The beautiful parents so rested and ready for the day
I had to construct this post with a break in the photos here. There is such a world of details that unfolded in the day between the above photo and the below shots. It's unfortunate that I didn't take any pictures of the transition from above to below but....I was a little busy. :) Let me see if I can remember how the grand day of our little Mindy Lou coming into the world unfolded.
At around 9 in the morning a very relaxed showered and controlled pair of adults came strolling onto my unit ready to face the dreaded but necessary process of induction of labor. A stubborn little girl had allowed her mommy to remain pregnant a whoppin 41 weeks long. It was time to come out! I bounced up to them very excited, extremely caffeinated and ready to do this thing! Deana and Greg were very realistic to not come expecting to be able to stick to any rigid birth plans. We got them settled in and the day began. I think we started the pitocin infusion sometime before noon. We progressed slowly through the afternoon with labor slowly increasing in intensity. Deana handled it like the champ we all knew she would be getting her baby girl here. I was proud as peach of the both of them for handling it all so well. I think the tone began to change as we started to realize the cards might be stacked against us as we drew closer to the evening hours.
I think it was around 6 or 8 cm that we became concerned that Mindy wasn't dropping. With out getting too graphic a certain station of decent should mirror advanced dilitation, but Mindy wasn't doing that. The doctor and I began to do our non verbal eye communication at the nurses station regarding our fears of this actually making it all the way to a successful vaginal delivery. Neither one of us wanting to admit it out loud we continued into the night to give Mindy a chance to prove us wrong. As the new delays came Deana's strength began to wain, and understandably so. Not many folks can endure the agony of pitocin augmented labor pains for too long. And I think it's fair to say her mental endurance began to fail when she realized she wasn't progressing. If you loose your sense of progress in labor it's so difficult to keep up with that kind of torture every 90-120 seconds hour after hour. At this point Deana decided it was time for some relief as she headed into the final hours. She decided it was time to get her body some much needed rest and get her epidural. The problem was at the time she decided to be ready the unit was buzzing with activity and the anesthesiologist was busy in a C section case. It was going to be at least an hour wait. Not wanting to make them wait that long I went to bat for an alternate anesthesiologist to come up from the main OR in the hospital to help out. In my heart I was thrilled that Deana had waited until this exact moment to ask for help because I didn't like who was staffed on the floor that day. I knew the best chance for a good epidural was to take our chances with the back up. After some waiting a very familiar face showed up. It was one of Deana's and my favorite doc's Dr. Lee. I met her as she came in the nurses station and my heart leaped. I knew it was from the Lord and He had answered my prayers to send us not just someone good but one of the best. Dr. Lee wasn't aware that she was a direct answer to prayer and she proceeded to tell me she was just there to dose someone else then our own doctor told her she was finishing up and could do Deana's epidural after all. I could tell she was tired at the end of her own shift and she informed me she was heading home soon. At this point I walked over to her , put my hand on her arm and pleaded "I need you Dr. Lee, this is my family", her warm immediate response was "of course Alli, I will do it".
Deana melted into a nice puddle when she saw Dr. Lee walk into her room. I didn't realize the two of them knew each other so well and it was just perfect. She got her comfortable in no time and Deana finally was able to get some much needed rest for her weary muscles and mind. Greg passed out cold too for a while and I left the happy exhausted couple alone for an hour to gear up for the home stretch main event looming ahead. This was about 8 O'Clock at night when I sat in the break room for the first time of the long day. I made a call to home to tell the family good night and I enjoyed catching my own breath for a little while too. The shifts had changed at this point and the new nurses were such a breath of fresh air and support to me. I miss my night shift girls and it was fun to be a part of their team again for a change.
