Sunday, October 28, 2007

Rewind to Aug'05 - Kutti boy birth story.

I wanted to recap the birth story of KB for my own memory. I did not write it down at that time. Since I wrote down baby girl’s birth story for the post, I realized I am forgetting a lot of the details of KB’s birth and that I should write it down at least now.

Rewind to Aug.1.05.
40th week, still no signs of labor. I went for long walks after dinner – at 10.00 pm B and I would be walking up and down the slopes at the well-lit park in the near by community center. B patiently walked slowly me with even though he wished he could just jog instead of walk painfully slowly along with me. I looked like I should have delivered a week back but no sign of any pain yet! Since my AFI index (Amniotic fluid) was slightly above normal and because I had cholestasis, Dr.A decided it would be best to induce me if I don’t go into labor by Aug.1.03. She told me to report to the Labor and Delivery unit at 7.30 am on Aug 3.05, Wednesday. I could not believe it when she gave me the appointment that that would be day – my first child would be arriving then. I could not imagine the magnitude of change that was about happen in our lives when he arrived. I could not believe I* was about to deliver a baby! I was really afraid of labor pains and I had heard from some friends that induced labor can be even more painful. With that in mind, I really tried to coax the baby to come out naturally by exercising as much as I could those final weeks. I was always physically active, but between 32 – 38 weeks, my doctor had told me to take it easy because she did not want me to go into labor earlier than due date. But the last two weeks, she said it was OK if I went into labor, so I really went all out in being physically active. But our little KB here was cozy in his home and didn’t want to come out unless we prodded him a little more! With induction!

On Aug.2.05, I was asked to come to the OB’s office for a procedure. Dr.A (my doc) was not available, so Dr.S put in the Foley catheter to kick-start the process. My sister was arriving that evening and I had told her to meet me outside the OB’s office. We went back home together (my nephew brought her from the airport) after the procedure.

Slowly and steadily the pain started. By midnight, I had so many contractions that came at random intervals; I just could not lie down and sleep. I did not sleep at all pretty much that night. I walked around the house in the middle of the night to ease my pain. Morning finally came and I showered and got ready. My sister, B and myself drove to the hospital. Mom and dad (my dad was alive then, how I wish he had been around this time too!) came to the door to wish me luck. Mom had tears in her eyes from the tension she was in hoping for a safe delivery.

We checked into the L&D unit and I walked to the elevator (now thinking about it – what a contrast – I was wheeled into the delivery room directly in a rush for kutti girl) and walked into the delivery room. It was a large room with nice bay windows, a large bed in the center with huge lights above it and a smaller bed next to it for the guest. I was immediately made to wear my robes and lie down on the bed. The nurse (CK) checked my blood pressure and then inserted the tubes to start inducing me with Pitocin. I was given the most minimal dose to start with. The process started at 7.30 a.m.

Even before I got married, whenever I imagined having children, I would think about how labor would be. I somehow had this feeling that all the women I knew who had kids had visited a special place, an adventure land in just having gone through labor. I could not imagine for the life of me how a baby can grow inside a woman’s womb and be delivered to the outside world. A living, feeling baby! Starting from nothing. The process of creation always inspired awe in me. And I could not believe at that moment that this was it – I was going to go through that magical experience. It was as if I was more focused on the experience than on the baby at that moment. I did not feel anything else – but the anticipation of a difficult but exciting and new journey ahead of me. Delivering your first-born brings with it this novelty. I felt as if I was crossing over to the other side. Of someone who knows how that feels! So long it had only been hearsay. I was about to experience the reality of that magic!

I felt the contractions strongly once the Pitocin kicked in. Dr.A came in and checked me – I had only dilated about 3cm then (I can’t remember exactly now – but far from fully dilated). She told me that she would be around till late evening and if my labor continued on after that, the doctor on call would be here for my delivery. I was keen that Dr.A be around for my delivery. I was hoping that the baby would come before she left for the day. I asked her to request the anesthesiologist to come in as soon as possible to give me the epidural. She told me that I was in luck because he was right in that floor at that moment. Soon after she left, the anesthesiologist came in and gave me the epidural. I was having contractions and I had to bend down so he could inject me. I was nervous about not moving while he was injecting me. B held my head tight against him while I recited “Ram Ram Ram Ram” loudly in pain. B said he saw some blood come out during the process and felt light headed.

I lay down and got into a reasonably bearable position. All this took about a couple of hours. The details of what happened are a tiny bit fuzzy now in terms of the exact timing and numbers. My sister then decided to go home and bring my parents back with her after a quick shower. A little while after she left, a second nurse came in and looked at the fetal heart rate chart. She then called the first nurse who came in and looked at the chart. She was a little concerned. Meanwhile I was not feeling much pain during the contractions because of the epidural. She paged Dr.A who came in a few minutes. She examined me and said that I had proceeded way too rapidly. I was fully dilated now. She was amazed that I reacted so strongly to such a small dose of Pitocin. Just as she was examining me, the water broke. Now the heart rate was really beginning to fall. The baby did not take well to the rapid dilation and water breaking. It was going into fetal distress.

