The Birth of Gabriel Matthew 4/11/23
Katie and Matt welcomed their son on April 11 which also happened to be their dating anniversary. It’s as if their son knew that was an important day. Katie and Matt were students in my Birth Essentials 7-week series, investing many hours in preparing for birth. Katie is a researcher and a seeker of information, so she was always interested in options and best practices. But when her low-risk pregnancy ended up going for the long haul, the possibility of an induction became the reality. Katie had to let go of a lot of how she imagined her birth might go and was worried it might veer in a direction she feared. We had a chat the day before she went in so try to quell her fears and encourage her. Katie was nervous but she was also excited to know she would be meeting her son.
The original plan was to get admitted to the hospital on the evening of April 9, Easter Sunday. However, there were no available beds when they first called. The delay was short-lived though, and Katie was admitted by 7:30 that night. Her cervix was not showing imminent signs of labor so it would need a bit of coaxing (aka ripening). The doctor recommended Cytotec since Katie was dilated somewhere between 0-1 cm depending on who you ask. Katie wisely took some iv medication to aid with rest that night and got a solid 5 hours. Benadryl for the win!
Later the following morning, with modest dilation of 1 cm, the midwife on call thought a Cook Balloon was the best next step along with Pitocin. A membrane sweep was also done in the hope of releasing some prostaglandins to aid in the process. The cramps from the balloon were very uncomfortable but Katie soldiered on all afternoon and evening. The balloon was out just before 11:00 pm and she was dilated 5-6 cm with a good amount of bloody show. Pitocin was going to start at 11:45 pm.
Katie’s contractions were erratic initially, some were mild, and some were very strong. She was feeling the emotional and physical exhaustion that comes with a long ripening and induction process and thought an epidural would be a good decision. Katie wanted to time it right so as to hopefully not slow down her momentum. Matt was her steady support through it all, right there backing up every decision she made. His loving care for her was so endearing.
Katie moved forward with an epidural and was feeling relief after 2:00 am. Her contractions continued ranging from 2-4 minutes apart, so they didn’t slow down much at all. Her body was overcome with labor shakes, so it was clear her body had succumbed to labor. And an hour later Katie was dilated 8 cm! It seemed that her timing for the epidural was perfect.
Katie was laboring in various positions using the peanut ball, on one side and then the other. Next she labored upright in the throne position so as to encourage her son to move further down in her pelvis. Katie and Matt’s attitudes were so wonderful, and they maintained their sense of humor through the rigorous process. They had grown so “close” to the hospital equipment that they had named some of them. The blood pressure cuff was Puff Daddy, the pulse oximeter was ET, and the IV tower was deemed Carsoganus.
Katie was fully dilated by 5:25 am! Her midwife broke her water and then we had her lay on her right side with her top leg draped on the rolling side table beside the bed. There was a lot of creative use of hospital equipment to help her baby out and it worked so well because Katie gave her first push at 6:18 am. She was a very good pusher because that first push made it clear that no further laboring down was necessary. The praise and worship playlist was started and Katie was pushing full force.
The doctor arrived at 6:45 am and after just over an hour of pushing, Gabriel was born at 7:39 am on April 11 to the joyful cries of his parents. Love bubbled over as Katie held her son outside for the first time.
Gabriel weighed 6 lb. 14 oz. and was 20.25 in long. He was perfect and clearly would have stayed in his mom even longer if he hadn’t been evicted. He was born healthy and strong, which was always the most important goal to his parents. When they were settled and had a chance to bring her baby to the breast, I gathered my things to let these new parents soak in their baby boy and hopefully get some food and rest too. Katie explained to me that her birth became a spiritual experience of surrender. She was reminded that she couldn’t control things and the best plan was to let go and let God. It was a beautiful culmination of preparation, trust, and anticipation and I am so grateful to have been able to watch it unfold.
