The story of Leland.
In March this year we were in for a HUGE surprise. At the time, little Declan was only 3 months old. I had been quietly battling with post partum depression and over the previous weeks it had started to get bad again. So I thought. I was crying a lot and I was suddenly very tired. On Friday, March 2nd I was really feeling down. Jason suggested that I go out for the evening, wander around the store, just be sure to bring home a pregnancy test. I'm pretty sure I rolled my eyes at him, but I did exactly that. I wandered around Kohl's and then went next door to Target and grabbed a test.
Boy was I surprised when I came home to take it and it was immediately positive. I took another one, this one digital, and saw the word "pregnant" displayed. I brought Jason the tests. While my face probably was full of shock and fear, his was not surprised in the slightest.
Over the first few weeks my midwife ran every test she could. I was immediately brought in for an ultrasound on Monday to make sure it wasn't a tubal pregnancy. We couldn't see anything yet, so she started having me come in for blood draws to find out my beta HCG levels. Over about a week they were rising, but they weren't rising like they were "supposed" to. We waited. Over the next two weeks we had two more ultrasounds, finally at the second one we saw a little bean with a heart beating in the middle of it. When my midwife measured bean, all I could do was laugh. The due date she got was November 13, 2012. Declan's first birthday. That made it official, we were carrying an Irish twin.
At 12 weeks, little one measured a full week ahead and the due date November 6th made it into my chart.
At 16 weeks we got the boy news for the fifth time. I was FLOORED. I was convinced he was a girl. I had been sure of it. It took me a few weeks to adjust to it and then the excitement arrived.
Leland's pregnancy marks one of my easiest ones. The only problem I faced over his nine months was being sick. I was popping zofran like it was going out of style, just so I could function and take care of the other kids. The morning sickness, or in my case, middle of the night sickness, did not wear off until I was about 26 weeks along. The relief from the pukies was short lived unfortunately. At 36 weeks it returned again with a vengeance.
Going into my last month of pregnancy was easily my hardest of the five. Declan at 11 months old became so active. It became hard for me to keep up. At 36 weeks I started measuring 6 full weeks ahead, so my belly was taking things out left and right. The pain and discomfort I felt this time was beyond words. I spent the coming weeks choking on stomach acid in my sleep, propping myself up to sleep to prevent this. My back was popping in and out of place multiple times during the night. I wasn't able to sleep. Somewhere in that last month, all four of the kids and I got a nasty stomach bug. I ended up on iv fluids and meds three times in that month. My nightstand looked like a medicine cabinet. Tums, zofran, tylenol, tylenol PM, pepcid, etc. Pills all over.
Also at 37 weeks Leland decided it would be fun to hang out breech for a little while. All it took was me scheduling a c-section and Payton praying for him to not be upside down, and at 38 weeks he flipped himself into position.
By 39 weeks I was starting to crack. I went into my weekly appointment and just cried to my midwife. I hadn't kept any food down for about five days, I was keeping water and gatorade down but that was it. I was just miserable. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, and I could hardly take care of my Declan. We decided to schedule an induction, for the following week- November 8th.
My due date of the 6th was rapidly approaching. Two nights prior to it, my nighttime misery intensified again with hips cramping. This was a symptom I had never had, and it sucked. No matter how many pillows I piled around me it was worthless. I was tossing, turning, and whimpering all night. I tried tylenol PM one of the nights and it didn't even help.
November 6th came and went. Obama got re-elected. People got MEAN on both sides, facebook was a warzone. More important in my eyes, I was passing my due date for the first time since Avery. That day I typed up all their birth stories. While doing that- contractions had started. I mostly ignored them because they weren't regular or timeable. They just hurt. And more hurt just made me mad. Before the kids went to their room for the night, Payton came and placed his hands on my belly and asked Leland to come out now, that we are all really nice, and he wanted to meet him. Into the night the contractions continued, and by the time the kids were all asleep, they had stopped again.
Jason and I went to bed. He passed out. I settled in for another "fun" night. I laid down and was watching TV on the tablet. Then at 12:40 AM I got a HUGE surprise. Out of nowhere I felt a huge gush. I moved the slightest and felt another one. I immediately said "Jason!!! My water just broke!!" I had to repeat myself a few times to get him to wake up. Then I was on the phone with Chelsea asking her to come spend the night with the kids and get them to school in the morning. Chelsea was on her way while Jason made a groggy phone call to his dad. It didn't become real for Jason until he heard the fluid hit the floor when I stood up out of bed. That's the moment he REALLY woke up and ran to get towels for me.
