Yeh Family Happenings: Everett's Birth Story

Well I thought I would post Everett's birth story with some pictures! So here it goes:

I checked into the hospital at 8pm on January 2^nd 2011 for an induction. I was 41 weeks 2 days along. I had been contracting on and off for a few days and had hoped that I would go into labor on my own. I really did not want to be induced. That day I had two breakdowns about it. I had decided to at least show up for the induction and then decide once I got there if I would really go through with it.

Despite my not wanting an induction, once I arrived at the hospital I was ready to just be done with it all. I had this feeling of peace about the whole thing. Justin commented on how my attitude was totally different. I said that I was just ready to meet my baby boy now and that I was at peace with the induction.

Here is my labor and delivery room:

So anyway, when we checked in I got changed into a gown, peed in a cup, and waited for my nurse. Here I am looking HOT in my gown...ha ha

It took about a half hour for the nurse to arrive. We went over a bunch of paperwork and she explained how things would work. She hooked me up to the monitors after taking all my vitals and she ran off to get the Cervadel. At that point my doctor called me. She was at home watching me on the monitors! She said she saw that I was contracting and hopefully I wouldn’t need too much help to get going. She went over our plan and asked me if it was ok. She told me everything was up to me and that she didn’t want me to feel pressured to do anything. This made me feel much better about the induction. She told me I was in charge.

The nurse came back and inserted the Cervadel around 11pm. I was 2 cm and 50% effaced. At that point I was told I needed to lay down for about 2 hours and then she wanted me to get up and walk around. Justin and I watched some TV via Netflix on the laptop. Here is Justin sitting in our room:

After two hrs my nurse came in and had me walk around. Then I tried to get some rest. However, I suddenly felt horribly sick…like I was going to vomit and had to use the bathroom. DH got the nurse for me. I ended up using the restroom and felt a bit better…and had some ginger ale. Finally I got some rest.

I slept about 1 ½ hrs. Then the nurse came in at 5am to remove the Cervadel…only to find it had fallen out at some point! Anyway I was 3 cm and 60% effaced. My nurse suggested I take a shower (which was a great idea) and then we would begin the Pitocin. So after the shower I was officially hooked up to the IV lines and the Pit was started, around 6am.

The contractions for the first 3 hrs were not painful..they were the same as I had been having, just a bit more regular (every 5 minutes). Around 8:30 my doctor came. She said “Are you hungry?” I was like “Yes” She said “You want to eat?”

UUmmmm huh?? I can EAT?? She said “Sure…we can just turn off the pit for about an hour. I recommend you eat light.” I decided right then that she was amazing. The nurse looked at her like she had two heads! Ha ha ha. So they turned it off and I ordered a banana and a muffin.

At this point Justin went out to meet his parents…they were taking Esella to a doctors appt. The pit was started back on and BOOM! All of a sudden the contractions were a bit stronger. My parents came to visit and then the pain got bad…I called Justin to see where he was…thank God he was only 5 minutes away grabbing lunch.

Once Justin got there…things went fast. The contractions went from a 2-3 on the pain scale to a 8-9. I was checked and only a 3 ½-4. This was around 12:15. I asked that the pit get turned down…I was having a hard time. I also asked for an epidural.

12:45 the anesthesiologist showed up to do the epi. It was being tricky….he had to give me two extra doses of drugs and I had to lay on my right side as for some reason most of the drugs had gone to my left side and I was feeling pain on the right. It took a while to fully work.

At 1:15 my doc came and broke my water. I was 5cm. YAY for progress! My doctor left and said “See you in a few hours to have a baby!”

When she left Justin's parents got there. I was still feeling pain with the contractions on the right and needed my Justin to help me get through them. My mother in law, Barbara, (who was a labor and delivery nurse in her former life) was with me and all of a sudden I said “I feel him coming out!” Barbara told Justin to get the nurse. I was at 8cm! It was about 1:45ish. Justin started making some phone calls to get my parents back at the hospital (they were watching Esella and my friend Somer was going to come relieve them). While he was on the phone I started freaking out again…I told Barbara he was coming…the nurse came and I was at a 10! It was like 1:55ish. She got the phone out and called my doctor at about 2pm. She rushed over from her office and got there at 2:06.

Once my doctor had been called, all kinds of people came in the room. They changed the bed into the delivery bed and got the table of items for the doctor out and ready. My doctor got there and got into her gear. Two nurses came in and introduced themselves. Then I was asked if it was ok if two student nurses observed. At this point I was like SURE! Come on in! It’s a party! Ha ha ha.

At this point I started pushing...but I was worried that my mom wasn't going to make it...my parents were on their way over. For Esella's birth...I didn't want anyone in the room but Justin and I...but this time I decided that both the grandmothers could be there. So anyway..I start pushing and at some point my mom gets there! I was so relieved! Because just a few pushed later and Mr. Everett's head is delivered...and I hear Barbara say in a nervous tone..

"You've got a cord!"

Of COURSE this little guy had to cause drama by having his cord around his neck. It was too tight for the doctor to remove...so I had to get him out. The doctor said something about possibly needing to "help me out" (aka...episiotomy) and I said "I can do it!" and I pushed and I pushed and I pushed (that little guy had an 83rd %ile head and big shoulders!!) and FINALLY just minutes after my mom arrived Everett Girouard Hou Yun was born!!!

He was born with his eyes WIDE open and immediately started looking around. he hadn't cried yet and was a little blue...but then he let out a HUGE cry...and he was placed on my chest. It was a beautiful moment!

Then he was cleaned up and swaddled. He also got weighed, measured, checked out by the pediatrician, got his first bath and all that fun stuff all in my room so I could be present. It was so awesome! With Esella (born at a different hospital) she was taken away for an hour to have all this done (Justin went with her but I missed it). Anyway..all this was done as I got cleaned and stitched up. Here are some pictures...

First Bath...NOT thrilled! Ha!

And then....Justin's parents brought Esella to meet her new baby brother! She was a little freaked out at first...mommy in a hospital bed and all...but she eventually warmed up to him.

Yeh-Yeh with his son and his granchildren. So proud!

Esella finally warming up to Everett

After this we were moved into our post postpartum room and Justin ran out to get us dinner. Then Everett decided to give mama a HUGE scare. He was laying on me and had just finshed eating and I was on the computer. I looked down and Everett was BLUE. I picked him up and went limp. After hitting the nurse call button mothers instinct kicked in and I gave him a little swat on his side and BOOM he let out a LOUD cry. I was so relieved! At this point about 5 nurses came in and took Everett away. Luckily he was fine, but they wanted to keep him in the NICU for a while to monitor him. He spent about 14 hours in there (Justin and I were with him almost the entire time) and they released him.

Once he was out I was READY to go! We asked to be released early...but we had to wait for the pediatrician to release him. SO while we were waiting for him to arrive we had our celebratory meal for lunch:

With our sparkling cider...

Esella came to visit and helped me eat my cake...

That evening, just 30 hours he was born, Everett was released from the hospital!! So we got him all ready and at about 9pm we took our baby boy home.

SO Esella went home in the same outfit..but in white :) We also have similar pictures of mommy and baby as we were waiting to leave...here they are:

Mommy with Everett: