Owen's Birth Story

            Owen’s birth story could not be more different than Emmett’s.  Where in the beginning of Emmett’s I had to put a warning that it would be emotional and possibly difficult to read, Owen’s is merely joyful.

            Tuesday July 3^rd, two days after my due date, I went to the doctor.  I was declared only one centimeter dilated, as I had been for 3 weeks.  After having a c-section with Emmett, I was determined to give birth vaginally this time.  But the odds were not looking to be in my favor.  Despite the risks, my doctor and the consulting OB determined that we would wait one week and if nothing happened we would schedule an induction.  I was nervous about the increased risk of uterine rupture, but I was willing to risk almost anything to avoid a c-section.  And so, we waited.

            On the morning of Saturday July 7^th I woke up and went to the bathroom and there was a little bit of blood.  It scared me at first, because since I was induced with Emmett, I had never gone into labor before and I didn’t really know the signs.  I referred to my “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” book and found that this is what’s known as the “bloody show” and that labor was most likely 24-48 hours away.  I didn’t get my hopes up, because I had just accepted the fact that I was incapable of going into labor on my own.  Chris’s parents had graciously offered to take Emmett to their house Saturday night and sent us on a “last date” before we had the baby. 

We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, during which I began to feel some mild tightening feelings in my stomach.  It didn’t really hurt and they weren’t very strong, so I didn’t really think they were contractions.  We went on to a movie, “Snow White and the Huntsman”, during which these tightening feelings began to get stronger.  By the end of the movie they were beginning to get strong enough to where I would call them pains.  We passed the hospital on our way home and I jokingly said to Chris, “Hey, we might be checking in there sometime soon!” thinking we were still maybe a day away.  We got home around midnight and I took my usual nightly shower and went to bed.  I was reading my book in an attempt to ignore the pain so that I could get to sleep.  Well the pains got stronger and more frequent.  I decided to start timing them and sure enough, they were about 5-6 minutes apart, but they were only about 30-45 seconds long.  Knowing the 4-1-1 rule (4 minutes apart, one minute long, for one hour) I thought they weren’t long enough to bother calling the doctor.  They began to get closer to 4 minutes apart about 2:00 AM, and even though they weren’t long enough, I decided I better wake up Chris (who had been snoring beside me since I got out of the shower) to get a second opinion.  He timed a few contractions with me and we decided we better call the doctor.  When Chris told him who he was and who he was calling for, the doctor joked “This can’t be the Kim Correll I know, she doesn’t go into labor!”  Chris explained our situation and the doctor suggested we go to the hospital.  We finished packing our bag and Chris took a shower, all the while the contractions were getting stronger and more often.  I got to the point where I had to stop what I was doing and double over the bed or the counter or whatever I was standing next to whenever a contraction hit.  Lucky for us, Emmett was already at his Nana and Pawpaw’s house so we didn’t have to wait for them to get here.  About 3:30 AM we headed to the hospital.

Chris dropped me off at the entrance to the women’s center and went to park the car.  The hospital was so empty and quiet that it was eerie.  When Chris met me with our stuff we hopped on the elevator and went up to labor and delivery triage.  They took me into one of the little triage rooms to check me out.  We answered a bunch of questions and did paperwork.  The triage nurse checked me and I was 3 centimeters dilated.  At that point my contractions were painful but bearable.  I was able to force myself to relax through them with a lot of concentration.  They had to come and start my IV because I had tested positive for the Strep B and needed penicillin.  I started getting nervous about the IV because I know from previous experience how much those hurt.  I tend to be queasy about needles anyway, and I noted the fact that I hadn’t eaten anything since dinner at 6:00 the previous evening.  On an empty stomach and low blood sugar, needles tend to make me faint.  I explained this to the nurse and she offered me a drink. I chose a ginger ale for its stomach settling properties.  However, one sip and I felt like I was going to throw up.  They handed me something to throw up in just in case.  I forced myself to breath and calm down and the nausea subsided.  The nurse came to start my IV and I asked if it was possible to have it in my arm on the side of my wrist instead of the back of my hand (I had one there years ago when I had jaw surgery and I remember it being much less painful than the one I had in my hand when I had Emmett) and she was surprisingly agreeable.  She found a vein quickly and it was in.  She did a great job.  Normally when I tell them needles make me queasy, they send in their best person who can get it in quickly with one try, thank goodness.  Of course as soon as they get the IV in I realize that I have to pee, so they help me roll my cart down to the bathroom (the creepiest part of the IV is being attached to a cart by your vein, ew!).  Then they put me in a wheelchair and took me to a labor and delivery room.

I got all settled into my bed in the labor and delivery room somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00 AM.  They strapped the fetal heart monitor to me and the contraction monitor.  Owen’s heartbeat was strong and all was looking good.  The anesthesiologists came by to see if I wanted an epidural.  At that time the contractions were strong but bearable so I told me I was going to wait and see.  I continued to breath and relax through the contractions.  I even attempted to sleep in between them, but I wasn’t getting long enough breaks in between.   

