Ruby and Matt’s twins due 2/7/2010
Ruby was scheduled to induce with Certivil with her twins on the evening of February 2nd 2010. We arrived at the hospital that evening to get comfortable. Ruby’s Ob had informed us that they may have to wait until early morning to induce as there was a limited amount of nurse staff, and a few mothers had arrived actively in labor. She told us that we were welcome to stay at the hospital so that if there was a chance in the middle of the night we could insert the Certivil, we would already be there. But other wise the induction would take place the following A.M. We agreed and set up camp.
I set up in a sleeper chair next to Ruby, so that I could be close if she needed any help. Through out the middle of the night Ruby was quietly moaning through contractions and a few times she got up out of bed to use the restroom. There was a birthing mother in the next room and it was hard on Ruby to hear her in active labor knowing that mother was going to be with their newborn before her.
I awoke to the muffled sound of a screaming newborn baby at around 630 am. I got up quietly and went into the hall to get some water for both me and Ruby, and as I came back in, the rest of us campers started to wake and Ruby announced she had been contracting all night, and that she lost her mucous plug at some point as well. This was great news! Labor was starting on its own.
Her OB came in to talk about that days plan and also to evaluate Ruby. The ob had informed us she was contracting and had dilated on her own to 3cm. They performed an ultrasound. Baby A was head down and Baby B was in a breech position. As long as Baby A would stay in the head down position, Baby B could be delivered doing a manual extraction by her OB. They decided that still inserting the Certivil would be the best option to “move things along” and at around 11a.m. they went through with the procedure.
After about 30 minutes, Ruby’s uterus started feeling irritable and uncomfortable. Her nurses assured her that this was a common side effect of the induction method, and not to worry. Within 4 hours we decided that she was not feeling well having the Certivil any more so we had them remove the insert. We drew a bath for her in the hospitals Jacuzzi tub where she stayed for the next few hours.
Ruby began to feel exhausted and frustrated. She was experiencing more pain and pressure with every contraction, and it was difficult for her to move around. The Obs decided to come in and do an ultrasound to check on the babies heartbeats and to evaluate where she was at with dilation. Ruby was now 8cm dilated, but baby A had retracted from her pelvis, and baby B had put her feet in the way of her cervix. The problem with having Baby Bs foot in line for the pelvis was also that her cord was visibly down by her feet as well. We talked about the possibilities and everything that could happen.
The first thought would be to artificially rupture the membranes and see if labor could fully progress. But the problem with our breech baby and her cord in line with the birth canal, the risk of a cord compression or prolapse was significant, and since baby B was a footleg breech. Her OB was not very confident in delivering a footleg followed by a vertex because of the time between both deliveries, and that breeches require a hands off approach, which is very difficult when handling a possible cord compression and a second baby.
This decision was a difficult one, but after reviewing the options we opted to go fourth with a cesarean section.
Ruby, Matt and Ruby’s mother Lisa scrubbed up to go with her into the operation room.
Leona June was born at 9:28pm on 2/3/2010 followed by her sister Stella Joy at 9:30pm.
Leona was 7lbs 14 oz 19.5 inches long and Stella was 6lbs 15oz 20.5 inches long.
I set up in a sleeper chair next to Ruby, so that I could be close if she needed any help. Through out the middle of the night Ruby was quietly moaning through contractions and a few times she got up out of bed to use the restroom. There was a birthing mother in the next room and it was hard on Ruby to hear her in active labor knowing that mother was going to be with their newborn before her.
I awoke to the muffled sound of a screaming newborn baby at around 630 am. I got up quietly and went into the hall to get some water for both me and Ruby, and as I came back in, the rest of us campers started to wake and Ruby announced she had been contracting all night, and that she lost her mucous plug at some point as well. This was great news! Labor was starting on its own.
Her OB came in to talk about that days plan and also to evaluate Ruby. The ob had informed us she was contracting and had dilated on her own to 3cm. They performed an ultrasound. Baby A was head down and Baby B was in a breech position. As long as Baby A would stay in the head down position, Baby B could be delivered doing a manual extraction by her OB. They decided that still inserting the Certivil would be the best option to “move things along” and at around 11a.m. they went through with the procedure.
