In Honor of Perryn....

With Perryn's birthday coming up on Saturday, I thought I would let you know what took place around this time 4 years ago. I wrote out her birthing story as soon as we got home from the hospital and it's now in her baby book. Here's what happened, enjoy.

Due Date: Feb. 3, 2004

We went to the doctor on Wednesday, February 4, 2004 for a biophysical profile of Perryn. The doctor wanted to know about Perryn’s size, the position of the placenta, the amount of fluid, her heartbeat, and her breathing rate. At the doctor’s office, everything measured fine except the breathing rate. Perryn would not take the necessary breathing actions needed to pass the test. Therefore, Dr. Valenti sent us to be observed in the hospital for 3 hours with a repeat of the sonogram. I got to eat dinner and the sonogram was repeated. Again, looking for the same criteria Perryn would not breathe. Dr. Valenti felt that both of these sonograms were wrong because everything else that was being monitored was good. He, therefore, did the sonogram himself only looking for breathing. Perryn would still not breathe, so he put a vibrating mechanism on my belly. This woke her up and she took the necessary breaths that he was looking for. He sent us home. He also checked me to tell me I was 2 cm dilated and still 50% effaced. He stripped some more membranes.

We got home about 8:00 pm, at 10:00 I had a couple really good contractions. They went away. I had some more at 3:30 am, so I decided to not go back to work. During the day on Thursday, we ate at IHOP and went walking the mall. The contractions would come for a couple of hours and then leave. On Friday, we walked the mall with the same problem – the contractions would come for a couple of hours and then they would leave.

Early Saturday morning around 4:00 I started feeling consistent contractions. They were sporadic in their length and duration. We called Kecia and the doctor. Kecia came over and helped me with my breathing, the midwife on call told us to stay home. The contractions left again.

On Sunday, February 8, 2004 we decided to go to church instead of just hanging around home. Contractions started at around 11:00 am while we were at church. We decided to stay and even go to lunch afterwards, because they were going to leave us anyway. I would have 4 – 5 contractions in an hour with having to pay attention to 3 out of 4 them. The contractions continued through lunch and the afternoon. Gabe played X-Box and I watched Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. After the movie, we went walking and the contractions stopped for 2 hours. We came back watched “The Bourne Identity” and the contractions came back. I was able to go to sleep from 11:00 pm until 3:00 am. I got up to go to the bathroom and the contractions came back very strong. Gabe called the doctor at 5:00 and they returned the call at 5:15 we told them we were going to the hospital.

On Monday, February 9, 2004, we arrived at the hospital at 5:30 am. I was 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced. The contractions were strong. I was able to get into the bathtub of water and they eased up a little. I had to get out of the tub for them to put the IV port in my hand and get another strip on Perryn. The nurses checked me and I was 5 cm. They let me get back in the tub where the water was not taking the intensity off of my contractions. I was unable to regain my composure and get myself under control – I asked for the epidural. I really wanted to have a natural child birth, but could not. I was taken out of the tub and checked again where I was 7 cm. I was given the epidural and when he was finished I was 8 cm. It was now 10:00am. Dr. Valenti came to check on me and told me I waited until the last possible minute to get the epidural.

At 2:15 pm, Dr. Valenti came and informed me that he needed to do a C-Section and then he would come deliver me. He said he would be gone for 45 min. He came in at 3:00 pm and stated he was just now going in to do the delivery. He turned and walked out the door and I informed the nurse that I needed to start pushing, I couldn’t wait until 3:45 pm. I started pushing sitting up, then laying flat on my back, then on my side, and then on my hands and knees. We had to try these various positions due to trying to get Perryn’s head to turn face down instead of face up. None of these positions worked. I had to get more epidural medicine because the pain was becoming too intense. Dr. Valenti had to put his hand inside and turn Perryn’s head manually. Once this was done within 13 minutes Perryn was born – at 4:58pm.