The news that I was pregnant with a little baby was surreal; it's almost hard to imagine being pregnant when you don't look, nor feel, the symptoms. The no symptom part didn't last long, and sure enough by 4 weeks (the day after Jordan's birthday to be exact) I became best friends with the toilet bowl. No food sounded good, and I lived off Kashi blueberry waffles and cottage cheese on toast for the next 15 weeks...if I could eat. I remember asking Jordan multiple times, "how many more weeks will I have to feel this way" poor guy had to listen to me as I laid blame on him for all my sickness. My doctors visits with Dr. Krieg were great, every time I went for a visit we got an ultrasound of our sweet baby and when week 16 came I started to educate myself on the different methods of delivery and childbirth. The best book that I read was Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. I would recommend it because it was educational and inspired me to have a natural child birth birth-plan.
So I got on the hypnobabies train and stuck to the plan that "by body was designed to do this" and it will! I listened to my hypnobabies soundtracks almost everyday, educated myself with all the course material, and came up with my ultimate birth plan (be forewarned... plans don't always go according to what you think will happen-mine didn't).
So lets get to the story of how Baby Bode was actually born...
SATURDAY: SEPTEMBER 23 (5 days past due date)
Dr. Krieg had let me know that in German hospitals they will plan to induce once you have reached your 41 week mark, so my goal was to deliver naturally prior to 41 weeks on September 19. I tried lots of methods to start this process-everything from spicy Thai food to bouncing on a bouncy ball, but nothing worked. Once I hit week 40 I was going in every two days to be monitored to check if I was showing any signs on labor. Each time I went in there were no clear signs, no contractions, no effacement nada. One of my check up visits landed on a Saturday, and I was checked in the hospital because the doctors office wasn't open on the weekend. Still no signs, and the midwives and doctor told me that on Monday after my appointment to come in and get the "midwife mixture" of castor oil and maybe that would throw me over the edge...if not I would be induced on Tuesday.
MONDAY: SEPTEMBER 25
Monday rolls around and still no signs of labor, the only change is that I have blown up like a blowfish, and my body was like a sponge holding onto all the water I could possibly take in. After my appointment I walked down the hallway to labor and delivery to pick up some midwife mixture and my plan was to head home to try it out...or so I thought. When I arrived at L&D they told me that I should be admitted right there and then because I was swelling so much from all the water (this is the one day I decided I didn't need to bring my hospital bag...what was I thinking?!?). They said I could do the midwife mixture in the hospital, and it was better that I was under their care until baby came.
They started with a stress test and then I was checked. The midwife told me the castor oil mixture probably wasn't going to have any effect other than make me sick because I was not showing any labor signs, so it was best not to take it. Fine by me...no diarrhea...no problem here! I got situated into a room and was ready for this baby to come!
I was going to L&D ward every two hours to take a pill that would help soften my cervix, and by 8 pm they tried to insert a transcervical Foley balloon to help me dilate to 3cm. The balloon didn't go according to plan, it was too painful and I could barely breathe when they started to inflate it (because I wasn't fully effaced) so it had to come out! My lady parts were irritated for the rest of the night; the doctor reassured me that everything was okay, and that in the morning they would start doubling up on the medication to help me progress-still no epidural or pitocin so I was feeling good!
TUESDAY: SEPTEMBER 26
Woke up to no sign of Baby Hatch. I was doubling up on the medication every two hours and convinced I was taking a sugar pill because NOTHING was happening. I climbed the stairs of the hospital, and even broke out for a little walk...Yes I have an IV in my hand here...but no one said anything as I left the building, so I did it...
After my 4 pm pills I noticed I was really getting period signs in my pants so I went back to L&D just confirm that I was okay; don't worry, I was. I borrowed a bouncing ball to bring to my room and bounce-I would do anything to start this process...Jordan came to the hospital after work around 5 and within minutes of his arrival, I noticed I was having an incontinence problem. More like I was peeing and I couldn't stop...That was it. My water had broken. It was time to go to labor and delivery one last time!
I started off being monitored, but still no sign of any contractions so they told me labor could take some time, and wouldn't officially start until I had pressure waves (contractions). The minute the midwife said contractions-it sent a signal to my brain and I felt my first one. Oh wow! We had to stop the monitoring a few times because I kept needing to use the bathroom, and there was no stopping me from using it.
The contractions were getting strong, and I wanted to get in the tub. They helped prepare the birthing tub for me to relax. I thought I would be so relaxed but it was really hard for me to get comfortable. My contractions were so strong that I was counting down until they would be over, and I was sick to my stomach. I could barely concentrate on my hypnobabies, and at one point I just needed silence. I lasted about two hours in the tub before I was 3cm dilated and changed my birth plan to something more manageable for me, which was to have an epidural that I could self administer the medication so that I could still feel the contractions and urge to push if I needed to.
The epidural was wonderful, it helped me relax so much that both Jordan and I feel asleep for a few hours. Fast forward two hours: I was at a 6... two more hours (3 am): I was at a 10 and ready to start pushing. I started to slowly push with the contractions, but nothing was progressing, and when I was checked they realized baby had moved into a sunny-side up position-"eyes to the sky"- and they needed him to turn. My contractions weren't strong enough to get him to turn, so they wanted to give me pitocin: the one medication I DID NOT WANT. I listened, they knew better than I and I was tired, so pitocin it was, and let me tell you that drug is not kind...My contractions were non-stop super strong for about two hours, and I was pushin like crazy. I kept asking Jordan when they would end; and he did a great job of convincing me it was almost over. He was playing mind games with me, but it helped distract me as he counted down until I could get collected. At one point the midwives wanted me to get on all fours to try and turn baby Hatch-which was a bit difficult considering I was completely numb from the waist down...Jordan and his mom were sitting at my sides helping me not to slide off the table. I feel bad they had to hold all the weight of my heavy legs for over an hour! The result of being on all fours?-Baby still not turning. I got back on my back and continued counting down until the contractions would give me a few seconds of relief before the next wave started.
At 7 am there was a shift change in the L&D ward and I asked Jordan to check out what was going on... Why wasn't I progressing and was I going to have to do this for another 10 hours, it had already been 15! Three doctors came in to do an ultrasound of the baby and check his position. Little baby was on the move but his head was turned a little instead of to his chest, so he wasn't lined up with the birth canal properly...Nothing can be perfect right?!? They gave us two options, the first was using the vacuum to pull him out, however the doctor did not recommend this as she thought it had a low likelyhood of succeeding and would most likely end in an emergency C-Section, the second option was a was my last choice of options, the option I told myself I wouldn't have to experience: C-section. Even though it was my worst case scenario at the beginning of the night we trusted our doctors and did not want to risk our baby.
I did what needed to be done to get baby out, and within 20 minutes I was on the operating table having a C-section. The anesthesiologists were so patient with me, making sure I was completely comfortable before everything began, and the surgeon was very nice. When they took the baby out the room went silent, I didn't know what was going on, but I did hear a crying baby.
Baby was born at 8:30 in the morning via C-section. They showed me the baby's cute little face and then took him with dad before I could even see the gender; luckily they brought him right back so I could see-we have a BOY! Here he is: Bode Gregory Hatch
Bode in his hospital bed
Bode and I were able to recover in the hospital for a few days, with the most wonderful midwife care from the amazing staff at the Amberg Hospital. Here we are getting ready to leave the hospital:
Proud new dad right here
We came home on Sunday night, and have been doing great ever since. We sure love him!
