Autumn Kathleen King- Birth Story

On Sunday, October 14, 2012 at 7:51pm, baby

Autumn Kathleen King 

was born into the world!

 She was 19 inches long and was 7 pounds 1 ounce of sheer perfection.

Jason and I went into the hospital early Sunday morning (7am). We were told that I could be induced that day if the labour and delivery room was quiet. If it was busy we would have to wait until Tuesday to get induced since on Sunday I was only 6 days over due. Knowing that, I figured we would go to the hospital and then get sent back home. When I went to emergency to check in, they said that there was no one up there and I had the whole floor to myself...

 This would be my room for the next 11 hours.

That's when it hit me... oh gosh, I will have my baby TODAY! I was completely overwhelmed and kinda felt light headed... ok, more like I could pass out. I wasn't afraid of labour, just of the unknown since this would be my first time delivering a child. I had heard horror stories of being induced, that everything is heightened and contractions are right on top of each other with no break, awful tearing etc. Needless to say, I was a tad nervous. I did prepare myself however for the worst (24 hours of hard labour, tearing majorly and then having to get a C-Section in the end).

 Last baby bump picture... yes, I look terrible and scared.

Jason and I went up to the 3rd floor (labour and delivery) and checked ourselves in. They weighed me and then stuck me in the induction room to check vitals and monitor the baby and I for a half hour or so. I had my blood taken and then the nurse came to give me my IV. I've had IV's before and it never took them long to find a vein and would always seem to go smoothly. NOT THIS TIME. Holy cow! They tried my left hand and poked, prodded and dug for the vein. Ended up going through it and I had the hugest bump on that hand.  Then they tried the right side. No luck finding it, and luckily no bump. The nurse got a different nurse to come try and she got it in my left wrist with relative ease. 

Phew!

Dr. Kahn came in to check on me and said she wanted to get this kid out and to break my water then... ahhh! No time for easing it in. She checked me and I was 1cm dilated. Because I was not too far along breaking my bag of waters KILLED... or at least the attempt did. She was unable to get far enough up so she said I would just start the oxytocin and hope to dilate to get up there later on.

They then took me into my labour and delivery room and my oxytocin was started at 9:00am.

Jason started my yoga soothing music to calm me and get me in a relaxed state because I was told that the contractions would come fast and come hard.

The nurse came in every 15 minutes and upped the oxytocin. Jason and I took naps and played Farkle and Phase 10 while I waited to feel... ANYTHING. By 11:45am I had felt nothing that was worse than what I felt at home. Dr. Kahn came in to check me. I was still 1cm dilated and I was already up to 30cc's of oxytocin. The highest dose that a GP can go is 20cc...since Dr. Kahn is a gynaecologist, she was able to go up to 30cc's. I was already at the highest dose and feeling nothing. She decided to then attempt to break my waters again. Ouch Ouch Ouchy! It was awful. She finally snagged the bag and then GUSH! Warm, Niagra Falls spilled out of me!

I was thinking that I would start feeling contractions right away, but I didn't. Jason and I still played games until about 1:00pm when the contractions were too strong to concentrate on anything but BREATHING. I was really good at relaxing and focusing on breathing. I thought I was doing well and probably progressing even a little. Jason was such a good coach, telling me to breathe and focus. He rubbed by back and feet the whole time!

The nurse checked me at 3:00pm and through all that "discomfort" I was STILL 1CM!!!!! At that point, I thought, "if I have done 2 hours of hard labour with no progression... I don't know how much more I can take- GIVE ME THE JUICE!"

At 3:30pm I received the miracle juice! Dr. Chung that works with Dr. Murray was the juice giver so it was nice to see a familiar face. I leaned on Jason's chest while getting the epidural. The only part that was uncomfortable was the freezing in the back. It burned. After that he stuck in the needle and I didn't feel a thing. 

Epidural=Heaven  

This is me right after getting the epidural... LOVIN life!

I felt the freezing warming my legs and stomach. All the pain discomfort was gone and I was able to think straight again. Jason and I were back playing games and chilling. Jason's dad was on sacrament duty at the hospital that Sunday so he came and gave us the sacrament. Super special and really nice to see him and update him on my progression... or lack thereof. 

