The Birth of James Alexander 5/9/22

Rebecca and Luke welcomed their son, on May 9, and learned just how resilient they are! I met them earlier in the pregnancy, and they hired me as their doula in addition to enrolling in both my 7-week Birth Essentials class, and my Spinning Babies® Parent class. They did all they could to prepare for their son’s arrival. And it’s a good thing they did too, because their little boy had his own idea about how he wanted things to go, and Rebecca and Luke trusted that.

I got a text from Rebecca on May 6 saying “we’ve just left the doctor and we have some news. They need to schedule me for a c-section on Monday.” Their baby was measuring small, and he was breech. This was the first they had known he was breech and it was Rebecca’s 37th week. (For those who might wonder, an external cephalic version was not recommended by her doctor since baby was already small. They did not want to elevate risk.) The change in plans left me, and I’m sure Rebecca and Luke, gob smacked and a bit stunned. So many questions! But first, we needed to have our prenatal visit. It was already scheduled for that day, so we shuffled it a bit to accommodate the sudden need for last minute pre-op bloodwork and COVID testing.

Luke sheepishly admitted they didn’t really pay close attention to the part in class where we talked about c-sections, and it appeared they didn’t read that part of the workbook either. So we went over their options, the procedure, what to expect, and answered any questions they had. By the end of our meeting, I could see that Rebecca and Luke were breathing easier and feeling a bit more comfortable with the new path their birth had taken. Their baby’s well-being was paramount and knowing what to expect helped them to adjust their thinking for how things would go. I would see them Monday morning, shortly after they arrived for check-in.

The caveat to a scheduled birth was the ability to take care of details including arranging for family to arrive in time to help. So, by Monday morning, Rebecca and Luke were as ready as they would ever be to welcome their son. I admired their openness and flexibility, knowing letting go of so much had to have been a challenge. They were already showing great attributes as parents!

We passed the time as Rebecca waited, and I learned that James would be the first grandbaby on Luke’s side and the second on Rebecca’s. They were able to enjoy a nice big dinner the night before and a snack right before the midnight deadline to fast. There were some nerves, but in general a sense of excitement on soon meeting their baby boy.

The doctor came in to confirm baby was still in the breech presentation, and he was. He was measuring smaller than 1% on Friday so he was definitely a little guy. As the minutes passed that last half hour before the c-section, the anesthesiologist came in to talk to the expectant parents, as did the CRNA. Final surgical prep details were accomplished, including giving Luke his paper suit, and then it was time for Rebecca to walk back to the OR. Luke waited a bit longer before he was called back.

I was not in the OR, but this is how Rebecca described it to me:

Oh boy, so the OR time was difficult for me up until Luke came in the room. Everyone was amazing and so nice, but I was so nervous and terrified that I cried the entire time until he was born. Then it was great! Luke talked to me the whole time and let me know everything that happened with James. He cried almost immediately which was a great sign. We were so nervous about how big James would be, and he ended up being over 5 pounds which was a huge relief. I don’t think they held him above the curtain, so the first time I saw him was from a photo that Luke took. Luke took several good photos to show me what was going on when I couldn’t see. James did have to go to their little NICU right after he was born, so Luke stayed with James while I went to my recovery room. James was born on May 9, at 2:17 pm weighing 5 lb. 2 oz. and measuring 18 in.

I was waiting for Rebecca when she returned from the OR and was able to be with her in that first hour or so as she recovered from surgery. Since James was so small, he had trouble regulating his temperature and would end up being sent to the NICU on May 11 and remained there until Saturday, when Rebecca and Luke were finally able to take him home, a little past Rebecca’s discharge date.

This sweet couple were so accepting of the change in plans. They trusted the providers they had chosen and were stronger in the midst of such surprising developments because they had each other. When it comes down to it, a united front can be a huge asset as parents, which is yet another example of what wonderful parents Rebecca and Luke already are. I was so honored to serve this sweet couple. And at the time of this writing James is growing and growing!