Everett's Birth Story
Baby G (dubbed so as we opted to keep baby's gender a surprise; the G stands for Gibson) was supposed to come out and greet the world on January 5th, 2015. With the full moon way up in the sky and contractions making sleep impossible on Sunday, January 4th I thought "Here we go! Show time!"
We had had our bags packed for a couple weeks by this point which made for a pretty snappy trip to the hospital. It was cold and blowing snow but we live right down the street! Just had to dodge a couple of snow trucks! We got there after midnight and I was seen by a resident. Contractions kept coming and going and were right on schedule (lasting at least one minute, every five minutes for an hour) so it was pretty disheartening to hear her tell me I was still closed for business. Cervix was "in the back" and "closed tight".
I was hurting pretty badly through noon that day and tried my best to rest in our recliner. I don't know whether or not this happens to everyone at the end of their pregnancy but I could NOT lay down. It was too painful. I had to do everything in an upright position and even at that the days went by with nightly cramps and contractions getting progressively worse.
They say "you'll know" when it's time...
Wednesday, January 7th I had an ultrasound appointment. I really don't think anyone expected me to have to follow through with that! My mom came with me and the look on her face when the tech told us the baby was "approximately 8lbs14oz" had me pretty worried. Baby G had gone from the 77th percentile on one scan to the 49th, and ultimately back up to the 86th! People told me not to worry, ultrasound guesstimations aren't a certainty. They can be off by a pound! As it turns out, the “49th percentile" was later proven to be the scan that was "off".
"You were not meant to birth a ten pound baby..."
Thursday, January 8th - 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I had an appointment with my OB to discuss yesterday's ultrasound results and to figure out our next move. Babies go past their due date all the time. With Baby G's growth climbing and my discomfort level on the climactic rise into unbearable territory the good doctor booked us an induction date for Monday, January 12th. According to tests and scans and my overall health Baby G's induction would NOT be considered priority and there was a possibility we could be bumped to a later date.
When we asked about a vaginal delivery it seemed like that was still the primary course of action. I simply wasn't meant to birth a ten pound baby. This photo was taken December 17th - 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant.
During my appointment my OB performed an internal exam and gave us some good news! My cervix was opening up! 2 centimetres was just enough for her to execute a "membrane sweep". While sweeps can kickstart labour they can take weeks to really get the ball rolling. I guess my body was primed and ready though because...
"I don't think anything's going to happen tonight but I could be wrong..."
I was wrong.
Thursday, January 8th (PM). The membrane sweep produced results almost instantly. I won't go into detail here but there is a "plug" for us pregnant types that tends to weaken and fall out pre labour (not the same thing as having your waters break). This happening is a good sign that actual labour is about to happen. That being said, some women lose their plug and don't go into actual labour for weeks. Pregnancy... What a trip, eh?
Ryan and I had dinner and I took a shower to try and relieve my cramps. I went to bed early that night. As I hunkered down with my extra strength tylenol in the recliner for the evening I really thought it was going to be the same old painful song and dance I'd been experiencing since last weekend. Ryan kept offering to take me in (to labour & delivery) but I couldn't really differentiate the severity or urgency between tonight's aches and pains versus all the nights leading up to now.
*GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION ALERT* I tried to tough it out with contractions coming in sporadic bursts. Generally if you cannot time contractions it's a strong indicator that you are NOT in real labour. I was having flashbacks to Sunday night in labour & delivery - all that fuss for nothing! I didn't want to be sent home again. It was only when I was on the toilet almost screaming from the pain I thought everything was going to explode from all orifices that I told Ryan he was right. It was totally time to go! At the very least should this still be false labour I could ask the doctor for some drugs! I needed relief! I hadn't slept in a week.
The Real Deal
I was wheeled up into labour and delivery as walking was unbearable when the contractions came. I still couldn't time them. When I spoke with a nurse at triage I told her very honestly "I can't time them. I have no idea how frequently they're coming. I'm sorry." She could see how much pain I was in and took me to a private exam room. I was hooked up to a machine (this was new) that monitored two different areas of my bulging belly. It looked like a lie detector test with all these squiggly lines bumping up and down. Numbers would show up on the bottom screen but it didn't really mean much to me. I was trying to not go cross eyed from the pain!
