Birth Story

To say Quinn is my whole world is an understatement. I will never be able to put into words what this boy means to me. Although bringing him into this world was one scary event after another, I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Having kids was always on our radar, but it wasn’t something we were going to rush into after marriage. We wanted to enjoy each other for a while, find a home, and I wanted to finish up grad school before we added a little one to our family.

As I approached my last couple of months of grad school in November 2017, I was hit with the STRONGEST urge of wanting to have a baby. It’s extremely difficult to explain, but something inside me told me this was our time to start trying.

I honestly went into it with the understanding that it may not happen right away, but it was still the time to try. Low and behold, the first pregnancy test I took on December 2 came back positive. I will always be grateful for seeing those two lines.

Quinn’s due date was August 11, 2018. Other than gaining 65 pounds, I had a healthy, typical pregnancy. I wish I can say everything went as smoothly for the delivery, but that wasn’t the case.

Here’s my delivery story.

When I went in for my last doctor’s visit on August 9, my belly measured a little bit ahead (I did my whole pregnancy), his heart rate was perfect, but I wasn’t dilated at all. We scheduled what’s called a non-stress test for his due date and scheduled an induction for August 15.

I remember getting ready that Saturday morning for the test like it was any other day. We expected to be there for maybe an hour and then would come home to enjoy our last few days just the two of us.

For the non-stress test, I was hooked up to the monitors that measured the fetal heartbeat and others that monitored contractions. According to the monitors, I was having some contractions that I couldn’t feel yet (thank goodness).

The monitors for Quinn’s heartbeat were a bit more concerning. It looked like he kept decelerating (a decrease in heart rate) well below what’s normal for a fetal heart rate. I was strongly encouraged to stay to be induced that day so they could fully monitor him during labor.

A wave of emotions went over me when I realized that this was it. It was time for us to bring Quinn into the world. I was always nervous about the delivery piece, simply because it’s so heavily unpredictable. As much as you try to plan for it, there are no guarantees it will go that way, so I was ready to roll with whatever needed to happen to deliver Q as safely as possible.

Since I wouldn’t be able to eat again once I was induced, the nurse suggested I get something to eat first. Sean rushed home to grab our hospital bags and grab some food while I was being admitted to my room. I had no clue what I wanted for essentially my last meal for who knew how long. My indecisiveness was at its peak. My nurse suggested I take a look at the hospital menu to see if anything sparked my interest. I saw French toast and I was sold. If you know me, French toast is one of my favorite foods.

Sean came back with our bags and a huge Chipotle burrito for himself while I waited for my food. The nutrition staff eventually brought my French toast, and I was ready to dig in. I took the lid off the plate to find ONE piece of French toast! ONE! I should’ve taken this as a sign of how the rest of my day would go.

Once I ate my sad, single slice of French toast, it was time to officially start the journey. I was only 1 cm dilated when I was initially admitted and they induced me with a medication called cytotec. Shortly after receiving the medication, my contractions started to become frequent and long lasting. It was like I was having one, constant contraction.

Little Quinn did not tolerate this well at all. He continued to decelerate as he did during the non-stress test. They decided they needed to reverse the Cytotec medication immediately to get my contractions under control.

As my contractions normalized, I slowly started to feel them. Fortunately, it was more of a discomfort than full-on pain. I planned on having an epidural for the delivery, so we decided to call in the anesthesiologist to begin this process.

In the meantime, my doctor wanted to manually break my water to help speed up the labor. It was honestly more painful than I expected it to feel. I also remember my OB in shock of how much water was in there. She joked that Quinn must have been swimming in there.

While the anesthesiologist had me sitting on the side of the bed to insert the epidural, I was still losing water. I honestly thought I was wetting the bed and was more concerned about that than the giant needle about to be inserted into my spine. Whoops.

From what I remember next, they decided to start an extremely low dose pitocin drip. The goal was to gradually increase the dosage, depending on how Quinn and I were reacting. At this point, it was time to rest and let my body and medication go to work.

