Ewan's Birth Story

This is a little long but it is the version I wrote for myself so it's pretty complete as well.

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At 7:30 pm on Friday the 19th we went in for an induction. Even though I knew exactly when I got pregnant, my due date was based on early ultrasound because it bought me a couple of extra days compared to my “actual” due date. I was sure I’d go postdates so getting two extra days before the induction pressure started was a great deal. So, according to the records, I was 41.4 weeks but, in actuality, I was 41.6 weeks.
Upon arriving, we learned our midwife for the night would be Donna. There are many midwives in the practice but we actually already knew Donna because she was the one who had delivered Dax. During our last birth, Paul and I had dubbed her our “German Air Force Midwife”. Let’s just say, she isn’t very gentle. We weren’t especially excited to see her on duty but I took heart in the fact that, if she delivered this baby, at least that would mean that I’d be done in the next 12 hours.
Donna started my pitocin relatively quickly after arriving. I was already 3 cm, 70% effaced, and -2 so the cervix was ready to go. Paul and I had stopped by the video store on the way to the hospital to buy “While You Were Sleeping” and were getting ready to watch it but I decided to save it for when the contractions got a little more intense. We watched TV for a few hours before I gave Paul permission to fall asleep and then I addressed Christmas cards. The baby was still high so I also spent a lot of time just walking back and forth trying to get the baby to move down a bit so we could speed things along. The contractions were very easy to handle at this point without much concentration at all. After about 1 am, I started dozing and, by 2 I was listening to my Hypnobabies CDs.
As the early morning progressed, the contractions started to get tougher and I began to feel them pretty much entirely in the small section right in front where my c-section scar is. It was very concentrated. The intensity there was enough to make me unable to walk or even stand by myself but I couldn’t feel them anywhere else. I was a little disappointed because we had been sure that my experience with that exact pain during the last birth had been due to the breaking of the waters about 30 hours into labor. My waters were still intact this time though and the pain had already begun. Paul started helping me with the pain using our Hypnobabies techniques and I spent a while in the tub as well.
Finally, at 7 am we had a shift change and our favorite midwife Ginger arrived. We’d had Ginger for 24 hours during Dax’s birth and we really liked her techniques and manner. She is very hands-on and, when in the room, acts a lot like a doula in addition to a midwife. Ginger did an examination and said I was easily an 8 but that the baby was still really high up and we needed him to come down. If we could get him to come down, then the cervix would just disappear in front of him. So, for the rest of the day I was pretty much completely dilated but the baby was just floating around hanging out.
I was deep in concentration at this point and well beyond uncomfortable. Even though my past experiences with it had been less than satisfactory, it was time for the epidural. Sometime after 10, it arrived and actually worked. I was ready to sing a song! I fell asleep and, secretly, Ginger turned off the pitocin to allow me some extra rest. The contractions were still coming but, with the exception of getting turned over every ½ hour or so, I was fast asleep until sometime between 1 and 2. Since I seem to have a very high tolerance to pain medication, I was so excited that the epidural lasted nearly 4 hours! When it wore off, it did so suddenly and the concentrated pain in front started again.
My contractions were beginning to get quite spread out so Ginger restarted the pitocin and we began a discussion of breaking the waters. On my birth plan, it was actually in capital letters that I didn’t want my waters broken because of how badly it had affected my labor last time. Seeing as I already had the intense scar-area pain though, it was kind of a moot point and Paul and I agreed to the AROM.
For me, everything for the next 5-6 hours is kind of blurry but I do know that I asked for another epidural and they ended up adding a lot more medication directly to the original site and it did nothing. By the time I got ready for an actual 2nd epidural Ginger checked me and suggested we push. I was still about 9 cm and the baby was high but at least he was near the birth canal. I had one question, “Will it get the baby out?” She answered affirmative and I began pushing in earnest. I just wanted to get that baby born because I knew the pain would stop instantly as soon as he arrived.
I have no idea when I started pushing but Paul estimates it was sometime around 5 pm. It took a long time to get the baby down but I was definitely motivated. Finally and suddenly, the baby was there. I had no idea until I heard them all gasp and I look down and saw a little head laying on the table with a surprised and kind of perturbed look on his face. Paul announced, “He’s all boy!” and Ginger said, “This baby is definitely not 7 and a ½ pounds.” It was 6:50 pm on Saturday, December 20th. I was 42 weeks.
The nurse quickly handed me the baby and I started him breastfeeding. He did great. I was definitely surprised that he was a boy. I was almost positive it was a girl. I held him for a while until my doula arrived with a big tray of food. Of course, I was famished so I took the opportunity to eat while Paul helped the nurse with the baby’s cleaning, evaluations, and measurements. Little Ewan was 9 lb 7 oz and 22.5 inches. I finished everything on my tray and started drinking like I’d been stuck in a desert for the last 24 hours and they brought Ewan over to try breastfeeding again. He really was a nursing champ.
A couple hours later we moved upstairs to the Mommy/Baby floor and got a private room. We were in the same hospital as for Dax’s birth but there were a few good differences this time around including the fact that the nurses really did leave us alone most of the time. I was not being woken up every couple of hours for blood pressure checks and, although they were constantly asking about Ewan’s eating, the nurses weren’t in too much of a tizzy when he fell asleep and had zero interest in eating for hours on end. Unfortunately, after that great initial breastfeeding session, Ewan decided he really wanted nothing to do with the breast. He would totally freak out as soon as it came near him. After about 18 hours I got him to take it with a nipple shield one time but that’s it.
At home I ended up pumping for him for one week before he’d take the breast with the shield again and I cut him off from bottles entirely. It helped that my milk was well in place by then so he got pretty instant gratification when breastfeeding. He’s still using the shield but at least I’m off the pump so that makes me happy. I’ll get him weaned off the shield eventually. I went through the same thing with Dax.
So, everyone is doing well and we’re even getting some sleep. The thing I love about vaginal birth is how quickly the recovery is compared to my c-section. With the VBACs I have felt pretty good within a few hours of giving birth and was well healed by a week later. It was even faster this time.
The kids are doing great with Ewan as well. We have to watch Dax closely because he is a toddler and naturally rough but he seems to like the baby a lot and is still fascinated with it. He often walks up to the carseat to give Ewan a kiss on the head. Ewan is our first child to actually like the vibrate feature on the bouncer so that keeps him happy a couple of times a day but his preferred place is in someone’s arms.

