The "gang" from L - R: Pam, Brooke, Grandma, Katie
Holding Sullie for the first time.
The proud mother, grandmother and aunt. Oh, and Sullivan.
Bracing herself.
It's a boy!
On Sunday evening, August 2, my dear friend Kaylie went to the hospital to be induced. She was given a bit of pitocin and a sleeping aid. From what I understand, there was very little sleep that night. The next morning, I made my way over the hospital, assuming she would need some company during the long, long birthing process.
Kaylie was having contractions, not so painful they were unbearable, but obviously uncomfortable and intense. She was in good spirits and between the contractions was conversational and pleasant. Around noon, I took a little break to run an errand and get some lunch. Apparently during that time, the contractions became much more painful. There were moans and cries, and I wish I could have been with Kaylie at that time. By the time I arrived, she had been given an epidural and was feeling much better, although obviously drained.
Keeping Kaylie company were several of her friends: myself, Karissa, Katie, Lane, her mother, her sister and her grandmother. Also, her old childhood friend Hope happened to be her nurse, which was such a blessing to Kaylie. After a few more hours of not much happening (she was dilated to a 5 FOREVER), she was given a bit more pitocin to speed things along. The babies heart rate was quite high, as the cord was pinched, and Kaylie was becoming worried about the possibility of a C-section.
Suddenly, she told Hope that something "felt different". She felt pressure, and wanted Hope to check her progression. Hope flung off the bedsheets and said, quite surprised, "Wow! You're a ten! We're ready to have this baby!"
And with that, amid the squeals and giggles from the audience, Kaylie said, "You know, if you want to stay, I think that's fine. I wasn't planning on it, but I feel pretty good about it."
The Doctor came in, set up the bed and what not and got to work. I am not at all ashamed to say that I stood at the foot of the bed, watching all the action. It was ... amazing. I just don't know how else to say it. The doctor would have Kaylie take a cleansing breath, then push for ten seconds about three times during contractions. With each contraction, we could see more of the head, although, I'll be honest, it certainly didn't look like a head. At one point, she let Kaylie reach down and touch his little head as he was crowning.
Between pushes, Kaylie was quite the happy mother to be. The epidural was doing it's job, and she was absolutely delighted with how easy everything seemed to be happening. At one point she said, "This is easier than going to the dentist!" To which someone (Lane?) replied, "What the hell kind of dentist do you go to?" She was thanking the doctor and Hope, exclaiming over the fact that we were all there with her... she was the poster child for an epidural.
Suddenly, during one of the pushes, a little bluish-purple head quite literally POPPED out! The best part was the collective gasp/squeal of the six spectators. AMAZING. The cord was wrapped around his little neck, and a few seconds were spent untangling it, before, WHOOSH, out splashed the rest of him.
Everything is a little blurry after that, it was all so overwhelming. I know that Kaylie asked to hold her son, and little Sullivan was placed on her chest while we all watched in amazement. Pam, Kaylie's mother, proudly cut the cord. Sullivan was cleaned, weighed, and taken care of while we oohed, ahhhed, and took more pictures than any newborn's eyes should be subjected to.
Afterwards, Kaylie mentioned how happy she was that we could all be there for the birth of her son. She said it was nothing at all like how she had imagined it, but it was perfect. For me, it was a truly spectacular experience. I have always been enthralled with pregnancy, but had never experienced its culmination in such a way. I was completely honored to have been present at the birth of such a perfect little human. I know it's strange, and it's probably not for everyone, but if you get the opportunity to see something like that, you've just got to do it.
2 comments:
It IS pretty amazing. I got to be there for Maddox's birth, and feel deeply honored by that.
I wouldn't be surprised if it WAS Lane with the dentist comment, simply because that was very close to my first thought when I read Kaylie's words!
Because of this account, I have asked my sister to consider letting me be present at Ezekiel's birth. EXCITING!
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