Kai's Birth Story

So I decided it was finally time to document Kai's birth.  Just like the pregnancy, Kai's birth was anything but normal.

On Thursday, June 22, I had my weekly non-stress test and ultrasound at the hospital.  According to them, everything looked fine, nothing that raised any flags.  We had been told to be prepared as it looked like we would probably be having an 8-9 pound baby when he would be born.

That night, I couldn't get comfortable in bed.  I was having horrible pain at my pelvic bone, which had started happening earlier in the week, but this was the worst.  We called the doctor on call and he told us there was nothing that could really be done.  He said it sounded like my pelvic bone had become dislocated (which can happen in pregnancy).  I got out of bed and went and watched TV for awhile to wait until I was SO exhausted I couldn't help but fall asleep.  Finally around 3:30 a.m. I was feeling tired enough to go to bed.  I had been in bed for about a half hour when all of a sudden I got "the urge" and had a gush of water come out.  Yes, my water broke.  I woke up Michael and we finished getting ready and headed to the hospital.

At the hospital, they checked me and said that I was at .5 cm.  One of the things I found out at the hospital was I was one of the lucky pregnant women who tested positive for Group B Strep.  Because of that, I was immediately started on IVs and IV antibiotics, which meant I was bedridden.  They also started me on Pitocin because I had not started going into labor on my own.

After 12 hours of labor I had only progressed to a 4, but the contractions were coming strongly every 1 1/2-2 minutes so although I wanted to do it without drugs, I finally gave in and asked for an epidural.  I knew I still had a long way to go and couldn't do it on my own anymore.  Ahhh, the epidural was great!

After 32 hours of labor, I was FINALLY at a 10!  It took FOREVER to get from a 9 to a 10, but once I did I thought everything would go much easier from there.  Boy was I wrong!  I actively pushed for 4 1/2 HOURS but Kai wasn't descending like he should, (normally they only allow people to push for 3 hours, but since Kai wasn't in distress and I was willing to keep going they allowed me to.)  I finally got to the point where I had run out of energy.  I couldn't push anymore.  That's when they brought the doctor in and she gave us the news.  Apparently Kai was head down, but was facing sideways which was why he wasn't coming out.  She said he was too high to use the vacuum, so our only options were forceps or c-section.  After talking to our family medical expert and saying a prayer, we decided the only logical option was a c-section.  I couldn't bear the thought of possibly doing permanent damage to Kai's head with forceps.


So at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 23 (Yes, 36 hours after my water first broke!) they had me in the operating room to deliver Kai.  He was born at 4:14 p.m.  Michael got to cut his umbilical cord.  


They gave me another epidural before they started the c-section, but like I do with all medication, it apparently didn't take hold like it should have as I started to feel them stitching me up.  (Not just the pressure and knowing they were stitching me, but the pain associated with it!)  


After Kai was born, they took him to the special care nursery and wheeled me back to my room.  They had to put Kai on IV antibiotics because I had started getting a fever (indicating an infection from the Group Strep B) while I was in labor so he had to be treated.  I didn't get to see him for the first 8 1/2 hours he was born.  They had to wait until my epidural had worn off before I could go see him.  He also ended up having jaundice, so on the 2nd day we were in the hospital, I was limited to 45 minutes every 4 hours with him.  THAT WAS HARD!!  When he was finally cleared to not have to be under the UV lights for the jaundice, I spent every moment I had (much to the dismay of the nurses due to the swelling in my feet) with Kai.


We ended up coming home 3 days after Kai was born to our brand new house.  We closed on our new house the day I went into labor and it was decided that we shouldn't go back to the rental house we were in at the time.  We should come to our new house.  So thanks to my dad, husband, and church members, we got moved into our new house Monday the 25th!


So, that's the story of Kai's birth!  Sorry it's so long, but like I said, it was anything but normal!