Lucky Friday the 13th Baby

I was due on April 11th, and hardly slept the night before my 40 week appointment.  The doctor checked me and said my cervix was closed.  I was a little disappointed but she told me that it was still entirely possible I could go into ‘spontaneous’ labor.  My induction got scheduled for the 18th at 41 weeks. I had been doing a lot of walking and squatting on my yoga ball because I did not want to be induced.  After my appointment, I spent a lot of time on the toilet and I knew my body was clearing itself out which was a sign she was coming soon!  There was also a significant amount of pressure down below when I walked. I went and got a pedicure later, hoping some foot massage would get things going.  

The next day was my SO 30th birthday.  So I baked him a cake (a wives tale says this indicted labor lol).  The pressure had gone away and I decided to go for a long walk and do squats on my yoga ball for a while.  After singing happy birthday i thought I felt a contraction, but I just went to the bathroom and never felt another one.

The next morning I woke up a 6:30 to pee, go back into bed with only 15 minutes until my SO and I had to wake up. When I lay back down I felt a pop, like a rubber band snapping, which was exactly what I read it feels like when your water breaks. It was followed by a contraction, so I sprung out of bed with excitement waiting to see if there was any fluid. Nothing. I got back into bed and started googling ‘can your water break but not leak with a closed cervix?’ Lol silly I know. By now the alarm clock was going off. I told SO about what happened, and not wanting to get too excited he went downstairs to begin his normal routine. At 7 I had another contraction and decided to start getting ready for work (I work from home). I took 3 steps into my closet and suddenly the gush of fluid came, but it was a dark brown. I knew this meant it was meconium and she must’ve pooped. I shouted to my SO and called the doctor. The operator took my message and the doctor called me back just after 8. In between I ate breakfast and continued having contractions at least every 15 minutes.

We got to the hospital (a 12 min drive) by 8:30 and taken into triage where the fetal heart rate and contraction monitors were hooked up. She was doing good and my contractions while coming sooner were still irregular. The doctor showed up around 9:15 and confirmed my water broke by mec. We had to get her out with haste. She asked about a birth plan and I told her that having a baby was too unpredictable and that I would be open to doing whatever was medically necessary to keep us both safe. I studied every labor/birth scenario and we took a Labor Basics course that went over all this and the different pain management and induction methods. She explained that because I was only 2cm and 80% effaced we would start me on Pitocin when I got up to the delivery room to speed up dilation.

By 4 I was dilated to 6 almost 7, and the contractions were very hard to breathe through so I knew it was time for the epidural because I wouldn’t be able to last another 3-4 hours - the pain was literally exhausting and I knew I needed all the strength I had to push when the time came. Up until then me and my SO were working together as I sat on the labor ball and leaned over the bed, and he sat behind me massaging and keeping pressure on my hips as they came. I’d lean back on him and we would match our breathing through each contraction. They came like sets of waves, there would be 3 in a row only 15 seconds apart and lasting a minute each. Then I would get a 2 min reprieve before the next set came along. My SO kept whispering in my ear telling me how beautiful I am and how great I was doing just as he knew I would. He was incredible and so excited and in the moment the whole labor and delivery.

I got on the bed because the contractions at that point as I was entering transition were making it hard to get comfortable. I was on my right side struggling to keep my breathing steady when the baby’s heart rate dropped. The nurse stopped the pit, got the O2 mask on me, and made me roll onto my back. My epidural was performed by 5, and by 5:30 I was back to feeling like I had when we got to the hospital. The IV procedure hurt more than getting the epidural, and it worked like a charm. They monitored me for about 30 minutes and then started the pit back up. This is when I should have tried to take a nap! We loved our nurse, but she stayed in our room talking us up when we should have asked her to let me rest (unaware of there being no other opportunity to sleep within the next 36 hours).

The doc checked on me at 8pm and I was at a 9, he worked on getting the last bit caught between my baby’s head and my bone out of the way. Then we did a few practice pushes. By 9:15 I was a 10 and ready to go. Baby girl was very low and in the perfect position facing my back. Pushing got easier after my SO gave me the pointer about breathing in through my mouth after taking the deep breath and holding it to push. This helped fill my lungs faster between pushes and made them more effective. He was an amazing support to me and kept me going with his encouragement and excitement about how close she was. The doc came back when it was time to deliver, and they asked if I wanted a mirror so I could see, but I had to close my eyes when I pushed and I had my SO being my mirror already.

Livi Renee entered the world at 10:45pm on Friday April 13th. NICU was present because of the mec in my amniotic fluid. The doc had to clear her airways because she wasn’t breathing at first. I heard her cries and then she was given to me for immediate skin to skin. I was so overwhelmed with love for this baby covered in poo and vernix etc. it didn’t matter, she was finally here and I could see how beautiful she is. My SO was in tears, I was in tears, it was the most profound moment of our lives.

Post partum: no stitches needed just had a very small tear. Don’t feel it at all. I was very blessed to have such an amazing labor and delivery.