After a few minutes the nurse came back to check on me and told me my contractions were pretty intense and about two minutes apart. Oh! There! The machine produces results! Now to see if this is the real deal or just another elaborate show of nature "preparing me" for labour.
Enter the doctor... Literally. Cervix was open. 4 centimetres. Show time.
I cannot tell you how vindicating it is to finally have your body in full cooperation. The week leading up to this moment was exhausting and for some reason now that labour was ACTUALLY HAPPENING, I felt like anyone who didn't believe me would HAVE to now! Not that people didn't believe me but those are just thoughts that come through your mind. When a doctor can prove that labour is happening - it just makes it more real. Hard to explain.
We were taken into a birthing room and they asked me what my thoughts were RE: pain management. Having contracted for A BLOODY WEEK I said "Epidural". In my "Birth Plan" book the hospital gives you I had written something about 'wanting to go about the labour process in as natural a way as possible' but that I 'wasn't opposed to medicine'. Well, that "natural" sh_t went out the window real fast. If I could have jumped on the needle tray and given myself that epi to speed things up, I would have. That's not really how it goes though.
Luckily my anesthetist was really quick and I had the epidural a'flowin' by 2am. I also had an IV put in, a catheter inserted (which was actually a relief - I could have used one of these in the final months of my pregnancy), some blood drawn, was attached to a sphygmomanometer for constant readings and went through a few nurses. Jean Anne was my first care taker. followed by Margot. Margot was a rockstar but we'll get into that later.
Shortly after the epidural was put in my water broke in a gush! *MORE GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS COMING* They say that only 10% of women experience their water breaking. Usually it's done during delivery. Ryan was down in the ER filing some paperwork with the admissions people (their after hours office is in the ER area) to ensure I'd have a semi-private room. When we had preregistered months before I had selected the ward as I lost my medical coverage when I lost my job. I had two or three nurses in my room when my water broke so I just said "My water broke!" and they came to inspect the action. One of them told me that there was meconium (baby poop) in the water and that wasn't anything to get worried about. I was warned that when baby comes out they may NOT stimulate it to cry in case he or she had a mouthful of feces. If that was the case the doctors would take baby away and suction their lungs before we'd hear the first wail.
Active Labour - Alllllright!
This is my ‘Epidural Face’. Photo taken by Mr. Ryan Gibson.
Four centimetres dilated. Water's broken. Steady contractions. Let's go! Called my parents and wound up leaving a message saying "I'm about to have a baby" or something similar and Ryan returned just after I'd hung up. He'd called them too (and also left a message). This was at 2:02AM on Friday, January 9th. Regardless of visiting hours being from 3PM-8PM, my parents insisted on being notified as soon as the ball started rolling so they'd have lots of time to drive in to the city.
We didn't know how much time we'd have before Baby G's arrival as I really felt as though I'd been in labour all week & things only got "REAL" within the last couple of hours. Who knows how fast this will all go? I had a few nurse changes and they were all really keen on making sure my epidural was working properly in all the right places. They shifted bags of ice around my bod and we could tell if I needed to "up the juice" if I could feel the cold past certain points. I got worried after a few hours when I was BEYOND exhausted and unable to sleep (my heart kept racing and I'd sweat horribly during most contractions) and started to feel the epidural wearing off. I'd be pressing the "self medicate" button but it wasn't really doing the trick. I took this as a sign that my contractions were simply getting stronger and I'd probably be pushing soon!
No Dice.
After complaining about the epidural waning I was examined by a resident. Still only four centimetres dilated. A nurse hung some Pitocin to help my body progress with the labour, ie: OPEN UP! Ryan and I tried to get some sleep but it wasn't happening. He hooked me up with a bite of cheese but I wasn't as hungry as I thought I might be. Yes, I needed energy for the big push (which would be happening within hours - right?) and if I wasn't getting it from sleep I'd have to get it from food. Well, literally a BITE out of one of those Cracker Barrel cheese slices you'd get in a grocery store or coffee shop's "protein pack" and put it away. This was probably around 4 or 5AM... and several hours later after attempting sleep... I was informed that I had a fever and that the baby's heart rate was rising which could mean he or she might be in distress. No kidding! They wanted out. I wanted them out. We all wanted this to be HAPPENING!
