The Birth Story of Glen Curtis

 After 9 months of waiting, my due date came and went.  We were trying EVERYTHING that anyone recommended to get the labor process started, but little Glen would not let it happen! So we set induction date for November 13th at 7am.

 

We got to the hospital and completed the needed paperwork to get admitted and started the induction.  The induction starts with a pill to make the cervix soft.  I didn't get my first pill until 10:45am.  So basically I sat in the hospital for a long time hooked up to monitors without any start to the labor process.  The bright side was that I did have 2 real contractions during that time (actually, she had more than that for the past week, but until we got monitors, she did not know that she was having contractions).  This gave me hope that my body would respond to the induction process.  The nurse also started me on an IV and a clear liquids diet.  During the first hour on the pill I had to stay in bed and be watched on the monitors.  During the next 3 hours, I was able to walk around for 45 minutes then be back on the monitors for 15 minutes.

 

 Me, Ammon, and my skinny friend (rolling IV man) walked the halls of the hospital, saw the trains, found the cafeteria (which we quickly left due to the fact that I couldn't eat anything there) and generally talked about how excited we were to be able to become parents.  After 4 hours (how long they give the pill to work) the nurse checked to see my progress: I was still at the same place as when I started: 1cm (but she was softening up).

So I got another pill.  Four hours later, I was at 3 cm.  Many women are at 3 cm just from sneezing, for me it took two pills and 8 hours.  I was having contractions during this time, but they weren't very strong and weren't changing my body the way they were supposed to.  Enter Doctor Holmes.  My doctor came in after those 8 hours and decided to start me on "Magic P" :Petocin; the drug that increases contractions.  Some doctors start their patients on this drug at the very beginning of the process, but Doctor Holmes wanted to make sure that we would be dealing with a soft cervix instead of a hard one. Easier to move flexible objects than hard objects. (This also prevents trying to push a baby through a hole in a brick wall verses a hole in a soft and flexible wall. Much better for baby.)

With the Petocin, I was not allowed away from the bed or monitors, but I could stand near my bed and try different birthing techniques.  As the Petocin took effect, my contractions did exactly what they were supposed to do and I got very uncomfortable.  Ammon was a great support through this whole ordeal! He remembered breathing techniques and offered different positions to relieve the pressure and strain on my body.  Ammon had dinner brought in by Alene; poor guy had to eat it some where else, the smell was not helpful to me (But boy was the taco soup delicious!).  Also, during this time my liquid lunch/dinner decided to find it's way back up (Yeah, that was not pretty).  I felt a little better after that ordeal, but was still in much pain.  I was also under the illusion that my ordeal would be over before the day was.  Not so.

 By about 10pm, I had had enough of the increasing pain from contractions and decided to get an epidural.  I felt like the anesthesiologist couldn't get there quick enough.  And let me tell you what, Ammon is such a big help at keeping me calm and still while the drug doctor worked his magic.  It took just a few contractions for him to get me all set up so that I wouldn't feel the contractions. Wow! It really hurt while he was working! Ammon mentioned that he thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head (No joke, a couple of times when he poked her, I literally thought her eyes would launch out of her head at me).  Apparently that was my way of showing how much it hurt.  Once the drugs set in I was able to relax and get some sleep.  I didn't even know contractions were happening! It was glorious!

Ammon and I slept most of the night with Ammon sleeping on a roll-away cot that was less than ideal (because is was super soft foam and I like a firm sleeping surface) and my nurses coming in every half an hour because Glen would not cooperate.  The fetal heart monitor was strapped around my belly and it seemed like Glen knew where it was and would purposefully stay away from that area of my tummy.  The nurses kept having me turn from my right side to the left side.  The left side is supposed to be better for circulation or something like that. So they would move me, try to find Glen's heart beat then have to move me back 15 minutes later because he had moved or his heart rate had increased.  This went on all night and into the next morning.

November 14, 2012 my life changed forever.  Throughout the day I kept getting more drugs and we kept waiting for my cervix to dilate.  We got to 5...7...8...9.5..9.75.  The waiting was driving me crazy!  Finally at about 4pm, the doctor came and decided to change Glen's monitors to internal monitors.  We got that all situated and realized that my water had broken some time during the day (so the doctor says).  The nurse thinks the membranes were just really thin and when he went to hook up the internal monitors, the membranes just went away.  Who ever was right, I sided with the Doctor because that means that my body actually did something on its own during this whole process! Yeah!

