Landon’s Birth Story

My mom and I kept a pretty detailed record of L.J.’s birth, but when I typed it out it was quite lengthy. I’m pretty sure no one logged on today to read War and Peace so we’ll go with the abbreviated version. (And, if we really want to be accurate, in my case it would be titled Peace then War).

We decided to move forward with the induction on Tuesday, December 11. I was still a little concerned about whether it was the right decision to induce, but it ended up being a very wise decision.

It was definitely an interesting feeling knowing when my baby would be arriving. I knew I needed my rest, but I could barely sleep on Monday night. I finally gave up trying about 4:30. I wasn’t nervous; just anxious to get the day underway and meet our baby boy.

We left for the hospital a little before 8:30. On the way we passed my company’s president, a lady I adore and have so much respect for. It was a fun coincidence and a great start to the morning.

We arrived at the hospital at 8:45 to check in. The process was relatively quick and then we were taken to our room. My mom arrived shortly after 10, and my doctor arrived a few minutes later to check my progress. I was 5 cm dilated and 100% effaced. My body had done a great job with prep work and I was definitely ready to deliver baby boy!

Dr. T broke my water, which was the strangest thing ever. It felt like I was just wetting the bed over and over again. Not the greatest feeling. At the same time (10:15), the nurse started the Pitocin.

I felt my first contraction 10 minutes later. They came on fast and strong. It felt exactly like I thought it would feel – the cramping I get when I have a bad IBS attack. Recognizing the feeling did not reduce the pain. Mike and my mom took turns holding my hand and talking me through each contraction – they could see them on the monitor and would tell me when it was peaking and when it was decreasing. That was amazingly helpful.

I was open to the idea of a natural birth throughout my pregnancy, but decided against it once I knew I would be induced. I knew that induced labor could potentially be much more painful, and even my midwife friend recommended I get an epidural if I was induced.

The anesthesiologist came in shortly after 11 to administer the epidural. My nurse was excellent and helped keep me still and calm. The epidural stung a little when it was being put in, but overall was a quick and painless procedure.

The pain relief from the epidural occurred quickly. I remember looking at the monitor, watching the strong and frequent contractions and thinking, “This is great – I can’t feel a thing!” The epidural numbed me completely. My legs were very tingly, but I couldn’t move them and couldn’t feel any pain. Mike’s mom had arrived by that point, and the four of us spent the duration of labor talking quietly in the darkened room. It was a relaxed and calm environment.

Around 1:00 I was checked and I was fully dilated and at a 2+ station – ready to start pushing. Yes, as a first-time mom my labor lasted less than 4 hours. Awesome!! Dr. T said I was on the express plan. My epidural was turned down and I was told it would be time to start pushing at 2:00. (The epidural had to wear off a bit before I could start pushing.)

At 2:00 Mike and his mom left the room and my mom stayed to help me through the delivery. God definitely had his hand in that decision because it ended up being a very special bonding experience for my mom and me. Mike also wouldn’t have been able to handle it when complications arose, which could have made a serious situation even more difficult. (That’s not a knock against my husband – he truly can’t help his phobia and trust me he has tried.)

Given my fast labor, everyone expected the baby to be born before 3:00. For the first 45 minutes of pushing I couldn’t feel a thing. (Turns out my epidural was, essentially, set on “regular person” instead of “small person”) After that point, I started feeling both pressure and contraction pain and the epidural was turned back up a bit. Another of God’s blessings – I was going to need every bit of that pain medication after the baby was born.

The doctor arrived at 3:15. I had been pushing for over an hour at that point. She quickly determined that baby boy was stuck. (His head was too big.) She needed to use vacuum – a device she called a Kiwi – to get him out.

I remember feeling his head being born – it felt huge – and then another push to get his shoulders out, followed by the rest of him just sliding on out. Landon James Holmes was born at 3:37 p.m. and celebrated his entrance into the world by peeing all over the doctor.

L.J. was (relatively) quickly placed on my chest so I could see him. I remember reaching for him, crying tears of joy at hearing him cry. I’ll never forget the first kiss I gave him on his warm, sticky and wrinkly (because he was screaming) head. He was in great shape, scoring a 9 on his 1-minute and 5-minute APGAR tests. He was over 8 pounds and 21 inches long – a big baby for tiny me! I think his size shocked everyone.

After L.J. was born, things took a turn for the worse. The doctor had an extremely difficult time controlling my bleeding. It took her 45 minutes to get the bleeding under control and I lost a lot of blood. I knew that something wasn’t right and I knew the doctor was concerned, but both she and my mom did a great job of not letting me know how serious the situation was. I remember thinking, “Thank God Dr. T is in charge right now.” She is very experienced and I felt confident in her skill and ability.

I was diagnosed with Uterine Atony, which is basically a fancy way of saying postpartum hemorrhage. Part of the issue was that my bladder kept filling up, which prevented my uterus from contracting properly. The other – and primary – cause was L.J.’s large size (in comparison to my size).

Thankfully, Dr. T was able to get the bleeding under control without the need for a blood transfusion or surgery. Once she was confident that things were under control, I was able to hold L.J. again and Mike was able to come in to meet his son. L.J. was about an hour old at this point. I remember Mike coming in and seeing him for the first time – a very special moment.

The next hour or two are kind of a blur. I was exhausted, had lost a lot of blood and was coming off the epidural – so call this period the “EpiFog”. Mike documented L.J.’s first bath. (Notice his poor swollen head…)

And I got to spend some more time snuggling my newborn son:

L.J. started having a few minor issues, and they determined his blood sugar was really low. His arms and legs were still sort of purplish, but his oxygen levels were normal. Based on the low blood sugar and circulation issues, they determined that he needed to spend a couple hours in the transitional nursery.

Within a few hours, I was settled in my recovery hospital room and L.J. received a clean bill of health and returned from the transitional nursery.

The rest of our hospital stay was pretty uneventful. We rested, bonded with L.J. and had a few visitors stop by.

On Thursday afternoon it was time to head home! We were definitely ready to get home and get some extra rest by that point.