The Birth of Wesley George 9/12/21
If there was ever a baby wished for, hoped for, and prayed for, this is the one. Wesley George was born on September 12, 2021, making his parents’ dreams come true. Pregnancy did not come easy to Annika and Robert. They were told it would never happen, and then through the wonders of infertility treatments and an ob who believed it would work, they were blessed with their baby boy!
When we first met, I wanted to protect Annika. Robert’s love for her was obvious, and his strong drive to make sure she was safe and respected in her birth was admirable. Life hadn’t been easy for her and her deepest desire in becoming a mother was providing her baby with a life filled with love. But she was afraid of the birth process and knew that getting pain relief would be instrumental in preserving the experience as one that was not traumatic. We connected right away, and I left that meeting hired.
Annika texted me on September 10 just before 5:30 pm telling me her water broke. It had broken several hours earlier, and after consulting with her doctor, they went to the hospital to confirm. It had indeed broken, and Annika was 1 cm dilated. There was a plan to start Pitocin by midnight if labor had not begun. She would be ruptured 10 hours at that point. Fast forward to midnight, with Pitocin on board, Annika tried to rest.
The plan changed shortly afterward, switching to Cytotec. The night was quiet and by the next morning, her doctor confirmed her water wasn’t completely broken. They decided to move forward with breaking it all the way to see if her body would respond with contractions. And it certainly did. In just 30 minutes she was feeling them, and they were quite painful. The pain was concentrated in Annika’s back. A heating pad and counter pressure helped some, but Annika knew she was ready for some pharmacological relief. Just past 12:30 pm she had some nitrous oxide and it helped. But an hour later she was ready for the epidural.
The period of waiting for an epidural is difficult, but Robert knew how to help Annika relax by staying close and reassuring her and reminding her how much she was loved and that their baby was coming soon. Annika had frequent Facetime calls with her mom which also helped fill the time and ease her fear. By 2:15 she was more comfortable and ready to get some rest.
We moved her this way and that, punctuated by opportunities to get some sleep. It’s difficult in a hospital, but Annika tried. If it wasn’t the hospital noises and interruptions, it was her thoughts which never seemed to stop. At one point, she finally succumbed to sleep while her mom remained connected over Facetime. It was rather sweet. At 5:35 pm, Annika was dilated 4 cm, 100% effaced, and her baby’s head was low at 0/+1 station. Pitocin had been incorporated to keep her contractions strong and steady, especially after the epidural which tends to spread them apart.
After a few hours, Annika developed some nausea that overtook her. She received some medicine that helped and was able to get some real sleep. It didn’t hurt that Robert rubbed her head to help her relax! Annika was very well taken care of by her husband.
Two hours later, Annika was dilated 8 cm! She had a headache that we suspected was due to low blood sugar. Some juice helped her to feel better and 2 hours later she was fully dilated! She was still feeling some pain and anxiety so some medication in her IV helped her to relax. Her nurse called in the doctor, who had promised to come in just for her. (He was not on call!)
Annika labored down beautifully. Her baby moved to +2 station over the course of the hour. But then her nausea returned. So, we fanned her and gave her cold rags on her face. It was also just time to have a baby! Annika began pushing at 1:55 am. She had two nurses come in to help. They had grown fond of her over the shift and were excited to be present to the end.
Annika was exhausted and overwhelmed with the whole process. Her doctor came in and seeing that she was in such a state, recommended he assist with a vacuum. Annika’s baby was also in the OP position which posed an added challenge. Annika trusted her doctor and was comfortable with that decision. And after a few pushes, Wesley George was born at 3:29 am!
He had so much hair! And his parents noticed he had monkey feet too. Annika was beside herself with joy to finally hold her son in her arms. Robert was so tender with his wife and baby; you couldn’t help but smile. Even Annika’s mom was with us on FaceTime to see the whole thing unfold.
Wesley was named for Annika’s dad who passed away in 2016, and his middle name George was after Annika’s mom’s dad. The legacy in his name was a loving tribute to lost loved ones. Giving birth to Wesley made Annika a mom, but it also gave her a genetic connection to someone. You see, she was adopted, so pregnancy and birth held such promise for her! It promised that she would belong to someone, and he would belong to her. They were bonded as family genetically, in addition to bonded in love. It was a joy to be there to watch it all unfold and to stand strong for Annika every step of the way.