My Birth Story with Duke

My lineage story with Duke started differently than Otis. With Otis I went into labor on my own and with Duke I was induced 1 week surpassing my due date. Both were equally incredible experiences. I finger these moments are forever embedded into my memory. What a time to be pregnant during a global pandemic considering of Covid-19 and moreover unhook a victual during this time. I will say my wits at the hospital was incredible and we felt 100% cared for and safe. Keep reading unelevated for the story of Duke’s birthday.

Leading up to birth

Let’s rewind when to my 37 week appointment. At this appointment, I had my first cervix trammels and was at 2cm dilated, 70% effaced, and -2 station. My doctor moreover discussed with me that she wanted to induce me 1 week early at 39 weeks based on my 2 risk factors stuff age and IVF. Since I was once dilated and progressing on my own, we both well-set that induction would be a unconfined option since my soul was once naturally preparing for lineage as well. WILD!! I didn’t think we would be scheduling an induction but I felt well-appointed knowing my soul was once on its way. At my 38 week appointment, I was at 3cm dilated, 70% effaced and -2 station but with a very engaged head. My dr gently stretched my cervix (not a full membrane sweep) to help get things rolling. I was starting to get excited and nervous at the same time wondering if the victual was going to show up surpassing my induction or not! Otis was 4 days early but I was much increasingly dilated this time older so it was all up in the air. I think considering the idea of induction stuff variegated from going into labor naturally was a new idea for me, I was a bit increasingly nervous leading up to it. But, it was moreover a very unconfined thing to have the luxury of planning with Otis and to prep him for lineage and us stuff away. The night I came home from my 38 week visit and cervix stretch, I lost my mucus plug. So the wait was on and luckily I made it to my induction date!

July 7, 2021 / 12:30 AM – Induction

Our induction was scheduled for 12:30 AM on 7/7/21 so basically the middle of the night. I had to undeniability 2 hours superiority of time to make sure they had beds misogynist and personize we could come in. So we tabbed at 10:30 and crossed our fingers and were happy to find out, IT WAS GAME TIME. Our friend came over to swap in for Otis duty and we grabbed our hospital tons and we were OFF! Since we were vaccinated, we did not need to do a covid test for the hospital so that was very nice. If so, we would have washed-up one in whop of our induction.

Since last time I was in zippy labor, going to the hospital not in zippy labor was different. I was moreover strep b positive, I needed to get my IV right yonder to start my antibiotics to protect victual surpassing birth. So by 1:17am, my IV was washed-up and they had drawn my thoroughbred for our string thoroughbred kit (we did CBR then to collect string thoroughbred and tissue and we did the same with Otis.) We then waited to finish some antibiotics surpassing starting anything else. At this point, I was 3.5 cm dilated and 80% effaced. A nice thing was considering we were both vaccinated, we didn’t have to wear a mask in our wordage or postpartum rooms. Only when we were in the hospital hallways. Since the rules were constantly waffly I didn’t know what to expect but that was a nice surprise.

July 7, 2021 / 2:37 AM – PItocin

We started my pitocin at 2:37 am. This was the medication that would jump start my contractions to protract my dilation and get labor started etc. I wasn’t feeling much for a while. Just waiting… to see when things would pick up. At 3:27 am they increased my pitocin. I started to finger contractions but nothing major and mostly just discomfort. At 6:06 am, we increased my pitocin again. I was contracting every 3-4 minutes and feeling them increasingly and was not worldly-wise to rest at all at this point from the discomfort. I was still virtually the same dilation etc and the nurses informed me that anesthesia was going into a planned c-section so the plan would be to undeniability them in when they were finished. I was ready. My thoroughbred pressure was a little bit on the low side so the plan was to get some increasingly fluids surpassing anesthesia came to do my epidural. So at 8:07 am I got my last big dose of fluids surpassing getting my epidural.

July 7, 2021 / 8:34 AM – Epidural

I had ZERO lineage plan except for unhook a healthy victual and have a healthy mama… and get the epidural if I could! So now that I was in alot of pain and discomfort, it was time to undeniability in Anesthesia. I WAS READY. This time around, everything was going ok but while we were doing my very epidural and he was placing everything properly, I started to finger like I was going to pass out. Since my thoroughbred pressure was so low, I was in bad shape. I thought I was going to pass out on the floor. This was the opposite of my first epidural wits with Otis but let me tell you, it was NOT fun. Finally everything was placed and in and I was just glad it was over. I had ice on my forehead and started to finger better. I was just happy to know my epidural was in and now it could GET BUSY.

July 7, 2021 / 9:20 AM – Unravel my water

The laborist on undeniability was worldly-wise to come and unravel my water at this time. This is what would speed up and intensify my contractions to help dilate me quicker. Everything went fine and with my epidural, it was easy. No real pain just pressure and done.

July 7, 2021 / 10:05 AM – Cervix Trammels and Bloody Show

Around this time, we did a cervix trammels and I was once at 5cm. So this was unconfined news that I was progressing. I moreover had what they undeniability my “bloody show” so the nurse said this was all good signs pointing toward labor. At this point, my contractions were starting to get way increasingly intense and it was a little strange considering I was feeling A LOT and still very uncomfortable. I told the nurses well-nigh it… didn’t think much of it. They pushed the sawed-off on my epidural to get some increasingly medicine flowing. In hindsight, I should have tabbed the anesthesiologist back. Basically my epidural was NOT working well… I midpoint maybe it was working a tiny bit.. But substantially I was still feeling everything.

