Birth Story: Jace Taylor
Jace Taylor Siemens
Born 6-22-18
1:19am
8lbs oz
19.5 in
Here is his birth story…
Backstory
Pregnancy with Jace (our second child) was a challenge, to say the least. In the third trimester, he “dropped” early, which created a ton of pelvic pressure and ligament pain. I developed a severe case of PUPPS rash and my belly felt like it was going to burst open because it was twice the size as it was in my first pregnancy. I definitely gained some new “tiger stripes” from this one.
As I approached the last week or two of pregnancy, I was experiencing “false labor” quite a bit. I would get consistent contractions that would eventually just taper off and stop. Oh what a joy that was…
At 39 weeks I was dilated about 1 centimeters and my rash was unbearable. No thank you. I expressed to my midwife how uncomfortable it made me. Unfortunately, the only “cure” was to have the baby, which I didn’t have much control over.
My midwife did have some concern about the rash and wanted testing done to make sure it wasn’t cholestasis.
When I went in for testing, I was a day shy of our due date. During the stress test Jace’s heart rate started dropping dramatically during each Braxton hicks contractions.
Not good.
Because of this, they sent me to labor and delivery immediately. It was a 45 minute drive to the hospital and I was silent most of the drive. I was so worried something was wrong and just didn’t know what was about to happen.
My husband left work and met me at the hospital. We scrambled to get Jaxson situated and so thankful to everyone that offered to help.
We checked in and they put us in a shared Triage room. My dilation was checked and I was still about 3 centimeters. They monitored his heart rate as well as my “contractions.” Luckily, his heart rate wasn’t dropping dramatically anymore, which meant no emergency c-section was needed.
About an hour later I was close to 4cm dilated. I was progressing and saw hope! They hinted toward admitting me and possibly giving me pitocin to help speed the process along.
We thought it was time.
Then out of nowhere, they decided to send us home. Tears filled me eyes, but there was nothing we could do. I was beyond frustrated, miserable and exhausted. They said I needed to be 5 cm to be admitted and I wasn’t progressing fast enough…
So home we went. Still pregnant. And a day shy of 40 weeks.
Pre-labor
The next day I turned 40 weeks pregnant. I also had my prenatal checkup that morning (yes I was very bitter I had to go to this). My doctor was empathic and also very frustrated I was sent home the previous night. She decided to schedule for me to be induced the following day, if nothing happened. That gave us a little light at the end of the tunnel!
I was still 4 centimeters dilated and had a membrane sweep (ouch!) in hopes of getting things going again.
Later that day, my contractions returned and were there to stay.
Labor of Love
After a few hours of feeling contractions, I felt confident we could start our journey closer to the hospital. My sister lived about 10 minutes away from our hospital, so we decided to go there first. We also wanted to see Jaxson for a bit, who had spent the night with grandparents the previous night, before heading back to the hospital.
Another few hours of early labor passed and the contractions came more frequently. Around 5PM they were getting stronger, so we decided to head to the hospital once again. My doctor ensured me that they wouldn’t turn me away, which was nice to know in advance. When we arrived, they admitted me! Yay!
I was also about 5 centimeters dilated, which was good news.
After getting settled, we discussed the option of an epidural, which I planned on using. I was getting close to 6 centimeters and they advised to start it before it was too late.
When the anesthesiologist inserted the needle, she accidentally hit a nerve, causing me to almost jump off the bed… Oops! Since then, I occasionally get numbing sensations where the nerve was struck. #stillworthit.
Kick it Up a Notch
My water was still in tact and my contractions were not fully regulated (which they actually never did). I was progressing, but slowly. To help speed up the process, I was given Pitocin. Our nurse said she was determined to help us have our baby before her shift ended, and we were more than okay with that!
Soon after, she checked my dilation, which caused my water to break! The flood gates were officially opened!
Meconium was present in the water, so they called the respiratory team to be there for delivery.
Things were finally getting going and we knew we were getting closer.
My husband and I took a moment to ourselves to pray and just sit in silence together before bringing another child into this world. It was sweet and I definitely recommend this for other couples who have the opportunity.
Let’s Have a Baby!
From then on, things seemed to move quickly. I was feeling the pressure down south and they began to set up for the main show (which is what it really seemed like).
For some reason, we had quite an audience in our room during the birth. We had the doctor, a couple extra nurses, and a few people there for respiratory. Oh and my two sisters, mother in law, and of course my husband.
I guess we were popular that night!
They set me up in the stirrups and my nurse was ready for me to start pushing. Little did they know, I wouldn’t have to push for long. After the second push she started yelling, “wait, wait stop pushing!”
Apparently he was ready to make his appearance and they weren’t quite ready. I don’t even think the doctor was in the room yet. Oops again!
But as the doctor rushed in the room, she was able to put her gloves on just in time for a safe delivery.
June 22nd, 2019, at 1:19AM, Jace Taylor Siemens was born.
The Moment We’ve Been Waiting For
With tears in my eyes, they brought him up to my chest almost immediately. He was crying, which told us he was healthy. I watched as my husband cut the umbilical cord. After holding him for a few minutes, they took him back to get cleaned up, weighed, measured, etc.
I delivered the placenta and the doctor told me I wouldn’t need any stitches. I was so thankful (once again)! .
They brought Jace back over to us and laid him on my chest. We just stared at him in awe. We were so blessed with another perfect gift. Despite the struggle and pains of this pregnancy, he was SO worth it. Every stretch mark, sleepless night, and tear I cried. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
And once again, we were so in love with our sweet new boy.
3 Months Old
♥ Jax