Finnegan's Birth Story

***I support/am amazed by those who choose to go the natural route. I am no way disparaging those amazing efforts. I however am a wimp and this is the story of how I have accepted that as my lot in life***

PROLOUGE
Upon Request...Here is the Birth Story of Finnegan. If you are new to my blogging venture and would like to read how bat-sh** crazy I  was during my last pregnancy (Jack) click here. I will let you know it is quite wordy and I am not really even sure how I had the time to write a 5 page essay on Jack's birth. This birth story (like the experience itself) will be a lot simpler.

BIRTH STORY
Part I: THE BIG YAWN
Remember how hippy-dippy I was when pregnant with Jack? Remember all the natural (and somewhat disturbing)  induction methods I tried? Remember how I was in a battle with my OBGYN because he wanted to induce me starting at my due date? Oh! How could we forget...Remember how I was 2 weeks overdue. Gah! Remember how I was convinced I was going to do the labor/delivery naturally? Remember how I typed up and published some crazy long list of natural birthing demands I had planned to give the charge nurse?  I hold all of you personally responsible for not talking me out of that crazy business.

Well, to tell this story we are going in the opposite direction. We will call this plan more "Get this baby out pronto". Unlike with Jack I worked up until the day of induction. I even went to work on the day I was being  induced which was scheduled for two days before my due date (brilliant!). I went to work that morning and had a leisurely bagel breakfast party with my best teacher pals. We played games all day in class and then at 4 pm I told all my students goodbye and floored it to my favorite pedicure place (that is the closest I came to natural induction this time, folks). I got my pedicure in my favorite color  (Essie San Tropez) and then scooted home, took a shower, packed and check into the hospital 25 minutes late (oops) at Hotel MOBAP. 
See how much calmer this is all ready? Well, unlike last time I got there and still nothing was cooking, but I wasn't really surprised since my babies don't ever want to come out on their own. I wonder where they get that stubborn attitude? I had that weird jelly put on and was hooked up  to monitors and other gadgets and then took a whole bunch of my  sleeping pills  and went to bed...until Dr. Laura came and woke me in the morning at 6:30 a.m. to see if I wanted to have a baby. Bah!   I had heavy contractions throughout the  day but  unlike last time I was super relaxed and just spent the day watching the TODAY show and my girls Kathi Lee and Hoda. I had a really fun nurse who told me the girl in the room next to me was induced last night and to get some healthy competition going her and I kept asking how far along the other was in the labor process. My mom stopped in around lunch time and brought Pat something to eat and we hung out for a bit. Since I was making adequate but not amazing progress I decided to have my epidural right off the bat (genius) around noon and then I had them break my water.  At 2:30 I paged my awesome nurse and told her I thought it was time due to the impending doom pee pressure. She checked me and I was 8 cm dilated but as with jack I wasn't all the way effaced (I think that is that + 1, +2, +3 thing, right). I told her I know the drill. My babies always get "hung up". I let her know that what I do is take a nap and eat an Italian Ice and then when I wake up they are ready to roll. So that's what I did...

Remember that girl next door I was competing with? Well I was winning all day, but suddenly a new very young nurse came in my room and introduced herself. She was super sweet, but not the awesome nurse I had been bonding with and hanging out with all day. She explained the girl next door was ready to push so she would be taking over while my other "real" nurse helped the girl next door.  We will call the new nurse, "Nurse X" and my other nurse "Nurse Awesome" for the remainder of this story.

 Part II: Sh** HITS THE FAN
Nurse X told me that she needed to check me and see if Finnegan had come down anymore. Upon completion of the very painful exam she told me I was 10 cm dilated but still wasn't fully effaced. Finn was still "hung up" she told me with a nervous look on her face. I asked her if everything was okay. Again the look of panic crossed her face but a (fake) reassuring voice came out and said, "Sometimes babies get caught for whatever reason and I just want to make sure that he isn't caught on his cord." Immediately I explained that Finn was breach until 37 weeks and I had a feeling that was because he knew not to turn head down because he was too close to the cord. She looked perplexed  but reassured me everything was fine and left. She came back with the Charge Nurse. I knew this wasn't good. They told me that they needed to create more space for Finn to possibly slip through the cord or to get himself unwrapped if that was the case. They told me they were going to put me on all fours (wait! I can't feel my legs though) and see if that helps. They urgently flipped me over and I face planted into the bed unable to hold myself up. All of a sudden the monitors were going crazy and Nurse X and Charge Nurse began arguing back and forth. Nurse X sounded some alarm and 6 nurses came rushing in all arguing about what to do. I could see Finn's heart rate dropping on the monitor and voices in the background talking about taking me somewhere. I started to panic (big time). My face was still planted in the bed and  I felt myself unable to breath. Someone luckily realized that and put an oxygen mask on me. Finally Nurse Awesome rushed in and came to the rescue. She quickly took charge and turned me back over and helped me to focus and calm down. She told me to start pushing. At that moment Dr. Laura came rushing in and helped me to do three big pushes. At 5:45 pm Finnegan was born! He weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and was 22 inches long. Perfect!

Epilogue
It was discovered upon Finny's arrival that the cord was around his neck. If it wasn't for the quick thinking of those nurses I hate to think what would have happened. I am so thankful for all those nurses and most of all to Nurse Awesome. When Kaye came into the room after Finn was born we discovered Nurse Awesome was her nurse when she had C!