Benson Tye: A birth story

I never really thought that birth stories were all that great, until I was getting ready to deliver Benson. After reading a couple of other birth stories I felt like I was more prepared to go into labor. So, for posterity's sake and possibly to help someone else feel less nervous about giving birth I present Benson's birth story.

It is a bit wordy so click through if you want to hear all about it.

Benson's due date was Sept. 22, but Jason and I had been hoping that he would come earlier (we tried so many induction methods to help him along to no avail). While we were hoping he would come naturally, we scheduled an induction for Sept. 26 in case he didn't make an appearance before then.

He held out and we called the hospital at 5:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 26 to see if they had room for us to come in and start the induction process. They told us to be there by 6:30 a.m., so we got up brushed our teeth and threw the last few things in the hospital bag before driving the two minutes to the hospital.

We got there, got checked in, I donned the infamous (and hideous) hospital gown and was hooked up to an IV before 8 a.m. The nurse started me on Pictocin to help get contractions started and checked to see how dilated I was (I was at a one, FYI).We settled in to wait for Benson to make his way into the world.

Lucky for us there was a Parks and Recreation marathon going on, which kept us entertained for a couple of hours before our doctor came in to check on us. He attempted to check my dilation again, and me being the wuss I am couldn't handle it. He suggested we get an epideral started. By noon we had the epideral going and despite it taking four tries to get it in, I was so glad to have it. The doctor came back around 1 p.m. and was able to check me, only to find I was still at a one, despite having regular contractions.

The doctor continued to come in every two hours to check on me and by 8 p.m. I was finally dilated to a three. Our doctor told us that if I hadn't made any serious progress by 10 p.m. we might have to start considering a c-section. After he left, Jason and I talked about it and we felt really good about doing the c-section.

When the doctor came back at 10 p.m. I had progressed to a five, and the doctor said I was progressing right on track and that we could hold off on the c-section. Jason and were slightly disappointed because we had gotten excited about meeting this little boy! We waited up until midnight to learn what was going to happen. Finally, the nurse told us the doctor wanted to wait through the night and see how things were looking in the morning.

Jason and I both had a ridiculously unrestfull night. Jason was sleeping on a futon that was only four to five feet long (he's six foot one so it was a little short for him) and my stupid blood pressure monitor was going off every 15 minutes waking us both up. I also had to keep switching which side I was sleeping on because Benson was having attachecardia. By Saturday at 6 a.m. I had a breakdown. I told Jason I didn't think I could do this anymore and I wanted to just go ahead and do a c-section. I hadn't slept and I didn't think I was going to have the energy to push. Jason went and talked with the doctor. He checked me one more time and said I was dilated to an eight and was really close to being able to deliver. Jason and I talked again and decided that if I could get some sleep then I would have the energy to push.

I was able to sleep for a couple of hours and woke up ready to deliver this kid! We started the pushing process around 9:30 a.m. After an hour or so the doctor got out the vacuum to help try and get Benson to come down. It wasn't helping much and after every push Benson would pop back to where he was before the push. I ended up pushing for two hours before our doctor decided that it was time to get Benson out. We decided to go in for an emergency c-section. The pushing process wasn't as terrible as I imagined it would be, but I was grateful that soon this whole process would be over and I would get to meet my baby.

It was Saturday morning so they had to call in an anesthesiologist and some other people to help with the c-section. We had an awesome anesthesiologist who kept joking around and made us feel really comfortable. After getting (an awesome) epideral I was wheeled down to the OR. Jason had to wait outside while they prepped me. Once everything was ready Jason was able to come in and sit by me. I told the doctors that I really didn't want to know what was happening (I really hate blood and guts and all that comes with that.) and they got started.

A couple of minutes later I heard a grunt and Benson had (finally) arrived. He was taken to the NICU to be assessed and Jason was able to go with him and see what was going on. Benson had swallowed meconium which was causing some breathing problems and had to be officially admitted to the NICU. He was put on oxygen and an IV.

After being stitched up, I was sent to a recovery room and Jason came back from the NICU to be with me. I couldn't go down to the NICU to see Benson until I could walk (that epideral was really strong). It wasn't until 8 p.m. that I finally got to see and hold Benson. It was so amazing getting to see him for the first time. When I saw his full head of hair I instantly understood why I had, had such horrible heartburn for two thirds of my pregnancy. I couldn't believe how big he was or how he had actually fit inside me, but I did know that he was so perfect and precious.

We ended up spending a total of five days in the hospital. Benson was in the NICU Saturday through Tuesday morning. He was able to come off of his oxygen by early Monday morning and started eating so that he could come off his IV as well. We were so grateful that his recovery was quick. My recovery wasn't as quick as his, but I was grateful that we were able to come home at the same time.

He left the hospital healthy and happy and we're so glad to have him in our lives.