Brianna and Angel, first-time parents, welcomed their son, Kai Andrés, on June 24, 2022. Like many births, they encountered some unexcepted challenges that began at her 40-week prenatal appointment. Her son’s heart rate had concerning decels that had Brianna at the hospital for monitoring. It didn’t take long to realize her baby would fare better being born since they were not sure what was causing the decels. Thankfully, she was to her EDD so there was not too much time to have waited for labor.

Brianna and Angel settled in for the night, understanding that inductions can take a long time. Cervadil was the ripener of choice, and Brianna rested as well as she could in the hospital that night. Her water broke at 5:00 am, bringing irregular contractions that were soon intensifying. I joined them at the hospital soon after that since things seemed to have taken off like a shot.

Brianna threw up several times and was breathing through her contractions. Her nurse brought us all of the tools: the birthing chair, birth balls, and we had my cub birthing chair. Brianna felt a lot of pain in her back, so we made good use of my heating pad. It became her mainstay through her entire labor.

When the sun rose and the nurse shifts changed, Brianna was ready for what was ahead. By 7:45 her contractions were 5 minutes apart, requiring her complete focus, and even causing her to throw up again. Her nurse got the room ready, feeling like a baby was coming sooner rather than later. But a cervical check at 8:49 was a surprising 1-2 cm. Brianna’s cervix was 80% effaced which was a significant change, but the lack of dilation blew the wind out of her sails. Her contractions felt much harder than 1-2 cm! Brianna chose an epidural so she could rest and get a break. She wasn’t sure she wanted to endure many more hours of labor like that. She was comfortable shortly after 9:00.

We dimmed the lights to help with rest, placed a cotton ball with lavender essential oil near her face, and the warm heating pad to hug to her chest. She ran cold the entire time, and the heating pad not only relieved her back pain earlier on, but it also helped her to feel warm.

Brianna felt cramps on one side of her abdomen, so her epidural was not a complete relief for her pain. Then they discovered her baby preferred how she lay in the bed. His heart rate would have decels on one side so we would roll her to the other. It became a dance between progressing dilation with positions while making sure baby’s heart rate was stable. The heart rate would dip, and Brianna would get rolled one way and another and breathe oxygen through a mask. Eventually they struck a balance. But it was never 100% effective. Those decals would still come from time to time.

Her doctor came in to discuss the virtues of Pitocin to try to put Brianna’s mind at ease about it. She was concerned but she also needed her cervix to open, and stronger contractions would do the trick. They started it low, but her baby lodged his complaint with a decel so it was turned off.

Just before 2:00 pm Brianna was dilated 4 cm, 90% effaced, and her baby was at -1 station. She was moving in the right direction, and we were encouraged. In two hours when her cervix was the same, Pitocin became the topic of discussion again. But Brianna was scared for her baby. She knew he was having decels and she knew Pitocin would bring stronger contractions and likely more decels.

She had a good talk with her doctor and explored her options and the risks and benefits of each. And after considering everything, Brianna decided she was most comfortable with a c-section to make sure her baby was ok. She had a strong desire to protect him from the possible consequences that Pitocin driven contractions might bring to his heart rate. It was not an easy decision, and it was not free of tears, but she felt better having made it.

With her doctor’s full support, they began to assemble the team and prep Brianna. She continued to feel pain on one side of her abdomen, and her baby’s heart rate continued to decel to such an extent that we had to roll and shift her into different positions to help bring it back up. And it only validated her decision to move forward with the c-section. Angel was solid support through labor. He loved Brianna through it, was her rock when things got difficult, and stood by her in her decision for a c-section.

It wasn’t an emergency so there was no rush. But once the team was ready, Brianna went back around 6:18 pm. Angel was summoned back and took his place beside Brianna to welcome their son into the world. Kai was born at 6:35 pm and we heard the lullaby play over the speakers a short time later. There was such relief knowing he was born safely! Kai weighed 7 lb. 9 oz. and measured 20.6 in. long. There was no cord issue when the doctor went in, but it might have been his position or simply the contractions that he didn’t tolerate.

Brianna and Angel were relieved and in love and gushing over their little guy from the start. They adjusted nicely at home and this little family is savoring their time together. Brianna’s decision was not an easy one, and it is not one everyone would make. But I admire her for taking the more difficult road for her baby. Signing up for a c-section is signing up for a much more involved recovery, not to mention the possible risks with future pregnancies. But ensuring their baby was born safe and healthy was always the goal. And that’s exactly what happened!