Linus's and Ambrose's Birth: Part I

Just like with Blaise's birth story, I think this one will work best as a multi-parter. Parts of it are going to be slow, because that's how much of it happened: painfully slowly (yet also too early - there's irony for you). But if you can't handle tedious and over-detailed, you're reading the wrong blog!

I gave birth to Linus Michael and Ambrose John, incredibly sweet and beautiful baby boys, in the first hour of May 12th. I live-tweeted the experience (well, okay - PARTS of the experience) but it deserves to be written out. It's got the ups and downs of page-turner: tedium, tears, twists and turns, triumph.

But before I jump into the birth story itself, there's some back story to share. It's not high-drama, but you need it for the story to make sense. I'll try to be quick.

On Monday, May 2nd, I had a routine biophysical profile at the doctor's office, and baby B's score (thanks, in my opinion, to an inexperienced ultrasound tech) earned only 6 points of the required 8. Since it was 5pm and the office was closing, that earned us a trip to Labor & Delivery triage for some monitoring.

The babies, in what would become a theme for them, looked perfect on the monitors. They were healthy and reactive (meaning their heart rates would go up when they moved around). I, on the other hand, was having contractions at a rate that made the midwife in charge of the triage unit decide it was good idea to check my cervix.

A surprise, but not a happy one: my superstar cervix, which had held steady at 4.5cm for so many weeks, was now 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. The midwife assured us this could mean nothing. It had definitely shortened somewhat from its 4.5cm, but the dilation could have been in place for weeks - early dilation is extremely common in women who've had previous vaginal deliveries. It was, she said, nothing to worry about.

Also a (small) issue during that triage visit was my blood pressure, which was high because I have white-coat hypertension. It'd been normal at home earlier that day, but the nurse who got us set up in triage told me that white-coat or no, if the numbers were high they'd have to admit me overnight and run a bunch of labs. Hearing that of course guaranteed that my blood pressure was not going down anytime that automated cuff came anywhere near me. (True story: with the nurse we had after the 7pm shift change, I relaxed somewhat - until she tried to surreptitiously set off the cuff, at which point I FELT my bp rise perceptively. Crazy stuff.)

But the first nurse was wrong. Dr. Friendly Nerdy, the doc on call that evening from my practice, is very familiar with my white-coat syndrome. The midwife talked to him and sprang me from triage around 9pm. 20 minutes after I got home, my bp on my own monitor registered a happy 120/80 - high for me, but well within normal range.

So that was Monday the 2nd - 1cm, 50%, blood pressure normal.

Bryan and I had a serious talk on the way home from triage and I admitted that since hitting 32 weeks, I hadn't been taking it as easy as I should have. (Meaning that I'd picked up strenuous habits such as loading my plate in the dishwasher instead of leaving it on the counter. Gasp!) I promised to apply myself to resting as best I could from then on. Which I really did, for the next few days.

Comments

[HereWeGoAJen]

Oh, good! I've been looking forward to hearing the whole story with all the interesting details.

[Laura]

Hooray! Already looking forward to the next installment. :)

[Molly]

Looking forward to reading the whole "birth" series--yours are always page-turners! And since I didn't get to comment on the last post, just wanted to offer my support. You've had some rough postpartum periods with kids in the hospital the last two times--it is scary and tough under normal circumstances (my daughter was hospitalized for two days at 5 weeks old and it was hard enough without the raging hormones or any real fear of the outcome)--and you are doing beautifully. It's healthy to cry and to grieve what you've lost. If you don't do it now, it will only rear its head later.

Your sweet boys are in such good hands. Can't wait to hear more about them.

[Elsha]

Yay! I've been looking forward to hearing the whole story.

[Heat Pump Prices]

I found this article useful in a paper I am writing at university. Hopefully, I get an A+ now!

[Sarah in Ottawa]

Yeah! I am super excited that you've started this series. I figured that you'd have to wait a bit, with all that's going on, but I'm so glad to have this first installment. I look forward to reading all the other ones, too!

[Sarah in Ottawa]

Also - any of you who see this comment and would like to contribute a little love to Arwen, Bryan, and their children, please head over to: http://mosherspiritualbouquet.blogspot.com/

Sorry to hijack, Arwen, but I did want your blog readers to hear about it! xoxo

[MelanieB]

Arwen, you are such a good storyteller. Your beautiful telling of Blaise's birth story inspired me to write my own after Ben's birth. I followed the drama via twitter; but I look forward to reading all your posts here filling in the details. I am sure it will also be wonderfully cathartic for you to write them. Praying for you and for those beautiful boys to come home soon.

[Jessica]

I love birth stories. The more detailed the better. I don't even care that I already know most of it through Twitter. I'm excited to hear it again!

[Life of a Doctor's Wife]

I can't wait for the whole story.

Thinking of your family... And praying for Linus and Ambrose to BOTH be home with you soon.

[Parsing Nonsense]

Woo hoo! Can't wait for the next part!