Remy’s Birth Story

On Thursday, July 11, 2013, at 12:50 p.m. my beautiful baby girl, Remy Maryn, was born. Today I’m excited to share with you her birth story.

I think it’s a tad ironic that the day I went into labor was the day this post was published, a letter to my unborn daughter. I had written it the night before after a flood of emotions hit me when I realized that Baby Girl would be arriving soon. Her due date was scheduled for that Friday but something told me I wouldn’t make it till then. When I left work that Wednesday afternoon co-workers said their good-bye’s as if I wouldn’t be returning and in my heart of hearts I knew that I wouldn’t.

That next day, in the wee hours of the morning at approximately 2:30 a.m., a sharp crampy pain woke me. I knew instantly that it was not Braxton-Hicks; the pain was too excruciating. Both a sense of fear and excitement coursed through my veins. I quickly downloaded a contraction counter app and waited for it to work its magic and tell me what’s what. Oh the power of technology.

Per the app contractions were every 5-8 minutes lasting about 1-2 minutes. I hadn’t woken Kevin up at this point yet because I wanted to wait as long as possible before we actually left for the hospital. I also was still in shock and didn’t quite believe I was going into labor. The pillow gripping pain should have given me a clue tho.

Around 3:30 a.m. I finally woke Kevin up to head to the hospital. Earlier that week I had packed the hospital bag and loaded it in the car, so we were prepped and ready to go. On the way out the door we woke my mother-in-law, who had arrived that Tuesday from Virginia, and let her know what was going on. The plan was to call her after we had checked-in and let her know once I was moved into the labor and delivery room.

On the 7 minute drive to the hospital Kevin and I just cracked jokes the whole time. Well, I did. It’s something I tend to do when I’m nervous. I also took that time to text those near and dear to let them know what was going on. I provided them with Kevin’s cell number in case I was busy having the baby and all. I received a couple texts back complete with a ton of exclamation points and smiles.

Thankfully I had pre-registered with the hospital a few weeks earlier however the registration processed seemed like it took FOREVER! Let me tell you, it’s hard to answer questions when you have gut wrenching pain in your uterus and your body is so shaky it’s in shock. The attendant didn’t really get that.

I was finally taken to the triage area where the nurse informed use I was already 8 centimeters dilated and experiencing full on contractions! I was quickly moved to the labor and delivery room. At that time Kevin called his mom to head on over; as we were told things would be moving pretty quickly from there on out.

After my mother-in-law arrived there was a time where nothing made sense to me. Kevin called my mom and let her know that we were at the hospital and that the baby would be coming soon. I could swear I heard her excitement from my bed. Also during this time my friends started texting Kevin and asking tons of questions about my progress.

The pain was so unbearable. I knew it would be painful but this was another level, especially for someone who has a high pain threshold. The pain was so intense I projectile vomited and this is when I think I lost Kevin. He went pale white, sat down on the couch, and laid his head back. I was perfectly okay with this as long as he didn’t faint. At this time I was asked if I wanted an epidural, which I quickly accepted.

After the epidural was administered everything was okay in the world. I barely felt contractions and the lower part of my body was numb enough for me not to feel pain but not numb enough to where I couldn’t feel anything. It was awesome! The nurse checked me again and I was told I was 9cm dilated, almost 10. She informed me that my doctor was at another hospital but on her way, which freaked me out a bit. The nurse took this time to administer a catheter and break my water.

While we waited for my doctor to arrive the nurse asked me to see if I could push. We tried pushing a few times to no avail. I didn’t have enough feeling down below to know how hard I was pushing and every time I did attempt to push the baby’s heart rate would drop. Because of this, I would have to reposition myself to relieve the pressure.

Around 9 a.m. my doctor finally arrived. By this time I could feel the force the nurse had told me about and started to push per here instructions. Nothing. And the baby’s heart rate kept dropping, which started to worry everyone in the room. I was hooked up to an oxygen machine to try help the baby. Panic started to kick in. For the next couple of hours we continued to attempt the pushing game but each time we got the same results: no baby and her heart rate dropped each and every time.

At 11 a.m. there was a staff shift change and my doctor was switched up. Luckily the other doctor was one I had consulted with beforehand and liked. Both doctors left the room to discuss the situation and instantly I knew something was wrong. When she entered the room again she suggested we perform a C-section. I couldn’t hold my anxiety and began to cry. Kevin was immediately at my side to calm me down. He reassured me that everything would be okay and that soon we would be holding our baby girl. That thought settled my nerves and I knew we needed to move forward.

While Kevin dressed in his surgical gown and mask I was rolled in to the OR and prepped for surgery. I was given additional anethesia and no longer felt anything from the waist down. The infamous curtain was hung up and Kevin was instructed to sit by my head, as far away from the surgical area as possible.

While the doctors worked their magic tugging and pulling from behind the curtain, the fella and I chatted as if nothing big was happening at all. It was strange to be awake while all the commotion was happening past the curtain; I was being man-handled and couldn’t even feel it! The minutest ticked away and Kevin and I started realizing that soon we’d be a family of three. That realization started to kick in when all of a sudden we heard a shout and at 12:50 p.m. Remy Maryn finally greeted us with your presence.

It was bizarre to finally see our baby girl. For those first few minutes, while the nurses took down Remy’s measurements and cleaned her up, Kevin and I were in total shock. We sat there, stoic, contemplating what our lives will be like from that point moving forward. I turned my head to finally take a look at Miss Remy and she was absolutely beautiful. A rush of emotions overcame me and I laid there in complete amazement. I was now responsible for molding the future of this tiny, baby life. When I turned to look at Kevin he just sat there in aw, with a massive smile on his face admiring the result of our love.

Remy was moved to the nursery room and Kevin followed; I was to stay in the OR while the doctors patched me up. During this time I let the whole experience of the pregnancy and the delivery sink in. It had been a crazy couple of months, many of which were not great days. However looking back it was an experience I would do all over again, especially for the amazing result!

After I was glued up, yep you read that right my incision was glued together, I was taken to a recovery room where I waited for what seemed like FOREVER! Finally Kevin and Remy entered the room. It was amazing to hold her in my arms and stare into those big deep blue eyes. She quietly laid there observing my face while I did the same. I remember wanting to etch into my memory her face – her cute button nose, those pursed pink lips, that full head of hair. She was beautiful.

A month has passed and each day is a new adventure with Remy as part of our family. Sure, some days (and nights) are better than others but it’s all so worth it! I like to think of Remy as my heart outside of my body. I always thought people were exaggerating when they described the profound, immense love they have for their children, but it’s all true, as trite as it sounds.