They checked dilation every hour, but after laboring for 10 hours from the initial induction, I was barely 5 cm and Quinn continued to decelerate multiple times. Any time Quinn would decelerate, the nurses would be in my room within seconds to check on me and give me oxygen. These periods of deceleration would last for a minute or so at a time I believe. It was more terrifying each time it happened.

Around 10 pm, I remember the nurse telling me that they were going to call the doctor to give her an update and that she will probably recommend a c-section, and the doctor did. Between my slow progression and Quinn’s heart rate dropping, it was an unsafe combination. I could have potentially labored for another 24 hours and Quinn wouldn’t have been able to tolerate it.

When the c-section was mentioned, I didn’t think much of it since I knew it was what was best for both of us. Plus, I had never had major surgery before, so I was naive to it all.

Although the c-section was emergent, they still went through all of the necessary prep work in my delivery room to get us ready. Part of this preparation was to administer an antibiotic into my IV. The nurses warned me that it causes some slight burning when injected, which it did. Within a minute of receiving the medication, the palms of my hands started to itch. I remember the look of sheer concern over everyone’s face in the room.

Seconds later, my face started to itch and burn. Before I knew it, my whole body was covered in hives. Of course, I would be allergic to the antibiotic…why wouldn’t I be… They immediately put in a call to the pharmacy for Benadryl and the wait felt like years. The burning and itching brought me to tears. It was pure misery.

Thanks to the Benadryl, I was in a fog for most of the c-section, but I do remember how it felt. I think there is a misconception about c-sections being pain-free. It’s not. You don’t feel the sharp pain of the incisions, but you feel intense pressure and pulling the entire time. It’s a quick procedure, but not quick enough.

When they got to Quinn during the procedure, they told me he had a little bit of a scowl on his face and looked annoyed (he still makes that face daily). When he was finally delivered and it was my chance to see him, I couldn’t. Literally. They held him up in the air and all I could see was a blurry blob!

They had taken my glasses at the start of the procedure and I’m blind as a bat without them so I couldn’t see a thing. They hurried to get my glasses and the second I could see that beautiful boy’s face I was in LOVE! I didn’t get to hold him or do any skin to skin contact right away. I understand why, but it is something I still struggle with a little bit today.

As I said, things were a little bit hazy for me at this point, but I do remember the anesthesiologist talking in a concerned tone about getting my blood pressure under control while they were closing me up. Even though he was concerned, I felt oddly at ease knowing he was taking care of me. Maybe it was the Benadryl making me feel that way, who knows.

I had also heard my OB mention that there was some significant blood loss, but I don’t know much more than that. I remember shaking vigorously on the table. I don’t know if it was because I was freezing, nervous, the medications, but I couldn’t stay still. I believe they had to give me something to knock me out for a short time.

The next thing I remember is waking up back in my delivery room around 2:30 in the morning to them handing me my sweet Quinn for the first time. I was so tired and in so much pain, but holding him was the best feeling. In true Quinn fashion, he decided to latch to my neck to try and eat…

In the end, Quinn was perfectly healthy! He was officially born on August 12, 2018, at 12:26 am. He weighed 8 lbs 3.6 oz and was 19 inches long. He shares his birthday with the doctor who delivered him!

We spent a total of five days in the hospital between labor and recovery. We could’ve gone home a day earlier, but because of the exhaustion and uncertainty of being new parents, we chose to stay the extra day.

For some reason, we never took any family pictures or pictures of me at the hospital. I remember when I finally saw myself in the mirror after the delivery for the first time I looked like I had risen from the grave, so it’s probably best I don’t have any pictures of me during this time.

By day five we were anxious to get home and settle in as our new role as parents. We were also excited to introduce Quinn to his brother, Chap!

Our lives changed forever when Quinn was born and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I love you Quinn Pin!!