Gerrit’s Birth Story

Sorry this took so long… I really underestimated the amount of time that would go into caring for a newborn! And how often my hands would be occupied, haha.

Gerrit’s birth story starts on 26 October. It was the day I hit 37 weeks of pregnancy. I usually take my weekly photo a day or two late, but I decided I needed to make sure I got my photos done on time from 37 weeks on, just in case!

I went to base to run a few errands early in the afternoon and got home around 4pm. I went to the bathroom and noticed that there was some fluid in my underwear. It was too watery to be discharge, but it wasn’t a lot, so I didn’t think it was my water breaking. I mentioned it to Andrew, but he brushed it off. We were having friends over for dinner, so I went to wash dishes and do some other tidying up. I kept feeling the leaking fluid, and was a little concerned about it. When our friends arrived, I told Diane about it (she’s a nurse), and she said I should call the hospital. When I told the nurse at Labor & Delivery what was going on, she said I should pack a bag and come in to get checked out. I was really regretting that I had procrastinated on packing my hospital bag. I was so frazzled about possibly being in labor, that I had no idea what to pack! I can’t even remember what I threw in my bag, but I know it wasn’t much. I think I remembered my glasses and deodorant though. Ben & Diane said they would finish up dinner and clean up, although I said I was sure we would be back in an hour or so.

I was wrong. Luckily, I didn’t leak more fluid in the car, but I sure did at the hospital! When I was examined around 7pm, they said I was only 1 cm dilated. I wasn’t feeling any contractions, so they suggested starting Pitocin. We called our doula, Susan, and she came to talk with us and try to induce labor with pressure points on my feet. We ended up starting a low dose of Pitocin (level 2) around 10pm. Ben brought us some of the dinner they cooked at our house, and I was given permission to eat until midnight, so I scarfed that down. I was hungry! Then it was time to try to sleep. A little difficult when you’re anticipating having a baby, and when nurses come in to check your blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature every couple of hours. Needless to say, I did not sleep well or much.

I woke up around 5 or 6 am with contractions that I could no longer sleep through. Throughout the night, the Pitocin level was bumped up to 10. I was only given clear fluids for breakfast, so I drank as much as I could. When they checked me around 7am, I was dilated to 5 cm which surprised me. I honestly didn’t feel like I was progressing at all! At this point, the baby was at a -3 station, and they increased the Pitocin to 14. Susan arrived mid-morning and took this picture of us when I could still smile:

She also brought lavender essential oil for the room. That, along with keeping the lights dimmed, was to keep things calm and focused. Deep breaths helped through the contractions, which I felt almost entirely in my lower back. They were very painful! The only way I even know I had a contraction coming on was the ache in my back. I think that’s why I couldn’t seem to find a good position to be in. I was on the birthing ball a lot or standing and leaning on Andrew.

Andrew did an amazing job supporting me physically and emotionally. He said having Susan there helped him calm down. It was hard for him to see me in such pain.

Susan was great at suggesting different positions and things to help move the baby into a better position. I remember her suggesting things and me saying, “I don’t know” a lot. I was really out of it for a lot of the labor and nearly falling asleep in between contractions. I was so exhausted! If Andrew hadn’t been next to me while I was on the ball, I would have fallen off a few times; that’s how tired I was. When they checked me at 12:40, I was 7 cm dilated, 90% effaced, but the baby was still at a -3 station. This is also when they broke the fore-bag of water.

I threw up at the transitional phase, making me happy I had only had clear fluids for breakfast! I remember them bringing lunch in (more clear fluids) and being in too much pain to even consider eating anything. The later contractions were intense and very painful.

Susan encouraged me to lift my belly through 10 contractions to help move the baby into position. That really hurt! But when they checked me at 1:26pm, I was 10 cm dilated, 100% effaced, and the baby had moved to either a -1 or 0 position. While on the ball, I started feeling the urge to push. Susan told me to go ahead! I did a little bit of pushing on the ball, but then I got into the bed to try squatting using the bar.

I started pushing around 2pm. I felt like I wasn’t making much progress for awhile. Someone was not ready to come out anymore, haha. And once I was laying down for that check, I wasn’t about to move again. I was tired and in pain, and I couldn’t consider moving. So the rest of the pushing happened with my laying on my side.

I wouldn’t say I was comfortable in this position, but I wasn’t going to be comfortable in any position. All my pushing slowly moved Gerrit down to the birth canal. He was not at the right angle for awhile, although I have no idea how long it took for him to move into the correct position. I had no concept of time during anything that happened once I was in that bed. Eventually, Gerrit was ready to go. The doctor told Andrew to get ready if he wanted to deliver!

The doctor asked if I wanted to feel the baby’s head, and although I hesitated, I did reach down to feel it. It felt so weird! Not at all what I thought it would be like: it felt squishy! I declined to use a mirror to see him come out though. I really had to focus on pushing that head out. I definitely felt the “ring of fire” that they talk about, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. When he finally came out, I was so happy… it was such a relief!

I’m so glad that Andrew got to help deliver our baby. He really wanted that experience, and I’m happy nothing unexpected happened that prevented him from being that involved. I was a little surprised when he announced, “It’s a boy!” though. So many people thought we were having a girl, and I was convinced it was going to be a girl as well.

Andrew says I looked euphoric after Gerrit was born. I’m sure I was! The relief after all that pain was wonderful. And it was amazing to see this tiny human on my chest that had been inside me for so many months.

Andrew was absolutely amazing throughout labor and delivery. In those first moments as a family of three, I had never been more in love with Andrew. Seeing those happy tears in his eyes and hearing him get choked up as he announced our baby’s name made my heart feel so full.

From the time that I first felt my water leaking to the time that Gerrit was born was about 24 hours. From the time they started Pitocin, the whole process took about 18 hours.

Gerrit Allen Kiel was born at 4:19pm weighing 6 lb 6.6 oz and measuring 19″ long. He had an Apgar score of 8 at 1 minute and 8 again at 5 minutes. He had blue/gray eyes and blonde hair, and he was absolutely perfect.

Besides needing to use Pitocin to get labor started, I had the labor and delivery that I wanted. I’m so thankful that there were no major complications that would have prevented this, and I’m not sure I could have done it naturally without Susan and Andrew supporting me throughout the process. I’m so glad Susan captured so many moments during my labor and delivery!