After about 30 minutes, Ruby’s uterus started feeling irritable and uncomfortable. Her nurses assured her that this was a common side effect of the induction method, and not to worry. Within 4 hours we decided that she was not feeling well having the Certivil any more so we had them remove the insert. We drew a bath for her in the hospitals Jacuzzi tub where she stayed for the next few hours.
Ruby began to feel exhausted and frustrated. She was experiencing more pain and pressure with every contraction, and it was difficult for her to move around. The Obs decided to come in and do an ultrasound to check on the babies heartbeats and to evaluate where she was at with dilation. Ruby was now 8cm dilated, but baby A had retracted from her pelvis, and baby B had put her feet in the way of her cervix. The problem with having Baby Bs foot in line for the pelvis was also that her cord was visibly down by her feet as well. We talked about the possibilities and everything that could happen.
The first thought would be to artificially rupture the membranes and see if labor could fully progress. But the problem with our breech baby and her cord in line with the birth canal, the risk of a cord compression or prolapse was significant, and since baby B was a footleg breech. Her OB was not very confident in delivering a footleg followed by a vertex because of the time between both deliveries, and that breeches require a hands off approach, which is very difficult when handling a possible cord compression and a second baby.
This decision was a difficult one, but after reviewing the options we opted to go fourth with a cesarean section.
Ruby, Matt and Ruby’s mother Lisa scrubbed up to go with her into the operation room.
Leona June was born at 9:28pm on 2/3/2010 followed by her sister Stella Joy at 9:30pm.
Leona was 7lbs 14 oz 19.5 inches long and Stella was 6lbs 15oz 20.5 inches long.
Mike and Stephanies Little Boy due 4/04/2010
Mike,Stephanie James and I shortly after the birth
Stephanie’s estimated due date came and went. Every day people were texting her and calling her to ask her if she was “still pregnant”. She and I had a daily relationship by this point as I wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as a “past due” pregnant woman can be, and just to offer my support. For a couple of weeks Stephanie had been staying nice and content between 3-5cm, but her contractions had still not progressed to any thing that would put her into “active labor”
On the evening of 4/11/2010 she called me and informed me that she had contacted her midwives as she had been having mild but painful contractions every 5-8 minutes for about 60 seconds. Her midwives told her to go ahead and head to the hospital. I met them at the hospital at about midnight, and talked about our game plan.
On the monitors the baby was having questionable heart tones, and since she was one week “past due” they advised it would be best to stay, start a low level Pitocin drip to get things going a little more, and see if the baby had a different reaction to the contractions. They were a little worried about the baby, so they wanted to keep Stephanie in bed and on one side or the other, as the baby would do better when she was on her side. Mike and Steph agreed to the Pitocin, and I helped them settle into the birthing suite.
Around 2 a.m. they started the bag of pitocin on a very low drip. We turned the lights off in hopes to get a couple hours of rest in. 2 hours later her nurse came in and wanted to readjust her heart monitor and have her roll onto her other side, as the baby had a drop in heart tone, and it did not recover right away. As they were doing so, Steph felt a very sharp pelvic pain that actually brought her to tears. She readjusted and the pain subsided.
A few minutes later Stephanie looked at me with a concerned look, so I walked over to her, and she said “I’m wet”. I asked her if her water broke and she was pretty sure it had. We called the nurse back in and we determined that it had. They readjusted her with pads and towels, and we turned the lights down to let things start taking off. Within minutes her contractions were one on top of the other, and Stephanie was not handling the pain. She then requested the epidural, as she was not getting any relief in between the contractions, and was exhausted from all of the ups and downs throughout the night
After the epidural was in place, they came in and told Stephanie that the pitocin was causing contractions that were a little too strong for the two of them. They turned off the Pit drip, and gave her a muscle relaxer shot to stop the contractions to give the baby a rest. We closed our eyes for a bit, and rested up, as we had very little sleep throughout the night.
Her contractions started back up on their own within a couple hours, so they turned her Pitocin drip back on. Stephanie progressed very well over the next few hours. We still had to watch and rotate Steph from side to side to keep favorable heart tones. She was also off and on oxygen because when she would go into a deep sleep, the baby would not react in a way that the nurses and midwives would like.
