Since I am posting this from my sisters house, and computer, I don't have any photos that I can include with this post today, but I'll update it when I return home the week after Thanksgiving.
Today I'll share the story of the Birth.
Thirty Six Years - truly, where does the time go.
My due date was November 7th. Being my first pregnancy, I really did not know what to expect at all. My Mom's labors all occurred at least two weeks before her due date. She said, she would go into the doctors office, he would examine her and say, see you next week, and she would deliver the next day. No such luck for me.
My prenatal course (OB nurse speak jumping right in here!) was uneventful. Back in those old days, we didn't have an ultrasound unless it was medically indicated. And being a Group Health patient, they weren't doing anything that might add to the cost. So my due date came, and went. And my 41 week check up came, and went. My OB (Dr White, I will always remember him fondly) said that I just needed to be patient, it would happen eventually.
We lived in Federal Way. The hospital was in downtown Seattle. On the 16th I began having some irregular contractions, so we hopped in the car and headed in to see if "this was it!"" After an exam by the nurse with the shortest fingers on the staff, they told us to go walk around for a couple of hours and then come back to be checked again. Walking around Capital Hill was not the most comforting place to be, but walk we did. It sure seemed like those contractions were getting stronger and closer together, so I was optimistic when we returned, then concerned when I realized it was going to be the nurse with the stubs for fingers that was going to examine me again!
No change I was told. It drove me crazy when she would smack her hand down on my abdomen during a contraction and then tell me "that wasn't a very GOOD one!"".....It felt plenty good to ME!!!
After some discussion, it was decided that since I was so far past due, that I would come back that evening at 7:30, be admitted, given a sleeping pill and then have my labor induced in the morning.
Well, okay, at least it was a plan!!! Lynn and I hung out at my Mom's in Seattle until it was time to go back. I already had my stuff in the car, thinking I was in labor when we first left the house.
When we arrived at labor and delivery, there was me, and a woman who was scheduled for a morning C-section in the department, that was it. Which made me wonder why in the world they put me in the labor room that shared a wall with the nursery!!! I was supposed to sleep with all that commotion going on right next door???? They had me change into the stylish hospital gown, and a different nurse, an older woman who actually wore a nurses cap, came in and said she was there to prep me. Told me to bend my knees and while she continued to chat, out came a razor and bing, bang, boom, she did a perineal shave!! Lynn just about passed out. He decided to go home to sleep while I got turned on my side for an enema.. Then a sleeping pill was given to me and I was to sleep until they started the pitocin in the morning.
Sleep was not happening. But something else was. I found myself up to the bathroom constantly, had some bloody show and I felt so constipated. And the place started getting busy!! Patients in labor were coming in like crazy!! At 3:30 the bed next to mine in my shared room was taken by a very nice woman, who was there in labor with twins!! Her 16 year old daughter had brought her in. After a short time, she was whisked off for a C-section since baby A was a footling breech. It didn't take long before her bed was cleaned and filled with yet another woman in labor. And I continued my treks to the bathroom every half an hour. Just before 7:00 AM I heard the day shift nurses gathering in the hallway outside my door. They were getting their assignments and a report for the day. The last patient mentioned was me...and it went like this "Who has the induction?" A small voice said "me". Charge nurse says "you are going to go in and tell her that we can't do her today, we are just too busy". Which pushed me right off the emotional cliff.
As this meek pretty Asian nurse named Heidi pulled my curtain back to introduce herself I was sobbing into my pillow. I told her that I had heard the report. And then I had to stop to tolerate a contraction. I told her that I was having some bleeding during the night. She told me that while they couldn't induce me, if I went into labor on my own, then I could stay. About 5 minutes later Dr White came into the room and asked why I wasn't hooked up to my IV for induction yet. Heidi told him that they filled with active patients during the night and could not do an induction today. He said he wanted to examine me, and while doing so, asked for a ""hook"", which Heidi gave him, and proceeded to break my water!!! He smiled at me and said, "Now you aren't going anywhere". Alright then......The charge nurse was NOT happy (years later I understood that feeling!) Lynn arrived about an hour later and made himself comfy in the chair next to the window.
A few hours into it, I wasn't making too much progress, and the heart rate was starting to dip a bit, so a scalp lead was put on the baby's head and pitocin was indeed used. Around this time, I was assigned a nursing student who was there to observe. It was at that moment the idea came into my head about being an OB RN. It had never crossed my mind before that. I had wanted to be a cheerleader, but it didn't pay anything....So this nursing student stayed by my side through the rest of the day. I did have an epidural around noon. About 5, Dr White again appeared and announced to me that it was time to start pushing. And so I did. But I noticed that every time I pushed, everyone was busy staring at the monitor. After 3 or 4 contractions of this, he decided we would move to the delivery room and he would "help"......So off we went. I had taken the required childbirth prep class, and had guilted Lynn into attending one of them. When it was time to push, he was supposed to help me up into a semi sitting position and count to 10. It was when he thought counting in spanish might be fun that I told him to knock it off!!!
Dr. White got some forceps (Lynn called them spoons) and slid them in alongside the baby's head. A few more pushes with him steering from the other end and out came this HUGE baby boy!!! Dr White's first words werë " ït's a boy and he is hung like a moose!"
Kyle James Templeton had arrived. All 9 pounds 12 ounces of him. He had a couple of small bruises on the sides of his head where the forceps had been and a smallish bruise on the top of his mostly bald head where the scalp electrode had been, but he was perfect. And he was mine.
He got onto the breast feeding pretty easily. Our hospital stay was 3 days. When we checked out and got wheeled to the car parked in front of the hospital I started to panic a bit. As Lynn pulled away from the curb I started to cry. And I cried most of the way home. With fear, happiness, wonder and more fear.
I remember it like it was yesterday. What an amazing gift this child has been to me. Happy Birthday Kyle.
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