Lucky for him, I had the hospital bags packed and ready to go- with a list of last minute items to throw in there. I hopped in the shower quick- which is the last activity I think most women in labor do before leaving the house. Have to shave the legs! I got dressed in a long skirt with a towel wedged between my legs and as soon as Chelsea got there, we were out the door. I had already suggested to Jason to put garbage bags on the passenger seat of his car, so on them I sat.
At Providence, I got out at the ER entrance and started waddling down the hall while Jason parked. At this point, I wish he had taken a picture. It was one of the funniest moments of my life. I had a towel hanging out of my skirt and dragging on the floor between my feet, I'm pretty sure it looked like a dinosaur's tail. Half way to L&D, I ran into two L&D nurses, one of them was Jena, who ended up being my nurse until 7 am. She walked us to triage.
Checked in at triage they confirmed that it was indeed my water, and they got me admitted.
I was transferred over to one of the labor and delivery rooms. Providence had JUST opened up their new maternity center last month. I knew there was new mother baby rooms, but I was not aware the new labor rooms were open.
It was around 3 AM that I was finally checked. I was 3.5 cm dilated 60% effaced and baby's head was at -1 station. I was having contractions on the monitor. Some more intense than others, but they definitely were not yet regular labor contractions. A few hours later Jason and I were both able to get some sleep.
At 7 am the shifts changed for the nurses and the midwives. The night midwife on call hadn't even come in to check me, she just waited for the new one to take over at 7 am. My new nurse was Maile, and she had a nursing student from UAA shadowing her.
At 8 am the midwife on call, Patty, came in to talk to me. Since they didn't want to risk infection with my waters being broken, she didn't check me. She decided it was time to start pitocin though because we were on the clock. The longer waters have been broken, the more of a risk of infection there is. We had passed the 7 hour mark since mine had ruptured and labor was not progressing. Pitocin joined the party shortly after 8 am. I was able to manage the pain with the pit for quite awhile. I was completely prepared to labor naturally again. I was breathing and concentrating. I bounced on the birthing ball, which was FAR more comfortable than being in the bed. Around 11:20 AM the intensity was picking up. At this point, I hadn't slept more than a few hours a night for three nights. I had been laboring with pitocin for awhile. I was starting to lose my focus. I asked to be checked. How far I was would determine if I proceeded without pain meds or not. I told them if I was past a 5, I would continue. If I was in this much pain and wasn't 5 cm yet, I would get the epidural again. I was 4.5 cm 80% effaced and his head was still at -1 station. I asked for the epidural. I had been told I was about five hours away from getting put on antibiotics to prevent infection. I was feeling pushed time-wise and I was progressing very slowly even with pitocin, so I knew I was making a good decision.
At some point during the morning, midwife Patty had let me know that my midwife was upstairs in the office and wanted to take over. I was SO HAPPY when she said this. My midwife has been the one I've stuck with this pregnancy, and she watched my high risk mess with Declan and would call and check on me whenever she could. I was beyond thrilled she would be attending this birth.
Enter Dr.Hill. After four hours of pitocin pain, I finally got relief around noon.
At 1 PM, my midwife Tanya came to check me. I was 6 cm 90% effaced and -1 station. At this point, she knew to stay close and ready. She had talked to my nurse Maile about if I mentioned any change at all, any mention of pressure or pain through the epidural- to call her immediately.
At 1:30 PM, I felt the pain from four contractions in a row. I was having to breathe through each one, I was hurting pretty bad. We hit the call button for the nurse. A nurse named Melanie came in. My nurse was on her lunch quick. Melanie said to push the button on the epi to get more meds, and that if it wasn't better in ten more minutes to call her again. When she walked out I had another contraction and this time I felt the urge to push. Mid-contraction I had Jason push the call button- I knew time was of the essence. Payton flashbacks were playing through my head. I knew they needed to hurry. Melanie came back in and we told her I needed to push. She decided to check me anyway, I was definitely 10 cm. She was about to raise my bed back up- I told her not to. When a nurse had raised my bed at this point with Payton I had almost delivered him on the spot. She said in a chipper voice "well I'll let everyone know it's time to get ready!" As she walked out of the room, I yelled "you're gonna wanna hurry!!!"
