# My baby boy arrived! Long, detailed, and slightly-traumatic birth story.



## Itsychik

Birth Story&#8212;Bram Lucas (really detailed and long!)

Just a warning up front&#8212;this could be disturbing to some so if you have any worries I might suggest waiting to read until after you&#8217;ve had your baby!

My due date was June 28th 2011. I was under consultant care because they expected my LO to be &#8220;really big&#8221; (between 9 &#8211; 10 lbs, in the 95th percentile). On Friday, June 24th I went for a regular check up with the consultant and due to high blood pressure (150/95) they kept me for a few hours to monitor the baby. Things ended up being fine and I was given a sweep before being sent home. After the sweep I lost a bit of blood and most of my mucus plug over the weekend but nothing else happened. I also started walking more and would get BH contractions (I hadn&#8217;t been having them much previously) but no other signs.

On Monday, June 27th I was walking at the beach with my mom when I felt a gush of fluid. We drove home and when I got out of the car there was another gush. We called the hospital and went in and confirmed that my waters had gone. I was sent home to wait for things to start but they scheduled an induction just in case for Wednesday, June 29th. After two days of nothing happening (except for losing gushes of fluid anytime I sat/stood/lay down&#8212;I used maternity pads and towels before sitting anywhere!) I went to the hospital on the morning of the induction. They started the pitocin drip at 10.00am and DH and I pretty much sat around waiting for something to happen. I was 1.5 cm when we checked in to the hospital, and by 2:00pm had only progressed to 2 cm. They did an internal exam and determined that the amniotic sac had only partially ruptured, so they broke the rest of it and a lot of fluid came out. After this things started picking up quickly and the contractions were coming regularly with increasing intensity. They inserted two internal monitors&#8212;one to measure LO&#8217;s heartrate and another for contractions. Everyone describes contractions as &#8220;period-like pains&#8221; and that&#8217;s exactly what they felt like. It would start off as a dull ache and quickly become a full-on cramp. When they started getting really painful, the cramp turned into a sharp, stabbing pain across the bottom of my bump and depending on whether I was standing or laying, it radiated across my hips and to my anus (best way I can describe it).

They don&#8217;t have gas & air in the Netherlands (where I live) so I was just coping by breathing through them. By 6:00pm they brought dinner and since I was afraid it would still take a long time, and I was able to talk through the contractions still (which were every 4 &#8211; 6 minutes and lasting about 30 seconds &#8211; 1 minute), I ate a bit of pasta and salad. After this they checked me and determined I was still 2 cm dialated but my cervix was soft and effaced. I was disappointed in the lack of progress, and they upped the pitocin dosage.

By 8:30pm the contractions were very nearly unbearable and I was exhausted&#8212;they were coming about every 3 minutes and lasting a minute each. Baby&#8217;s heartrate had been jumping around so when I was in bed they suggested I lay on my side, but that caused the pain to be worse in my hips/bum. I found the contractions to be most manageable when I stood and leaned against the bed, but I was no longer able to talk through them. I also started getting really nauseous and threw up everything I had eaten earlier.

I went to the toilet and almost fell asleep in between the contractions. I was really frustrated and tired and in a lot of pain. They checked me again and I had only progressed to 3 cm!! I was really disappointed. I had been hoping for as natural a birth as possible but had said in my birth plan that I wanted the option of an epidural. By 10:30pm I had only progressed to 4 cm and was frustrated and couldn&#8217;t imagine going through the rest of the night like that! I told them I&#8217;d changed my mind and would like the epidural, and by 11:00pm they wheeled me down to the anesthesiologist where I found almost instant relief! I could still feel pressure in my bum when a contraction happened (and I was still able to move my legs/walk) but the pain was mostly gone.

