Kingston's Birth Story
Chadwick Kerr, doula
We had our first birth all figured out! Little did we know, the baby had other plans.
I read all the books, knew exactly what a normal, physiological birth looked like and anticipated welcoming our little bundle soon after the start of my contractions. Four days and a c-section later we met him!
Labor started Saturday night and continued at a snail's pace through the weekend. My contractions were all over the place and tormenting the crap out of me. We were so eager to get this thing going but as things failed to progress I knew something wasn't right. Chadwick was on-call and made a few stops at our house, helping in every way possible to move things along. The days and nights seemed endless but finally by Tuesday she was helping us through active labor at home, keeping me calm and focused, and getting us set up at the hospital when the time came. The first time I was checked, I was at 4 cm which was a bit disappointing and of course, afterwards things stalled for a little while. When we were back on track and comfortable in our new space, contractions resumed. But after several grueling hours I had only dilated to 6 cm. As the night went on, the pain was growing more intense with absolutely no results; fatigue was setting in. We labored and labored and heaven knows I wouldn't have made it half as far without Chadwick's award winning hip squeezes. They literally kept me going! We knew early on that the baby was acynclitic, but after several sets of deep knee chests and internal manipulations, nothing had changed. As the pangs grew stronger and more frequent I kept thinking it had to be transition. Unfortunately, I was failing to progress past 6 cm and I never would. In hindsight, I think my body was trying to force something that wouldn't be. When my will was absolutely broken, our team exhausted and my trusted doctor concerned, we decided to take a different approach, and that's when the interventions began.
I never thought I'd welcome an epidural but it was suddenly the greatest thing on earth. The debilitating contractions felt like butterflies now. Still, nothing numbed the heartache of my natural birth slipping away. Tears were shed as the decision was made. I hated to be a statistic but it was the right thing for the baby. The doctor wanted to allow me some relaxation in hopes of turning things around, but after Pitocin dropped the baby's heart rate into the 50's we decided giving up was in his best interest. Our OB prayed with us and in a matter of minutes I was wheeled down to the OR. My wonderful husband Austin was at my side through it all. He was there to hold my hand and watch the surgery. He witnessed the birth of our baby and told me with tears in his eyes that it was a BOY! We were overjoyed! Kingston was born at 4:30 am on Wednesday, July 2nd, three days before his due date. The umbilical cord was around his neck which may have been the cause of his positioning. His left forehead and eye were bruised and his breathing labored. Austin was able to hold our son and capture his first moments of life until he was placed in my arms. The time spent waiting felt like an eternity but in an instant, everything else ceased to exist. Kingston easily started nursing and all was right with the world. A sense of peace about his birth has stayed with me since I first saw his face. He was a healthy baby and I had the added blessing of an easy recovery. I'm so thankful for the amazing people that surrounded me that day, the lifelong friendship with our sweet doula and the memories that I'll cherish forever. We have hopes that our next birth story will be of a successful VBAC!
Chadwick Kerr, doula
We had our first birth all figured out! Little did we know, the baby had other plans.
I read all the books, knew exactly what a normal, physiological birth looked like and anticipated welcoming our little bundle soon after the start of my contractions. Four days and a c-section later we met him!
Labor started Saturday night and continued at a snail's pace through the weekend. My contractions were all over the place and tormenting the crap out of me. We were so eager to get this thing going but as things failed to progress I knew something wasn't right. Chadwick was on-call and made a few stops at our house, helping in every way possible to move things along. The days and nights seemed endless but finally by Tuesday she was helping us through active labor at home, keeping me calm and focused, and getting us set up at the hospital when the time came. The first time I was checked, I was at 4 cm which was a bit disappointing and of course, afterwards things stalled for a little while. When we were back on track and comfortable in our new space, contractions resumed. But after several grueling hours I had only dilated to 6 cm. As the night went on, the pain was growing more intense with absolutely no results; fatigue was setting in. We labored and labored and heaven knows I wouldn't have made it half as far without Chadwick's award winning hip squeezes. They literally kept me going! We knew early on that the baby was acynclitic, but after several sets of deep knee chests and internal manipulations, nothing had changed. As the pangs grew stronger and more frequent I kept thinking it had to be transition. Unfortunately, I was failing to progress past 6 cm and I never would. In hindsight, I think my body was trying to force something that wouldn't be. When my will was absolutely broken, our team exhausted and my trusted doctor concerned, we decided to take a different approach, and that's when the interventions began.
I never thought I'd welcome an epidural but it was suddenly the greatest thing on earth. The debilitating contractions felt like butterflies now. Still, nothing numbed the heartache of my natural birth slipping away. Tears were shed as the decision was made. I hated to be a statistic but it was the right thing for the baby. The doctor wanted to allow me some relaxation in hopes of turning things around, but after Pitocin dropped the baby's heart rate into the 50's we decided giving up was in his best interest. Our OB prayed with us and in a matter of minutes I was wheeled down to the OR. My wonderful husband Austin was at my side through it all. He was there to hold my hand and watch the surgery. He witnessed the birth of our baby and told me with tears in his eyes that it was a BOY! We were overjoyed! Kingston was born at 4:30 am on Wednesday, July 2nd, three days before his due date. The umbilical cord was around his neck which may have been the cause of his positioning. His left forehead and eye were bruised and his breathing labored. Austin was able to hold our son and capture his first moments of life until he was placed in my arms. The time spent waiting felt like an eternity but in an instant, everything else ceased to exist. Kingston easily started nursing and all was right with the world. A sense of peace about his birth has stayed with me since I first saw his face. He was a healthy baby and I had the added blessing of an easy recovery. I'm so thankful for the amazing people that surrounded me that day, the lifelong friendship with our sweet doula and the memories that I'll cherish forever. We have hopes that our next birth story will be of a successful VBAC!