We pressed on into the night and Deana's pain was well under control until around maybe 10 o'clock. Dr. Curtis made her rounds and determined she was completely dilated and we could start pushing. I can't remember exactly when we started but I think we were about 30 minutes in and I look up and poor Greg is literally swaying in his seat by the head of the bed. The toll of the day was hitting him hard. He had been such a trooper to hold and support Deana through the long afternoon of managing her pain naturally. That is a hard role to play for anyone to see someone you love that much in that amount of pain and not be able to take it from them or fix it. It had worn him down and I didn't notice it until now. With Deana's blessing I encouraged him to please lay on the couch for a minute before he completely fell out. He reluctantly agreed. So Deana and I commenced pushing and no lie with in seconds of his head hitting the arm of the couch he was snoring....loudly! :)
Deana was giving it all she had pushing that stubborn baby. I didn't even have to give her my usual speech of "I need to see the veins pulsing out of your forehead!" , she was changing colors and getting dizzy with effort to move that baby down. My guess is Deana needed to know that in her heart of hearts she could not have tried any harder, and she couldn't. She did amazing. After an hour and really no progress Dr. Curtis came around to check on us. Again, not wanting to give up just yet she told Deana to take a 30 min break, labor down then hit it again for 1 more hour of pushing. Moving the final decision now to 1230am and we would all make the call. Agreeing, Deana was taken down and covered up to catch her breath. I stepped out and maybe 20 min later her pain came back with a vengeance. Sadly now, Dr. Curtis had signed off on the decision being made in another hour and the anesthesiologist was next door in another room placing an epidural. She would have to wait on her dosing of more pain medicine.
I think this was mine and Deana's breaking point of the night. The pain of transitional labor and leading to second stage, when a woman is complete and the body is trying to rid itself of pregnancy is none other then a carnal mind altering pain. I've been in this business a long time and I have seen women morph and change to manage that kind of intensity. There is a reason why , when the Bible speaks of agony in it's purest worst form it refers frequently to laboring women. This is the point where language knows no bounds and anger won't cut it. It's the point where I have even been bitten on the shoulder by a sweet little blond girl that goes to my church. It is an all over loss of what you think is your body's physical limit to pain. And it's unfortunately where poor Deana got stuck. It was only about 30-45 minutes but it was an agonizing wait. She had decided that her strength was too gone to proceed with another hour of pushing and had wisely asked to go ahead with a C section. Her sobs were loud and the toll of going on 17 hrs now of my shift was wearing me down as well. We were unable to reach Dr. Curtis after multiple pages, and there was nothing anyone could do to expedite the speed of the epidural being placed in another room. All we could do was wait. The night nurses shared my frustration at the nurses station. We all listened to Deana wail as we stood, the girls were gowned, papers stacked and ready and OR hats on. The CTL had ordered the opening of the OR in preparation but no one could move another step until anesthesia was free and ready. Even if Dr. Curtis did come back she can't cut w/o anesthesia. So there we stood helpless. Even my tears over the exhaustion of it all were not alone as all the hearts of my fellow nurses went out to me and my family. It's one of the reasons I both love nurses and being one! We are caregivers and don't like limits in getting someone out of pain and on with their care.
Finally anesthesia finished up and once we got the go ahead we were ready to roll. Dr. Curtis came back and agreed this was Deana's call and she and I assured Deana and Greg it was the best call to make. The OR was a flurry of relief I felt. I had finally asked for the help mentally and professionally of the night team. "I'm done" I told them as they gladly took over and let me be the weepy aunt that I had already resorted into. I had my camera in hand and took over the memory making responsibilities gladly. I stood at the foot of the bed and tried to hold it together as I giggled and told Michelle my nursery nurse friend (who was the nurse for my girls as well incidentally) "wow Michelle,...that's Deana's guts!" She laughed and replied "yeah sweetie, it is". You see this stuff all the time but when it's family it's just....different. Little Mindy came out mad as a hornet and cute as a bug. Dr. Curtis lifted her over the drapes so the poor parents could finally be introduced to their daughter. Too pooped to pop Greg let me cut the cord which I gladly performed w/ shaky hands. They cleaned her up and it became apparent she had flaming red hair. Too cute that one! Her perfectly round head gave the assurance we had made the right call. Mindy hadn't moved down at all into the pelvis. Not even enough to give her that 'baby got stuck' cone head so many get.
I got the blessing to slip out and show Grammy the photos and give her the good news in the waiting room. She was so excited to see her new red headed grand baby. I passed the support torch to her and I started to pack it up to slip out. I hadn't realized until then how heavy my shoes really felt at that moment, almost 3 am. It had been a 20 hour shift of love labor. I wouldn't have done those hours for anyone but family. It was so great to do my thing with my own family. I snuck home at 3:30 and though exhausted I had to hop in the shower to get the day's blood sweat and tears off of me. Sweet Brian woke right up to hear about it all. I went to sleep happy and content, it was over!
Mindy was worth it all and Deana and Greg have quite the story to tell for years to come. We all have our stories don't we?! The day God gives us our little ones. Every story is different. Every one is precious. This was Mindy Lou's! Welcome little lady, we can't wait to watch you grow.
"Hi Mommy and Daddy!!!"
A shaky handed aunt Alli cutting the cord