I have not known pain until this moment of my life. None of my previous deliveries even compare. This was 1:40 PM. Things started moving FAST. Contractions were hitting very fast. I was laying back, my legs squeezed together, I was crying, I was screaming, I was shaking. Jason was trying to tell me to breathe. I wasn't listening. I remember Maile running in with a panicked look on her face when she saw my current state. She stuck her head out of my door and yelled "I need an OB resident! now!" Nurses were running in and out. Several were told to get gloves on and be ready to catch. They kept telling me to wait, Tanya was coming. Tanya later said she ran down four flights of stairs when she got the call, and when she passed the nurses station she was told she better run (lol). When she got in there, I was in absolute agony. I don't think I could have waited even another contraction.
As soon as she was ready, she told me to push. I couldn't. The pain was completely insane. Trying to go from holding him in with all my might, to pushing him out was a hard change to make. When I finally was able it was literally one push. I have never screamed like that, I remember screaming "I can't!!" as his head shot out and again as I felt his shoulders deliver. Obviously, the epidural was worthless for this pain. At 1:49 PM the pain ended as we met Leland finally.
It was all happy and smooth sailing from there. Leland Robert Wallace Meade was perfect. His apgars were 8 and 9. He weighed exactly 9 pounds 11 ounces and 22 inches long. He is my second biggest boy, and boy could I feel that when I delivered him. He was on my chest for a while before getting cleaned off and handed back to us. I was able to nurse him. It wasn't until several HOURS later that the nurses took him from me to do his newborn shots and such. I was very grateful for this. When Avery and Payton were born they were immediately taken to the warmer and I didn't get to even hold them or look at them for around 45 minutes. I loved the bonding time I was allowed to have immediately with Leland.
The funnest thing with the addition of Leland is just how right I was about his personality. Around 4 months pregnant I predicted a very relaxed, chill, content little boy. I was exactly right. He sleeps for 6-7 HOURS at a time. He is completely relaxed, hardly ever cries. He is amazing. We are all completely in love.
Having five boys? Amazing. They may all be the same gender, and there will always be a part of me that yearns for a daughter, but same gender does not translate into them being the same. Their personalities are all VERY different. Leland reminds me a lot of Avery's demeanor as a baby, but with Payton's sweet personality, all with something that is completely just him mixed in. I felt it when I was pregnant with his gentle calculated movements, and I see it now when I look at him doing the same. I am so excited to watch this little boy grow up the youngest of five boys. My heart feels very happy. We are so blessed.
Boy was I surprised when I came home to take it and it was immediately positive. I took another one, this one digital, and saw the word "pregnant" displayed. I brought Jason the tests. While my face probably was full of shock and fear, his was not surprised in the slightest.
Over the first few weeks my midwife ran every test she could. I was immediately brought in for an ultrasound on Monday to make sure it wasn't a tubal pregnancy. We couldn't see anything yet, so she started having me come in for blood draws to find out my beta HCG levels. Over about a week they were rising, but they weren't rising like they were "supposed" to. We waited. Over the next two weeks we had two more ultrasounds, finally at the second one we saw a little bean with a heart beating in the middle of it. When my midwife measured bean, all I could do was laugh. The due date she got was November 13, 2012. Declan's first birthday. That made it official, we were carrying an Irish twin.
At 12 weeks, little one measured a full week ahead and the due date November 6th made it into my chart.
At 16 weeks we got the boy news for the fifth time. I was FLOORED. I was convinced he was a girl. I had been sure of it. It took me a few weeks to adjust to it and then the excitement arrived.
Leland's pregnancy marks one of my easiest ones. The only problem I faced over his nine months was being sick. I was popping zofran like it was going out of style, just so I could function and take care of the other kids. The morning sickness, or in my case, middle of the night sickness, did not wear off until I was about 26 weeks along. The relief from the pukies was short lived unfortunately. At 36 weeks it returned again with a vengeance.
Going into my last month of pregnancy was easily my hardest of the five. Declan at 11 months old became so active. It became hard for me to keep up. At 36 weeks I started measuring 6 full weeks ahead, so my belly was taking things out left and right. The pain and discomfort I felt this time was beyond words. I spent the coming weeks choking on stomach acid in my sleep, propping myself up to sleep to prevent this. My back was popping in and out of place multiple times during the night. I wasn't able to sleep. Somewhere in that last month, all four of the kids and I got a nasty stomach bug. I ended up on iv fluids and meds three times in that month. My nightstand looked like a medicine cabinet. Tums, zofran, tylenol, tylenol PM, pepcid, etc. Pills all over.