At 5:00pm I was starting to feel again on my right side- the epidural was wearing off on the one side. I was having to breathe through contractions again! I was checked again at 5:30pm and I was 3cm!!! Yay for some kind of progression! Dr. Kahn was still leery because that still isn't a ton of progression and I still had 7cm to go. The contractions were getting so so strong on the one side I could barely stand it. I asked for a top up on my epidural. I received it at 6:30pm. 

Finally some relief.

My nurse checked me again and I was 9cm!!!

 I could hardly believe it! I had progressed 6cm in 1 hour. 

UNREAL! No wonder I could feel the contractions again. Crazy dilation.

By 7:00pm Dr. Kahn was in my room and getting ready for me to push. My nurse that I had all day was off for the day at 7:00pm, so I got a new nurse, Stacey for the rest of the night. 

I started pushing at 7:05pm. Dr. Kahn said I was a very good pusher...so good it was as if I had done this before-nope, first time. I had just gotten the epidural top up so I was so numb that I couldn't feel the contractions or raise my right leg on my own. It allowed me to really focus on each push, Jason's coaching and not worry about the burn or a head coming through. lol   

She was a little stubborn of a girl. I would do a really good push and then during the rest she would slip back. But at 7:51pm I pushed out a beautiful, healthy baby girl. I was so focused on pushing that I didn't even know she was out. Dr. Kahn had to tell me she was out and to stop pushing. lol As soon as she cleared little Autumns airways she put her on top of me. 

Jason and I both prepared for our little girl to come out squished, slimy and frankly... we prepared for a not so good looking child-must prepare for the worst right?!

But no, she was beautiful! And I don't think I was looking through mom eyes...she was really gorgeous.

Adorable right?!

7 pounds 1 ounce!

Holding Jason's finger...so sweet!

As soon as I pushed her out and held her for a bit she was taken to be weighed and cleaned up. The nurse said my labour started at 5:30pm when I actually dilated. That would mean my labour was from 5:30-7:51pm. Just over 3 hours. I, however, feel like labour started at 1:30 when I could actually feel the contractions. So I would say that I was in labour starting then (just under 7 hours). Pretty good for a first birth. Jason and I had not decided on a name yet. We were debating between Evelyn Israel and Autumn Kathleen. Jason went over to the baby warmer and took pictures of her while Dr. Kahn kneaded the placenta out of me and did up a tiny stitch on the inside of me. Yay for a tiny tear! Dr. Kahn said that she wouldn't even classify it as a tear since it only took 2 stitches :) That made me happy. Once the placenta was out they examined it, it was all intact and she said it was a really small placenta. It looked huge to me!

Holding her after getting stitched up and cleaned up

We three kings!

lol

Jason and I stared at Autumn over and over and couldn't decide. Jason felt she looked like an Autumn and I thought she just looked like a baby. lol  We asked our nurse Stacey what she thought and she said she looked like an Autumn.  Not like that was the voice that decided, but it helped. lol  After about 15 minutes of looking at her and saying her name in my head I agreed that she would have to be an Autumn. 

The nurse and Jason helped me into the shower, I cleaned up, catheter inserted and then I was wheeled into our room. The nurse let us just be a new little family for a bit. Jason's parents came and brought us dinner!!! After a whole day of not eating very much, a home cooked meal was heavenly! Thanks mom and dad King! 

The nurse came back in and took Autumn for the night. That was heavenly... I needed the sleep after such a long day.

Picture taken just after we got into our room

October 15th 

My mom's birthday! Autumn came back into our room at 6:00am. I slept so well!  My parents came in the morning. It was so good to see her and my dad in the hospital. She was only 11 hours old when they saw her.

After my morning shower! I felt human again after that shower!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Big yawn for daddy! I ADORE this photo!

Visitors in the hospital were my parents, Jason's parents, the Booths, Kevin and Breanne, and the Bullocks! Such a fun day of visits.

We LOVE you Autumn Kathleen!