Birth Story Part 2

Welcome Back! We left off as I began to learn what everyone was talking about in regards to contractions. You can read Part 1 of our birth story here. It's funny, looking back on it now, I don't really remember laboring all night or being in any kind of pain at all, it's all kind of a blur. But when I really think about it, I can put myself back in those moments. The contractions were honestly the most intense pain I've ever felt in my life, and because I was on pitocin, they came pretty frequently. I was also having intense back pain, and I chalked it up to me just lying on my back all night, but I would find out later why I felt it there so intensely. Sometimes I wouldn't have a full let down before the next one started. But I did my best to breathe through them, and Mike was wonderful, he stood by my side and squeezed my hand the whole night. He massaged my legs, my feet, anything to try and help give me relief. By 5 am, I couldn't take it anymore, and I asked the nurse for an epidural. She called the anesthesiologist, and she told me there were 4 people ahead of me and it could be another hour or two before they got to me! I honestly couldn't imagine another 2 hours of contractions, and I think she could see that on my face, so she offered to check my cervix, and depending on how far along I was dilated, that could push me to the front of the line. I said yes please, and turns out I was 4cm, and before I knew it, the anesthesiologist was walking in to the room-yay! I had to fight through a lot of contractions while she put it in, so Mike and the nurse had to hold me still. I honestly didn't feel anything and before I knew it, I was feeling relief. It was honestly so amazing, to go from so much pain, to barely anything. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep!

When I woke up, the nurse and midwife who was on call walked in, and I couldn't believe it! The midwife that Mike and I had been seeing throughout our pregnancy walked in and said she was on shift until 7, and there was a good chance she would be delivering our baby. I can't tell you how comforting it was to see a familiar face in such a whirlwind of a storm. About about an hour later, the nurse checked me again around 11 am and I was at a 10-I had made it! This was it! The time was here!

I started to push, and thanks to the epidural, I didn't feel any pain, and I was starting to get the hang of it. About 30 minutes in, the nurse said she could see his head! So to me, I didn't think it would be that much longer...boy was I wrong. Flash forward FOUR hours, and we still weren't making any progress. As I would push, he would come down a bit, but then he would regress back. Our midwife called a doctor to come in and check our progress, and because I had been pushing for so long, they started to suggest other options. The three options on the table were:

1. C-Section. It would be considered non-emergency, so Mike would get to be in the room, but because I had pushed for so long, I would essentially be recovering from both a vaginal delivery and a C-Section. Not ideal friends...
2. The Vacuum. I would avoid a C-Section, but there was a chance it could break his shoulder as he came out, or it wouldn't work and we would need to do an emergency C-Section anyway, and Mike wouldn't get to be in the room.
3. Continue pushing on the small chance he could still come vaginally, with the possibility of 1 or 2 still happening.

At this point, I looked to Mike and I told him I was so incredibly exhausted I didn't think I could make a decision. The midwife told me to try pushing a couple more times to see if we could make any progress before making a final decision, and I agreed. Lord have mercy, I must have went to a different planet, because the next few minutes I felt like I was having an outer body experience. God was definitely sending me strength, because before I knew it, our midwife was suiting up and she said it was happening! My mom and Mike were by my side the entire time, encouraging me and cheering me on. I pushed a couple more times and I heard my mom scream "he's here!" Next thing I knew, they were placing my son on my chest, and I swear I think I died and went to heaven. It was the single most magical moment of my entire life.

Miles Grey Petrellese

Born Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 3:26 PM

Weighing 8 Pounds 2 Ounces

22.5 Inches Long

Daddy and Miles doing their first skin to skin

Absolutely exhausted, but this was the happiest moment of my entire life

Miles' first selfie

Officially a Family of Three

The next few hours were kind of a blur. Once things had settled, we learned that he was born sunny side up- that's why I was having such intense back pain during labor. They also told us that the cord had been wrapped around his neck TWICE. That was why he had such a hard time getting out-that and he kept hitting my pelvic bone trying to make his way out. Poor guy had a gnarly gash on his head. *Funny Fact* He had such a huge cone head that the nurses actually warned Mike and my mom and said, "Don't worry, it won't stay that way." And boy did he have a cone head you guys.

A couple hours after he was born, we were moved to the Mom and Baby Unit where our immediate families came and visited us for a bit. That night was so weird, sleeping in a room with my husband and our son. It was so surreal. After all our ups and downs during the pregnancy, I honestly couldn't believe Miles was finally here.

Right after Miles was born, I lost a lot of blood and started to hemorrhage. Thankfully, the doctors were able to get it under control. But because of the blood loss, we were told to stay in the hospital until Monday. So even though Mike couldn't wait to sleep in his own bed (poor guy got less sleep than I did that weekend), it was nice to have extra helping hands as I was recovering.

Pure Bliss

We waited for you for so long, Little Man

I've never felt a feeling more magical than holding my son on my chest

What a blessing, Miles was born the day before Mother's Day!
This was my first Mother's Day, and my Mom's 30th :)

All in all, I had a wonderful experience. Everyone, from the triage nurses, to our delivery room staff, and especially our nurses in the Mom and Baby Unit, were absolutely fantastic. I have nothing but amazing things to say about them, and it was a weekend I will look back on and never forget. We couldn't be any more grateful to have been blessed with a healthy son.