Grayson William

Hey All,

 Grayson made his debut into the world on December 23rd, 2015 at 9:57 pm. I was in labor for close to 17 hours, which was a lot shorter than anticipated according to the L&D nurses. I really want to share our birth story, but I must warn you that it gets a little scary at the end.

Birth Story: 

The picture above was taken the night before I entered the hospital for my induction. I was pretty swollen due to BP and fluid retention. My total weight gain for this pregnancy was around 45 pounds and no stretch marks (thanks to genetics). I've lost 20 lbs since delivery, which was a little over two weeks ago. My doctor and I decided to do an induction at 39 weeks, due to my doctor's vacation schedule and my work schedule. My BP was also starting to act up at the end of my pregnancy. 

At 5:30 am on December 23rd, Rob and I went to the hospital for my scheduled induction. They started me on Pitocin immediately. Around 7:30 am, Dr. B checked my cervix. I was still dilated at 1cm and was thinned out. However, he was concerned that I may not progress with just the Pitocin alone. A foley bulb catheter was placed in me to help me progress to about a 3 or 4. At that point, I did not have an epidural. My contractions started to get stronger, and I was feeling them. Normally, I have a high tolerance for pain, but I think the Pitocin made the contractions so strong, that I just had a difficult time dealing with the pain. Around 11:00 am or so, the mid-wife was sent in to check me. She determined that I was dilated to 5 1/2 cm, almost a 6. She then pulled the bulb out, and broke my water (which was all clear fluid, thankfully). I then expressed my need for an epidural. About 30 minutes later I received my epidural, and embraced the numbness. My BP started dropping, which is a normal side effect of epidurals, and severe nausea started to hit me like a ton of bricks. I was given Zofran, but it really didn't work. I was extremely dizzy and shaking. I had a wonderful nurse who decided to give me more IV fluids that would increase my BP. That did the trick, no more nausea. At around 6:00 pm, I started feeling contractions on the left side of my body, and they brought me to tears. I had to wait for the anesthesiologist to get out of surgery before I could get relief. Finally, my relief arrived around 6:50 pm. I was an 8 at that point. At 7:00 pm, the night nurse started her shift. She was wonderful. She checked me around 7:30, and I was at a 10. Time to push! I pushed from 7:30 pm to around 9:30 pm.  I would push, make progress, and then Grayson would regress back into the birth canal after each contraction. Dr. B came in to watch. He gave me two options. He said he could use forceps and get him out then, or I could push for another hour. I told him to do what he thought was best. He decided to use the forceps. To regress back in my birth story, the whole time I was pushing Grayson's heart rate was staying at a perfect range. He was tolerating labor so well. Now to get back to the forceps. This is the scary part of the story, and I had no idea any of this happened until after delivery. Apparently, the minute the forceps were placed inside of me Grayson's heart rate started decreasing ( he was going into distress) and then it STOPPED!  All I remember is the nurse pushing an oxygen mask into my face, and Dr. B telling me not to push. Rob and my mom later told me that Dr. B had a nurse push her fists into my abdomen while he pulled Grayson out. Another nurse was setting up equipment to resuscitate him. When Grayson arrived, he was blue and his lips were black and he wasn't crying. My first thought was that his cord must have been wrapped around him, and then I saw the panic on my husband's face. I was crying tears of joy until that point. Dr. B worked with Grayson, and stimulated him and then I heard the  sweet sound of a baby crying. We were all relieved. They didn't have to resuscitate him. Grayson weighed 7 lbs, 7 oz and was 21 inches long.  I ended up with a partial third degree tear, and it took them about 20 minutes to stitch me up. I'm so thankful for everyone who prayed for us, and our little family. We are so thankful for the wonderful doctors and nurses. 

We found out that Grayson was getting caught on my pubic bone. Unfortunately, according to my doctor, my birth canal was too small for Grayson. Dr. B said that if we decided to have another child that they would have to monitor the baby's weight or consider just doing a c-section. So thankful for the outcome we had with Grayson. 

Grayson is over two weeks old today, and weighs 7 lbs, 9 oz. I've been breast feeding only, and he's done such a great job. We've had a few restless nights, but I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. Rob and I are so in love. Enjoy our pictures below.

Our first family photograph

Grayson William

Cupcake ;)