Sonny's Birth Story

Sonny's due date was November 10th, 2017. I remember talking with my husband a few days before Halloween that year. We thought it would be fun if our baby was born on Halloween night because it's my favorite holiday and by then I was DONE being pregnant. So we researched different ways we could induce labor safely to see if the baby was ready to come out....Young and naive parents. Personally, I don't think those induction techniques work and that babies come out when they're ready! We had a feeling we wouldn't get off that easy, but we tried just for fun.

If I remember correctly, I snacked on fresh pineapple, made spicy cookies and went on a lot of walks. Nothing happened. 

On November 14th I was getting a lot of long and hard braxton hicks (I had already been experiencing braxton hicks since about week 17 of pregnancy) which started becoming painful. If I moved positions on the couch or got up or bent down I would get them and they would last about two minutes. I remember eating a delicious, filling lunch that afternoon. My husband sauteed some mushrooms and made mashed potatoes and gravy. We were also setting up our Christmas tree! 

I know, it was so early but I wanted something to look forward to after being in bed for 7 months. I'll explain that in another post. Anyway, my husband was in his last semester of college and had a big exam that day. We decided he should go take the test sooner rather than later, just in case the baby were to come soon. So he left for about an hour and I watched the home shopping network Christmas special and made sure I laid very still - so I wouldn't get any contractions. That evening we had our bags, pillows, and paperwork packed in the car. 

As my contractions became more consistent my husband suggested we call the labor and delivery ward at the hospital and tell them what was going on. They urged us to come in and see how far I was dilated. I didn't want to go. All of the sudden things were happening and I was nervous and scared. But, I pretended to be brave and agreed to go to the hospital. As we were walking down the three sets of stairs from out apartment to the parking lot I looked up at the mountains. I became excited. The sun was setting, it was cool and breezy and I knew I would never walk up or down those steps with a giant belly again! I would have a baby soon! I had a hard contraction in the car. Luckily the hospital was literally a two minute drive down the road. 

My husband ran inside and came out with a wheelchair and a woman I didn't know. I was a little nervous to see her or anyone because the only way to get through a painful contraction was to get on all fours and moan loud. I didn't want to do that around strangers! She was the head nurse, I believe, and she was super nice. She helped me into the wheelchair while my husband grabbed our things. She brought me into the labor and delivery ward where there were at least four nurses sitting at the main counter. It was a very nice and quiet place! 

The lady pushing my wheelchair introduced me to everyone and said I was in labor. I thought to myself "I'm not in labor lady, I'm just here to be checked. I'm leaving soon!" I don't like hospitals or doctors or needles! She brought me into a large dim lit room. My husband helped me get into a hospital gown. I was really glad I ate a big lunch earlier because they told me I wasn't aloud to eat or drink anything if the baby was coming! They had a slushie machine so I did get to snack on a Dr. Pepper slushie. 

A nurse came in and put an IV in my wrist. It hurt. A lot. I remember it aching for hours and hours. Another nurse came in and said she needed to see how far I was dilated. It hurt. A lot. She said I was at a 4 and that they were going to keep me there! The baby was coming! My husband and I smiled at each other. They asked me if I wanted an epidural then or if I wanted to wait. I decided to get it then and it was easy breezy. It didn't hurt and after a few minutes I no longer felt any pain.

 I still had nausea. The delivery doctor came in and broke my water to speed things up. I don't remember if that was before or after the epidural. Either way, it didn't hurt. There was meconium in the liquid so they told me they would have to suck out the baby's lungs as soon as he came out. Around that time I was sitting in a really uncomfortable position and I started to feel awful. I told the doctor I was about to faint and he hurried and laid me down and maybe did something else but I don't remember. I was OK!

The nurse set everything up on the computer so we were able to look at my contractions. They put a band monitor on my belly to monitor the baby but it wasn't picking up a clear signal so they inserted an internal monitor that sat on his head. I tried not to move but when I did the monitor would detach and they would have to reinsert it. This happened several times. 

The baby's heart rate was dropping after each of my contractions so they put an oxygen mask on me and monitored me and the baby more closely. The nurse and doctor decided to put saline solution back up inside to the baby to make him more comfortable.

The nurse continued to check my dilation every hour and eventually gave us a couple of hours to wait by ourselves. My husband turned on my favorite movie and he took a quick nap. I finished the movie and watched some TV and tried to sleep but I was too excited and a little uncomfortable to completely relax.

After several hours a new nurse came in. She was friendly, and real, and made us very comfortable. We loved her. She checked me and said it was time to push! She told the nurses and called the doctor and told him things were in motion! She instructed me how to push and we started. In all, I pushed for about four or four and a half hours. I remember falling asleep between each 'set of pushes'. I was exhausted, and the most thirsty I've ever been in my life. Around that time she said the baby wasn't progressing down so she called the doctor to come in. He checked me and the baby and said we may have to use forceps soon.

He told us to push for another thirty minutes and then he would need to use the forceps if nothing was happening. I asked to rest for 15 minutes. When it was time to push again, the nurse checked me and said she could see the babies head! I guess me and baby just needed a little break. The doctor came in and set up a table of lovely looking, shiny, silver scissors and knives. The respiratory team came in and set up a station for the baby. Another woman was there to document everything. I couldn't believe how many people were there for just one baby!

A woman asked us what the babies name was and we said we didn't know yet. It was between Jack and Sonny. I said I wanted to spend some time with my baby first, before we'd name him. I pushed as hard as I could. I was so excited to see my son! Our nurse said she could see his blonde hair! My husband looked too. I was surprised by that because he does not like blood or things like that. The doctor told me I was tearing and asked me if he could make an incision. I said yes but I could feel a little sharp pain so he numbed it.

And then I pushed the baby out! I think I was half asleep because when I opened my eyes the doctor was holding him. He wasn't crying so after the they cut the cord, they rushed him to the station and the ladies cleaned him out. My husband asked me if I wanted him to stay by me and I told him to be with the baby. I eventually heard a cry. I asked if he was OK. They said his oxygen is a little bit low so they will monitor him for a few hours. They put a beanie on his head and put him on my chest.

He had a little whimper cry and he was trying to suck on his hand. I had a feeling he might be hungry.

I was so tired I could barley keep my eyes open. Everything else seemed to be OK! The first thing my husband said was that he looked like my little sister Charlotte.  Life was good. I was getting stitched up, my baby was perfectly healthy and I wasn't pregnant anymore! YAY! This was the coolest experience of my life.

 After a few hours we both thought Sonny was a perfect name for our son. 6 pounds 10 ounces.  A sweet little guy. I'm so grateful for everyone who helped bring Sonny into the world. I'm so grateful for my little family. It was so special and I still cannot believe I made a human. My body is a miracle. My son is a miracle.