My dear little Ephraim,
Welcome to the world! This is your day! The day you were
born. April 14, 2015. For a while we thought you would be arriving on the 13th,
but you made it to the 14th and were born at 12:24 am.
Pregnancy is never easy for me, and this pregnancy had its
own real struggles. I felt sick the earliest with you-at 5 weeks. Meriden and
Jeffrey were 6 weeks. Shortly after I found out I was pregnant I got sick with
a yucky cold. It made the nausea and icky feeling even worse. It lasted a few weeks.
Things got better little by little and I somehow made it through 17/18 weeks.
This is when we moved to our new house so it was nice to be feeling a little
better so I could get moved in. Meriden and Jeffrey and Daddy have had to put
up with a grouchy mama. I almost always feel really good in the morning and
progressively worse throughout the day until nighttime when I feel really truly
awful.
At first I thought you were a girl. When we were hoping to
be pregnant with you and I was worrying about it at the 4-plex, sitting in the
rocking chair, I felt the presence of a little girl in the room telling me that
all would be well. Maybe it was a future little sister? I also didn’t feel any
movement from you until about 21 weeks.
At 20 weeks we had our ultra sound and we brought Meriden.
She loved seeing you on the TV and kept saying that you were swimming. She
often calls you her sister.
At 28/29 weeks I failed my glucose-screening test and then
later passed my glucose test. I continued to test my blood sugar to make sure
gestational diabetes wouldn’t come up- because I had it with Jefffrey and think
I was undiagnosed with Meriden (since she was over 9lbs). Around Daddy’s
birthday I was 33 weeks pregnant and I started testing really high blood
sugars. I told my OB who referred me to the diabetes clinic and they reminded
and taught me how to control it. I’ve been testing my blood sugar and eating
healthy since then- about 3 whole months. I was really hoping you’d have normal
blood sugars and be born small and healthy.
Around this same time I had bronchitis and was put on
Amoxilon. About a month later I had a terrible ear infection on my right side.
It was so painful. Once again they put me on Amoxilon. Then, last Friday I had
such a bad sinus infection that I stayed in bed almost all day crying from the
pain on my right side- head ache, sore jaw and not being able to breathe. So
Daddy came home from work early to help me. You were due Saturday (the next
day). Daddy sent me to our family dr and who prescribed me with another
antibiotic. So you poor baby, while in the womb, have been exposed to 3
antibiotics while in utero.
The last 2 weeks I have been testing really low fasting
blood sugars. The lowest has been 57 but on average around 65-70. Last week the
diabetes clinic called concerned and encouraged me to be more aware of eating
more carbs right before bed. The numbers
were still low.
Yesterday I had my routine visit with the dr. Your heart
beat was normal, measuring normal, etc. I told him I had a sinus infection the
previous Friday and was on an antibiotic- went and saw the family doctor. I
also mentioned my low blood sugar but he seemed unconcerned since I wasn’t
feeling symptoms of dizziness or anything. We decided to schedule an induction
for Friday, April 17th, first thing in the morning. I left and
stopped at Costco. We had bought 28lbs of asparagus for 3/$1 and we were going
to freeze it so I went and bought a food saver to vacuum seal it. While in the
car after the doctor called. He said that the perinatologist called that had
been looking at my blood sugar numbers and was concerned that because of the
low numbers that my placenta was shutting down. He said it would be best to
induce me that afternoon or the next morning. I called Daddy and we prayed and
talked about it. He called Grandma and she recommended that we go in sooner
than later since you were full term and they were worried. I came home and
finished packing, arranged babysitting for Meriden and Jeffrey with Autumn and
finished the laundry, cleaned the house, etc.
Daddy came home around 2pm and helped me get things ready. He gave me a
special priesthood blessing of comfort reassuring me that all would go well
with your birth and that you would be born healthy and strong. We’re so lucky
to have your Daddy as our righteous priesthood leader in our family. The Doctor
called and said the hospital would call to schedule the induction. They never
called so I called them and they said they’d call us as soon as they had a room
open.
We decided to meet Autumn in Provo. She came down and we
gave Meriden and Jeffrey to her at Sam’s Club. Dad and I went to Cubby’s for
dinner and he had a burger and I had a salad and we shared some fries. Then we
went to the hospital. I felt excited to have you but also really nervous
anticipating the amount of pain I knew I was about to be going through.
We checked into labor and delivery at 6:30pm. It was going
to be a long night. Rebecca was our nurse. She did all the questions they have
to ask, took my vitals and checked my dilation. The Dr. earlier had said I was
a 3 and she said I was a 1+. I’ve never hurt so bad being checked before but
she said that my cervix was very soft preparing for birth and the baby’s head
was really high which made it so she had to reach really hard and high to see
what it was. It was pretty disappointing that I was less than the dr and said.
