The Birth of Azalea Faith 3/5/22

Christene and Rickey are parents! They welcomed their sweet baby girl, Azalea Faith, on March 5, after an adventurous induction. This baby was conceived with IVF after wanting a child for so long, so this would be an especially momentous experience for Christene and Rickey. As her due date neared, Christene had some higher-than-normal blood pressures that had her providers concerned. Then she woke up with some bleeding that had her go in to get checked out. With multiple issues going on, she agreed with her providers that an induction was the safest route rather than waiting to see if things might get worse. There was a lot of waiting involved but eventually she got into a room.

The first step was to do cervical ripening with a balloon. Christene was already dilated 1-2 cm so that was a start. She felt contractions soon after the balloon but focused on breathing through them. After a few hours had passed Pitocin was started. Christene felt a lot of cramps in her back, but I reminded her of the importance of sleep, especially with an induction that would likely take some time. I recommended some positions that might give her back a break (hands and knees) and Christene said she’d give them a try.

The pain grew to be so intense for Christene that she decided to get an epidural. She was still rather early in the labor process and knew she had a long road ahead of her. Sleep became her plan and she hoped she might dilate as she slept. (So did her doctors!) By 3:20 am a cervical exam revealed that Christene was dilated 5 cm and her baby was at -2 station. Thought largely from the balloon, it was very encouraging to hear such a number. They broke her water next in the hopes it would catapult the process. But four hours later, at 7:15 am she was still dilated 5 cm. So, Cervadil was inserted to continue to ripen and encourage cervical change.

To make sure her contractions were strong enough, they inserted an IUPC to measure them. Christene was laboring in all sorts of positions with the peanut ball thanks to her nurse and doula (). She leaned over the CUB birthing chair around 11:30 am and soon felt nauseous from all the moving. Peppermint essential oil helped, but it also didn’t hurt that she was able to drape herself over the CUB and rest a bit from all the activity.

Shortly after noon they inserted a FSE to make sure baby was handling the contractions okay. There were some concerning dips, so they wanted to cover all their bases. A cervical exam showed Christene to still be dilated to a 5 and her baby was still high at -2 station. There were murmurs of a possible c-section, but they were willing to give it more time. Technically Christene was not yet in labor, and they wanted to give her body every chance for it. But she also developed a slight fever that they kept an eye on. This was not helping matters and only had them more concerned.

We continued to rotate Christine from one side to the other using the peanut ball strategically to encourage her baby’s descent. We even did the flying cowgirl position, all while the Pitocin was raised bit by bit. Christene was such a good sport through it all. I know she worried about the possibility of a c-section, and she had voiced to me that was the one thing she didn’t want. But as the hours passed it looked more and more like the way her baby would be born. And as the hours passed, Christene seemed more at peace with it.

Just past 2:30 pm we used some lavender aromatherapy to help with relaxation. Christene felt more pain on her left side, so she pressed the PCA button. We couldn’t move her to the other side to remedy it because her baby’s heart rate would dip in a worrisome way. They cautiously increased Pitocin to bring stronger contractions while constantly watching for baby’s response. This can be a stressful situation for parents, but Christene and Rickey tried their best to stay focused on the end result—their baby in their arms. And they did not know the gender so that was an added element of surprise!

We dimmed the lights and finally we heard Christene snoring. At last! She was getting some sleep. A short time later though, the doctor came in to have a chat. There were concerns about her baby’s lack of variability on the strip, so it was looking more and more like a c-section. Christene and Ricky asked to wait until the next exam which was expected in a few hours, and they would make a decision at that time. 

When 8:00 rolled around, the doctor checked and discovered Christene was dilated to 6 cm, was 90% effaced, and her baby was a little lower at -1 station. These were changes and were a glimmer of hope for proceeding forward for a vaginal birth. They would reassess in a couple of hours and go from there. In the meantime, we continued to move Christene from one side to the other, as her baby tolerated.

At 10:10 pm it was the moment of truth. The exam results were in: Christine was still dilated to 6 cm, 90% effaced, and her baby was still at -1 station. Looking at the past 30 hours and what had transpired—concerning decels in baby’s heart rate and lack of variability, her high position, and Christine’s body’s lack of cervical change—it felt right to Christene and Rickey to proceed with a c-section. They had worked hard to meet their baby and wanted to be cautious.

Within the hour Christene was wheeled back, and Rickey waited in the PACU to join her. When they were reunited in the OR, moments later they welcomed their baby into the world. And to Rickey’s dismay and excitement it was a girl! He had confessed how worried he would be if it was a girl and that’s exactly what he got! He would have a baby girl to protect always. Azalea Faith was her name and seemed the perfect name for their journey to meet her. It took a lot of faith, and she was born on the dawn of spring when the azaleas bloom so lovely, at 11:31 pm.

Azalea was not a little one. She tipped the scales at 9 lb. 6 oz. which made Christene and Rickey feel a little better about the c-section. But mostly they were just relieved she was earthside safe and sound. She has the most amazing head of hair. It’s so full it looks like a toupee! They are settling in nicely at home at the time of this writing. They wear parenthood well and adore their daughter to pieces. They only wish they could get a bit more sleep. Sounds like things are going well then, right?