Usenet Writings

©1992 Beth Weiss, Posted to misc.kids Usenet newsgroup, July 20, 1992

Jordan Vinson Weiss

Parents: Beth Weiss & Dean Vinson

9 pounds, 2 ounces, 22 1/2 inches long
(not a typo--you should see his feet!)

Tuesday 14 July, 8:27 pm

And, as promised, here's the labor story.

An initial attempt to induce labor on July 9th failed, since my cervix didn't respond adequately to either the prostoglanden gel or to 15 hours of pitocin.  So, I went home for the weekend.

Saturday morning (the 11th), I lost my mucous plug, and started hoping I'd go into labor on my own.  Sunday evening, I started having regular, timeable (but very weak) contractions, which made me even more hopeful that a second inducing wouldn't be needed.  I had contractions 8-10 minutes apart from 7:00 Sunday evening until I checked into the hospital Monday afternoon at 4:00 for the already scheduled inducing. (induction? inducement?)

I was very disappointed to learn that my cervix was still only 1-2 centimeters--exactly what it had been when I'd been sent home the previous Friday.  My OB prescribed 3 doses of prostoglanden gel through the night, 4 hours apart.  This part wasn't too bad.  I had a liquid dinner and did manage to sleep.  Having the gel inserted any big deal--similar to a pelvic exam, but faster and less uncomfortable.

The resident who did the middle of the night insertions was very concerned about my contractions, since they were continuing, and she was afraid my uterus would be hyperstimulated.  However, my doctor had left very explicit instructions with the OB on call, since he wanted to be sure that I did get all of the doses.  We'd already learned the hard way that the pitocin alone wasn't enough to stimulate my cervix.  At one point, the baby's heartbeat dropped, and they gave me some oxygen, but it went right back up, and everyone calmed down.  (My memory of this is very vague--I was mostly asleep.)

We'd been planning to start the pitocen at 6:00 am, but since the last dose of PG gel wasn't inserted until 3:30, we had to wait until 7:30 to get started.  At that point, I was about 90% effaced, and at 2 centimeters, and my OB was relieved that the gel had done its job--and more confident that inducing labor would work.

He broke my water about 8:30 or so, and from that point on, I had 60-70 second contractions 2-3 minutes apart.  My husband Dean was with me, as was a doula, Marjorie, who was also our childbirth educator. By 10:00, I was having a lot of trouble dealing with the contractions, since I wasn't getting any rest between them.  I had hoped to avoid pain medication, since I tend to react very strongly to such things, but I was really hurting and starting to panic slightly.  Marjorie ran interference with the medical staff, and explained that I'd rather have Nubane than Demerol, and they called my OB who okayed it. Apparently, Demerol is more commonly used at the hospital. 

The Nubane helped quite a bit, and allowed me to rest between the contractions, which were really strong.  I was able to get another dose at 1, and another at 3.  I would have killed for one at 5, but I was at 8 centimeters, and they wouldn't let me have one.  The doctors kept telling me I was doing fine, and giving time estimates, but I wasn't keeping up with them at all--they thought I'd be pushing by 4 or 5, and I wasn't even fully dilated.

(For those who wonder, an epidural wasn't an option for me.  The same low platelet count that caused my OB to induce labor caused the anesthesiologist to say an epidural wasn't medically wise.  If I'd needed a c-section, it would have been under general)

Lots of the time is really vague to me already.  At some point they removed the external contraction monitor and inserted an internal one. That didn't bother me at all.  After the second dose of Nubane, the nurse wouldn't let me get up to go to the bathroom, and I thought I was just voiding on the same pads that I was leaking water and blood on, but apparently (see below), I was wrong.

My doctor wasn't on call, but his partner was wonderful--I liked him a great deal, which is saying a lot about someone I met under those circumstances!

About 7:00, I was finally at almost 10 centimeters, and the doctor helped the baby's head past the rim of the cervix, which just wouldn't dilate.  And then I pushed.  And pushed.  I thought my bladder was empty, but the labor nurse determined it wasn't, and so inserted a temporary catheter to empty it, since I knew I couldn't use a bedpan--I didn't think there was anything there!  Emptying my bladder seemed to help, but it still took an hour and a half to push him out.

For some reason, I pushed better when the doctor was there.  He'd come back at some point, and removed the monitor, and I remember a brief feeling of panic, wondering if I'd really know when to push.  I wanted someone to verify that I was really having another contraction and it was time, but noone could, since I didn't have the monitor, but I did really know.

Because of my medical problems, the labor nurse called two NICU nurses in to be there for the baby when it finally came out.  I don't remember ever seeing them, but we have pictures of them :-)

I had really wanted to avoid an episiotomy, and my OB and I had agreed that he wouldn't do one unless it was medically necessary.  I somehow managed to communicate that to the OB who was there, and he said he didn't do routine episiotomies anyway.  I got to feel the tip of the baby's head, and Dean and Marjorie were saying that it wasn't disappearing between pushes anymore, and I kept pushing, and finally pushed his head out--without an episiotomy, and I remember feeling a sense of relief that I wasn't going to be cut.

And then (disappointment follows), the doctor did cut me, since I couldn't push Jordan's shoulders out--he just didn't fit.  Dean says he didn't see the episiotomy, but I remember seeing the doctor reach for a scissors-looking tool and cutting (but I didn't feel the cut). As it turned out, Jordan broke his clavical bone coming out, but he doesn't seem to be having any troubles with it.   I thought I could see a scrotum, but I wasn't sure, so I asked "what is it?" and the doctor and Dean said it was a boy. 

They took him right to the warming table, and (according to Dean) the nurses looked him over.  His Apgars were 7 and 8, and so I was happy and relieved.  And then they said he weighted 9 pounds 2 ounces! After just a couple of minutes, Dean brought him to me and put him on my chest.  But, he was so heavy I couldn't stand to have him there, and I hadn't delivered the placenta yet, and then I had to be stitched (I tore near the uretha as well as having the episiotomy).

Dean held Jordan for a while, but then the labor nurse said that he was slightly lethargic and not as responsive as she thought he should be, and that he needed one-on-one nursing care, as did I, and she thought he should go straight to the nursery instead of waiting several hours (as is more typical in problem-free deliveries).  So, Dean accompanied Jordan to the nursery, and I got stitched (and called my mom)

I was then moved to my postpartum room, and the nursery staff brought Jordan to me about 2:00 in the morning, after he'd been watched for a while and his blood sugar checked.  (In the interim, I'd been catheterized, since I was so swollen I couldn't possibly void.  The catheter was left in about 30 hours, which gave me a chance to recuperate before trying to use the equipment)

Anyway, that's how it was (I think).  I keep asking Dean for more details, since so much of it was vague to me.  Next time, we're videotaping so that _I_ can see it!

And Jordan is the most beautiful baby--he isn't even all newborn splotchy!