Sunday, January 3, 2010

Labor and Delivery

Meet Jackson Alvin David Crockett, born December 30, 2009 at 5:18 p.m. Weighing in at 8 pounds 1 ounce and measuring 20 inches long.

I'm excited to finally share my labor and delivery experience. It was such a long, hard process so I feel like I need to write this down to remember how my son came into this world.



Tuesday, December 29th at around 5:30 p.m. Jackson was much more active in the womb than usual, it was a constant, almost painful pushing and kicking. I got up from my chair to get some more water and started to "pee my pants" I couldn't stop the gushing so I knew that my water was breaking. I told Davy and we started packing for the hospital. I was excited to know that my body wanted to go into labor and I think Jackson's activity just before that helped my water break, our little guy was ready to come into the world! It was so exhilarating knowing that we were going to meet our little boy within 24 hours.



We arrived at the hospital around 6:30 p.m. where they tested my fluid and discovered that my water had indeed broken. They checked my cervix only to discover that I was still 75% effaced and only dilated to a 1. Because I wasn't having much progression, at around 7 p.m. they started me on an IV of pitocin to get my body kicked into gear. The contractions were coming, they were uncomfortable but certainly not too painful. I was far too excited to go to sleep so we just sat there, waiting for the nurse to check my cervix again. At around 3 a.m. they checked my cervix again and I'd slowly dilated to a 3.



I labored all night, getting little sleep in between contractions. They were painful and I definitely had to breathe through them. By 10 a.m. Wednesday, I thought for sure that I'd progressed because of the pain of the contractions. The nurse checked my cervix and gave us the bad news that I was still dilated to a 3, so she sent the doctor in to discuss options with us. He told us that I needed to progress soon or else I'd be forced to have a c-section.

I had surgery on my back in 2001 and needed to take my x-rays in for the anesthesiologist to decide if I could have an epidural for pain. The nurse anesthetist looked over my x-rays and decided that they would not be able to give me an epidural because of the scar tissue in my lower back, which could lead to some serious complications. I wasn't exactly set on the idea of an epidural, so I wasn't too heartbroken by this news.



While my doctor was in the room, he noted how much pain I was in and called for an anesthesiologist to give us a second opinion on the epidural. She came into the room and told us the exact same thing the first anesthesiologist told us. I was upset because the pain was getting harder to breathe through and I was losing energy and confidence quickly. The nurse offered me a narcotic pain reliever called Nubain that could be administered through my IV. We were hoping that the pain reliever would relax my body just enough so that my body would progress quickly to get our baby out. I immediately felt the effects of the Nubain and slipped into a deep sleep.



I awoke around 12 p.m. to some really horrible contractions. The nurse checked my cervix again and discovered that I'd progressed to a 6! It was such a relief to hear that this process might be over soon and I could finally meet my son. Because of my progress, the doctor decided to let me continue laboring instead of going immediately into a c-section. They were having problems with their monitering equipment. They were no longer doing a good job of monitering my contractions and the baby's heartbeat. This is essential information so the doctor had to insert an IUTC device to measure my contractions from the inside. He also had to insert an electrode into Jackson's head that was the best way of knowing his heartbeat. The insertion of the IUTC was worse than any pain that I've ever had in my entire life. I'd been so strong up until that point that I just screamed and screamed until it was over.



At around 3 p.m. the contractions seemed like they were one on top of the other and I could get no relief. The breathing exercises I'd been practicing thus far were harder to concentrate on and more intense. My doctor came in to check my cervix to find out I was dilated to a 9. My body was ready to push and kept trying on it's own everytime I had a contraction. I had to fight off the urge to just let my body push because my cervix wan't ready yet. I did that for about an hour and had lost so much strength that I just finally gave in. We discovered that Jackson was sunny-side up and not in a favorabe station for vaginal delivery. I tried to push, but nothing was coming from it. The doctor checked my cervix again to find out that it had begun swelling and there was just no way I was going to give birth vaginally.

I signed some forms to go into the operating room for a c-section and off we went. Davy and my mom were extremely worried and anxious, but we all realized that this was the only way to have a healthy baby.

I awoke in recovery to hear that I had a sweet little 8 pound 1 ounce baby boy that was 20 inches long. All I could do was smile and be thankful that I'd woken up from the anesthesia to finally meet my son. I thanked Heavenly Father for helping me through everything and the chance to raise my little boy.

I waited and woke up some more in the recovery room for about an hour when I was finally wheeled up to my room. Seeing and holding my son for the first time was the best feeling in the world. He is so perfect in every way and I'm so thankful that I have the chance to love him and be his mommy.

2 comments:

  1. Congratulations!! I'm so glad to hear that your little one arrived!

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  2. Congratulations! That is great news to hear! Have fun with your new little boy!

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