Karla's Birth of Levi

Birth Day Story of

Levi Jeremiah

Tuesday August 16, 2011

8:32 pm

On Monday I found out the pain I was having in my back and lower abdomen was caused by a UTI so I started antibiotics that evening. The pain I was in from the UTI pretty much immobilized me so Caleb arranged for the boys to stay with family & friends during the day on Tuesday so I could rest and recover. I literally slept the entire day with the only exceptions being to get to go to the bathroom and to eat lunch, no TV, no books, no computer, I just slept.

I noticed about midday that I was feeling some better, my back wasn’t hurting as much and I was very glad. Caleb called around 6:40pm to let me know he and the boys were on the way home. I was still feeling pretty good and was looking forward to seeing my family. I got up to go to the bathroom and I could not pee, not even a drop. I decided to get in the tub to see if that would help, nope, nothing! Caleb and the boys were now home and they thought it was funny that mommy was trying to pee in the tub. I found not being able to pee annoying and distressing. I got in the shower hoping that would help, still nothing. I got out of the shower w my back now hurting constantly again and even worse than before, I was crampy and couldn’t pee. I called Caleb in and told him something was wrong and I didn’t know what to do. (7:05pm) He suggested I call my midwife (CPM) and see what she thought.

For the first time I had to page her and she called right back, I told her what was going on and she asked if I thought I was in labor, “NO, I quickly replied, I just can’t pee and my back hurts constantly!” She asked me several different ways trying to figure out if I was in labor or not but based on my answers I was not in labor but having some complications from the UTI. She told me I should go to the hospital and she would meet me there. She called Cindy (CNM) and arranged for me to have a urine culture and possible IV antibiotics for a UTI or now possibly a kidney infection.

At 7:30 Caleb and I leave for the hospital which is at least a 35 minute drive. I am having some contractions and they are strong but there doesn’t seem to be any pattern to them and it just didn’t seem like labor. On the way to the hospital I had one really good contraction and thought maybe this is just labor and we should be heading to MS to have the baby (we had planned to birth out of the hospital again with the MW who had attended our other three births) but there was still no pattern to them and though I was in pain, it didn’t feel like labor pain as much as a complication from the UTI. 

When we arrived at the hospital Colleen (my MW who would now play the role of doula) told me that Cindy would not be coming since we were there for a UTI and not to have the baby. However, that quickly changed as Colleen observed me have a contraction in the parking lot. She called Cindy and said, “you need to get here we are having a baby”. I then looked at Colleen with shock and terror and said, “Colleen, I can’t have a baby if I’m already in this much pain! I will have to have an epidural because I can’t labor and birth with this kind of pain” (referring to the “UTI pain” and the fact that my bladder hurt from not being able to pee). She calmly said, You can do this, don’t even worry about that because we are not there yet. My mind was racing at this point thinking, Oh My Gosh she just said I’m having a baby and I’m at the hospital, I’ve never had a baby in the hospital and I don’t want to now! I was still not fully convinced that I was in labor and I thought the contractions were caused by my bladder being full and my uterus being aggravated from the “UTI”.

After signing in and telling everyone at the desk, NO, I’M NOT IN LABOR I’M JUST HERE FOR A UTI,  because they felt it necessary to keep asking if I was in labor. I spent a couple of contractions in the hall waiting to be called back to the screening room. They finally called my name (seemed like forever). Once in the screening room the nurse gave me a cup to pee in although I told her I was here because I could NOT pee! She proceeded to give me stupid instructions on how to properly pee in a cup and point me in the way of the restroom. Colleen who had already tried to get me in a bathroom so she could check me, thought it would be a good idea for me to try and pee. She quickly slipped on gloves and checked me. “Just what I thought, you’re complete and baby is +1, we are about to have a baby!” I jumped off of that toilet faster than I had moved in months! I had already given birth on the toilet before and knew I did NOT want to do that again especially in a nasty hospital bathroom!

 Colleen called Cindy again to tell her this baby was coming! We need a room! And where are you?!? Cindy phoned the screening room and told them to put me in a L&D room. The nurse came with a wheel chair and this time I took it (on my knees facing backwards) because I knew there was NO way I was going to walk all the way to room 11 without this baby falling out in the hallway. By now the amount of pressure I had was insane and Colleen was right in my face telling me to blow through the contractions which were now at their closest intervals (4 minutes apart). She told me to leave my pants on because if the nurse saw the baby’s head we would have a swat team on us. I told her I had to be on my knees chest or this baby was coming out now! I got on the bed on knees chest with my pants on. Colleen stayed right in my face reminding me to blow through the contractions, I could feel my baby passing through my body. I just knew the baby was about to come and fall down my pants leg.

Colleen called Cindy again and she was coming through the door of the hospital, she told me you’ll only have to do one more like this then Cindy will be here and you can push your baby out. Cindy walked in, gloved up and told me I could push now. I wanted to lay on my side to deliver in order to try and prevent tearing a 4th time. I chose my left side which I quickly regretted as my right hip had been bothering me for the last couple of months and was now locking up and felt like a giant charlie horse!

Caleb had to hold my leg in a very specific position so I could focus on pushing. Cindy did a catheter while I was pushing because I had not been able to pee and was still complaining that my bladder hurt. There was barely anything in it! All the pain and not being able to pee was because I was in labor and the baby’s head was so low it had blocked me from being able to urinate!! I pushed and I could feel the baby coming but it felt like he was dragging and just not wanting to come but he was definitely coming. I pushed for less than five minutes, then bag of water ruptured and immediately my baby was born! Praise God!!!

We did not know the gender and I didn’t want to find out right away, I just wanted to look at my baby and fall in love. However because of a short cord I could not pull my baby up past my tummy until the cord was cut. Our sweet baby who was covered up decided he wanted to make the announcement himself and peed on me which shot a nice lil’ arc across my body from one leg to the other. I exclaimed, I’m getting peed on and we have another SON!!!! Such joy and a blessing to have the honor of four sons!

Levi Jeremiah weighted in at 8lb 9oz, 20 3/4 in long, and had a 14.5 in head. My biggest baby and definitely the biggest head I’ve pushed out and the first time I didn’t tear!!

Still not sure how I was in labor with my 4th child and didn't know it but it all worked out!!! Praise God!!!

Tags: quick enterence, birth, birth stories, birth stories on demand, pants, baby in the pants, quick labor, extremely fast labor, uti, bladder infection, 

Comments

[Andrea Sangjun]

What a beautiful birth story!