Emily South, an instructor and fellow yogi, shares the story of the birth of Baby Q. Her story is one of unexpected twists and turns, and finding peace in the face of fear and uncertainty. We hope it inspires you as much as Emily inspires us!
"I went into labor on Tuesday, January 25, 2011. I remember the exact date because I had concert tickets for a Girl Talk show I was supposed to have attended with
my husband later that evening. I also
remember the date so well because it was 8 weeks before I was due to
deliver.
I was having routine checkups every two weeks at this point
and scheduled this one early in the afternoon to give me time to sneak home
from work early to get ready for our date.
The day prior I had been pretty uncomfortable with tightness in my belly
but nothing painful. I suspected I was
having Braxton hicks and wrote it off.
Maybe it was my mother’s intuition but just as we were about to wrap up
this brief visit I mentioned the discomfort from the day prior. The Dr. suggested we check things out just to
be safe and I about sat straight up when he informed me I was between 1-2
centimeters dilated.
This was surprising to me, my husband and my doctor because
up until that point I had been having a textbook “perfect” pregnancy. Outside of morning sickness in the first
trimester I was healthy as a horse, feeling great and right on track with my
weight gain and development of our baby.
I was taking prenatal yoga classes four times a week and had been for
months at this point.
What happened next was a bit of a whirlwind but he performed
a fetal fibronectin test, which is a swab that detects if any fibronectin fluid
is leaking. If it is, chances are you
will be delivering your baby within two weeks.
With a little HazMat bag in hand that carried my swab I walked down to
labor and delivery taking a moment to call my husband and tell him he might
want to head to the hospital instead of home from work.
After being admitted and getting the test results back as
positive I was hooked up to fetal monitors to watch the progression of my contractions
and try to stop them. I still remember
how strange it was that I couldn’t really notice my contractions. I had always
thought they would be swift and painful enough to at least catch my breath but
they were neither. The first medication
they gave me did nothing but the second worked.
I can’t remember the name of this pill but you can only take it for 48
hours. While we started the
dosing of the drug I had my first of two steroid shots to help our daughter’s
lungs develop. The Dr. on call also
performed an emergency amniocentesis to rule out infection as a possible reason
for the early labor.
As you can probably imagine, my husband and I were a bit
freaked out at this point. I had no bag
packed so he haphazardly threw some items together. Thankfully he thought to bring a copy of my
favorite movie, Almost Famous, to watch during the amnio to take my mind off the
procedure. All of the tests they ran
showed that there was no explanation for the early onset of my labor and the
baby was fine.
This news was reassuring but frustrating. I was placed on bed rest and spent the next 5
days in the hospital; two on the medication to stop my contractions and two off
so they could monitor me. The plan
was for me to spend the rest of my pregnancy resting at home with the hopes I
would make it to 36 weeks and if I did I could resume normal activity. I barely made it to 33 weeks.
I was sent home on a Saturday afternoon and had a stress
test and follow up visit that Monday. I
was upset and on edge the entire day because the baby’s movement had slowed
significantly. I was terrified. We could not get her to move or respond
during the stress test and ultrasound – her vitals were perfectly fine. I think no one wanted to tell me but she was
resting up for the big show.
Later that night my contractions kicked into full gear and
there was no question that this was it.
I still tried to make it stop by getting into the bathtub (because you
know, the movie Knocked Up is a really reliable source of pregnancy and
delivery information.) My poor
husband came home to find me in the tub an hour later with my contractions
about 5 minutes apart. I remember
getting out of the bath to call the hospital and just laying on the floor in
child’s pose butt naked! The nurse on
the phone remarked how calm I was for it being my first baby and so early. It was because I was in this pose the entire time I was on the phone
concentrating on my breathing.
My breathing is what got me through the next 24 hours. I was readmitted to the hospital and despite
being told I would be allowed to go into labor if it happened again, two more
attempts were taken to try to keep her in for at least one more week. I was immediately given an IV and hooked up to
monitors. I was also given an injection
of terbutaline. This lovely drug made me
shake uncontrollably and get extremely warm.
It did nothing. The next step was
the highest dose of magnesium sulfate. I
had about 30 minutes between drugs where I was cathed and hooked up to more
monitors. I would not move off my back
for a very long time. I spent the night
on magnesium which feels like the worst flu you have ever had. I was also
laboring the entire time with no medication.
I repeat, my yoga breath is the only thing that got me through
this. By 7 a.m. it was clear this kiddo
was coming no matter what we did. I had
reached 5 centimeters at this point and after allowing the other drugs time to
filter through my system. I requested my epidural.
I was exhausted and I knew that I needed to sleep if I was
going to push this impatient creature into the world. I did not deliver her until after 9pm on
Tuesday February 1, putting my labor past the 24-hour mark. I do not share all these details to scare
anyone but to emphasize the miracle of the last part of this story. When it came time to push I only had to for
30 minutes. After everything my body had
been through and how tired I was, I was strong enough and focused enough on
using my breath to get that tiny little 5 lb baby out in a few pushes.
And she was perfect and healthy in everyway. The next week was trying as she spent it in
the NICU under observation and I was sent home after two days. I relied heavily on my yoga family that was
checking in on us and the inner strength I found through my personal practice in
the months prior. I know in my heart
that she was so healthy and I recovered so quickly because of my prenatal
practice. Together we were both strong
and able to handle a very difficult situation.
If and when I conceive again I know without a doubt that I will practice
yoga as long as I am able and recommend it to anyone I know who is expecting. "
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