After this they suggested we get some sleep as it could be a long night. They were monitoring me and saw that my blood pressure started dropping slightly, and with each contraction LO&#8217;s heartrate started dropping slightly as well. They upped the pitocin again as they wanted me to dialate to at least 5 cm so they could reach LO&#8217;s head to take a blood sample and check his oxygen levels. By 1:00am they were finally able to reach his head and determined that he wasn&#8217;t getting enough oxygen and his heartrate continued to drop with every contraction. They decided that a c-section needed to happen immediately.

After this things happened really quickly. I was wheeled down in a bed to the operating rooms together with DH. They let us bring a camera and assigned someone to take pictures for us (which I was really grateful for, as I really wanted to be able to see what was happening!) The hospital staff was all really friendly and kept reassuring me and answering any questions. They put up a screen in front of me so I couldn&#8217;t see and DH sat by my head. The anesthesiologist tapped up the epidural so I couldn&#8217;t feel anything (they apparently also add morphine to the mix when having a c-section, which I didn&#8217;t learn until later). They started the operation and I could feel lots of pressure/pulling both outside and internally. It took them a few minutes to get to LO and DH was allowed to watch as they pulled him out. Bram Lucas was born at 1:29am! The surgeon has miscalculated where the baby had been laying and when cutting into me he also made a small cut into LO&#8217;s head! :( When they pulled him out they also discovered that he had the umbilical cord wrapped twice around his neck and once around his body which helped explained why he had been in distress. He was also not breathing so they quickly cut the cord and took him away without letting me see him. DH followed as they brought Bram to another part of the room and tried giving him oxygen/clearing out his lungs. Everyone around me started to panic a bit but I was strangely calm&#8212;the anesthesiologist came and sat in DH&#8217;s place and tried talking to me to distract me, but I just kept telling myself that things would be okay and that I didn&#8217;t need to worry. I lost half a liter of blood and at this point started shaking/trembling uncontrollably in my arms/shoulders. The anesthesiologist told me this was normal as a result of the drugs, hormones, and blood loss&#8230; but it really freaked me out a bit. I also asked the staff to save the placenta so that I could see it before they threw it away.

While I was being stitched up I could finally hear Bram start to cry but I couldn&#8217;t see him. After another 10 minutes they gave him to DH (who had got to cut the a bit of the cord as well) and he brought Bram next to where I was still laying. He wasn&#8217;t crying, but he was so alert and looking around! He&#8217;s perfect! I was attached to an IV drip and different monitors so I couldn&#8217;t move much (plus my arms were still shaking) but I was able to stroke his little cheek as DH sat next to me. This is when I noticed the cut on his head and the surgeon apologized several times. They took Bram up to the neonatal care unit to be weighed, etc, and DH went with him. Then they moved me to a different bed and wheeled me to a recovery room. I was extremely exhausted but didn&#8217;t want to sleep as I wanted to remember everything that happened. They covered me with a heated blanket but I continued to shake in the recovery room. They monitored my heart rate and blood pressure&#8212;which dropped to 106/37 but they didn&#8217;t seem too concerned (I was!) DH eventually came down to where I was and told me that everything was OK with Bram. His APGAR scores (taken 4 times) were 3, 4, 7, and 10. They offered me some water but I was having trouble swallowing and after another 5 minutes I suddenly felt nauseous and was vomiting in addition to shaking. DH was a little freaked out but tried not to show it.

By now it was around 3:00am and we called our parents to let them know Bram had been born. DH was very emotional as he talked to his mom, and after a little while longer they wheeled me with DH to the neonatal care unit to see Bram and let me try breast feeding him. We only had about 30 minutes but I was so happy to see him and hold him and confirm that he was OK! The next morning he was checked out by the pediatrician and moved to my room where we stayed for 3 more days.

He&#8217;s now 5 days old and is a little angel! He rarely cries (unless there&#8217;s something wrong) and he sleeps loads. My milk came in yesterday (I was getting really worried as it took 4 days and he wasn&#8217;t getting enough at first!) and we&#8217;re having some issues latching but I&#8217;m so in love and we&#8217;ll get through them! I&#8217;m still a little sore from the c-section but I don&#8217;t have any regrets about the birth and am so happy with my new family. :cloud9:

Thanks for reading all the way through!

