Joining the world

As promised, here is Nicholas's birth story. Although I have tried to limit the amount of gooey or overly vivid details, I apologize in advance if I happen to offend anyone.

First off, my thanks to my wonderful husband, who took detailed notes throughout the birth on our progress, rubbed my back, stayed calm when I started to freak, and reassured me more than once that "No, honey, you're not going to die!"... more about that last one in a bit.

We arrived at the hospital at 12:45, which was the time assigned for our induction. The department we were sent to is actually a gynecological department and we were informed that we would not be moved to Labor & Delivery until they felt the amniotic sac needed to be broken (is it called "break the waters" in English, too?). I took a urine test and then spent the next 30 minutes hooked up to a machine to measure the baby's heartrate and uterine activity. Everything looked fine on the readout. At 13:45, an IV was inserted in my arm for later use and we then proceeded to wait quite a long time for a doctor to arrive, which we spent inspecting the pay-by-the-hour TV that was in the room and reading a Glamour magazine someone else had left behind. I think we were both a bit amazed by the thought that in a few hours we would be holding our little one.

The doctor showed up at 15:05 and checked to see whether I was dialated. This was one moment I had been fearing, as I knew it would be a long birth if I hadn't dialated at all, so I was absolutely elated when she said I was at 2 cm. She and the attending midwife made the decision to transfer me to L&D, and my request to go to the L&D center that is part of the (previously described) birthing project was accepted.

After arrival at L&D, the amniotic sac was broken by our midwife at 15:45 and a heartrate monitor was attached to Nicholas's head. There was a bit of merconium in the water, but this had also happened with our two older boys, so we weren't particularly worried. After the water was broke, contractions started and I could feel a good deal of pressure.

By 17:30, I had dialated to 3.5 cm and at that point an oxytocin drip was started to help increase the intensity of the contractions. The baby's heartrate remained stable between 120 and 138.

At 18:30, the dose of oxytocin was increased, and it was increased twice more after that. However, after several hours of what I felt was relatively hard labor, I was dissapointed and on the verge of tears to learn at 20:10 that the dialation was only at 4.5 cm. Neither I nor the midwife had any idea of the massive changes that would occur after that 20:10 check.

At 20:20, I was in incredible pain, mostly radiating from my lower abdomen. The midwife suggested trying saltwater deposits on the front of my belly, which are given with a tiny needle and syringe. She said they would hurt like bee stings... When they were putting them in (4 in all) and I was sure that someone was stabbing me, I heard the nurse mention to Steen "actually, it feels more like being burned with a cigarette". Thank you very much!!! But I have to say that as soon as they were done, the pain in my abdomen was suddenly managable. At the same time, the pressure on my cervix became enormous, as if the entirety of the pain shifted lower.

At 20:30, the midwife asked me to try to stand up and go for a walk around the room. I managed to move myself to the edge of the bed, breathing through the contractions (and telling Steen I was going to die), and my feet were actually on their way to the floor when I said to Steen "I need to push! Why do I need to push???" I was extremely frightened, having already given birth to two children and knowing full well that I needed to be dialated 10 cm in order to push. 20 minutes earlier I still had nearly 6 cm to go (a process that normally takes around 6 hours).

The midwife, nurse and Steen managed to swing my legs back onto the table and the midwife said "Let me see if someone wants to come out". I thought through the haze of everything that she must be kidding... but she could see the head crowning.

After two contractions (and the associated pushing), Nicholas came screaming into the world, was laid on my belly and wiped down. A beautiful, perfect little boy -- ten little toes, two dark blue eyes, a button nose, tiny ears and tons of black hair.

I was in shock, tears pouring down my face -- tears of joy, of relief, of disbelief. Steen was crying too. The birth went much faster than either of us would have ever guessed even 30 minutes before. Suddenly, we were parents again. Our miracle had become a tangible reality.

I think that Nicholas was shocked by the speed of his birth too. He spent the next three hours screaming -- I'm quite sure he must have been in a lot of pain. But together we worked through it -- he through his pain and me through my feeling of surprise. This birthing experience was so different from anything I have ever experienced, but just as beautiful, unforgettable and rewarding as the birth of Matthew and Lucas.