Once the internal monitors were ready and I was dilated to almost 10cm, the doctor decided it was time for me to push to see if we could get Glen to move down the birth canal.  When I started pushing he was at a +1 station with a station of +3 being when his little head would be visible (as in ready to crown).  So I pushed and pushed and pushed. Holy moly I pushed! I have never felt the desire to poop any greater than I did during that 45 minutes of pushing. A check by the doctor told us that there was no progress (there was progress, but it was not a lot of progress). WHAT!?!? You've got to be kidding me! I put my my blood, sweat and tears into 45 minutes of crazy and little had changed? The doctor said that with another 2 hours of pushing we could probably get Glen to be born without surgery but that was still to be seen.  We might push tons and still have to have a c-section in the end.  At this point it was 4:50pm and I had been in the hospital for about 33 hours.  I was emotionally and physically spent.  I wanted my baby out and I wanted him out NOW!  (That is an understatement)

Well, my patience got tried to the max...the operating room would not be ready for us until 6:30pm. What?!?! I have to wait some more?  So I got taken off the induction drugs and my body decided that would be a good time to contract all on it's own! So I had to endure more contractions as I waited for the pain meds to take effect.  Finally they did.  Ammon was a champ and helped me through the contractions.  I called a doctor in to get even more pain meds...they eventually started working. (I thought she was going to kill someone by the time the anesthesiologist arrived 20 minutes later because she was so ready to be done feeling her contractions)

Once we had the drugs back in her, and I knew that I didn't need to be the strong one anymore, I fell apart. Who knew so much emotion could build up in 36 hours. I was a wreck. Thank goodness for the priesthood! I had Nathan come over and help me give Shari a blessing. After that I was good. I sometimes feel that the blessing was more for me than for Shari or Glen. Anyway you look at it, the fact that God allows us to use the priesthood to give blessings and fulfills the blessings as promised through inspiration is one of those tender mercies He bestows upon us. I am so thankful for the Priesthood and everything it has done for us during this time! God is Good!!! At this time I was very calm and collected and the strong one.  Ammon wasn't kidding; he was a wreck. He lost it.  It felt good to be able to support him for a bit before we went into the operating room.

At about 6:45pm I was wheeled into the OR.  Ammon had on his "bunny suit".  I'm not sure why they called it that, but someone said something about "hopping to it" to make it funny and I remember laughing. 

With me full of drugs and relaxed after two days of waiting, I had a hard time staying awake during the procedure.  Ammon kept talking to me and at 7:05pm I heard the cries that changed my life.  Glen had come into the world and I fell asleep.

At this point Shari was totally out of it with the drugs. They pulled Glen out and we went over to the heated table so they could do his apgar scores, (which I'm told were an 8 then a 9), clean him up, measure(20 inches) and weigh him(7 lbs 11 oz), (cut the cord, which Ammon let the nurse do) and do all of the other stuff they do to new babies.

 

 I got to hold him after all of that and it was AMAZING! We went over to mom, and the anesthesiologist took our first family picture. (He took two, but I was asleep for the first one) 

Then Glen and I went down to recovery where we hung out for 30 minutes while they sewed mommy up and completed the surgery. The nurses kept checking his temperature and making sure everything was good. I just could not leave him; he was so small and helpless. He did give a good cry when they first pulled him out of Shari though, so no issues with the lungs.

Once Shari made it to recovery, where we would spend the next couple of hours, I then brought in the grandmas one at a time to see their newest grandson. It was awesome! (Shari, slept through most of this).(I remember thinking, "Why is everyone coming in here? I'm a mess?!?!") After Glen's aunt Alene got to see him, I went and hung out with the family, ate some dinner, and talked with Adrianne on the phone. When I got back, Shari, in her still drugged state, was making her first attempts at feeding Glen. (I had no idea what I was doing and the nurse was nice, but I'm still learning...)

About 10:30pm they sent us all upstairs where we would be for the next 3 days. I was exhausted, because if I wasn't there is no way that I would have been able to sleep in the chair/bed that is in the postpartum rooms. 

I barely remember being wheeled into the room.  I think I slept most of the night; took lots of drugs.  The next three days were full of learning to nurse, change, and love baby Glen.

 

Aren't my Boys cute together?

 

 

Aunt Alene and Baby Glen

 

Mommy Debbie and Baby Glen

 

 Ammon and I are grateful to my mom who brought in food for Ammon to eat and kept our house ready to bring a baby home to. This is the cleanest our house has ever been. Thanks Mommy Debbie!  We could not have done this without her! She cooked before we went into the hospital and we have enough food in our fridge and freezer for about 2 weeks of meals! Yeah! Once we got home from the hospital, she helped love baby Glen and kept us fed and in a clean house.  Ammon and I were trying to learn to take care of Glen and she kept us going! She even changed her travel plans once Glen came late as a c-section! We love Mommy Debbie and are grateful for her sacrifice and for staying an extra week to help us! You have no idea. We already miss her, and are VERY grateful for everything she did to help us with easing back into "real" life after adding Glen to our family. Thanks Mommy Debbie! You are awesome!