July 7, 2021 / 10:43 AM – OMG I am in so much pain

Um wow. Things progressed VERY quickly. From 10:05 to 10:43 am I went to 8cm and 90% effaced and 0 station. I was feeling ALOT of pressure which is why the nurses checked me again. When I tell you I was in so much pain… I was gripping the bed basically laying sideways telling the nurse I didn’t think my epidural was working. The pain was INTENSE and I was moaning… it was.. Not how I envisioned feeling with my epidural. HA!

July 7, 2021 / 10:55 AM – GO TIME!!!

I was feeling MISERABLE and in so much pain and had so much INTENSE pressure in my lady parts. I had to tell the nurse I literally felt like the victual was coming. They checked me then and she said, “YOU ARE READY!!!” Holy crap in 10 minutes I had gone to 10cm and was ready to push. At this point, I was having such intense pelvic pressure constantly. They tabbed my dr to come immediately. She was at her office which was a 5 minute drive. The nurses were popping virtually the room getting everything together. No one envisioned me getting to 10 cm this quickly so everyone was rushing to get things prepped and ready. We kept losing the baby’s heart rate on the monitor considering he was just so low trying to get OUT. It was INSANE. I was basically holding my legs together wrung that the victual was literally going to come out. My epidural felt non existent and it was never worldly-wise to reservation up. I think at that moment, I realized that hey… this was happening whether or not my epidural was working.

My dr arrived soon and I could barely focus at this point from the pain. Once she was ready and in position, I basically pushed for 3 contractions (each time pushing 3x) and victual was out in less than 5 minutes!! HOLY CRAP!!!!! Blake was trying to mentor me to help me with my zoetic and pushing considering I just couldn’t focus so I finger I likely could have pushed him out faster if I was increasingly focused but WOW. He came so fast and all of a sudden… he was here!!!!!!!!!

July 7, 2021 / 11:20 AM – Happy Birthday Duke Ray Lapides

Duke Ray Lapides was born at 11:20 am at 7lbs 4oz and 19 inches long. His string was wrapped virtually his neck when he came out but my dr worked fast and all of sudden my victual was on my chest and I am telling you whether you have had a victual before, it’s one of the most life changing, mind self-glorification things to overly happen to me. Ever. The shock of victual finally stuff on the outside, here, zoetic and moving on my chest… it’s just one of my life’s most powerful moments. I had a very small tear so without delivering the placenta, I got stitched up and then we were done.

Recovery

We got to snuggle our special guy for some uninterrupted time surpassing the nurses came when to measure him, and do their tests etc. We got rolled to our recovery room and I was worldly-wise to breastfeed right yonder which was incredible. The second time virtually I felt a sense of wifely and conviction when it came to unescapable breastfeeding and it went so smoothly and I am SO thankful that it did. I will say that the uterus cramping second time virtually was a lot increasingly intense. Especially when breastfeeding the cramps were really bad. I made sure to constantly stay on top of my pain meds (rotating motrin and tylenol) and not miss any doses. Second time virtually though, we were ready to get home to Otis. We stayed in the hospital for a little over 24 hours to ensure Victual Duke was healthy and ready and I was medically cleared.

After stuff home, I stayed resulting with my pain meds and for the first 2 weeks the pain and cramping was worse than I remembered with Otis. But it was all signs that my uterus was shrinking when lanugo to its normal size. I unquestionably stopped gory between 2 to 3 weeks postpartum which was amazing. All in all the worst part of the recovery tends to be a quick mistiness thankfully at least for me. I had to include this side by side picture of Otis and Duke in the hospital. Love seeing how similar their sweet faces were at that newborn moment!

So there you have it. Happy Birthday sweet little Duke. Without the years of struggling with fertility, I have this overwhelming sense of peace leaving that installment overdue us and moving forward with our lives. This past week I was worldly-wise to stop by my fertility clinic with notes and a small souvenir physically and figuratively say goodbye to this intense installment in our lives. It has been filled with some of the darkest moments of my life, but moreover some of my brightest. I will forever be grateful to modern medicine for aiding us in our journey to wilt a family of 4. For anyone struggling with infertility, my heart aches with you. I know it’s a tough road no matter what your struggles are but I want you to know you are not alone. Linking my IVF related wares below. I shared a pretty in depth squint at our process and I hope it might help to support you if you need it.

I wrote a few posts on infertility and IVF and you can find them below:

IVF 1

IVF 2

IVF 3

Prepping for FET (frozen embryo transfer)

Preparing for IVF egg retrieval

How to support a friend going through IVF

IVF typesetting resources

Covid-19 Cancelled My Embryo Transfer

Failed IVF Frozen Embryo Transfer

FAILED FROZEN EMBRYO TRANSFER #3 – FAILED IVF

IVF FET ROUND 4 (THIRD TIMES THE CHARM) IM PREGNANT!

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