Birth Story
We had been told by our doctor that his assistant would be calling to schedule our induction for Sunday night. By Friday morning I was in tears wondering when we would ever have this baby and why no one from the doctor's office had called yet. I called the office and it took several hours to get a call back. Finally a nurse called back and said we couldn't schedule an induction at the hospital for Sunday night because I didn't meet the criteria. I didn't really want to be induced but was starting to get worried we were nearing a week over due. The anticipation was killing me!I cleared off my desk yet again, turned on my out of office message and was certain I should not return to work the next week. Saturday morning started like an other day - chores around the house and a reminder to Thomas to get the lawns mowed. It was the day before Easter and the family had decided to bring Easter dinner our way so we could stay close to the hospital. The husband assured me he would have time to mow the lawns on Sunday morning and I assured him he would not so he begrudgingly set to work. With the house clean, laundry done and the lawns mowed I was sure we were good to go ahead and have this baby now!
I got ready for bed and was relieved to see that I had a bloody show. The mucus plug was done and gone and I yelled for Thomas from the bathroom. He frantically started packing his hospital bag (mine had been packed for weeks and stored in his car) and getting ready for our inevitable trip to the hospital. I hadn't started contractions yet so I laid down to get some sleep.Easter Sunday morning I woke up, fed the dogs and iguana, showered and laid back down. I was pretty sure I was having contractions but they weren't anything to complain about. By the time 9:00 a.m. rolled around I knew that Thomas needed to be awake. The family was due over around 11:00 a.m. so it was time to get our day started. He finally got in the shower and that's when I started a count down to my contractions. I wandered around the house and then back to the bedroom to yell out the next number to Thomas in the shower. They were getting stronger and definitely closer together. Our doctor had said 12 contractions within the hour for at least two hours before heading to the hospital and the husband was going to make me stick to it!
Before he could finish getting ready I was feeling each and every contraction. I decided the cold pool was the best place for me so I hitched up my dress and waded in. Thomas finally came outside and decided to pull up a chair poolside while we waited for me to hit my specified quota. I'm sure if any of our neighbors peered over the fence we were quite the pair - me sobbing hysterically halfway submerged in a cold pool while Thomas lounged next to me sucking on his stupid vaporizer. It was at this point that I cried and asked if we could go to the hospital now. Thomas was pretty certain we needed to wait another hour to which I responded was not going to happen. I toweled off, slid my crocs onto my sausage feet and away we went.Thankfully the hospital is less than a mile from our house but it was the longest drive ever. I had a slight moment of panic when Thomas almost missed the turn into the hospital which would have made the ride even longer. I called my mom on the way to tell her the family should still come over and start Easter dinner so everyone could be close to the hospital. She answered and started talking about who knows what when I had to cut in and say that we were on our way to the hospital. In true TNolan style she wouldn't let me get a word in and as another contraction came I finally told her to shut up so I could talk! After another few words on her end I finally squeaked out that we were on our way to the hospital and everyone should still come over and we would call her when we had more info and then hung up.
We parked in the expectant parent spot - the only spot left in the entire parking lot and with my trusty bubba cradled in my arm we waddled in. I sat down in the lobby while Thomas interacted with the least helpful desk person and tried to figure out how to buzz us into the maternity wing. He finally got the door open and I forced myself out of the chair to make the walk down the hall. There were several nurses behind the desk and after we finally were acknowledged she said, "what can we do for you?" As if I was walking into a fast food restaurant to place my order. I managed to say, "I think I'm going to have a baby today." Thomas was asked to fill out a half sheet of paper with my name and date of birth which was very confusing for him and he ended up filling out 12/8/8 before we were placed in a triage room.It felt better to just be at the hospital but they were taking their sweet time to to come and check me. Thomas and I sat and chatted between contractions waiting for a nurse. She came in and started tapping away at her computer taking my personal information. By the time she checked me I was already dilated to 6 cm which put a little more urgency into her step. I was fitted with a blood pressure cuff and pulse ox reader, the bed rails went up and we were sent down the hall to a labor and delivery room. I transferred to a different bed and by this time the contractions had me in a constant tears and I couldn't ask for the epidural fast enough.
