Bastian's Birth

February 17, 1995: Back to the hospital. They said I had broken thru the terbutaline, and they wanted to do a "wash" (they give another drug until the first one is washed out of your system, so the first one will work again). So, they started me on Niphedipine, but the contractions didn't slow down any. Hoping that the terbutaline had been washed sufficiently, they tried to give me doses of that again, alternating pill/shot every 2 hours. That didn't seem to work, either. Then they tried Magnesium Sulphate (IV)... nasty stuff! Unfortunately, this also didn't work, so my doctors decided to ship me to another hospital where they had the best Perinatologists (premie doctors) in the state. Just before my first ambulance ride, I was given a cortisone (steroid) shot to help encourage early lung development, in case the baby did deliver early.

At UNMH (where I was sent), I was put on Endicine... didn't work. Then on Mag. Sulphate again. Also didn't have any effect but make me miserably sick. Then, when they finally decided there was nothing more they could do but let me deliver, the contractions stopped. When I was moved from the labor and deliver floor to the OB floor, they started up again. By the time they moved me back to L&D, they quit. So, I was moved to OB, and started on the Terbutaline alternating shots and pills. This seemed to work satisfactorily, so a day or two later, I was switched to a pump (which delivers a continuous dose thru a tube inserted into the thigh) and sent home. (February 21)

I was sent home on bedrest (kind of difficult with an almost 1 year old...) and a home nurse who came in twice a week, and twice a day home monitoring, and told to relax. HA! Terbutaline is not the drug to be told to relax on! So I crocheted. I think by the time the baby delivered, I had made his afghan and 3 bed sized afghans!

February 28, 1995: I had a satisfactory Dr. appointment with Dr. Salisbury... only dilated to 1 1/2+cm, which considering the number of contractions I was having, was GREAT!

March 5, 1995: Hospitalized again, but this time for the flu, which was increasing contractions. The doctor increased my Terbutaline dosage and sent me home on the 7th.

March 14, 1995: Doctors appointment; no change, except I was effaced to 50%.

March 16, 1995: Increased contractions; office visit: no change.

Later in the evening, because of more increased contractions, I was sent to the hospital for an exam; still no change.

March 17, 1995: Another office visit. Still no change. My base line/threshold (how many contractions I could have in an hour before the doctors would start to worry) was increased to 8-10/hour.

March 20, 1995: And another office visit. No real change, except that I was effaced to 60% this time.

March 27, 1995: Office visit: increased to 2cm.

April 2, 1995: The doctor had given me permission to remove the Terbutaline pump, so I was completely off the drugs! YEAH!

April 3, 1995: Office appointment. 3 cm, 75-80% effaced. Doctor Salisbury said it would be any day now!

I spent the evening walking around the block with David and Ender, hoping that I could get the contractions going again and get the pregnancy over with. I think we walked maybe 2 miles, but nothing.

Tuesday, April 4, 1995: I woke up really glad that the contractions hadn't started, because I had a bad case of the flu, and spent the day in bed throwing up. YUCK!

That evening at 5:15pm, I was laying back down to take a nap and felt a pop. I just lay there, thinking that it was just my imagination... there hadn't been any contractions all day, and I was busy being sick... that couldn't possibly have been my water breaking! I didn't feel any leaking or anything, so I just stayed there for a few minutes, but when I coughed accidentally, I felt the gush, and that was that.

I decided, reluctantly, that maybe if I got up and got in the shower I would feel better, but I didn't make it that far. I got to the bathroom, and got the water turned on, but after hanging on the towel rack for about 5 minutes, with the contractions starting up at 2 minutes apart and lasting for over a minute, I decided maybe we would forego the shower and just try to make it to the hospital.

Lucky for me, David walked in the door from work right then, so he helped me dress and get my bag and we walked out the door, with my mom promising to be there right behind us after she went to pick up my sister from work.

The drive to the hospital was torturous -- all maybe 10 minutes of it! I remember thinking that the roads had felt smooth before I was in labor! Once we were at the hospital, I managed to walk up to the L&D floor rather than wait for a wheelchair... sitting was uncomfortable, too.

(6:15 pm) When we reached L&D, I was ushered into a room, and David was sent to register me. By the time he returned, I was gowned, monitored, examined (4 1/2 cm, 95% effaced), and arguing with the nurse about whether or not she would deaden the IV site and go find the anesthesiologist.

The IV site ended up not being deadened, and the nurse said she would go find the anesthesiologist. Dr. Salisbury arrived then (still about 6:15), and examined me again... still 4 1/2cm. He said that I would probably deliver in the next 3-4 hours, so to try to relax as much as possible, and he would be around to check on me in another hour or so. (Silly Doctor!)

Between contractions and still feeling the effects of the flu, I was angry and hurting and sick and (I'm afraid) rather rude to anyone in the room. My mom and sister arrived, and when they tried to greet me, I yelled "Shut Up! Don't talk to me!" (They did later forgive me!)

(6:30 pm) The nurse checked back in a short time later, and all of a sudden, without a "by your leave" or anything else, I felt the baby move down the birth canal!

I told her the baby was coming, and to go find the anesthesiologist, even if she had to go to the parking lot to do so! She just smiled one of those condescending smiles, like "You're just the mom, you don't really know whats going on here", and said that the doctor had just checked me 20 minutes before and I was only at a 4 1/2 then, so I couldn't possibly be ready to deliver. I yelled at her to get the doctor, and the anesthesiologist, and proceeded to break the emesis basin someone had given me.

I think just to placate me, she went to see if Dr. Salisbury was still by the nurses desk, which he was, so he came in to ask me how I was doing. I said "We're having a baby now, and I want an epidural!" He smiled one of those condescending smiles, too, pulled back the sheet, then a look of shock crossed his face and he started barking orders to the nurses: "I need gloves and a gown and get a table over here... we're having a baby!" Really? No Kidding! The baby had already crowned, and wasn't showing that usual "2 steps forward, 1 step back" tendency that most babies show upon presentation.

He said, "Ok, Teri, push with the next contraction." I said, "No, I want an epidural! I am not having this baby natural!" He just looked at me and said, "Uh, yes you are!" So much for birth plans, huh? *smile*

I think it took another 3 contractions, and he was born (6:45 pm). But he didn't start to cry, and I was getting nervous... what if the steroids hadn't helped his lungs? He was only 36 1/2 weeks, and I was afraid that something was wrong. Dr. Salisbury cut the cord (for which David was grateful) and the nurses whisked him off to the warmer to get him breathing.

I finally got to see him several minutes later, and to marvel at how lovely he was! We decided then to name him Josiah Sebastian, although we had planned on calling him Christian Skylar up until we were on our way to the hospital! He nursed pretty well right from the start, and felt so small after how big Ender had been! And delivered after only 1 1/2 hours of labor!

They took him to the nursery to bathe him and weigh and measure him. He was 7lbs 6oz, 20 inches, pretty big considering how early he was! Unfortunately, while they were watching him in the nursery, his blood pressure and pulse and respirations dropped dangerously low, so he had to stay in there for several hours under observation. When they finally brought him to me, they said if I noticed any problems I was to inform them immediately, but he spent the night rooming in with me, and the problems seemed to have been an isolated incident... YEAH!

We took him home the next day, and introduced him to his older brother, Ender, who loved him so much, and got so excited that he accidentally kicked Bastian in the head. Oops... they have gotten past it! And we love our now 2 1/2 year old little boy more and more each day!