When I Grow Up: Part 3 (In Which I Watch a Baby Be Born)

This is little Kendel.  I was there when he was born!  It was the most amazing experience ever!  One that I am very thankful for... and very lucky to have been able to see.  Shout out to my amazing husband for watching both of our kids AND both of Leah's kids so I could zoom to the hospital to join Leah for the birth.

Kayla (this amazing Momma) went into the hospital because she wasn't feeling well.  And thank God they took her seriously because come to find out she had HELLP syndrome... a very rare and very dangerous situation for a pregnant Momma to be in.

So dangerous that they contacted her husband who was deployed to Afghanistan and flew him home.  She could have died so they brought him to be with her as soon as they could.  

And they induced her labor and put her on all kinds of meds and monitors.  The goal was to encourage her body to deliver the baby asap... but they were also prepared for the worst case scenario of an emergency c-section.

It was a very long and very difficult labor for her.  And very disappointing for her, as she had intended to deliver naturally and without medication... but she was a good sport about it.  So good, in fact, that I was in awe at her composure.  I was a mess when I was in labor with Lily and Sam!  And it was just plain old normal (still hurts like heck, but nothing out of the ordinary) labor and delivery.

But Kayla was on pitocin which I've heard brings on quite harsh contractions.  And she wasn't able to have an epidural for fear that it would cause more complications because of the HELLP.  So she was rocking all of this without ANY pain management!

It was so crazy to watch!  With each contraction, I could see her belly move and my tummy was in knots for her.  And I was just so in awe at her as she breathed through each one and remained calm.  We're talking hours and hours and hours of this!  She and Leah had been up for two days at the point that I joined them.  And Kayla's husband Coty was exhausted because he'd been traveling all day and had just gotten to Germany a few hours earlier.  

So everyone else in the room was dead on their feet (or dead tired in bed trying to have a baby).  And I was fresh and ready to go!  I had thought I would just be there to observe and watch Leah work her magic... I had brought my camera but didn't really know if I'd even use it.  I was just excited to be a fly on the wall and watch this whole thing.

Come to find out I was actually helpful!  Kayla and Leah both said so and I'm going to trust them ;o)  It was a neat feeling to be able to be useful... helping hold and support Kayla's legs or holding her hand or helping her get into a different position.  Passing ice chips.  Getting chapstick.  Staying with her so Leah could eat dinner.  I don't feel like I'm an expert on labor and delivery but I did give birth twice so I was able to remember what helped me relax and stay calm... and pass it on to her.  It was so awesome to support this amazing woman as she gave birth to her first son!

It was a little scary at times.  I've obviously never seen another birth besides my own two (and do you even count giving birth as watching a birth?  I don't think it's quite the same thing!) and I've certainly never seen a complicated birth like this.  But the end, Kayla had been pushing for hours and her body was no longer responding to the pitocin well... so her contractions were strong but coming further and further apart.  And the doctor was getting worried that she was going to run out of energy.  So they had to use a vacuum extractor in the end.

And FINALLY at 2:30am (ish) the little man was born.  And he was safe and healthy and so was his Momma.  And I cried.  I mean, we're not really surprised by that, right?  I cry during Disney movies so why the heck not when I see a brand new baby being born? :o)

And I took pictures.  Which was actually kind of a scary experience for me because it was dark in the room and I wasn't confident in my photography skills.  So some of the pictures are blurry.  And I was all nervous because these are the first moments of this kid's life and I don't want to mess up the pictures!  But Kayla loves them and that's all that matters!  So not bad for my first birth photography experience I guess.

When I got home I couldn't stop thinking about all I'd seen and done that night.  How I got to be there for something so special.  And how I want to be a doula when I grow up!