My doctor, Dr. Rosen, arrived around 7:00 AM and checked my progress.    I was expecting a lot of progress, but I was only 4 centimeters dilated after all that time passed.  I was worried about having a long labor again like my first one.  He said that 4 centimeters was a really good time to break my water, so he did that.  After that things got real.  The contractions became intense and they were coming closer and closer together.  I was barely getting breaks in between and I was no longer able to relax through the contractions.  I was gripping the bed rails or Chris’s hand and moaning and gasping through them.  The epidural was beginning to sound like a really good idea at that point.  After about an hour of that I decided I would have them check my progress again and if I was close to fully dilated I would try to stick it out.  Well I was only 5 centimeters at that point.  I decided that being only halfway there, there was no way I wanted to do that much more without the epidural.  They called anesthesia to come back and I swear it felt like hours before they showed up.  I was begging anyone who would listen to get them to hurry up.  I was losing my mind with pain at that point, moaning and crying.  And I’m not ashamed to admit that, labor is absolute hell.  They finally showed up and I felt a little queasy as I watched them lay out the needles and equipment.  But you know its time when the fear of the next contraction trumps the fear of them putting a needle into your spine.  The process is still very unpleasant, and when they were done I was still feeling the contractions.  They said I would feel about 3 more and then it should start to kick in.  Boy when it does, it is sweet, sweet relief.  You even get a little button to push when you need more pain relief.  I relaxed and shortly afterwards I took a nice nap.  Of course part of me wishes I was strong enough to do it without pain meds.  And I know that women have been giving birth for years without anything.  But my nurse put it into words the best way I’ve heard yet.  She said, “Well you could have a cavity filled without Novocain too, but why would you?  Take the help if its available.”  Of course a month later when you get the bill you wish you had been stronger.  But in the moment no price is too great.  I only had one complication with the epidural.  All of a sudden I started feeling a little dizzy and nauseous.  My blood pressure dipped really low and they had to give me something in my IV to bring it back up again.  That was a little scary, but I started to feel better right away.  I didn’t have any further issues.

At 10:00 I was checked and declared fully dilated.  I started pushing.  I grabbed my legs and I pushed hard.  I was determined that this baby was coming out the traditional way.  I pushed through about 3 contractions and he was getting close to coming out.  They offered to let me watch in the mirror this time, and I actually decided to look.  All I can say is…woah.  But I began to believe that I was going to be able to do this.  On the next contraction the doctor told me to push gently because he would definitely be coming out with the next push.  Despite the epidural I was not completely numb, so I felt him being born.  Owen Mark Correll was born at 10:26 AM on July 8^th.  They held him up briefly so I could see him before they took him over to the table to clean him up.  I confirmed for myself once and for all that he was a boy.  I think a tiny part of me was still holding out hope that all the sonograms had been wrong.  They called out his weight as 8 lbs 3 oz and his length at 22 inches.  His crying sounded strong but he was still working a little too hard to breath.  They said he just came so fast that he didn’t get all the fluid squeezed out of his lungs.  He needed to go to the NICU to get better cleaned out and to have a chest x-ray.  This struck fear into our hearts because this was all too familiar, reminiscent of Emmett’s birth.  But I could tell his breathing was much better than Emmett’s, his cry louder, clearer, stronger.  They said he would most likely spend about 4 hours in the NICU before being brought to the room.  We said, “Yeah, we’ve heard that before, and last time he didn’t get out for 5 days!”  They assured us this was very routine.  They wrapped him up and let me hold him for just a few minutes before they took him away.  It was wonderful to be able to hold him at that moment, even if it wasn’t for very long.  Then they put him in one of those clear plastic incubator boxes and rolled him out.  I could tell Chris was more concerned than I was about him, so I did my best to reassure him, explaining the difference in the way his crying sounded.  Then Chris left to go to the NICU to be with Owen.  I was so happy that I managed to deliver him vaginally.  I barely felt how tired I was.  I wasn’t even worried about Owen.  All I could do was smile.   

While all this was going on, Dr. Rosen was doing his repair work, sewing where I had torn and also where he had had to cut me.  I was slightly disturbed by how long he was down there sewing, so I asked him if everything was ok.  He said everything was all right, that it was perfectly within the realm of normalcy for a first delivery even though it was my second attempt.  I said, “Good, because its starting to hurt and my button won’t work anymore.”  He said the epidural was out but that he was almost done.  In what world is it acceptable to be able to feel the doctor sewing you up?  I guess anything goes in labor and delivery. 

