeters begging for pain relief.

My nurse came back with news from Dr. M. I could have either IV pain relief or an epidural. Skip the next dose of Cytotec and pitocin at 7am to get me dilated.

I reasoned out with the nurse that I wanted the IV pain relief instead of the epidural at this point because at only 2 cm I didn't want to be hooked up to an epidural that entire time. AB helped me get up and go to the restroom, which was a horribly difficult trip. I got back and the IV was started.

Shana told me that the pain would not go away, but just take the edge off. I could have two doses - one 100% dose, of which she only wanted to give me half to start to see how I tolerated it as she had prior patients react poorly mentally to it. As she put it, "it gets into your head".

I tolerated it well. I can't describe the feeling now - 1.5 weeks later - but "getting into your head" was a good descriptor. The second dose would be an 80% dose and she warned me it wouldn't last as long. I remember asking how long I would feel better and she said 45-60 minutes for the first dose.

I was able to relax some, she was right, just the edge of the pain was taken off. The contractions were still strong, I still clung to the bed rails, counted and breathed hard. But it wasn't as bad as it had been.

60 minutes flew by and suddenly I was begging for the second dose.

She was right, it didn't work nearly as well the second time around and by 30 minutes in I was begging for the epidural and this time I was serious. Get it here. Now.

It was about 5:30am and AB helped me head to the bathroom while I waited for the epidural. Once there I felt like I was going to throw up. Shana came in and said, "she can't be in transition yet, but I want to check her once she gets back".

And upon checking me she started panicking. Ok, actually she was very calm. But you know that kind of fake calm that comes over people? She started moving very quickly.

7 Centimeters.

"You went from 2 to 7 centimeters in 1.5 hours," she gasped!

She "walked quickly" to the door and yelled down the hall to the nurses station:

"Call Dr. Morrison, April is 7 cm in 1.5 hours and get an epidural here NOW!"

Suddenly AB was wide awake and next to me helping with the contractions. Nurses were in and out. And that epidural took his time.

Finally Dr. Epidural arrived, sauntered in slowly and decided to go through a list of questions with me whereby he politely stopped asking questions for each and every freaking contraction.

Shana stepped it up.

"Dr. Epidural sir, no disrespect, but she went from 2 to 7 centimeters in record time and we need to get this moving," she said.

He was surprisingly dismissive of her (in my opinion) and went about his very slow movements.

I have never, in all three of my labors, wanted to yell at anyone... except him. I wanted to scream and yell at him. I recalled seeing a thing on TV whereby an anesthesiologist had gotten a kidney stone and after that experience said that he never dilly dallied on getting a woman an epidural.

I wished kidney stones on him.

I sat on the edge of the bed with my arms around AB contracting every few minutes waiting and waiting for Dr. Slow Epidural to get a move on. I recalled with my other two nearly immediate relief after the epidural. Not this time around. I think I had another 4-5 contractions before feeling relief. Once I felt relief I just wanted Dr. Slow Epidural to leave he annoyed me so much.

Shana checked me again and announced 8 cm and "where is Dr. M!" She yelled down the hall, you guys did call him didn't you? She is 8cm!

Suddenly the room was being set up for delivery and nurses were in and out. But no Dr. M.

Finally someone announced that he was in the hospital. And a huge glow emanated in my life.

The epidural was eh. It was working very well, I could hardly feel contractions, but my right leg was like a lead weight and my left was only slightly better. With my other two I could still feel contractions and move my legs. This one, not as good. Dr. Slow Epidural was still on my shit list.

With Skadi I had the "floppy cervix", whereby it seemed dilated because it was "floppy", but not all the way. They kept saying I was right there, just one little lip of the cervix, and talk that they could almost just nudge it into place. So for all the racing, we were left sitting and waiting. But at least I couldn't feel anything!

Finally the nurse suggested we do a couple of test pushes. Success. I pushed the baby moved down. Suddenly everyone was in place and ready for a baby.

Push #1 - there's the head crowning - they brought the mirror over so I could see.

Push #2 - the head was born.

Push #3 - the body was born at 8:21am

(This is a significant time. My mother was born at 6:21 am, my sister, I believe, at 6:21am. I was born at 11:21pm, Leif was born at 1:21pm, and now Silas at 8:21am. Skadi - in her quest to be different - was born at 1:59pm.)

Suddenly there was this little being on my chest and I was trying to get a good look at him.

Then suddenly he was snatched off my chest, taken over to the area where they work on the babies and loads of commotion. I knew he wasn't breathing. He was pinkish, not blue from what I could see, but they said he was "holding his breath". Once on oxygen he was pink, but taking him off oxygen he was not sustaining respiration.

They unsnapped everything and within minutes were out the door running him down to the nursery. I yelled at AB to go with him. It was obvious he felt torn as he saw my tears and his son being wheeled away.

Then I was sitting there by myself with Dr. M reassuring me. I knew one of his children had been born with issues causing her to be whisked away, so he continued to tell me about her and about how things are just fine. He is in good hands. We talked about how we both agree that hospital births are best - he said it scares him to death when people opt for a home birth and what happens when a baby like mine is born who is having trouble.

I kept wondering what he looked like, how much he weighed, how long he was.

AB popped in a few minutes later to tell me he was breathing, everything was going to be fine. I sent him back with a camera. Get pictures, I told him. I needed to see pictures.

I sat there and sobbed.

AB came back and asked if he could give him formula? Of course, I barked! Get back there! But also get back here. And leave the camera here! And yes, I am sobbing, but it is because Dr. Slow Epidural gave me too much epidural and I can't move my legs and they think it will be a few hours before I can get up and get down to see him.

We talked briefly about names. AB had narrowed it down to Roan and Silas from our somewhat extensive list. (Since this is our last baby, no chance of recycling names, our list is here: Espen (was AB's lead most of the pregnancy), Silas (my lead most of the pregnancy), Roan (the dark horse that popped up at the last minute), Sven, Viggo, Rafe, Anders, Tait, Beck and Knut). But I was pretty insistent that I see him before going with a name.

AB went back to give him formula. He did that and they were getting ready to wheel him back when suddenly they changed their mind. And Silas would remain in the special care nursery for the next 4 nights.