The longest birth
Day 1: She went to the check up with the OB. She was monitored for a while and the OB said she needed to be admitted because she was having contactions and she was dilated. If the OB was wrong or not on admitting her so soon, is another chapter on this story and we're not focusing on that right now.
She called me, nervous and a little anxious, so I drove there to support her and get ready to get her baby girl.
I arrived at the hospital and met them right outside the elevator. She was feeling some mild contractions. We got the room and she got the heart monitor that was gonna be attached to her belly for the next 2 days.
It was 8 pm, she was working through the waves clamly, as the pain was not so hard. We talked, listened to music, had a little fun.
A couple of hours went by when the nurse came to check her cervix. She was just 2 cm. That's when she started doubting about her OB's decision, and I knew it was going to take a while.
Well into the night, Dad went to sleep and Mom and I stayed up, talking, going through those mild waves, picturing the little girl that was trying to make her entrance.
Another cervix check, she was still at 2 cm.
Day 2: After being awake the entire night, Mom was tired and sleepy so she took a little nap.
A little while after, the nurse came to check her again and she was still 2 cm. We talked about natural induction with a breast pump, to stimulate the nipples and see if that could get things moving. We started that and contractions got a little more intense. We were happy about that. It had been a long night and she needed a little assurance that things were going.
She spent the afternoon riding the waves, sipping water and apple juice and just being patient.
The next cervix check, she was just 4 cm and things didn't seem to be progressing. We discuss the possibility of starting an IV with pitocyn. She agreed it was a good idea, and so the nurse did it.
Contractions started getting more intense and she was doing a great job coping through the pain, breathing, focusing and remembering all those affirmations that she had read during the pregnancy. After a few hours of induction and pain, she was still at 4cm. She was somewhat dissapointed but she was not giving up. She knew patience was key.
The day went by. We were all tired, but kept working as a team to support this Mom on her hardest battle.
The night came and she was still at 4 cm, not really progressing and starting getting tired and upset. We discussed the possibility of getting an epidural for pain relief but also to let her body relax and let the contractions do their work. Maybe she could get some sleep and wake up to a fully dilated cervix.
She knew her dreamed birth was not going the way she wanted and she was adjusting well to the changes and challenges. She took the epidural. I went to a hotel to rest while she got some sleep.
Day 3: It was her estimated date of birth. At 5 am I woke up and texted Dad. He told me they had just checked her and she was 6 cm. Ok, things were starting to go. Not was I thought it would be after 6 hours, but at least they were finally progressing.
I went to the hospital, and there she was, in bed, relaxed and still patient.
A few hours later, they checked her and she was complete. Finally, the moment she's been waiting.
The pushing started, in different positions, with the help of a wonderful nurse.
She pushed tirelessly for 2 hours. The OB checked her once again, but baby wasn't coming down. She talked about a C-section. Mom got upset, she didn't want a c-section. It wasn't how she planned to deliver her baby and at this point she didn't feel it was fair to throw the last 2 days of labor away. She talked to her husband and decided she was going to keep pushing this baby out.
She pushed for another two hours. Trying different positions, this extremely strong Mom pushed and pushed, doing everything she could. The nurse and me did some hip squeezes that weren't as strong as this amazing woman. She tried everything she could.
The OB came in again, check her and said what neither of us wanted to hear: the baby wasn't coming down an inch.
This time, the idea of a c-section wasn't so bad: Mom knew she had done all that was humanly possible to get her vaginal birth, but her baby had a different idea.
She decided to get a c-section.
Dad and I got scrubbed in to enter the OR for the cesarean section. Mom got there first to get ready. We waited for a while for the nurse to come get us, but when she did, she said that Mom was complaining she felt pain in her abdominal area and she was quite upset, so they had to put her under total anesthesia and that way, nobody was allowed in the OR.
So Dad and I went back to the room and just waited. Things definitely weren't going as planned.
About an hour after, the nurse brought Paz, the baby we've been waiting for. Dad held her for the first time, before even Mom could hold her. He was in awe. He was relieved. He was in love with his baby girl.
A while later, Mom arrived. She was awake and ready to meet her baby. She got so emotional when she saw her, she couldn't wait to hold her, nurse her and just soak in every little detail of her small little girl.
She was finally here. After a long labor, after all the odds, after adjusting her sails when the wind didn't blow her way. She became a Mom, and a powerful one. Her baby was earthside and she was happy and ready to start a new life.