Around 8 or 9AM a lot of doctors came in to examine me. Let me tell you ladies - if and when you have a baby you just have to be cool with a minimum of 15 people seeing and possibly touching your vagina (and more). By this point I wasn't even experiencing that wincing discomfort of an internal exam. I was not stoked on the news that my labour wasn't progressing even with the Pitocin. I was still only at 4 centimetres and the talk of a C-Section came up. He (the doctor) straight up asked me "How would you feel about a C Section?" and I told him that would be just fine. Yes I was scared but it didn't matter. It was going to be the best thing for Baby G.
Damn the Cheese.
Remember that cheese bite I had like, five hours ago? Well. I told the doctor and his team about that and the anesthetist was pretty upset. Everyone in the room was like "YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO EAT AFTER YOU GET AN EPIDURAL."
a) No one told us that.
b) They did tell Ryan where the kitchen was to get me water and store our snacks which we made pretty obvious we had brought.
I was scheduled to be the first one in for surgery but was told that, because of the cheese, I'd have to wait until almost noon to ensure it was no longer sitting in my stomach in case I had to be intubated and choked to death on my own vomit, blah blah blah. Here's the kicker though: the baby had dystocia which pretty well means "it wasn't going to fit". Because of this - and because I'd been in labour for so long - the poor baby's head was trying to fit through the birth canal and it was "coning".
Oh no! My baby the cone head!
We didn't see this coming as I'd been told all along that a vaginal birth was the plan for me. When I'd ask if a C-Section was in the cards I'd get "things can happen last minute but I don't see why you can't deliver naturally" as a response (from a few doctors).
Dystocia. My temperature. Fearing the epidural was on the wane. It was go time. The anesthetist came back in to check on me around 10AM and essentially said they were gonna weigh the odds of my wee bite of cheese coming back to haunt me vs. the risk of waiting for it to be digested - "choke on vomit and possibly die" or "make this baby wait and suffer" - obviously the choice was clear! I'm really happy they decided to take me in.
WELCOME TO THE TERROR DOME (aka the Operation Room).
I really hate surgery. I am afraid of operations and anesthetics. I think these are healthy fears too, btw, so when I expressed my anxiety to my nurse (shoutout to Marg!) and the surgical team at least three women in the room told me about their C-Sections and how it was a really good experience. There's nothing like someone saying "don't worry" to piss me RIGHT off unless it's someone who's been through the exact same thing so they actually were successful in calming me down.
The radio was playing - tuned to Chez 106 at my request - and the playlist was amazing from start to finish. CLICK HERE to view and listen to it!
The doctors were able to use my pre existing epidural to keep me nice and numb for the procedure and a large blue curtain was placed just below my chin to keep my eyes OFF the miracle that was about to be performed.
Everyone in the room was great - introduced themselves and kept me calm - but one person was missing: Ryan! Where was Daddy G in all this? I asked for him a few times until about 20 minutes had passed and finally Marg went off to get him. The man looks GOOD in scrubs and he says I was all smiles when he walked in. He also later informed me that the docs were elbow deep in my guts when he walked in - those sneaks! I had no idea. I still thought they were cleaning me!
Twas a combination of seeing Ryan in scrubs, the classic rock playlist of solid gold awesomeness and knowing we were about to meet our little Space Invader responsible for my smile when I felt some serious pressure around my ribcage. I started sweating the way you do when the dentist is grappling with your wisdom teeth in what seems to be the struggle of a lifetime (you know the feeling)! The two surgeons must have been jumping on my ribs and really going to town when part way through ACDC's Dirty Deeds we heard a WAIL - Waaaaaaaaahwaaaaaaaaaaah!! That's when I started crying. It was an automatic reaction to hearing our baby cry for the first time.
I remembered the nurse telling us "if baby doesn't cry, don't worry" and warning us all about the possibility of feces clogging the airway - so hearing the cries was a great relief. One doc said "11:11" and another took baby away to be weighed. "9 point 6" he said and then the team brought baby over to Ryan and asked "do you want to know what it is?" I was impatiently awaiting, "Yes! Someone tell me!"
"It's a boy!"
9 pounds 6 ounces - 11:11AM - January 9th, 2015.
World, meet Everett Ryan Gibson:
Many thanks to the staff at the Civic Hospital including Laurie, Alyssa, Debbie & Nicole. You helped make a memorable experience a very pleasurable one (too). :)
Sick Day.
Parenting and working full time have been clashing for our family lately.
