Birth story - Rebekah and baby Emmett

*Trigger warning* - previous miscarriage (blighted ovum), infertility, induction, use of the word contractions, diabetes, low fluid, high blood pressure.

I’ve been a member of the Positive Birth Community since my last trimester and I am so excited to share my story.

Pre pregnancy - 5 years ago, my husband and I began trying to get pregnant. After a blighted ovum, fertility treatments, and many negative pregnancy results we decided that if we had not conceived by Nov 11, 2021 we would research other options (adoption, surrogacy, etc.). Well, Nov 11, 2021 came and went and still no positive test. We were upset but decided to take a break and have grieving time before starting the search for our best fit. Low and behold, we conceived 10 days later.

Pregnancy - I loved being pregnant. No symptoms, no morning sickness. Just some very swollen feet and living in Florida during the summer while pregnant (Don’t worry, I make up for the easy pregnancy later). At 20 weeks, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I have family history of diabetes so it wasn’t a shock to find this out. Diet changes didn’t help so I had to take medication.

Beginning around 30 weeks, I was scheduled for weekly NSTs and my OB sent me to the hospital a few different times for high blood pressure. Since I had the GD, she wanted to be certain I wasn’t getting into the preeclampsia realm. All three times both baby and I checked out and were sent home.

Labor and delivery -

July 31

Came to hospital for follow up NST (24 hour urine last week. Was sent to the hospital because of high ish blood pressure and small amount of protein in urine)

NST showed consistent contractions 6-7 mins apart. Sent home. By the time we went to bed they were about 5.5

August 1

Contractions started about 5-6 apart in the morning and at about 3 pm were averaging 3-4.5 mins. Came to hospital and placed under observation. Contractions weren’t super regular anymore (of course) but still there, protein in urine (just a little), low fluid, and BP kept teetering between ok and not ok. They decided to keep me over night to watch rather than send me home and something go wrong. Sent my husband home to be with the dogs and have a last night in a real bed.

August 2

Follow up ultrasound 8 am, Max (husband) was back around 9 ish. Dr Pulsfus came in around noon saying that fluid was still low and with everything else (high blood pressure, low fluid, contractions) not getting better or not getting worse, he was going to schedule induction! 2 rounds of cytotec that night and then pitocin at 6 am the next morning. I was able to shower and we went down to the cafeteria to get some real food and sit in the garden for a bit before being locked back up in the room.

August 3

They didn’t end up giving me the third round of cytotec because my contractions happened a lot more quickly than they were supposed to. They started me on fluid to slow them down a bit since cervix wasn’t softening or dilating. They were able to settle the contractions and started pitocin on time at 6 am. 8 am - nurse did an exam and I was about 50% thinned and 1 cm dilated. My back was killing me but as long as I could keep my back pain under control, the contractions weren’t that bad. 12 pm - Dr Needham did an exam and I was still only 50% thinned and 1 cm. Nurse Amanda was awesome and gave me positions to try with the ball to coax baby down into the cervix. 4 pm - Dr Needham did an exam and still no changes. They stopped pitocin, let me shower and okayed real dinner for tonight (I had been on a clear liquid diet) and will do cervidil. Basically like a scratchy tampon that goes right up under the cervix and is more forcibly telling the cervix to thin. This could really make things go, or we would wait for pitocin at a higher dose at 6 am again.

Cervidil was inserted and and at 4 am on august 4 it was removed

August 4

Cervidil was removed at 4 am because I was contracting too strong and too close together. They did a Foley bulb which is basically a balloon they put in the cervix and blow up and force your cervix to dilate. It was fine when they were doing it but later I was in the most pain I have ever felt in my life. I requested pain medicine. I immediately fell asleep for 2 hours and felt no pain.

I woke up as the medicine was wearing off and the doctor came in and broke my water at about 12:45 pm. I was at about 3 cm. I dilated to about 5.5 cm by 5 pm and requested an epidural. At 11 pm I was 10 cm and ready to push. I pushed for an hour and a half and I would get so close then as soon as I would stop baby would be pulled all the way back in. My epidural was wearing off and I could feel every contraction and every push. And was getting frustrated. One time when I pushed hard my whole back seized up and I couldn’t move. She called the doctor and the doctor said that the safest way forward for both baby and myself was to do a c section.

August 5

Emmett Alan was born at 2:30 am via c section

5 lb 9 oz

19.7 inches long

I found out at the c section that the reason my pushing wasn’t working was because the cord was wrapped around his body twice so every time I pushed out the cord was pulling him back in. So no matter what I did I couldn’t have pushed him out. Not only that, he was face up.

I was still being monitored for high blood pressure, and later that day was diagnosed with preeclampsia (which is usually diagnosed while pregnant and clears after delivery). I was on magnesium for 24 hours and needed to be observed the whole time.

August 6

Still on bed rest and being observed. I was unable to leave the bed the whole day and needed to have vitals taken every hour. Thank goodness for my husband who needed to take care of both myself and baby as I couldn’t do anything.

August 7

We were cleared to move to postpartum but I still needed to be monitored for high blood pressure. If I was able to keep my blood pressure under control, we could be discharged and go home.. unfortunately that was not the case. We needed to stay another night and I needed to be monitored while on blood pressure medication again.

August 8

7 days after being admitted, we were finally discharged!

He will be 8 weeks tomorrow! Though I don’t want to do it all again, I would do it in a heartbeat for him.