The moments that followed are again one of those intense ones where I went about what I had to do unmindful of the gravity of the situation. The doctor pronounced a code blue and in just a couple of minutes, the entire room was filled with blue uniforms. What had been a scanty number – a nurse, a doctor, B and me, suddenly changed. There were other doctors, and more nurses in blue protective uniforms. B was given a uniform and a mask.

Dr.A told me that I had to push in ten minutes or they were going to perform an emergency C-section. I had no time to think. All I knew was that I had to push as hard as I could to get this baby out soon. I did not even pray at that moment. I felt calm only because Dr.A was around – I had complete faith in her abilities as a doctor. She looked calm, not nervous. B on the other hand was a passive witness to all this. He told me later that he was feeling worried as to how things will progress at that point. The doctors gathered around me and said “1, 2, 3, PUSH” and I would push hard. Baby wasn’t coming out yet.

I continued on. I did not feel any pain in my numbness. I pushed again. And suddenly I heard one of the doctors’ come and tell me “We are going to use the forceps and coax the baby out. Don’t worry, Dr.A is very very experienced in forceps delivery”. I could not even think much about it at that point. It was not in my control. Had my sister (the pediatrician) been around at that point, she might have objected to it and things may have gone differently because she is not particularly in favor of forceps delivery given a choice. She may have requested the doctor to go for a C-section instead. But who knew that the baby would be coming out so soon. My sister merely went home to have a shower and bring my parents back to the hospital.
Again, the doctor said “1,2,3 PUSH” and I did. Dr. A now (I assume) used the forceps and there he was “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaannn”. (10.27 a.m. Aug.3.2005). A loud wail! I heard “ooohs” and “Aaahs”. Dr. A said, look how loud he is – may be he will be a musician! And then said may be he will be an actor – look at his dramatic entry into the world! I could not believe the events that happened in those three hours. The baby was already here! I could not grasp it. It happened too quickly! B was immensely relieved. He held the baby and brought him to me. I held him for a seconds and gave him back to B. I had fourth degree tearing from having pushed so hard and so rapidly. Dr.A sutured the tears and told me she would check on me later.

B immediately called home. Since no one answered, he called my sister on the cell phone. She was already in the car with my parents and was heading out of the complex into the road when the phone rang. She answered B thinking he was casually calling and said “We are on our way”! And B told her, “The baby is here!”. My sister was stunned! She said “What?”. B repeated what he had said. My sister was thrilled and told my parents the news. They were delighted and relieved. When they got to the hospital room, the nurse was still with me. They waited for a few minutes and then came in and held the baby. I can’t help but choke with emotion at this point. My father held the baby proudly. I wish I could have written the same line when I wrote kutti girl’s birth story this year.

Thus began my first step into being a mother and raising a child. The week that followed was less about the baby and more about me. Sparing you the details of it, I suffered quite a bit from the fourth degree tearing only after I got home with the baby. I did not realize the impact of it until then. Labor was a breeze really – unexpectedly short. But the few days after I got home felt like the real labor. Trying to sit on the “donut pillow” and feed the newborn baby who just did not know to latch. I had to deal with my own pain while trying to nurse him. All that is a whole different story – somehow I got through those four days of pain and the first day I went for a short walk, I felt so grateful. I prayed to god to never ever make me sick or in a position to not be able to walk freely and feel the warm sun. And feel the fresh air outside. Those few minutes alone, walking along the trees and hearing the birds chirping, I felt thankful. For all that I had at that moment. For having delivered my child safely. For having coming out of that pain I had been in the last few days. I pray for that divine grace to be with and guide my children always!

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely :)

Cantaloupes.Amma (CA) said...

You sure experienced the joy of becoming a mom all over again as you wrote the blog !!
Lovely post !

mnamma said...

Hey Noon,
Reading through KB's birth story I found many similarties to M and N's birth story like the 3 hour active labor and the tear. And KG's birth story was quite a thriller :) Each post of yours reveals a new facet of your personality. I am so sorry about your Father. I lost my Father when I was very young (7 years old) and it was during M and N's birth that me and Amma missed him a lot. I was thinking how proud he would have been to look at his first set of grand children.Lovely post! Brough back a lot of memories for me :)

noon said...

Thanks Shobha...

CA - yes...
Thanks...

Mnamma - Yeah I thought KB's was dramatic at that time and KG had to out do him in that! Sign of the competition ahead I suppose! :)
Thanks - for lovely post..
And my god - lost your father at age 7? How? Man - your mother (and other moms who lost their husband and had to do it on their own) must be a strong woman to cope with this and raise children without him being around. Goodness - I am sure she misses him at every celebration - like the birth of his grand daughters. So sorry to hear about this really.

