Owen Brady Tremaine

Owen's Birth Story...

After being 3-4cm, 60%effaced at my 36 week check up I assumed I would go at any minute. The next day after that appt I had 7 contrax in a row and went to L&D for observation. Came home with nothing...no baby and a little sad. The next day i lost my mucus plug...which has never happened for me before. I was thrilled and thought labor was coming that weekend. No such luck.

Made it to my next appt...37weeks and I was 5cm. My urine had a little uric acid in it and protein in it. My BP was high and they sent me to the hospital be observed. That was it...just observed...came home with nothing again...and I was VERY sad. And on top of everything I was put on home bed rest....which might sound slightly wonderful to most, but I am a mom of 3 with a house and things to do....limiting me from "doing" before my new baby arrives did not make me happy. I continued to have HBP but relaxed all weekend except for going to church on Easter and watching the kiddos hunt for eggs. It was a good weekend....my doc was on call and it would have been great but still nothing.

Because of the HBP my doc scheduled me to come back in on Monday to check it. It was high again and I had progressed to a 6...she was afraid I might not even make it home w/out going into labor!! So again, I was observed in the hospital...with the promise that if I did not go into labor on my own we would induce on Wednesday!! I went home a few hours later...no baby, but with hope for Wednesday!! We called the hospital and found out that our induction time was 5am!! Wow...early. And we live a good distance away...so that meant leaving at 4am.

We got up on Wednesday April 7th, got ready, picked up Ashlee and headed for the hospital. I had been having a few contractions on my own the evening before and had a few on the drive to the hospital. We arrived on time and the process began. Checking in, getting in my gown, and getting the IV going. I was so blessed to have two of the best coaches EVER there to support me. Joey and Ashlee were an immense help and I would not have wanted to do any of it without them BOTH....and later I found out I couldn't have done it without them. I was put on a small amount of pitocin and penicillin along with my IV bags. My nurse reminded me that it would take a good 20-30 minutes to get my epidural. I told myself I had time and started to enjoy the process. Around 7am my doc came in checked me...I was at 7cm, 70%eff but he was still up there. She broke my water and let's just say that was all it took. By my next contraction I could feel the difference. I could still handle them, but I was truly amazed at the difference in each contraction. I felt like I still had time for an epidural. But I watched my contractions go from 5 minutes apart, to 4 minutes apart and then 2 minutes apart!! I could not believe it was going that fast. Joey and Ashlee helped me get to the bathroom and I noticed it didn't hurt so bad when I was standing...which made me think I had more time. I was VERY VERY VERY wrong. I got back to my bed and decided I wanted the epidural. My wonderful nurse Colleen gave me the nasty anti-nausea and indigestion medicine to prepare me. Unfortunately I flat ran out of time. Once I realized I had to poop BAD, my nurse checked me only to discover I was complete and she could feel his head. OMG...this was not happening!! I knew I would never be able to do this without meds...in my head I really thought that she still might give me something. But as I listened to the urgency in her voice as she called for my doctor to be paged and I watched her start pulling drawers out and pulling the "spotlight" down from the ceiling, I knew I was in trouble. That is when I began rocking in the bed staring at Ashlee and saying I couldn't do it....I kept repeating that there was NO WAY I could do this without an epidural. Luckily no one in the room looked at me and said that it was too late for the epidural...the nurse just kept busy and Ashlee kept saying such incouraging words telling me that I could do it and I was doing it!! She was awesome. Joey held my hand and I felt so loved and supported...even if I didn't show it. Doctor Moser flew in the room along with 2 baby nurses, and a training EMT named Jimmy. Yes, I had another man in the room...if you had asked me prior to this birth if I would have allowed that I would have said no way jose!! But in a moment of "why the heck not" I said he could observe. And by the time he came in the room I was so oblivious that it didn't bother me a bit. I had a hard time focusing becuase I was worried about the unknown. I could only imagine what was about to happen...the tearing, ripping, burning, bleeding I was about to endure without any drugs. I've never been so scared or in so much pain in my entire life. I will admit now that I could have pushed him out in one push but I was holding back. The burning was more than I could handle. And although I made the face of a determined pusher I knew I wasn't doing everything I could. At one point I was hovering above my bed...both feet in the stirrups, Joey and Ashlee holding my legs down, but my butt was in the air!! That of course squished Owen back in and we had to wait for another contraction to do it all over again. I believe it was my 3rd set of contractions that I finally told myself that I was not getting out of this...I had no choice. He had to come out and I needed pain relief. So finally I pushed with two outcomes in mind. I was about to deliver this baby or pass out from the pain. I strongly feel I could not have gone any longer without going into shock. I just pushed...and let me be perfectly clear....I pushed all the while feeling that any minute I was going to tear everything from the front to the back. Finally his head came out and I believe that was the point that I looked up at Doctor Moser and screamed like the scene from The Excorcist...."DOCTOR MOSER PULL HIM OUT NOW!!" Again, no one yelled at me or anything..and for this I am so grateful. One more push and SWEET RELIEF!! Owen Brady Tremaine was born at 8:53am weighing 8 pounds, 12.4 ounces and was 20 and a quarter inches long. I didn't see him for the first minute of his life. I closed my eyes as soon as he came out. I was spent and did not have enough energy to open my eyes to look at him. People kept telling me how big he was and how cute he was and to look at him. I really only got a peek before they went to clean him up. They finished cleaning me up and gave him to me. It was wonderful to hold him. I was still very afraid that at any minute I would start to feel the horrible burning after effects of what just happened so I gladly accepted drugs. They gave me a motrin pill...um, no that wasn't going to cut it! Next they gave me Stadol in my IV. It made me feel loopy, extremely sleepy and unfortunately I did not feel safe holding my baby. Ashlee and Joey took turns holding him while I bobbled in and out of conciousness. It wore off about an hour later.

I cannot believe that I did it. I was able to have a baby without an epidural. Proud, empowered and yes, a little embarassed at the way I acted during delivery...but still I am so happy. Joey and Ashlee were the best coaches and I couldn't have done it without them.

About 30 minutes after he was here everyone started to arrive. Linda and Nanny came up with Aidan and Finley. They loved seeing Owen and I think they were pretty happy to see me too!! Mom, Dad, Grandma and Breslyn arrived shortly after that. B was in love with her new baby brother. She just stared at "baby." Everyone was so happy to meet baby OO!!