The Birth.

I've been meaning to write down Zooey's birth story, so here it is from memory. Might be a little rough in some places, but hopefully I get all the details right.

I was induced August 11, 2010, at 6 pm with cytotech, due to increasing blood pressure and rapid growth of the baby. My midwife was concerned that Zooey was growing too large for me to deliver her naturally and that if I waited much longer, I would need a Cesarean. At this point, Zooey was five days past her due date, and I was growing exponentially by the minute! Ok, not really, but it felt like it!

After about 18 hours of cytotech administration, I was only dilated to a three, and Zooey was beginning to climb back up into my uterus rather than dropping further down into the birth canal. I had already received as many doses of cytotech as was allowed (four), and at this point was committed. I had to have the baby, no turning back now. My midwife recommended that we move things along by administering pitosin. I agreed, since waiting for labor to spontaneously begin would probably mean at least 24 MORE hours of labor, and probably a c-section due to lack of energy and therefore lack of ability to push her out when it was finally time. Nick and I took a little time to think and pray about the decision, and agreed that pitosin was the way we would choose to continue. The pitosin was administered and instantly my contractions, which before had been bearable, despite 18 hours of back labor, became unreal. The back labor intensified, and because I hadn't slept in over 24 hours, I was unable to handle the pain. After only 3 contractions following the pitosin administration, my midwife told me through my screams that I needed to find a way to handle the pain and control my breathing, or I needed to consider an epidural. I tried everything I knew and a few things that my midwife suggested to handle the pain, but nothing made it bearable. I knew that if I continued to try to cope with the contractions on my own, I wouldn't have enough energy to push. I decided to go ahead with the epidural. The anesthesiologist came in and quickly administered the epidural, at which point I felt immediate relief.

Up until this point I had been having mild anxiety attacks, but hadn't mentioned them to my midwife because I thought them to be irrelevant. I had been coping just fine, but when they gave me the pitosin and the epidural, my anxiety attacks increased in frequency and intensity. I had a monitor on my finger recording my heart rate, and when my heart rate began to spike because of the anxiety attacks, I was given an oxygen mask to regulate my rapid and shallow breathing. Finally my heart rate regulated itself, and my breathing became more regular. I was unable to get up because of the epidural, so a catheter was also installed.

I quickly dilated to a 10, and felt an overwhelming urge to push. I informed the nurse, and she called my midwife to the room. The catheter was removed, and everything was set up for a normal delivery. Zooey's heart rate and position were good, and my midwife told me to go ahead and push, after giving instructions for how to do so properly and effectively. At this point, it was August 12, 2010, at roughly 6 pm. I was so exhausted at this point that while I was pushing hard and strong during the contractions, in between each one I passed out and slept for about two minutes before the next set of pushes. This went on for about an hour, and we were making great progress until Zooey's right shoulder got caught under my pelvic bone. The doctor above my midwife was called in, and he said that if I couldn't get her out in the next two pushes, they would do an emergency c-section. My midwife, bless her heart, said firmly, "No! We are giving her more of a chance than that before we give her a c-section! She has been really strong up until now, and she can get this baby out on her own!" The doctor agreed to give me a little more time. At this point, a Code McRoberts had been called, which meant that every available nurse was to drop everything and run to the room where the code was called. It is one of the most dangerous situations, as the baby's oxygen supply is cut off, and the shoulders are stuck. The doctor and midwife reached inside with their hands and squished her shoulders just a little, just enough to get Zooey free. At this point, I was so out of it that I simply thought, wow, it takes a lot of people to birth a baby! There were about ten more nurses in my room than when I started. I was unaware until now that there was any problem at all, and even then I wasn't very worried, probably due to ignorance (I had no idea that anything was actually wrong), sheer exhaustion and confusion. My midwife spoke to me and said that I needed to push harder than I ever had before, and that I needed to get her out immediately. I bore down and gathered up all the strength I could find. I pushed as hard as I possibly could, and felt a burning sensation as she came out. The Lord was so faithful, and in a few minutes, Zooey Michaela Dertinger was born.
As a result of her shoulder being caught, her right clavicle was fractured. Due to a lack of oxygen, she was little blue, and they had to bag her in order to help her start breathing. Zooey responded very well and quickly. She spent the night in the nursery and wasn't allowed to leave the area.
I found out later than I had been given a "generous" episiotomy, and wasn't allowed to get out of bed.

Zooey snapped around quickly and started doing quite well very soon. I was recovering well, and we were discharged after a few days.

Zooey's clavicle is now healed completely, and she handles herself quite well.

That's all I can recall for now, and I am falling asleep. Perhaps more will come to me eventually but for now it is bed time before Zooey decides it is time to get up.