Ledger's Birth Story

We went to the doctor for our 38 week appointment, which also had an ultrasound, Ledger was measuring ahead (as he had most of the pregnancy) so the doctor felt that it was best to go ahead and induce at 39 weeks.  We left the hospital knowing we would be on Monday (it was a Thursday).  We were full of excitement and nerves.  We spent the next days checking and rechecking our hospital bags and spending quality time together. 

We were set to be at the hospital at 5am on the morning of the 9th.  On our way to the hospital we got a call from a nurse saying they had had and extremely busy night and I wouldn't have a room until 7am.  Already being packed up and ready we stopped to eat breakfast where I thought I'd better check the paperwork one more time and realized it said not to eat...bummer.  My mom and Trinity had breakfast while I sipped on water.

We arrived at the hospital at 7am and and were quickly put into a room.  Lucky us, because a couple was behind us to check in for induction and Trinity said at 12pm they were still waiting in the waiting room for their room.  Ekk.   They started my fluids, but the doctor had forgotten to write the orders for my induction and they had to wait until they could get ahold of him to start my medicine.  Around 9am they started Pitocin. I felt the contractions speed up and pressure increase, but they pain really wasn't bad.  I went on like this for a couple of hours until I started to be uncomfortable (like grabbing the bed through contractions).  The doctor came in at this time and explained that he was going to go ahead and break my water to speed up the process.  Holy I don't know what, the contractions started coming fast and hard.  I wasn't getting 30 second to 1 minute break between contractions and I could barely breath through them.  At this point I had to lay still to let Ledger move down and I did this for about an hour.  I kept telling myself the contractions would be better once I could move around.  As time passed even moving wasn't helping...contractions were stopping me dead in my tracks.  Trinity was such a help doing a count down and having me look at him to help me get through them.  At this point I asked for an epidural (I never intended to go natural).

Once I got the epidural things calmed down a bit and I just laid around until the doctor came back in to check me.  Around 8cm dilated I started to feel a severe pain come back in my left side.  I explained it to the nurse and she turned me explain that epidurals are directional and I had been laying on my right side.  About an hour after turning the pain was only getting worse.  They determined that my epidural was wearing off...WHAT?!  Excuse me?  I had a huge needle stuck in my back just for the medicine to wear off?  No need to freak, Katelyn.  They were able to give me more medicine and in about an hour the pain was gone again. 

At 10cm the doctor came in checked me and explained I was going to start pushing.  While examining me he determined that Ledger was facing up and he hoped he would turn as he moved down.  I pushed with the nurse for an hour and a half and dear Lord pushing is hard work!  The doctor came back in at that point and said Ledger was still face up and his head was stuck on my pelvic bone.  He determined for the amount of time my water had been broken, etc. it was best to move forward with a C-Section.  I immediately began to cry feeling like a failure.  I felt like my body was made to birth a child, so why couldn't I do it?  Nonetheless, if the doctor said a C-Section was best for a healthy baby that is exactly what we were going to do.  It was no more than 15 minutes and they were taking me to a surgery room.  They prepped me and Trinity joined me about 15 minutes later. 

I was exhausted from such a long day (it was now 10pm) and I actually fell asleep and woke up when the doctor was yelling, "The heads out!"  At that point Ledger began to cry, which was the best sound I have ever heard in my life.  They took him over to clean him up and check him out and finish with me.  The part I hate about a C-Section is that Ledger had to go to the nursery (at least T got to go) while they finished stitching me up, etc.  About 20 minutes they took me to recovery and Trinity and Ledger were able to join me. 

Ledger arrived at 10:29pm and was 8 pound and 20 1/4 inches long. 

I wish we had taken more pictures in the hospital both before and after, but that is all in retrospect now.  I am glad that we have the ones we do, as they are the first moments of our sweet boy's life outside of my body.  P.S.His head now looks normal...I always think baby heads are weird shapes when they are first born.