She said the opening of the cervix was 3 but where baby’s head was a 1. She
called the dr and he officially started me on Pitocin. It was 7:30 when they
started the drip at a 4. The monitor was showing your heart beat just fine and
the other monitor was showing my contractions. I had thought I was having
contractions prior to the Pitocin about 20 minutes apart but the monitor showed
them more frequently. Within minutes of the Pitocin I was feeling them 3-4
minutes apart. Dad set up the room for peace. He diffused Serenity, put on some
peaceful music and spoke soft words of encouragement that I had previously
prepared- words Aunt Krystal had given me and some of my favorite lyrics to
hymns and scriptures. Dad massaged my hips and rubbed my back putting counter
pressure on me. He was engaged and completed in tune of my needs the entire
time. I felt peace in my heart though I knew what pain was coming.
My best friend from college, Carianne King Feller, is a
nurse at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, where we were, but
she was going to be working the next morning and not that night. She did stop
by to say hi which was so sweet. She stayed for about 30 minutes and we chatted
for a bit and she answered more questions that I had. I was really starting to
hurt so it was probably good when she left.
The nurse came in about 1 ½ hours later, about 9pm and
checked me again. I was at a 2. I surprised and thought things were going
slowly. She upped the Pitocin to an 8 and then the contractions got even more
intense. It was kind of weird how they started to hurt, lessened –kind of like
my body was acclimating to the pain and then once she turned it up, it started
hurting again.
At 10:30pm I decided
to get the epidural. I had the thought, I’ve been in pain and discomfort for 9
months, why not get the epidural now? It’s time.
The anesthesiologist came in. They have you roll on your
side in a tight ball so they can really see your spine. Dad watched. I never
see the needle or anything. He first does a small shot that numbs where he puts
the needle in and then he puts the needle in. I guess it’s really long.
Compared to the contractions I was feeling, it wasn’t hardly any pain at all.
Within 10 minutes I was numb… but only on my right side. I told the nurse and
she said to push the button for more of the medicine. It didn’t help. He had said the side that you’re lying on
will get the most medicine so I tried lying on my left. I still felt the
contractions on that side. When he was done it was 11pm.
The nurse put a catheter in me and checked me, she said I
was a 3. I thought, I must be such a baby that I could only make it to a 3…
what I didn’t realize is things were about to be moving fast and it was best I
got it when I did.
The doctor came in about 11:30pm and he checked me and broke
my water. He said I was at a 5. Either him and the nurse have very different
measurements or I had progressed very quickly. Like 2 cm in 5 minutes. No
matter. I was progressing.
I was still hurting on my left side. Dr. Anderson said to
push the button again, which I did but still didn’t help. I was having to
really have to relax through each contraction since it still hurt so bad on the
left. Dad was still rubbing me and helping me to relax. Finally the
anesthesiologist came back in. Dad said he gave me a full dose again of the
medication and probably around 11pm I was finally not feeling the pain on the
left side.
This is when things got a little scary. Every time a
contraction would come your heart rate would drop. The nurse was worried. The
doctor came in and said to turn off the Pitocin completely. She also said that
it was better when I was on my right side because your heartbeat didn’t react
as bad. Dad could really sense the tension in the room of what was happening
with your heartbeat. I could hear the worry from the nurse but I felt deep in
my heart that everything was fine. I’m sure it was the Holy Ghost. The nurse checked
me again and said I was at a 7. They started prepping the room for birth. The
doctor came in and was getting everything ready. They put my legs in the
stirrups. I insisted that they bring the mirror over so I could watch. A nurse
that works with the babies was there by my side. She said to push. I did and
you crowned. She said, don’t push- in fact don’t even sneeze. Doctor Anderson
was still getting ready. At 11:20ish he
said give me one big push, I did. Your head was out. Even though I was watching
I didn’t notice, but Dad said the cord was wrapped around your neck- loosely
which is why the contractions were making your heartbeat go up. He took it off
and suctioned your nose. He said give a small push and then a big push, I did
and you were completely out. He rested you on my belly and Dad cut the cord.
Blood form the cord splashed on Dad’s shirt. I don’t even remember birthing the
placenta and after birth. Doctor said I had first degree tears from my vagina
towards my rectum. He stitched me up. They turned the Pitocin back on to help
me clamp down. Doctor was still worried because my bleeding was heavy so he put
something to help me clamp down up my rectum.
Dad went with the nurses to evaluate you. They suctioned you
and gave you oxygen because you were a little blue. You were crying.
They weighed you 7lbs8oz, 20 ½ inches. You were getting
pink. I was shaking. They had me do skin to skin. Eventually the room cleared
out and Dad and I just admired you but I was still really shaking. You were
beautiful. You looked so perfect and sweet.
