LIAM’S BIRTH STORY

I didn’t mean to put off writing this, I just can never find the time and energy so sit down long enough to form sentences and thoughts. Ha I guess that’s what 2 kids will do to ya!

Liam was born on a Sunday just like Jack but it started quite a few days before that. Thursday night I was having some weird pain on my left side, so much that I couldn’t sleep and finally called the hospital. It didn’t feel like contractions, just localized pressing pain. Since I had a C-section with Jack and was attempting a VBAC, they suggested I come in to be on the safe side. It was 2:30am and after I got off the phone I thought I might be overreacting. I laid back down, prayed, and eventually went to sleep. The next morning, the pain was gone and I was relieved I didn’t go in after all. I went on with my Friday normally. By this point I was 4 days overdue.

Saturday was different. I couldn’t tell you when I started having contractions but by 4pm they started to become pretty bad. Since they were so irregular, I thought it would still be awhile. Some would come 20 minutes apart, some every 3 minutes. My parents come over for moral support and we debated when we should go in. Since the contractions were still all over the place, they left and told us to call them when we decided to head to the hospital. Dustin grilled brats and by that time I could barely eat. I told Dustin we should go after dinner was over. Like right after. So we packed up my stuff, got Jack in the car and called my parents to meet us at the hospital. I wanted both my Mom and D there for support and my Dad and sister would take Jack for the night.

By the time we made it to triage, I was in a lot of pain. Even though my contractions were still irregular, they were escalating in pain so I wanted to be checked right away. I had a feeling I was more than a little dilated. After I was changed and hooked up to the monitors in triage, I felt like my water broke. That’s when they started rushing to get a doctor in there to check me. Finally I thought. They checked me and sure enough I was 7 cm dilated! The doctor said she still felt a large sac so my water hadn’t completely broke but I was ready to be admitted! They got my in a room quickly and as soon I started walking to the bed, my water broke completely. Such a weird feeling. I remember freezing out of embarrassment. haha I must’ve had a horrified look on my face, because I remember the nurse telling me it was okay. After getting me back into the bed (through crazy painful contractions that brought me to my knees), they checked me again. Still a 7. The doc said she would be back in 2 hours to check again. 2 hours I thought??? I can’t go 2 more hours with these contractions!

Somehow I did. I declined the epidural but at one point started second guessing myself haha. D and my Mom were so supportive and encouraging. I had an insane amount of back labor so D would press on my back while my Mom would hold my hands and breathe with me. I couldn’t focus on anything expect the pain. I was so tired in between contractions that I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I was so mentally ready to push the baby out that I asked for the doctor to come back and check me before the 2 hours were up. I was 7 cm. My mom suggested some fentanyl for the pain and I agreed. That did little to decrease the mountains of pain those contractions brought. Finally after 2 hours plus, she checked me again. Still a 7. As you remember 7 is the exact number I got stuck at with Jack. I started getting discouraged. It felt like deja-vu. Only this time I didn’t have an epidural. We waited longer and by this time it was close to 11:30pm. They started talking petocin but I knew I didn’t want it. It didn’t help at all with Jack and the risk of rupture is higher. I started thinking about a C-section. Knowing the contractions weren’t bringing me any closer to my baby was so disheartening. I had given the VBAC a fair shot and was done.

My doctor was on board with my decision. Once it was decided and they started prepping, the baby’s heart rate took a dive. They moved the urgency of the C-section from a “Charlie” to a “Beta”. That scared me. Then they started going faster. I didn’t even really know what was going on around me because of the all-consuming pain. Once I was in the OR, they had me lay on my side in order to do the spinal. I wondered how I was going to lay still through the contractions. I remember trying to find SOMEONE’S hand so I could get through the next one. Luckily my nurse was in there. The baby’s heart rate took another dive and I remember one of the doctor’s saying my baby agreed with my decision to do the C-section. When the spinal was in, I immediately felt relief. A flood of warmness filled my body and I completely relaxed. The anesthesiologist team was awesome. This time when they asked if I felt the prick, I didn’t feel it! Phew. That was such a huge fear of mine because of how my epidural went the first time with Jack. The difference was night and day. When they said I would feel a lot of pressure, it was nothing compared to the pressure/burning/pulling I felt with Jack. I heard him cry and one of the doctor’s said he was a healthy 9 pounds! I couldn’t believe it! Then they brought him around the curtain to me, I got to hold him and nurse him. He had so much hair! I couldn’t stop smiling. He was perfect.

Dustin asked me if I was leaning toward a name. It was between 2 and the entire pregnancy we thought it would be one but when I saw him, I thought it should be Liam. I told D hesitantly thinking he still wanted the other one. He surprised me when he said he thought it should be Liam too. 🙂

Liam Patrick Hicks was born 1 minute after 12:00am on Sunday, June 1st. He has made us a family of four and we praise and thank God for his health and sweetness!

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. James 1:17