To say life has been hectic the last year would be quite an understatement but I’m hoping to take another attempt at my blog. I will hopefully layout my plans and probable topics in the coming days but I, of course, cannot write about anything before recounting the announcement of the birth of our son.
Dominic Andrew was born August 10th at 10:57am after what can only be described as a pretty unusual labor and one very unlike the perfect, unmedicated, spontaneous labor I’d prepared myself for.
The email Andy sent around to our Bradley classmates announcing the birth of our son is here:
Hello Bradley Class! Sorry for the delay, but you all know how things change once the baby arrives.
The Overview:
I wanted to let you all know that we welcomed our son, Dominic Andrew, to the world on August 10 at 10:57 am at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital. He was 9 pounds, 6 ounces and 21.5 inches long.
The Story:
Our birth did not go quite how we had hoped. Erin was due on July 27, but for reasons we may never understand, never went into labor. After trying all the natural methods for encouraging labor available, we consented to an induction with our Tepeyac doctors for Tuesday, August 9. Erin wanted, and I wanted for her, no interventions or medications, but Erin’s intuition was telling her this was how it had to be.
The induction actually began on Monday night, when we went to the hospital for preparation. That process made for an uncomfortable night, but by the time we were ready to start the actual induction, she was already at 3cm, so that gave us hope. We settled in for a long day of gradually increasing pitocin. So we waited, and waited. Still, Erin did not go into labor. The nurses assumed she had incredible pain tolerance because she was not struggling with the contractions, but really she was just not feeling them. We reached the maximum dosage by the early evening, and were pretty frustrated. Our doctor wanted to move along to a C-Section that night, but Erin convinced her that it was reasonable that her body was just overworked from all the drugs, and that a night off might allow her hormones and body to reset, and try again in the morning with a better night’s rest. It isn’t uncommon to have labor stall with such high drug levels, the body is overstimulated, so because the baby had picture-perfect vital signs, she agreed. Erin had contractions all night, but of varying intensity, so we were not sure we had made any progress.
In the morning we started right away, and escalated the pitocin as fast as was allowed. Unfortunately nothing was gained, and during the night Erin came to terms with the likelihood that a C-Section would be the outcome. Dr. Burchalski, who was on call, was very supportive, but didn’t beat around the bush in telling us that it seemed to be the only way at that point. We talked it over, and Erin found a certain mount of peace in the decision. Our nurse was wonderful, and even brought in a Catholic priest so that Erin could receive the anointing of the sick before the procedure.
Dr. Burchalski worked quickly, though the waiting in the hallway for me felt like an eternity. Erin was incredibly brave, and I was very proud of how she took on such a difficult situation and made choices she would rather not have. We had been convinced that the baby was a girl, and when they announced the baby was a boy, she shouted out “Are you sure? Andy, go check.” She even had the wherewithal to ask if there was meconium in the fluid, which of course there was not, because our baby is perfect. We suspect the lack of labor was a combination of the baby’s size and “sunny side up” positioning that kept him from dropping far enough into the birth canal to encourage dilation of the cervix, but we can only speculate.
Ours was an emotional labor, rather than a physical one. If you had told Erin when we found out we were pregnant that she would have a C-Section, she would have cried, kicked and screamed. But the Bradley Class, even though we didn’t have a natural birth this time, gave us, especially Erin, the knowledge and confidence to take on the situation, make the best choices, and defend those decisions. I was incredibly proud of her bravery and gracefulness at the hospital, and still admire her strength and patience since we have been home.
I’ve started to try to write my version of the account many times but have not been able to put my feelings into words and also describe the events with any accuracy. Andy does a great job of both.
I have made a full recovery and am grateful that the healing process was better than I expected it to be. Dominic is now 9 months old and an absolute treasure… I’m sure stories of our journey with him will fill the pages to come.
and it took us a little while to clear out all of the balloons so we could actually get into the car as well as to wash off the Obama/ Clinton political notes on the windshield. This is DC after all and I can’t have anyone thinking there’s one more democrat than there really is! It was so funny.