Sierra, Ewan, Ainsley, and Dax
Newborn Ewan
Ewan getting ready to go home from the hospital
Dax teaching his new brother about the important things in life
Sierra sings Ewan a lullaby
Ewan at home

 

YAY!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! :birthday: !!!!SWEET BOY!!!!!!!!

He is adorable and you have a beautiful family!!!

 

Great birth story! Congrats again! He is so handsome! :wub:

 

Awe, what a handsome man! I love his little personalized hat! What an awesome xmas present for your family! And, woe, I can't believe how big Dax has gotten...I don't think I've seen a pic of him in awhile. You have a beautiful family...love the shot of the 4 of them!

 

I really enjoyed reading that story. I think you're a real trooper and obviously a wonderful, calm mother. Congratulations on Ewan's birth! How did you get that personalized cap on him so quickly - did you have it ready, in case you had a boy?

 

Congrats! I love his name....your family is beautiful....you should post pictures more often! Happy New Year!

 

Congrats to you and he is just beautiful but so are all your other children!

 

Congratulations Alison and Paul and the WHOLE M Family!!! :hug:

 

Wonderful Birth Story
Congrats!

 

Wonderful birthstory! You havea gorgeous family!

 

QUOTE(CHJH @ Jan 2 2009, 12:56 AM) [snapback]1129338[/snapback]
I really enjoyed reading that story. I think you're a real trooper and obviously a wonderful, calm mother. Congratulations on Ewan's birth! How did you get that personalized cap on him so quickly - did you have it ready, in case you had a boy?


Yes, I had the hat already made. I took two personalized hats (one with "Ewan" and one with "Ezri") and then a pink blanket and blue blanket to the hospital so we'd be ready no matter what gender the baby was.