.Easton. - A Birth Story

My baby boy is breathing gently in his crib and I want to take this small moment I have to tell my birth story.

As many know I was 41 weeks pregnant on Sunday. I woke up at 230am that morning and, furious that I would inevitably need to be induced on Tuesday April 2nd... Wrote a scathing Facebook post about how that little guy could stay in there all he wanted... We were coming for him soon.

After some time I went to bed and, immediately after laying down I needed to pee... AGAIN.

I rolled myself up with much effort and waddled to the bathroom. As soon as I stepped onto the bathroom floor (thank goodness) my water broke down my legs.

I called to Tay
"Tay?"
"Yeah?"
"I think my water just broke"
*covers are thrown off the bed and he sits up*
"We'll Tay, don't worry too much! I'm not having the baby right this second! I could have just peed myself for all I know!"
"Okay..."
*Covers thrown back onto Taylor*
"Tay?"
"Yeah?"

"Your not going back to sleep, are you?"

"Probably not... No"

And with that we got our things together and headed to the hospital at 530am on Sunday morning.

I called before we went in and confirmed we should be going into the front doors because it will be open by 530 am

When we got inside the hospital looked abandoned.

Luckily I knew which floor to go to and we headed up. We walked into a random ward... We got some funny looks when I proudly announced that my water had broken.

We were informed that we were in the wrong ward... The hospital front doors should not have been open... And we needed to go back down to emergency and get registered to be looked at. Luckily they let me go to the RIGHT area to wait. those who have had to walk around with broken water...its not nice.

When they confirmed my water had broken I was excited to be in labor!
When they checked me and told me I was still 1cm and thick and that I would have to be induced... I was not so excited.

Cervadil. Is. Awful.

I had it inserted at about 6:30am. They told me I could leave the ward and go get breakfast as it could take some time to get results.

When we sat for breakfast I started getting contractions steady, strong and 3 minutes apart. Taylor had to sit and choke down cafeteria eggs while he watched me take bites of a banana between putting my hands up to my face and rocking back and forth for 1 minute at a time.

We went as fast as we could up to the ward and they said I should probably stay and labor there with Taylor.

By 9 am the Cervadil fell out, which normally means that you have dilated enough to move to the next step. I was wheeled back to triage and they informed me that I was now a whopping 1.5cm...still thick.

What? NO PROGRESS?!

Because of the strength and frequency of my contractions they decided not to try another round of the cervadil and left to get a doctor to see what to do next.

I was left in the triage room with a few women between curtains at different stages of their pregnancy... one had driven herself there that morning with broken water that had blood in it. Quickly they were rushing her in for a C section... another young girl sat beside me explaining that her water had broken and she was ready to have her baby, and feeling great so far!

So optimistic... like I had been about 3 hours earlier.

I think it concerned her a little that I sat on the other side of a curtain having contractions that Taylor could only explain as having to "moo-through" I think it would be quite scary for a husband to go from having a nice conversation with your wife... to her just about breaking your finger and mooing... to going back to that nice conversation.

this went on for hours.

They started pitocin at 2:30 pm, and after 8 hours of steady 3 minute contractions, I was ready for the epidural.

my delivery room!

I have heard that the doctor can put in the epidural during a contraction to make the pain go together and not make it so bad...

all I have to say is "ouch"

While the doctor was getting ready to put in the epi, I curled over into the strongest contraction yet, and breathed through it... once it was over and I was coming back together, I could hear the doctor behind me telling me what he was doing... "wait! im not ready!" - too late... the needles went into my back and MAN it was painful.

so painful, in fact that when he was finished I informed Taylor that I was going to throw up.

Those who know Taylor know about his... "weak" stomach.

But he sat like a champ with a bed pan at my mouth while I filled it with banana's and chocolate milk from that morning. I head a few grunts out of him, but he kept it together. The nurse even came by with a wash cloth and Tay thought she was going to take the bedpan from him... but she just put the cold cloth on my face... When I finished I informed my husband that I loved him more than ever...

and...

That I couldn't feel approximately half of my body.

Yes, only half.

When the next contraction came it settled into my right side and shot down my leg... extremely painful.
I had a few more like that before the doctor came back to "even things out"

Then I felt great! Epidurals are really the greatest.

after another hour my left side came back to full-feeling. wowza.

This time when the doctor came back to "top me up" he wasn't kidding around.

I couldn't feel a THING.

We sat and visited with family for a while... discussing wether our little baby would actually torment me by showing up on April fools day... it was almost 9pm!

The epi stayed very strong.

So much, in fact that when I told the doctor that came to check in on me that I was feeling a little pressure, but all in all pretty good... she lifted my blankets to check my progress and said...

"oh, well you might be feeling a little pressure because... your fully dilated and I can see the baby's head"

Taylor shot to his feet... "can I see?"

...Gross...

But he took a peek and assured me she was right! We could see a head! it was 9:12pm and time to push!

While they got ready, I was feeling so good that I took a consensus of the room - "How big do you think he is going to be!" we got bets from all in attendance, two nurses, a doctor, a 3rd year medical student, and Taylor.

I pushed and pushed and in only 19 minutes, at 9:26pm. our gorgeous boy made his appearance.

They put him on my stomach and let Taylor cut the cord. His hands were shaking and then he helped them move my baby boy up to my chest.

.Love.

We cried and laughed and pointed out our favorite features.

He weighed in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and was just less than 20 inches long.

We decided on a name that we knew we wanted months ago.

.Easton Bryce Campbell.

Family started trickling in shortly after to see the new Grandson, Nephew, Cousin, Friend, obsession.

And bliss ensued.

A nurse came in at about 4am to give E his first bath!

He was so good!

We were told the next morning that instead of being discharged that afternoon that Easton needed to stay another night to monitor a small murmur that the Pediatrician heard in his heart.

That news was a little scary to say the least.

I have to say that I was glad for the extra hospital time though. I needed some help breastfeeding. its hard stuff!

I couldn't figure out why I struggled so much with this part of having a baby. I thought it came natually.

We came to find out that Easton also has a tongue-tie. - Here is a little information on it:

Underneath the tongue, you can see a string of tissue that attaches it to the floor of the mouth. In tongue-tie, this piece of tissue, called the lingual frenulum, is too short. This can cause problems because the tongue is not able to move freely. The medical name for tongue-tie is ankyloglossia. 

(http://www.babycenter.ca/a552046/tongue-tie#ixzz2PSYmYRTp)

The lactation consultant caught it and im so glad she did. it was causing little Easton to not be able to latch properly, and he was losing weight quickly.

We went in later that week (Thursday) to get it "snipped." E weighed in at 7 pounds 3 ounces. quite a loss from when he was born!

In a second it was over and he was back on my chest eating happily away.

I cringe every time he eats, because he still cant really latch but its worth it when I get to feed my son.

We were discharged on Tuesday afternoon - Easton had a clean bill of health! The murmer looks like it had resolved itself, and we were off!


These last few days have been a blur of family, food, boobs, and my little baby Easton. I cant wait to share the rest of our adventure with you all here!