Baylor’s birth story: a COVID-19 delivery
The beginning of lockdown
April 2020
Baylor and I were almost birthday twins. For my birthday this year, I am sharing Baylor’s birth story. He has been the greatest belated birthday gift I have every received I cannot even fathom that my baby boy is going to be one in just a few days.
As I had mentioned in a previous post, the conditions and protocols of the hospital were much different than a typical labor and delivery when my baby boy Baylor was born in April of 2020. See this blog post if you want to read more about what to expect for a COVID labor and delivery experience.
The start of it all
I started having super mild contractions - like period cramps - on Sunday morning around 8:00 am. It was 9 days before my due date and I started trying anything to get the baby ready for eviction the days and weeks prior.
On Saturday the 25th, I was incessantly bouncing on the yoga ball while binging a season of America’s Next Top Model. Matt and I would take long walks around the neighborhood or go to the park near our house to try to “walk him out” like everyone tells you to do. I was drinking raspberry leaf tea 1-2 times per day starting around 8 months as well as taking evening primrose oil at night. These were all things I was told would help kick the little guy out. I think they helped, but who really knows?
Back to Sunday morning - April 26th -
My contractions started to get closer and more painful, nothing crazy, just like intense period cramps. I used the contraction timer app to help me keep track of the frequency and length of each one. I thought it was going to be a piece of cake based on how I was timing the contractions and how at that time they didn’t feel that bad at all. Turns out, those were not the real thing that would later help me progress. I was so naive, you guys.
I decided to call my team at school and tell them to have my sub fill in for Monday’s class. I was planning on going to the hospital that evening if I progressed.
I had no idea what I was supposed to be feeling. I was just told to follow the 5-1-1 rule: if your having contractions every 5 minutes lasting 1 minute for 1 hour then head to the hospital. Well, I would get to this point and think they were consistent and start to freak out. Then, out of nowhere, they would fall back to every 11-12 minutes or 7-8 minutes in between. By that evening I thought they were consistent enough, right at 5-6 minutes, so we headed to the hospital to be safe.
My worst fear was being sent home from the hospital. Turns out that is exactly what would happen Sunday evening. I was so embarrassed and ashamed I went down there prematurely. The triage nurse made me feel like an idiot and could tell I was having my first baby. I was so disappointed. I know she was thinking to herself, “Silly girl, just you wait!”
And wait I did. And wait. And wait.
That night I maybe slept 30 minutes total. I took 3 baths to try to ease the pain. It was difficult for me to lay down, walk around or really do anything in the house. Matt stayed up with me as long as I could but I urged him to sleep knowing I would need him later. I made it through the night and called my OBGYN’s office as soon as they opened sobbing. My cervix needed to be checked before I went back to the hospital to be humiliated again. After a hectic and sleepless night, my contractions started to subside and slowly disappear on my way to the OB office. I was growing more frustrated, not understanding why my body was not staying consistent.
When I got to my appointment that Monday morning it turned out I progressed to 3 cm overnight. Thankfully, this nurse was way more understanding and gentle with my fragile, hormonal state of mind and body. I was so relieved all of that wasn’t for nothing. I continued to have more painful and more frequent contractions again until that evening around 4 pm - exactly 24 hours after we checked in the first time. I decided I had waited long enough.
Of course, as we pulled into the parking lot, my contractions seemed to start spacing out again and I was panicking they would send me home again. The thought of that terrified me. Luckily, they kept me in triage for high blood pressure anyways and I progressed to 5 cm. They admitted me to labor and delivery. The nurses on this shift were angels sent from heaven. Thank God.
I got my epidural around 9 pm and was able to finally sleep. I was in HEAVEN. I could not recommend an epidural more. I was calm and able to relax a little bit. While I was sleeping, around 1 or 2 AM we had a tad bit of a scare. I had an extremely long contraction and the baby’s heart rate kept dropping pretty rapidly - 140 bpm….130….120.. and it wasn’t stopping. I was so out of it and drugged up I was not very fazed but I remember Matt couldn’t keep his eyes off the monitor from that point on.
Baby was okay. I was okay. They just continued to flip me back and forth using the peanut ball for support. Before morning, the epidural ended up wearing off 3 times. By the third time I wasn’t numb anymore and it was time to push. And BOY was I ready once I was able to feel everything. I’ll spare you all of those yummy details!
Baby boy Baylor was born at 9:15 am that Tuesday morning at 7 lbs 15 oz. I remember feeling like they placed a bag of warm bones on my chest. It did not feel like a body. It felt like nothing I had ever experienced. It was so odd, honestly and not the sensation I expected to feel at all. Nevertheless, I was so excited and equally exhausted. I couldn’t wait to see his precious face. I had been dreaming about what he’d look like for months now.
If you know me personally, you know I am a hypersensitive human being… okay… a cry baby, if you will. I cry all the time. Dare I say every few days? I’ve learned to be fine with it and embrace it in my adult life. For some crazy reason, after sobbing all through my labor, I didn’t shed a single tear once he was finally out and we were skin to skin for that first hour. I was too shocked and trying process what had just happened to even think about crying. I definitely had my share of tears the hours, days and months after, but I really could not believe it. I mean, I cry watching pretty much every American Idol episode. I’ll chalk it up to being stunned and having literally no tears left in my body. *Alexa, play Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left to Cry”
Happy Birthday, BB!
Baylor William made it earth side exactly a week before his due date - April 28, 2020 and he was nothing short of perfection! Matt took this photo less than a minute after he came out. It was a day to remember: an incredible, terrifying, life-changing experience I will cherish forever! I love you, B. You will always be my baby boy.
Love you always,
Mom