At around 1030a.m. Stephanie became nauseated and vomited. Her midwife came in, and Stephanie was complete and her body was ready to push. She had to let the epidural wear off so that she could feel to push. Once she started feeling the sensation in her legs, her nurse, Mike and I started coaching her to push. With every push she made great progress, and after 50 minutes James Chandler was born at 12:43pm April 12th 2010 he was 7lbs 11.5 oz and 21.5 inches long.
James was born with a True knot in his cord. This occurrence happens in only about 1% of births. Once we all saw the cord we all understood why he was having the sensitivities he was having during labor.
On the evening of 4/11/2010 she called me and informed me that she had contacted her midwives as she had been having mild but painful contractions every 5-8 minutes for about 60 seconds. Her midwives told her to go ahead and head to the hospital. I met them at the hospital at about midnight, and talked about our game plan.
On the monitors the baby was having questionable heart tones, and since she was one week “past due” they advised it would be best to stay, start a low level Pitocin drip to get things going a little more, and see if the baby had a different reaction to the contractions. They were a little worried about the baby, so they wanted to keep Stephanie in bed and on one side or the other, as the baby would do better when she was on her side. Mike and Steph agreed to the Pitocin, and I helped them settle into the birthing suite.
Around 2 a.m. they started the bag of pitocin on a very low drip. We turned the lights off in hopes to get a couple hours of rest in. 2 hours later her nurse came in and wanted to readjust her heart monitor and have her roll onto her other side, as the baby had a drop in heart tone, and it did not recover right away. As they were doing so, Steph felt a very sharp pelvic pain that actually brought her to tears. She readjusted and the pain subsided.
A few minutes later Stephanie looked at me with a concerned look, so I walked over to her, and she said “I’m wet”. I asked her if her water broke and she was pretty sure it had. We called the nurse back in and we determined that it had. They readjusted her with pads and towels, and we turned the lights down to let things start taking off. Within minutes her contractions were one on top of the other, and Stephanie was not handling the pain. She then requested the epidural, as she was not getting any relief in between the contractions, and was exhausted from all of the ups and downs throughout the night
After the epidural was in place, they came in and told Stephanie that the pitocin was causing contractions that were a little too strong for the two of them. They turned off the Pit drip, and gave her a muscle relaxer shot to stop the contractions to give the baby a rest. We closed our eyes for a bit, and rested up, as we had very little sleep throughout the night.
Her contractions started back up on their own within a couple hours, so they turned her Pitocin drip back on. Stephanie progressed very well over the next few hours. We still had to watch and rotate Steph from side to side to keep favorable heart tones. She was also off and on oxygen because when she would go into a deep sleep, the baby would not react in a way that the nurses and midwives would like.
At around 1030a.m. Stephanie became nauseated and vomited. Her midwife came in, and Stephanie was complete and her body was ready to push. She had to let the epidural wear off so that she could feel to push. Once she started feeling the sensation in her legs, her nurse, Mike and I started coaching her to push. With every push she made great progress, and after 50 minutes James Chandler was born at 12:43pm April 12th 2010 he was 7lbs 11.5 oz and 21.5 inches long.
James was born with a True knot in his cord. This occurrence happens in only about 1% of births. Once we all saw the cord we all understood why he was having the sensitivities he was having during labor.
James' True Knot
The free birth of my son Isaak 6/25/2010
I felt like I was going to start my period all day June 24th. The yucky "PMS" was also associated with pink tinged mucous all day, but my contractions were not much and were over 20 minutes apart
I wanted my hubs to come home but he told me no. Because he really wanted to make sure that I was in labor, and also because he does not have paid FMLA.
I killed the time by doing my own hair complete with foils and a few different colors, i thought it would help me to pass the day until my husband could get home.
He came home that evening, we ate dinner and went for a walk later Thursday evening, and I cut his hair then went to bed. I began to progress in my sleep (nothing better than laboring in your own bed!!!) The contractions woke me up but I was content enough going back to sleep!
I woke my husband up to get my pool ready at 330am and that things were really starting to take way. My contractions were around 7 minutes apart when I was in bed but as soon as gravity hit and I got out of bed they were about 4minutes apart.
I got in the pool and labored there till about 6. At one point Brian said I had had 4 contractions within 8 minutes and he saw me getting to the point of breaking.
I knew I was hitting transition cause I was thinking about drugs! And my screams were getting more pronounced.