Poor Eve and Rory got sick pre-Christmas and the virus has been really lingering in E. Rory is back to health but, what I thought was just a lingering virus in the boy, actually turned out to be the flu.
The big flu.
The influenza one. Which is particularly harsh on children this season.
I’m home now thanks to an understanding manager and co-worker who swiftly stepped in to cover/offer solutions. I’m blessed that way.
I also have some personal health issues I’m doing my best to deal with/stay on top of at the moment.
My blood is not in good form. I wish I knew what that meant but, like I said, I’m doing my best to really stay on top of things. I have an appointment with a specialist coming up in the next few weeks at the General. I guess they will tell me all about neutropenia and hopefully provide a possible treatment plan/cure?
For months I’ve been running on empty. Zero energy. I do my radio show, come home and cook dinner/mind the kinds, then pretty much head to bed as soon as Ryan gets home. I could sleep 11 hours and still need more. It’s not normal and this is what started me seeing our family doctor, which lead me down the road to, ‘hey, your blood is off’.
Neutropenia does NOT cause extreme exhaustion. The latest theory from a few doctors is that I have an infection, we just don’t know where or what it is yet.
From the Mayo Clinic: “Neutropenia can make you more vulnerable to infections. When neutropenia is severe, even the normal bacteria from your mouth and digestive tract can cause serious illness.”
So… couple that with a few sick kids + the extra rough seasonal viruses that’ve been going around (yes, I’m vaccinated) = you get the picture.
If it seems like I’ve been sick for a long time, it’s because I’ve been sick for a long time.
Now I’ve got the added element of ‘there’s something wrong’, ‘you’ve probably got an underlying mystery infection’, the repeated tests (not mono, not TB, nothing to do with thyroid, celiac, iron or vitamin deficiency, not my RA medicine), the band aid solutions (of which none have worked to increase my energy level). Despite the absolute mystery surrounding my illness, there is hope that the blood doctor will have some answers.
They may not be what I want to hear but I really do believe that there is a solution to this problem (/these problems).
In the meantime, I’m spending the next few days at home with my son who’s already looking better. I think, for him, the worst is over. Being immunosuppressed my entire life thanks to the RA, I wash my hands A LOT so fingers crossed I’m not next.
Been Workin' on a Lil Something
I've been workin' on a little something in my new home studio... I guess the cat will be let outta the bag on Monday, so, until then...
Aurora's Birth Story
This pregnancy was similar to my last, with little Everett born January 2015. Long, hard and gross. Very gross. I think I was sicker than I've ever been with little R in my tummy. I was hospitalized (briefly) with strep throat and had countless viral infections (mmm... pink eye, multiple times). Happy to say little R made it through and appears to be one happy and healthy babe, but we're skipping ahead here...
Unlike with Everett, Aurora was a planned baby. Ryan and I knew we wanted another child. Our families knew. Work knew. It was thoroughly planned and lucky for us, it didn't take long to conceive. I'll admit it: a planned pregnancy is a little less exciting than an unplanned one! I had been taking the vitamins, laying off the sauce and habitually peeing on sticks for a couple months before the wonderful confirmation came.
Like I said before, the actual pregnancy on me was rough but since baby was doing okay in my belly the doctor thought that attempting VBAC (vaginal birth after C-section) might be a good idea. It is said to lessen recovery time among other things. Though I wasn't super into the idea of VBAC based on what had happened during Everett's birth (emergency C-section/a whirlwind story), the idea of going for it naturally was still somewhat appealing and a shortened recovery time was definitely up my alley. I did have another baby (Everett, 2 years and 2 months) at home, after all.
We had discussed this early on and I had months to do some research and really make an informed decision. All the while, I was working full time. I know, I know. I work on the radio. It's not a physically intense job by any stretch but believe me... When you're exhausted, your brain & mouth don't tend to work as well as they used to and I was exhausted! Sure beat being unemployed though - as was the case when I was preggo with E. That was another level of stress I'm very happy I didn't have to deal with this time 'round.
“Birth is a trip. It’s a mental, physical and emotional journey that is personal to every person who experiences it first hand.”
I stopped working at the end of February. The plan was to schedule a C-section but to be open to VBAC if I went into labour early and things were looking good. Baby was measuring big (85th percentile) near the end which made the possibility of delivering her naturally seem very, very frightening for me. I'm little and she, like her brother, was BIG.
