Kyler's Birth

*I am trying to document all the details so if words like birth canal freak you out...you might just want to look at the pics.

As my due date (July 9) approached, the sonograms showed that the baby was measuring bigger than he should. This could have been because he was going to be a big baby or because my due date was off. There were a few other factors that suggested that my due date was off, but we just continued to wait for his arrival. Well, the week of my due date, we went in for our last OB appointment. My wonderful doctor thought it was best if we induce the day before my original due date. She wasn't comfortable leaving him in there with the discrepancy of my due date. I had originally hated the idea of being induced, but after 9 months of getting to know and trust my doctor, I knew she knew best and I ultimately wanted to do whatever she suggested.

So we headed up to the hospital Wednesday night to begin "cervical ripening." Sounds fun, right? At this point I had been dilated to 1 cm and 50% effaced for a few weeks. We were hoping the cervical ripening would be enough to put me into labor, but it actually did nothing besides give me a few more fairly painless contractions. The next morning they started me on pitocin. That gave me stronger contractions, but didn't do any dilating.

After a while my doctor convinced me to let her break my water. Once she broke my water, I was in active labor. Boy did that speed things up! As soon as my family came back in from the water breaking party, my contractions were hardly even breathable. At this point I was wishing I had taken the Lamaze classes. I was still holding off on the epidural at this point, not because I intended to go drug-free, but I was so scared of that thing! I thought it would help if I was to that point of pain where you're yelling at the husband, "you did this to me!!!" Turns out no amount of painful contractions could have prepared me for that devil shot. I lasted all about an hour from the breaking of the water and I could hardly stand the contractions. I knew I wasn't going to last and that an epidural was imminent so I might as well get it over with. The nurses said that often, the IVs hurt worse than the epidural. Well after that, I thought the IVs felt like puppy kisses compared to the epidural. That thing hurt!! Regardless, it did take the pain of the contractions away, and just a few hours later we were ready to push!
It was the strangest thing starting to push because you know in a short while you are going to meet your baby. I was so happy. I was pumped. This is what I had done all that walking for in preparation. Well, I pushed, and pushed and pushed....for THREE AND A HALF HOURS!! I thought my head was going to burst I was pushing so hard. Kyler's heart rate would drop after some of the contractions and I had started to run a high fever. I could tell the doctor and nurse were starting to worry but they were still letting me push. I had never wanted to something so bad. They could see his head for quite a while but it wasn't going down past a certain point, and they didn't know why. Eventually, my doctor told me we were going to have to do a c-section to get him out. This is where things got very blurry. I was upset and so scared for my baby. Very quickly I was pumped full of lots of drugs and in a very cold operating room. Lots of things happened very quickly, and the next thing I heard was "he's got curly hair!"

Hearing those first sweet cries was the best feeling. I remember he wasn't even screaming, it was the sweetest little whimper I've ever heard. It seemed like forever until someone finally brought him around the sheet for me to see my perfect baby. Actually, it was forever, and I was not happy about that. Cody was snapping pictures away and I am laying there yelling for someone to bring me my baby. See the fury in my eyes there!
Finally the nurse brought over the most beautiful little child I have ever seen.


He was wrapped up like a little burrito and looking all around with his big blue eyes. It killed me not being able to snuggle him right away. I was just so thankful he was healthy. My fever hadn't affected him and he was perfect.


My doctor discovered that the reason he hadn't come out on his own was because my dang tailbone was too prominent. Poor little guy couldn't get past it. It took a little while for his little face and head to recover from being stuck in the birth canal for 3.5 hours. After they finished the surgery, they whisked him away to the nursery. The next 4 hours felt like an eternity. Finally at 2 am they wheeled my little son into my room where I got to hold him for the first time. I wish I wasn't so drugged because I barely remember but I know it must have been the best feeling ever. They say that babies really need to nurse the first moments of thier lives for it to get to a good start. If you wait too long they get drowsy and might not establish a good breastfeeding relationship. Because of the surgery I was not able to nurse him right away. Well, I know this was a total God thing, because somehow my little baby stayed wide awake until they brought him to me 4 hours later and he latched on perfectly. The nurses said they had never seen a baby so alert in the first 24 hours and nurse so well from the first try. It was the best blessing.

The next 4 days in the hospital were spent bonding and recovering. Because Kyler was so low in the birth canal, they had to do a second vertical incision to get him out. So between the massive surgery, and all the pushing I did for so long, the recovery process was not easy. I enjoyed every minute holding my baby because that was all I could do. He slept in the nursery at night, and each night the nurse would wheel him in every 3 hours to eat and I remember the amazing feeling I would get as I would wake up at 4 am to the sound of my sweet baby crying as he was wheeled up to my bed. It was amazing.




Being home from the hospital was a challenge at first. Those nurses are good at taking care of people! But being with him now and being able to carry him, snuggle him, and change his diaper has been so wonderful. He is the sweetest little boy. He loves to be held and cuddled, he loves to look at bright colors, and he loves voices! Singing to him soothes him best, it's so cute. He is definitely going to be a musician like his daddy.



Even though the delivery was nothing like I had hoped and expected, and lots of unpleasant situations came up, I am thankful for every detail...because it brought me the most precious baby. I am so in love with this little boy. Sometimes I just sit and stare at him for hours. I have loved being a mom even more than I thought I would. This is the best job in the world!

God provides and His love is so sweet.