Edited to add: after all that, he was 8.12 lbs and 20 inches (3690 grams and 51 cm) so his size probably wouldn't have been a problem like they expected!

Pics:
About 20 minutes after birth


Me and Bram 2 days after birth


Sleeping at home, 3 days old


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## prdlyexpectng

congrats! that sounds scary though :(


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## estar

Congratulations, he is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your story.


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## mummy2lola

Awwww he's a stunner.Congratulations mummy,how much did he weigh in the end Hun? Xx


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## lilyanne

Congratulations! He is a cutie!


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## BexyD

Congratulations! Shame it was so scary but he's absolutely scrummy! What did he weigh in the end - dont think i saw it!


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## KayteeB

congrats hun, how much did he weigh?Xx


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## jennthompson

Congrats! He's beautiful :)


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## xxchelseaxx

Congratulations. he's gorgeous :flower:


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## mummyx2

He is gorgeous, at least hes where he belongs safe and sound.

Congratulations.

xx


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## aileymouse

Aww! well done itsy! He is a cutie for sure. and you look so well considering everything you went through xx


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## doggy121

these things happen and i'm very glad he's doing fine....congratulations!!!! enjoy your little bundle and take care xx


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## Violet3

Awhhhhh he is gorgeous ! :hugs: Congratulations ! Xx


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## almeria

he is beautiful and looks so chubby and strong!
thanks for the detailed story, it was very interesting to read. Glad you have positive thoughts about the labour after the event, hopefully you will heal up quickly.
All the best x


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## Itsychik

Sorry, I just realized I didn't post his weight-- they were way off! He was 8.12 lbs (3690 grams) and 20 inches long (51 cm). So after all of that, he wasn't as chubby as they expected him to be :)


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## lilly77

he's beautiful Leigh! well done you xx

ps i'm jealous he rarely cries!! :haha:


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## lassie269

Congratulations Itsychik! He's a right sweety and a very nice Dutch name :flower:
I'm also here in The Netherlands so it's great to hear you birth story and that it went fairly well, you hear some right horror stories over here sometimes.
Which hospital were you at? I'm due in a few weeks hoping for Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis in Amsterdam as it's just down the road.
Anyway take it easy and enjoy this time with your little one :happydance:


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## Whatme

A www well done you. He's beautiful congratulations.


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## Weeplin

Congratulations! He is lovely


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## KRB87

Congratulations x


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## Itsychik

lassie269 said:


> Congratulations Itsychik! He's a right sweety and a very nice Dutch name :flower:
> I'm also here in The Netherlands so it's great to hear you birth story and that it went fairly well, you hear some right horror stories over here sometimes.
> Which hospital were you at? I'm due in a few weeks hoping for Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis in Amsterdam as it's just down the road.
> Anyway take it easy and enjoy this time with your little one :happydance:

Hi lassie! We were at the MCA hospital in Alkmaar. The staff was REALLY friendly and everyone really did their best to help us. We've been really pleased!

I've heard good things about the hospital in Amsterdam... have you been to see the department? We went on a tour and thought it was nice to know what to expect beforehand.

Good luck with your next few weeks!


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## lassie269

Ah thats great to hear and thanks!
We popped into OLVG on sat actually, it all looked pretty good so just have wait now.
All the best :flower:


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## cherry_pie

Congratulations he is absolutley beautiful and looks so healthy. Your story made me teary and more aware that birth plans really dont matter that much all that matters is getting LO out safe and sound. A little cut on his head is little price to pay for how things could have went if they didnt know about the cord. Congrats again xxx


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## foxforce

Congrats again Leigh and fab story, sorry you had a traumatic time, all worth while as he is beautiful. 

Xx


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## xxyjadexx

hes lovely, congrats x


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## emilyjade

congratulations x


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## foreverfairy

wow what a cutie.congrats x


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