A few minutes after he was finally done with the repair work, my parents arrived.  We had waited until 7:00 AM to call them and tell them I was in labor.  We didn’t want to wake anyone up at an ungodly hour.  Then things went so fast they didn’t get there until after the baby was born.  That was ok with all of us though, because they would have left while I was pushing anyway.  The nurse came with a wheelchair to take me to my postpartum room.  On the way we stopped by the NICU to see Owen.  He was perfectly fine, no oxygen necessary, chest x-ray clear.  They said they would have him to my room in a little while.  What a relief!  He needed to go to the nursery first for some routine checks first and then he would be all ours!  It felt so great to have a baby in the healthy baby nursery this time. 

Once I got settled into my room we proceeded to make the necessary phone calls to family and friends.  I got to eat lunch, which tasted so good even though it was hospital food.  I was just so hungry I think any food would have tasted good to me.  I will say one thing, our hospital has the best sweet tea EVER.  I requested it with every meal.  I also like how our hospital gives you choices for your meals.  They come and take your order each day for the next day’s meals.  Its good for picky eaters like me.  And even though it sucks to be in the hospital, I have to admit I love being waited on.  I’m sure I drank too much soda while I was there too, but to have someone bring you whatever you want whenever you want it is pretty cool. 

The next day Chris’s parents came with Emmett.  I couldn’t believe how big he looked when he walked in the room.  I had been so used to holding a newborn for the last 24 hours.  Emmett was really excited to see Owen.  And he seemed really glad to see us again.  He seemed a little weirded out by me in a hospital bed.  He did climb up on the bed and sit with me for a little while, but we never did get a family picture with all of us because he wouldn’t cooperate.  My parents took him home to our house for the rest of the day and we stayed one more night in the hospital.

It felt really weird to be discharged and going home about 48 hours after having Owen.  To some extent I was ready to go home, but I was also a bit nervous about it.  I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be to handle both boys at once.  My mom stayed for the rest of the week with me to help me out.  Then she went home and I was on my own.  And the rest is history.  

 

 

40 weeks and 5 days

I am past due again.  Am I really surprised?  No, not really.  I have no idea what it is about me or my babies that causes me not to go into labor.  I know its not something that I can control.  I've done everything that I know of, that I've read about, that people have told me to try.  So if there was something I could do to go into labor, it would have happened. 

I went to the doctor this past Tuesday.  I was still dilated 1 cm just like I have been for 3 weeks now.  My doctor needed to call the OBGYN doctor that we have been consulting with to discuss options.  Much to my surprise, they are willing to attempt an induction.  The risk of uterine rupture doubles when labor is induced but it is still a very small risk.  I will go back to the doctor this coming Tuesday if labor doesn't happen on its own before then.  At that time we will schedule the induction at the hospital to begin Wednesday night.  The plan is to do what they call cervical ripening (insert a certain medication and let it sit overnight while you sleep to soften the cervix).  Then they will begin pitocin (the drug that makes you have contractions) Thursday morning.  That's what we were supposed to do when Emmett was born, but when I got to the hospital last time for my induction I was already having contractions that were about 10 minutes apart.  I was barely feeling them, so I didn't even realize it.  Because I was contracting they decided to skip cervical ripening and start the pitocin that night, even though I wasn't dilated at all.  26 hours and change later, Emmett was finally born by c-section.  Despite getting fully dilated and pushing for 2.5 hours, his head was too big to push out.  I am a little worried that an induction will just go the same way it went last time.  But I feel that it is worth a try to avoid having a c-section.  And the doctors think this baby is smaller than Emmett was.  My biggest fear is that this baby will end up going to the NICU with breathing problems like Emmett did.  But, I have no reason to believe that having a c-section instead of an induction would make that any less likely to happen.  The doctors don't seem to think so either, becuase I asked about risks to the baby, stating that as my biggest concern (obviously).  Of course there is still a chance I could go into labor on my own before Tuesday, which would be the best case scenario.  But I'm not too optimistic.

I have everything ready for the baby to be born.  Thanks to my crazy nesting, I couldn't be more ready.  Everything is clean, washed, and in place.  The house is in the best shape its been in since we moved in 6 years ago.  I would love a bigger house, but I've done the best I can with the amount of house we have.  We have 3 bedrooms, which will soon all be occupied (no more guest room, unfortunately).  But if we can make this house work for a few more years while the kids are little, it will save us a lot of money and make it possible for me to stay home with my boys.  When they are both ready to be in school full time, I will be ready to go back to work full time.  Not that I'm looking forward to going back to work, I am certainly happier staying home with them.  But to go back to having 2 incomes again would make life so much easier for us.  We could actually plan some fun things like vacations for example.  And deep down, I do miss teaching just a little bit and I would like to give it another try.  Plus teaching is perfect for being a mother.  That's a small part of why I chose it as my profession in the first place.  By the time I go back my teaching license will have expired, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. 

Now it is time to go take care of my current chocolate craving while Emmett is still napping.