Also at 37 weeks Leland decided it would be fun to hang out breech for a little while. All it took was me scheduling a c-section and Payton praying for him to not be upside down, and at 38 weeks he flipped himself into position.
By 39 weeks I was starting to crack. I went into my weekly appointment and just cried to my midwife. I hadn't kept any food down for about five days, I was keeping water and gatorade down but that was it. I was just miserable. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, and I could hardly take care of my Declan. We decided to schedule an induction, for the following week- November 8th.
My due date of the 6th was rapidly approaching. Two nights prior to it, my nighttime misery intensified again with hips cramping. This was a symptom I had never had, and it sucked. No matter how many pillows I piled around me it was worthless. I was tossing, turning, and whimpering all night. I tried tylenol PM one of the nights and it didn't even help.
November 6th came and went. Obama got re-elected. People got MEAN on both sides, facebook was a warzone. More important in my eyes, I was passing my due date for the first time since Avery. That day I typed up all their birth stories. While doing that- contractions had started. I mostly ignored them because they weren't regular or timeable. They just hurt. And more hurt just made me mad. Before the kids went to their room for the night, Payton came and placed his hands on my belly and asked Leland to come out now, that we are all really nice, and he wanted to meet him. Into the night the contractions continued, and by the time the kids were all asleep, they had stopped again.
Jason and I went to bed. He passed out. I settled in for another "fun" night. I laid down and was watching TV on the tablet. Then at 12:40 AM I got a HUGE surprise. Out of nowhere I felt a huge gush. I moved the slightest and felt another one. I immediately said "Jason!!! My water just broke!!" I had to repeat myself a few times to get him to wake up. Then I was on the phone with Chelsea asking her to come spend the night with the kids and get them to school in the morning. Chelsea was on her way while Jason made a groggy phone call to his dad. It didn't become real for Jason until he heard the fluid hit the floor when I stood up out of bed. That's the moment he REALLY woke up and ran to get towels for me.
Lucky for him, I had the hospital bags packed and ready to go- with a list of last minute items to throw in there. I hopped in the shower quick- which is the last activity I think most women in labor do before leaving the house. Have to shave the legs! I got dressed in a long skirt with a towel wedged between my legs and as soon as Chelsea got there, we were out the door. I had already suggested to Jason to put garbage bags on the passenger seat of his car, so on them I sat.
At Providence, I got out at the ER entrance and started waddling down the hall while Jason parked. At this point, I wish he had taken a picture. It was one of the funniest moments of my life. I had a towel hanging out of my skirt and dragging on the floor between my feet, I'm pretty sure it looked like a dinosaur's tail. Half way to L&D, I ran into two L&D nurses, one of them was Jena, who ended up being my nurse until 7 am. She walked us to triage.
Checked in at triage they confirmed that it was indeed my water, and they got me admitted.
I was transferred over to one of the labor and delivery rooms. Providence had JUST opened up their new maternity center last month. I knew there was new mother baby rooms, but I was not aware the new labor rooms were open.
It was around 3 AM that I was finally checked. I was 3.5 cm dilated 60% effaced and baby's head was at -1 station. I was having contractions on the monitor. Some more intense than others, but they definitely were not yet regular labor contractions. A few hours later Jason and I were both able to get some sleep.
At 7 am the shifts changed for the nurses and the midwives. The night midwife on call hadn't even come in to check me, she just waited for the new one to take over at 7 am. My new nurse was Maile, and she had a nursing student from UAA shadowing her.
At 8 am the midwife on call, Patty, came in to talk to me. Since they didn't want to risk infection with my waters being broken, she didn't check me. She decided it was time to start pitocin though because we were on the clock. The longer waters have been broken, the more of a risk of infection there is. We had passed the 7 hour mark since mine had ruptured and labor was not progressing. Pitocin joined the party shortly after 8 am. I was able to manage the pain with the pit for quite awhile. I was completely prepared to labor naturally again. I was breathing and concentrating. I bounced on the birthing ball, which was FAR more comfortable than being in the bed. Around 11:20 AM the intensity was picking up. At this point, I hadn't slept more than a few hours a night for three nights. I had been laboring with pitocin for awhile. I was starting to lose my focus. I asked to be checked. How far I was would determine if I proceeded without pain meds or not. I told them if I was past a 5, I would continue. If I was in this much pain and wasn't 5 cm yet, I would get the epidural again. I was 4.5 cm 80% effaced and his head was still at -1 station. I asked for the epidural. I had been told I was about five hours away from getting put on antibiotics to prevent infection. I was feeling pushed time-wise and I was progressing very slowly even with pitocin, so I knew I was making a good decision.
