Tickling, Trust & Threat of an
Episiotomy
a Bradley Birth Mom Shares Her Story
Traveling to the hospital was not a big deal at all, we left when the
contractions were picking up but not no unmanageable. My water broke at 8:20
a.m. on my birthday and contractions started with some regularity about
2 hours later. Russ came home from work around that time and we spend the
afternoon relaxing, eating and at 7:30 p.m., we left for the hospital. We got
checked when we arrived and I was 80% effaced, my cervix was soft and I was
0cm dilated. Our midwife told us to get walking so we made laps around the
hallway.
Around midnight she came in to let us know that she was going to go
rest since we might be at this for awhile and she had already delivered
another baby earlier in the day. She said that soon as one of the birthing
suites opened up we would be moved there but until then we were going to stay
in the triage room where we had been laboring. Russ and I rested and labored
there until one of the nurses offered to let us use the shower. We decided to
give that a try and that's when contractions really started to intensify. At
about 3 a.m. I finally looked at Russ and told him I had to get out.
Once we
got to the room I told him someone needed to get Kathy for me. I wasn't sure
why but I knew I needed her. When she walked in she asked what was going on
and I could barely talk but told her that things were different and I felt a
lot of pressure. She asked if I had the urge to push and I said yes (I
couldn't stop if I tried). She checked me and I was only 5 cms dilated. On the
next contraction she told me to go ahead and push and she helped me dilate. I
went from 5cm to 10cm in two contractions. At that point they had put the
fetal heart rate monitor on but it kept slipping off and they couldn't get an
accurate read. When they could, his heart rate was in the 80s. Kathy looked at
Russell and I and told us that the baby was upset about something and that she
didn't know what so we had to try and get him out quickly.
The OB on call was brought into the tiny triage room and she agreed with
Kathy that something was going on. With every contraction they had me try
another position and at one point Kathy even tickled the baby's head to get his heart rate to jump up to
normal levels. She and the OB did everything in their power to make sure we
had the birth that we wanted - even if I was lying in bed in a triage room and
not in one of the beautiful jacuzzi in a birthing suite. The room was getting
crowded and they wanted a neonatal nurse in the room so they started wheeling
me to the OR - the only available room on the floor.
I heard the nurses
pushing all the equipment in the corner to make room for my bed. Kathy and the
OB worked relentlessly as I pushed. Finally, Kathy told me the baby needed to
come out and we couldn't wait any longer. His head had been halfway out for
multiple pushes and he just wasn't budging. She knew that I really didn't want
an episiotomy so we compromised and she gave me lidocaine, hoping that it
would be like an "insurance policy" against it. Four big pushes later and
Riley wasn't any closer to being born so I looked at her and told her to do
whatever she needed to do.
One quick little cut and Riley slid right out with
the next push - his hand right next to his cheek! As soon as they took him
out, I knew it was a boy - despite having no inclination one way or another
for the 9 months of my pregnancy. They put him on my chest, he had APGAR
scores of 9 and 9, and gave me quite a bit of time with him before the nurse
checked him over. He breastfed very quickly and is a real champ with that now.
Russ was absolutely incredible. He spoke for me, kept me calm and most of all,
supported me. In the rare times he was away from me when I had a contraction,
they were definitely more painful. I could not have done it without him. And
yes, I did laugh multiple times during labor.
Even though going into labor the last thing I wanted was an episiotomy, I
realized in that moment that Kathy would not have suggested it if it wasn't
urgent. When she came in to check on me the next day after having some time to
think about our labor she told me that multiple times she and the OB were
about to prepare for a cesarean when Riley would give her just enough
information to tell them he was okay. She said with his heart rate where it
was, at any other hospital I would have been a stat section. I wholeheartedly
believe that if I didn't have Kathy I would have had a section. She managed it
so well and said that she was running purely on instinct. She has worked with
the OB for more than 15 years, so I think their relationship and the trust
that OB put in Kathy was what made the difference.
Kathy expected his cord to
be wrapped around his neck but it wasn't so we have no idea why he was upset
but he's here now and absolutely perfect. Just to show how uncommon an episotomy is at Phelps Memorial, our second nurse came in halfway through the
day and asked if we had one, and when I said yes, she said, "I've worked here
for years and I see maybe 5 a year! What was that baby doing?!" I laughed but
it did make me realize that it was absolutely necessary and better than the
alternative. For the record, it wasn't NEARLY as bad as I thought it would
be.
Copyright 2013, Tara Picket. Used by permission. | 