Early on in my pregnancy I had told Thomas that I wanted to wait to see how long I could last before asking for an epidural and here was my answer - there would be no waiting, 6 cm was about all I could handle. It took a few more minutes for the epidural person to come in and by this time I was in a constant flood of tears. He had me sit up and started to prep by back giving my instructions to stay still. It was about the time the needle was being shoved into my back that some form of family was trying to bust into the room (good timing guys!) and they were quickly shooed away. There was a contraction starting mid poke as I was being told to stay still and somehow I did. That epidural was like peace one earth once it kicked in!The family made their way into the labor and delivery room shortly after Thomas dried my tears and calmed me down a little. Then it was a grand ol party and slew of visitors as I waited to dilate and start the delivery process. We took pictures and chatted like it was a regular Sunday night dinner party. The family was shooed out every few hours so I could be checked and we were progressing about 1 cm every hour. The family was finally shooed away for good when the nurse told us we would start pushing in about 15 minutes.
15 minutes turned into an hour and a half by the time we were really ready to push. A student nurse and Thomas took up their positions on both sides of me to hold my legs in place. Not at all what the husband had been expecting but here we were - two people holding my tree trunks for legs while another nurse counted out sets of 8 seconds of pushing. About 15 minutes into pushing my contractions slowed to a halt. I was given petosin to get the process started again which seemed to do the trick and we were back on track. At one point the student nurse told me that she pushed for over four hours with her first. I was a little hazy and tired at this point but I did manage to wag my finger and her and breatily tell her only positive thoughts would be allowed from my leg holders. I had an oxygen mask applied to my face at some point and only remember the counting to eight and a lot of "good jobs" coming from the nurse - time became illusive. I do remember thinking that I needed much more specific coaching from the nether regions. Good job as in I have to push 12 more times or good job as in we will be here all night long? I like to think I'm coachable but I need some realistic goals to shoot for!
The doctor was called in and I'm pretty sure I blanked out between the last few contractions before he got there. My eyes were closed the entire time so I could concentrate on the extreme pressure and exhausting 8 second pushes. At some point I thought to myself, "well I'm pretty much spent here. I'm not sure what they are going to do to get this baby out of me but I'm done so they better figure it out." It was probably close to this point that doctor demanded I open my eyes - which I did - and breathe - which I did. It was one major push later and the worst of them all that I could finally feel the relief of what could only be a baby leaving my body. My eyes popped open and there he was - in all his poopy bloody glory! He looked like a rotten toad covered in goo but he was mine and he was out of my body!
He had pooped in the sac so the NICU was ready to take over. They took him a few steps behind the doctor to the awaiting bed to suction his airway before he could swallow anything. Thomas was eagerly checking me over but all I could do was push him away and demand he watch over our child! While Brodie was being attended to I was left to deliver the afterbirth. It was very quick and felt like such a relief to have it slide right out then the doctor set to stitching me up.The poopy toad was swaddled and set to my chest and I couldn't touch him and kiss him fast enough. It was the oddest feeling having this thing with me who I felt I already knew but couldn't look at him and see enough of him in only a few seconds. My epidural was almost worn off and the stitching that was occurring in my nether regions was starting to poke through. I about jumped off the table and had to hand Brodie back over to Thomas so I could grip the bed. With my eyes open and the return of my voice I asked the doctor how many more stitches he had to go down there. "One or two more," said the doctor to which I had to ask, "is it one or two because I'd like to know what to expect." He chuckled and confirmed two but as I felt the third stitch happening I chastised him with a few choice words about being honest about what was happening down there. He finished up and I got my baby back into my arms.
Brodie Thomas Tenkely was born at 7:46 p.m. on Easter Sunday 4/20/14 at 9 lbs 14 oz and 22.5 inches long. As an almost 10 pound hunk of baby meat he came out ready to eat! The only class we had taken prior to his arrival was the breastfeeding class so we set to nursing. We fumbled through nursing for over an hour before we let the family back in. They were chomping at the bit to come in with all kinds of shenanigans happening down the hall in the waiting room.I don't remember much of the circus parading through our room. I do remember telling my aunt that it really hurt! After everyone left the nurses finished cleaning us both up and got us ready to move to another room. Before we moved the nurse asked if I needed anything and I finally got to eat a turkey sandwich! Of all things to crave I was desperately craving a turkey sandwich after nine months of avoiding deli meat.
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