Braxton’s Birth Story

We checked into Orem Community Hospital on April 21, 2009 at 9:15 pm. After getting set up, they placed the cervadil at 11 pm, which was not a gel like I thought it was. It is actually a little clear packet of medication on a string that is absorbed into the cervix to help thin and soften. We then settled in for what we thought would be a long night. It was not to be, however, and my water broke at 2 am.

I got my epidural at 4 am and the only problem up to this point was that the epidural only worked on my right side. They finally came and fixed the epidural by pulling it out a little at 8 am just in time for them to start the pitocin. I dilated very quickly and was at 10 cm by noon. The doctor was concerned because the baby’s heart rate dropped every time I contracted. At this time we talked about a cesarean, but after they stopped the pitocin, the baby’s heart rate leveled and the doc decided to let me push. Let me tell you, pushing was not bad and I could have gone a lot longer, but after an hour the baby’s heart rate started to deteriorate again. The doctor thought something may have been wrong with the positioning or a cord in the way, so he decided it was too risky to continue pushing and ordered an emergency cesarean. Here is a picture of Brian all suited up for the delivery:

Unfortunately, all the pictures of the surgery are on my dad’s camera--who has already gone back to Idaho. So, they will be posted later if they aren’t too gory. The cesarean ended up being an extremely difficult one with complications. Despite 5 years of working at a vet clinic, Brian says he has never seen two full grown men tugging at a body the way they were mine. I even heard one assistant say that it was the ‘coolest’ c-section she’d ever seen. Usually it takes only a few seconds after the cuts to remove the baby. However, it took several minutes of digging—literally up to their elbows inside me—to get this kid out. In the process they ended up ripping the inside cut on the uterus very close to some important arteries. It took over an hour to stitch and staple me up and they thought they may have nicked one of my ureters with a stitch. Ureters are tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder. This led to some radiology tests this morning to see if they needed to do another surgery to fix a ureter. They actually wanted me to lie on my stomach on the table. If I could have laughed without sobbing in pain, I would have, and told them ‘absolutely not’. Although the tests were not very clear, it was decided that there was most likely not a blockage and only a small chance of a leak. So, to my relief, no additional surgery for now, but we’re keeping a close watch for any ‘strange pain or bleeding’ . . .kind of difficult to identify because of all the other strange pains and bleeding going on as this is my first delivery. Hopefully, all is well.

Despite all the complications, I am feeling a little better as every hour passes and our main concerns now are helping me move around a little and teaching the little guy how to breastfeed. After months of non-stress tests and concern over the baby’s health, in the end we have been blessed with a perfectly beautiful and healthy baby boy. We think he has Brian’s ears and my nose, and are amazed at the size of his hands. Here are the stats and some pictures:

Name: Braxton Eric Lulloff

Born: April 22, 2009 at 1:39 pm

Weight: 6 lbs. 9 oz.

Length: 19.5 inches