The Birth of Theodore Scout 5/12/22

Camron and Bryce welcomed their son, Theodore Scout, on May 12, 2022. Labor is always surprising, I suppose, but the start of this labor was a blindside. During Camron’s routine prenatal appointment her water broke during an exam, and just like that, her plans for the next couple of days were decided. She called me with the news, and I could hear the shock in her voice. She was also excited though, and eager to meet her baby who had lingered a few beyond her due date already. So, all in all it wasn’t the worst thing to have happened.

After going home to gather the necessaries, grab a bite to eat, and tearfully kiss their dogs goodbye, Camron got settled in the hospital where the plan was outlined. Her cervix seemed ripe enough to warrant starting with Pitocin, so they began around 1:30 that afternoon and raised it gradually over time. After several hours, Camron’s contractions were 1 ½ to 3 minutes apart, ranging from 45-90 seconds long. They weren’t too painful yet, but Camron said they were changing rapidly.

And just 90 minutes later, Camron was having a much more difficult time breathing through them. Bryce sent out the signal flare text, saying, “I think it’s time for the big guns (you).” This made me laugh but made it more than clear it was time to head in! I arrived 30 minutes later at 7:30 pm. Camron was laboring on the birth ball with Bryce sitting very near. I noticed his hand was on her leg during the contraction, and I soon realized he was touching her in some way through virtually every single contraction. They were lasting a full minute and coming as close as 2 minutes, leaving Camron with about the same amount of time in a break as during a contraction. This is a challenging pattern to sustain and required very intense focus from Camron.

We had her nurse grab a wireless monitor so Camron could labor in the shower. Being on Pitocin required that she remain on the monitor for the duration of her labor. Bryce put his hand on Camron’s lower back and said sweet things like, “You’re pretty.” I just loved that and knew his small gestures would be the big things that carried Camron through her long labor.

Just before 9:00 pm, Camron draped her body over the CUB for some time on hands and knees. The Pitocin was up to 10 mu by then, and her contractions were steadily chugging along. A warm pack on her lower back helped with the pain she felt there, and after a bit of time passed, she lay down on her side with the peanut ball between her legs. She breathed deeply through contractions and Bryce continued his affirmations, saying, “You’re so beautiful.”

Camron felt nauseous as her labor intensified so we used some peppermint oil. “They are getting so much worse,” she exclaimed, just past 10:00 pm, making the night ahead feel even longer than it already was. Just before 11:00, her doctor stopped in for a check and confirmed Camron was dilated 3-4 cm, 100% effaced, and her baby was at -2 station. She also confirmed there was a fore bag in front of baby’s head. With Camron’s agreement, she broke the fore bag as a way to capitulate the progress of labor.

Camron moved her labor right to the shower after that and she took advantage of 40 minutes of dulled pain, as she relaxed her body and sank into each contraction. She emerged from the shower doubting her ability to go much longer and requested a cervical check soon after. By 12:30 am, Camron was dilated 6 cm, 100% effaced, and her baby had moved down t -1 to 0 station! She had done a lot over the course of that hour, and after considering her options, she decided to continue laboring without pain medications.

Camron labored sitting with her legs in a butterfly pose, then she stood and swayed in Bryce’s arms. She used a footstool to lunge through contractions that didn’t feel as if they were giving her any breaks at all. We reminded her to focus on the breaks, no matter how short they seemed, and Bryce said, “Work on the reset, best friend.) it was so sweet how they called each other best friend and bestie! Just before 2:00 am, Camron felt a lot more pressure, so she returned to her hands and knees over the CUB.

Camron labored standing up again and felt a lot of pressure like she might need to push. By 3:35 am it felt better when she pushed with the peaks of her contractions, so we wondered if perhaps it was time. She continued to labor down like that until 3:50, at which point her nurse did an exam and shocked us all when she said, “You are the same.” The strategy changed after that, from following your body to not pushing at all costs. The doctor did an exam a short while later and felt that Camron’s cervix had begun to swell. It was imperative she didn’t push at that point, and it was soon clear to Camron that the only way she wouldn’t push would be to numb the sensation with an epidural. It was a wise decision and within 30 minutes, Camron was comfortable, and even more importantly, she wasn’t pushing.

Camron rested while she could, and we changed her position from time to time, in the hopes her baby’s head would be a bit less forceful against her cervix, and she would continue to dilate to complete. The nurses changed shift with the new day, welcoming the team that would be assembled for the birthday party. Pitocin was reinstated gradually, and they balanced it with baby’s response. There were some decels in the heart rate, but nothing to extreme to change the plan.

Camron’s body shook as labor charged ahead and her nurses set up the delivery table in anticipation by 10:20 that morning. The new doctor on call stopped by and assured Camron that all was well, especially since she was just in active labor that morning, they would continue moving forward with delivery. She had technically been ruptured for 24 hours, but it was a relief to know there was no deadline to Camron’s labor.

And just 90 minutes later, by 12:40, all that remained of Camron’s cervix was an anterior lip! We were all ecstatic at the news especially since she had waited so long to hear it! Eight hours earlier she was swollen down to 4 cm again. A combination of Pitocin and some key positions (exaggerated runners and knees in and toes out with the peanut ball), Camron was fully dilated at +1 by 2:00 pm. She gave a practice push at 2:05 and pushed so well she continued. Her doctor came 30 minutes later, and in just under one hour of pushing, Theodore Scout was born at 2:59 pm! Theo weighed 7 lb. 9 oz. and measured 20.5 in. long.

It was clear why he had some decels…Theo’s cord was twice wrapped around his neck. Camron heeded the guidance of her doctor and pushed gradually at the end, resulting in an intact perineum which would greatly improve her postpartum experience. Theo cried well right away, and after the cord slowed it pulse, Bryce cut it. There were tears of joy and so much joy and relief rolled together in Theo’s birth. Considering the labor became an accidental surprise, Camron and Bryce were a committed and strong partnership through it all. And with that as the foundation, it helps you weather pretty much anything.