Nearing my C-section date I got very "inside my head" about all the things that could go wrong. I was thinking a lot about death; what if she didn't make it? What if I didn't make it? What if we both died? I was also worrying a lot about how this new addition to the family was going to affect little Everett. My first baby! Our little surprise who quickly became my whole friggin' world; how was he going to react to a new baby? Would I love him less? How could I make sure everyone got the right amount of love and attention?
So many unanswered questions and I was also freaked out about going into labour naturally and having to experience a vaginal delivery I didn't really want to have but does choosing a repeat C make me lazy? A bad mom? Am I robbing baby of a natural entry into this life? Seriously. These are the thoughts that were going through my mind which is why, nearing her arrival, I blocked out all baby talk. My apologies to those of you whose text messages and e-mails I didn't return.
March 20th... the wait is over.
Ryan and I headed to the hospital for an 8AM check in. While waiting for a room in Labour and Deliv. we bumped into the OB who'd be delivering our baby. Shout out to Dr. Garber, by the way, who was totally right about a scheduled C-section being a wildly different experience than an unscheduled or emergent one. He was on his way to deliver a baby (via C) the hard way. That news kinda helped to calm my nerves. I made it through a difficult C with Everett, so today should be a slice of cake, right?
Velia was the first nurse who helped us out once we made it to the pre-op/waiting room. She is really awesome and I told her about this blog so "HI VELIA - If you're reading this - you were one of the best parts of our journey!" I got a little queasy and had to lay down when the IV went in. Yes, I hate needles. Muchly.
8AM... 9AM... 10AM... we were joined by another couple (separated by a curtain) awaiting their C-section. Knowing other people are undergoing the same scary thing as me has always been something I found calming. I was also watching the clock because I had asked my coworkers at the radio station to put on a special song for Aurora's arrival, scheduled for sometime between 12PM and 1PM.
Shortly after 12PM we were escorted into the OR. Well, I was. Ryan had to wait until the anesthetist said it was okay. I've never WALKED into an operating room before so this was a first! The room was intimidating to say the least but I knew I wasn't the first who'd be experiencing this today. Shortly after hopping up onto the bed, I asked the medical staff to tune the radio to 106.1 CHEZ. You see, during Everett's birth I asked the same and got to rock out to an epic playlist during his spontaneous arrival. I was really into the music and not working for Rogers Radio at the time so it was quite the keepsake when Robin (Harper) and Steve (Colwill) answered my request for the playlist.
You don't see much when you're lying there so it was very nice when Ryan was let in. It was also super nice to know the person heading the surgery! Last time was a major blur - it all ended well, but it was really scary in comparison.
Everything below my breasts was warm and fuzzy and then completely numb. The time between going numb and the countdown to baby's first cry I find the most intense... You know it's ON and your life's going to change within the next 30-45 minutes.
There was a lot of pushing, pulling and talking with the staff. Everyone in there was great and, just like I told them pre-op, I forgot most of their names. Except Heather! Heather was there during E's delivery and she actually remembered me thanks to the radio connection.
Aurora "Rory" Stardust joined the outside world on March 20th at 13:13 weighing 8lb 6oz to U2's New Year's Day.
Her brother, Everett was born January 9th at 11:11 weighing 9lb 6oz to AC/DC's Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap).
The whole procedure was a truly great experience. She came out a beautiful, healthy baby girl and I managed to pull through okay. There might be some scar tissue ickiness going forward with it being my second C-section so this will be my last birthing rodeo. Like - FOR SURE.
Everything I was told about scheduled C-sections was absolutely true. It was a cool, calm and collected experience - POST OP. Prior to, I was anything but cool, calm and collected. Birth is a trip. It's a mental, physical and emotional journey that is personal to every person who experiences it first hand. I dealt with it on my terms this time and am absolutely grateful to the staff at the Civic Hospital, Dr. Garber and his team, Velia (that heated blanket you gave us in recovery is possibly the greatest invention ever) and the staff in the Mother Baby unit who took such stellar care of us.
Friends and family - thank you for the support you've given us over the past several months. Thank you for allowing me to ignore you, to hermit and to have the experience I wanted to have. I put myself (and baby) first and highly recommend you do the same if you are on or planning to begin your own birth journey.
A special shout out to Robin and Jacki from CHEZ for sending me Rory's playlist which you can see by CLICKING HERE.