At some point during the morning, midwife Patty had let me know that my midwife was upstairs in the office and wanted to take over. I was SO HAPPY when she said this. My midwife has been the one I've stuck with this pregnancy, and she watched my high risk mess with Declan and would call and check on me whenever she could. I was beyond thrilled she would be attending this birth.
Enter Dr.Hill. After four hours of pitocin pain, I finally got relief around noon.
At 1 PM, my midwife Tanya came to check me. I was 6 cm 90% effaced and -1 station. At this point, she knew to stay close and ready. She had talked to my nurse Maile about if I mentioned any change at all, any mention of pressure or pain through the epidural- to call her immediately.
At 1:30 PM, I felt the pain from four contractions in a row. I was having to breathe through each one, I was hurting pretty bad. We hit the call button for the nurse. A nurse named Melanie came in. My nurse was on her lunch quick. Melanie said to push the button on the epi to get more meds, and that if it wasn't better in ten more minutes to call her again. When she walked out I had another contraction and this time I felt the urge to push. Mid-contraction I had Jason push the call button- I knew time was of the essence. Payton flashbacks were playing through my head. I knew they needed to hurry. Melanie came back in and we told her I needed to push. She decided to check me anyway, I was definitely 10 cm. She was about to raise my bed back up- I told her not to. When a nurse had raised my bed at this point with Payton I had almost delivered him on the spot. She said in a chipper voice "well I'll let everyone know it's time to get ready!" As she walked out of the room, I yelled "you're gonna wanna hurry!!!"
I have not known pain until this moment of my life. None of my previous deliveries even compare. This was 1:40 PM. Things started moving FAST. Contractions were hitting very fast. I was laying back, my legs squeezed together, I was crying, I was screaming, I was shaking. Jason was trying to tell me to breathe. I wasn't listening. I remember Maile running in with a panicked look on her face when she saw my current state. She stuck her head out of my door and yelled "I need an OB resident! now!" Nurses were running in and out. Several were told to get gloves on and be ready to catch. They kept telling me to wait, Tanya was coming. Tanya later said she ran down four flights of stairs when she got the call, and when she passed the nurses station she was told she better run (lol). When she got in there, I was in absolute agony. I don't think I could have waited even another contraction.
As soon as she was ready, she told me to push. I couldn't. The pain was completely insane. Trying to go from holding him in with all my might, to pushing him out was a hard change to make. When I finally was able it was literally one push. I have never screamed like that, I remember screaming "I can't!!" as his head shot out and again as I felt his shoulders deliver. Obviously, the epidural was worthless for this pain. At 1:49 PM the pain ended as we met Leland finally.
It was all happy and smooth sailing from there. Leland Robert Wallace Meade was perfect. His apgars were 8 and 9. He weighed exactly 9 pounds 11 ounces and 22 inches long. He is my second biggest boy, and boy could I feel that when I delivered him. He was on my chest for a while before getting cleaned off and handed back to us. I was able to nurse him. It wasn't until several HOURS later that the nurses took him from me to do his newborn shots and such. I was very grateful for this. When Avery and Payton were born they were immediately taken to the warmer and I didn't get to even hold them or look at them for around 45 minutes. I loved the bonding time I was allowed to have immediately with Leland.
The funnest thing with the addition of Leland is just how right I was about his personality. Around 4 months pregnant I predicted a very relaxed, chill, content little boy. I was exactly right. He sleeps for 6-7 HOURS at a time. He is completely relaxed, hardly ever cries. He is amazing. We are all completely in love.
Having five boys? Amazing. They may all be the same gender, and there will always be a part of me that yearns for a daughter, but same gender does not translate into them being the same. Their personalities are all VERY different. Leland reminds me a lot of Avery's demeanor as a baby, but with Payton's sweet personality, all with something that is completely just him mixed in. I felt it when I was pregnant with his gentle calculated movements, and I see it now when I look at him doing the same. I am so excited to watch this little boy grow up the youngest of five boys. My heart feels very happy. We are so blessed.
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