Anonymous said...

Nice post. Makes me nostalgic about Aryan's Birth. I was chanting Sri Rama Jayam in my mind. My Mom was also chanting the mantra with me
Indeed it was a dramatic entry...

Collection Of Stars said...

WoW! That was amazing :)
I understand about your father - I wish he was there when your kutti girl was born too...I really do.
And, I guess I need to do KTs birth story before I forget all the teeny weeny bits :)

Savani said...

what a story noon. wow.. it was so wonderfully narrated.. it felt i was in the delivery room, waiting, worrying if everything would be OK! and then the joy that the baby arrived. i lived every moment. nicely written. brought back memories of my own d-day!!

By Deepa and Supriya said...

well told, dear noon! and the beauty of birth is that it is always fun to read..even if it is someone else's story...and what adorable pictures too

Sunita Venkatachalam said...

My heart was in my mouth, even when I knew the ending ! Awesome story, awesomely narrated. Am so glad you put it down now, because already some details seem hazy to you, imagine trying to tell this to Poppin many years from now ! Without this backup, you'd definitely forget the details

And yes, I said Poppin not KB, who knows she might turn out to be your DIL one day :) lol

Anitha(Nikki's mom) said...

My God, it was an awesome story, wonderfully narrated. Switches to thriller mode when KB goes into fetal distress. I could imagine myself being there and rooting for a vaginal delivery. Vacuum was applied to Nikki 7-8 times before he could come out. Reminds me, I have to write down mine too, before details become hazy.

Anitha(Nikki's mom) said...

Forgot to mention, KB is adoorrable in that pic. What expression is that? quizzical? pensive? philosophical? Kind of a mature expression that is, for a one-month old.

Shobana said...

WOW!! I see a lot of similarities, yet they are different. Makes me want to write about Thambi's birth story, which I will.

noon said...

Aryan's mom - Thanks. You really should do Aryan's birth story. Like engagement stories, these are also so interesting to read...esp for women who have already gone through it. I never used to bother so much with the details of how the delivery happened before I had kids myself. Now if say a friend delivers, I am eager to know how it all went...the details of it. You should make this your next post! Consider yourself tagged on this! :)

noon said...

Cofs - OK I think this is now officially a tag story and you are tagged. Please do KT's birth story - you will surely forget the details - it was all so vivid -- to the minute for a few months after KB was born - now it is already a little fuzzy.

Dotmom - thanks (also for worrying with me in the delivery room! :) )
Have you done Chip's birth story? I don't think so...if not, do consider yourself tagged on this one!

Orchid - Thanks so much. Any progress on the engagement story tag? We have to then progessively move on to the birth story! :)
Yes it is always interesting to read about the miracle of birth even if it is someone else going through it...

noon said...

Poppin - Thanks! :)
And good one - at first even I thought may be by mistake you wrote Poppin! Nice twist there! I had a smile when I read your next line! Going by mom then I will have a pretty DIL when she is older! Tell her not to break KB's heart! So many Americans when they see KB remark "oh my god, look at his eyes (since he has big sleepy looking eyes and fan like lashes), he is going to be a heart breaker for sure". And knowing his gentle temperament, I keep telling B - oh my god I know my son is the one who's heart will be broken! And start feeling sad in my imagination! :))

noon said...

Anitha - yes, please do Nikki's story. Oh my god - 6-7 times vacuum - must have been so tense?
If you do the story, do let me know - am going to be in and out of town next couple of months - will also be alone with the kid's since mom is leaving this Friday - won't have much comp time at all...so I may miss a lot of posts...
Yeah - he has that pensive expression in so many of his early snaps. His birth photos - some friends remarked that he looked too aware for someone who had just come out...he still has that deep thoughtful expression - drifts off into his own world every now and then.

noon said...

Shobana, yes do post Thambi's story.
BTW - congrats on being featured in the Telegraph article!

Collection Of Stars said...

Did it and it took a good 2 hours to do it :)

~nm said...

Wow! What a story! And I feel so ashamed for cribbing and crying over my 3rd degree tear! I know how painful it was to sit for even a while in the first few days! My OBG took full 1 hr to stitch me up and I wondered how long you would have had to bear the stitching process!

I still remember how painful was the first poop (mine not the baby's) hehehe...

Trishna said...

ohhh Noon, it feels like you were there in that labour room again,when you wrote this post. And I am sorry about your dad.Wish he was here to see KG. But such is life.My mom is not around anymore,but still I miss her every single day..and being a mom, I just appreciate her more now.But seeing my dad with A was like the best thing for me-but still not as good as seeing them both with her.
Hugs!

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Anonymous said...

Noon, Beautiful! Felt like I was in the labor room, had my mouth wide open while reading it :)
KB's face hasn't changed much, comparing his one month pic to the last one you posted..