At 0820am, my OB broke my water and we were on our way to having a baby! I started off about 5-6cm. It took a bit to jump start contractions just as it did with Clara's labor. My OB started just a little bit of pitocin about 3pm and I finally got into a great labor pattern. Once things got really moving things happened really, really fast. The scar tissue on my cervix was probably causing a bit of delay in dilation, but just as my OB suspected, once I got a few really got contractions things would go really fast.
And they did. Almost too fast...
I got really uncomfortable with a crap load of pressure about 350pm or so. My OB checked my cervix and I was 7cm/100% - then minutes later, I wanted to push. I went from 7cm to delivered in less than 15 minutes. Like I said. Fast. Just as I started pushing, Kevin called my mom and Mairead in for the birth. Mairead came and stood right next to me. She had the biggest smile on her face, and the excitement in her eyes was just contagious. As the baby got really close to being delivered, Mairead noticed I was in a bit of pain (you know, he was right there). Mairead says to me "Mommy, if you're in pain, I can hold your hand" - talk about one of the sweetest moments. Ever. She brought tears to everyones eyes with her love, concern and excitement over her baby brothers birth. This will surely be a moment she or I will never forget. As the time got really close, she started to get curious as to what was really going on - so, down she went to stand near my mom and Kevin.
At 405pm, Callum John was born weighing 6lbs4oz (the same exact weight as Mairead) & 19'' long
He looked just like his big sister Lilah. Absolutely beautiful. Since he had a very, very, very rapid descent and birth, he swallowed a ton of amniotic fluid on his way out. I tried to stimulate him, but he appeared just like his big sister Lilah at birth - peaceful and not a screamer. I dried him off and just stared at him. He was perfect. He nursed almost immediately - perfectly. I was relieved with the fact that he would take after his sister Lilah and be a "baracuda" at the breast. He fed for close to an hour and each time he fell off, he would throw a fit. I loved it.
By this time, all three girls and my parents were in our room. The girls were in love. Clara was so excited, she climbed right up in bed with us and just stared. Babbled to her baby brother. Lilah and Mairead climbed up in bed with us and just loved on their baby brother. And so it starts....a lifetime of love and mothering from his three big sisters.
After he finished nursing, he started to make some grunting noises in his breathing. The nurse took him over to be weighed and assessed. She noticed the grunting too and checked his oxygen saturations. Low 80s. Not good. She wrapped him up tight and brought him to their newborn nursery to be assessed. While he was there, we all shared some pizza for dinner to celebrate Callum's birth.
So happy for you. Congratulations and best of luck in the coming days!
ReplyDeleteI am glad that Mairead was able to be there...what a beautiful moment shared. He is beautiful and we are continuing to pray for his health to improve. Thank you so much for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Stephanie! Mairead's thoughtfulness brought tears to my eyes. Such a beautiful family!
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie, my daughter was born with PPHN, and that is how I came across this blog. I will probably never know why she ended up with PPHN. She was born at 40+4, and the docs suspect meconium, though they never found any at birth. She had a lot of heart decelerations, but I delivered vaginally, and I always wonder if a c section could have helped.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, she ended up having to go on the ECMO and was in the NICU for more than a month. God was kind, and she came home and has been doing well so far. She is 10 months now. Her approaching b'day is bittersweet.
It's great to know that Callum is doing so well. You have a beautiful family :)
Thank you for posting this story. I am going through this PPHN nightmare right now, blaming myself, when there was nothing I could do to prevent it. I wasn't on any antidepressants and ate abnormal diet. My little girl was born on Monday via emergency csection because I sensed decreased movement and went to the doctor. All anyone knows is something went "catastrophically wrong" internally and they had to deliver her two weeks early. She is 6lbs 6 ounces. We almost lost her Wednesday but she made a turn for the better on Thursday. She's still on oxygen but they are slowly decreasing her levels and she hasn't required ecmo. They are telling me her brain and other vital organs look good so it's just a waiting game right now. I can't even hold her. I long to hold her. I keep looking for stories like this because they are the only things that keep me going and give me hope.
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