My husband encouraged me to get out of the tub because my contractions were slowing down a lot. so we moved to my bed and it actually was the best thing we did. I don't know exactly how long I pushed for but I pushed the way I felt and though I felt a tiny upper tear it wasn't much of anything. I pushed in an all 4s position, but I was actually pushing my face in a pillow and my belly into my bed, with every push I had Brian giving counter pressure to the balls of my hip and leg joints and I swear it made pushing feel so much better!
I met my nameless son and just looked at him. He was born at 640am june 25 2010
We waited for the cord to stop pulsating and I moved to the tub for warmth so I could not have the shakes (all our towels were wet!) But I was having a hard time getting comfy so we cut the cord. (It was fairly short)
After about an hour I started trying to push out the placenta but it just wasn't coming. No bleeding but just uncomfortable. The boy wasn't interested in feeding so I used my pump but that wasn't clamping me down either. So after about 5 hours we made the decision to go to the hospital. I felt it detach as I was walking down the hall, but I was glad we went cause I really was having a hard time getting it out.
I think it was a mental thing, Lilli was running around and Brian was asking why it wasn't coming. I did consult some friends who were knowledgeable and that's why I waited the 5 hours, because I knew that my body was fine.
The doctor, and Brian and a nurse holding my legs helped me get it out in a huge push but my uterus still wasn't clamping as much as all of us would have liked so they gave me a very tiny dose of pitocin(yuck!!) But it helped. We left the hospital 2 hours later and we were home.
I decided on the name:
Isaak Anthem-Otto
He weighed 8lbs 8oz was 19.5 inches and had a 13 inch head.
The most beautiful free-birth I could ask for. I used the medical field for what it was designed for! And it was wonderful!
I wanted my hubs to come home but he told me no. Because he really wanted to make sure that I was in labor, and also because he does not have paid FMLA.
I killed the time by doing my own hair complete with foils and a few different colors, i thought it would help me to pass the day until my husband could get home.
He came home that evening, we ate dinner and went for a walk later Thursday evening, and I cut his hair then went to bed. I began to progress in my sleep (nothing better than laboring in your own bed!!!) The contractions woke me up but I was content enough going back to sleep!
I woke my husband up to get my pool ready at 330am and that things were really starting to take way. My contractions were around 7 minutes apart when I was in bed but as soon as gravity hit and I got out of bed they were about 4minutes apart.
I got in the pool and labored there till about 6. At one point Brian said I had had 4 contractions within 8 minutes and he saw me getting to the point of breaking.
I knew I was hitting transition cause I was thinking about drugs! And my screams were getting more pronounced.
My husband encouraged me to get out of the tub because my contractions were slowing down a lot. so we moved to my bed and it actually was the best thing we did. I don't know exactly how long I pushed for but I pushed the way I felt and though I felt a tiny upper tear it wasn't much of anything. I pushed in an all 4s position, but I was actually pushing my face in a pillow and my belly into my bed, with every push I had Brian giving counter pressure to the balls of my hip and leg joints and I swear it made pushing feel so much better!
I met my nameless son and just looked at him. He was born at 640am june 25 2010
We waited for the cord to stop pulsating and I moved to the tub for warmth so I could not have the shakes (all our towels were wet!) But I was having a hard time getting comfy so we cut the cord. (It was fairly short)
After about an hour I started trying to push out the placenta but it just wasn't coming. No bleeding but just uncomfortable. The boy wasn't interested in feeding so I used my pump but that wasn't clamping me down either. So after about 5 hours we made the decision to go to the hospital. I felt it detach as I was walking down the hall, but I was glad we went cause I really was having a hard time getting it out.
I think it was a mental thing, Lilli was running around and Brian was asking why it wasn't coming. I did consult some friends who were knowledgeable and that's why I waited the 5 hours, because I knew that my body was fine.
The doctor, and Brian and a nurse holding my legs helped me get it out in a huge push but my uterus still wasn't clamping as much as all of us would have liked so they gave me a very tiny dose of pitocin(yuck!!) But it helped. We left the hospital 2 hours later and we were home.
I decided on the name:
Isaak Anthem-Otto
He weighed 8lbs 8oz was 19.5 inches and had a 13 inch head.
The most beautiful free-birth I could ask for. I used the medical field for what it was designed for! And it was wonderful!
