Mason's Birth Story - Part 2
August 31, 2010 5:30 AM
Faced with the possibility of being sent home, we were encouraged to try a couple tricks to speed up Lynsey’s labor. The first attempt would be to walk for an hour and re-check things. Due to the recent weather conditions, and the 39 + weeks of gestation, Lynsey had probably not walked an hour in the three days prior, but that was our best bet to get the labor moving along. Considering the time of day, we were able to explore the entire floor of the hospital with minimal encounters with other people. This was actually good because when a contraction did hit, Lynsey would double over in pain right in the middle of the hallway. For all the other parents out there, I know that we all snickered and giggled at the videos shown during birthing class. There is inevitably a women moaning like a cow in the pasture during a fierce contraction. You know the sight, eyes rolled back in her head, mouth half open, and a long low groan is uttered from beneath the compressed diaphragm. To Lynsey’s credit she did not get to that point in the hallway, however, just to lighten the mood, I would let out an occasional maternal groan when no one else was around.
August 31, 2010 6:30 AM
Done with the walk and still at 1.5 centimeters. The next trick was to have Lynsey lay on her side and drink caffeine. How this is suppose to induce labor is beyond me. But after another 90 minutes of her laying there, and me just watching her lay there, the doctor finally came back in for a repeat exam. With great relief she told us that she was now 3 centimeters dilated, and that the doctor was going to admit us to the hospital. If laying on her side was all she needed to do, I am sure that Lynsey would have been doing that for weeks to help speed things up. After this exam, it is starting to be for real. We are going to have a baby, and it may even get here before the end of the day.
August 31, 2010 9:00 AM
After answering the same admission questions again, we are transferred to a real birthing suite. And when I say suite, I mean sweet. This place was deluxe equipped with full shower, fold-out sofa, and a view of the downtown skyline. Lynsey is now starting to get excited, however that was dampened a little bit by having to get stuck four times in an attempt to start an IV. I know that the nurse was trying hard and visibly frustrated, but her 22 years of self-proclaimed experience was not helping to sooth Lynsey. This is the point also, where our phones start to go crazy. People at this point realize that we are not at work, and word is starting to spread that we are in the hospital, and with that texts and calls are coming from left and right. Knowing that I am not the tech-savvy communicator that Lynsey is, some people had a wait a long time while my fumble fingers and bear paws tried to respond on her little fold out keyboard/phone.
August 31, 2010 11:00 AM
Lynsey is now up to 5 centimeters, and the nurse has just asked what Lynsey was hoping for all day. “Are you ready for your epidural?” With the anticipated relief in sight, the smile on Lynsey’s face stretched from ear to ear. Also at this point, Lynsey’s family is all present, and most of mine are on their way. The excitement is starting to build. If you didn’t know, both of Lynsey’s parents work in the medical field. Her mother is a nurse anesthetist with 40 years experience and her father is a respiratory therapist. Both of them are well known and respected in the hospital community. Needless to say once the hospital staff learned of Lynsey’s relation to them, we received nothing but VIP treatment the rest of the way. What was once, a delayed return call or page, was now an immediate in-person visit.
Okay now that we are getting closer, come back tomorrow for the final exciting details of the story.
All checked in to the suite...
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