Our Baby's Birth

During our 38 week appointment the doctor asked us to come back either the following Tuesday or the one after in order to have a series of tests done before our baby was born. He was pretty casual about the test and seemed to think the second Tuesday was a better option for us but left it to our preference. So we prayed about whether or not we should go and we felt directed to go in on the first Tuesday. Although, I’d been having Braxton Hicks contractions for weeks, there had been no indications of labor, as confirmed by the doctor at our 38 weeks appointment.

So we went in on Tuesday morning (Sept 5th), which was 38 weeks, 6 days gestation. At the doctor’s visit, my blood pressure was elevated (140s/110s), the baby’s heartbeats were a bit lower than desired (110-120), and his movement and breathing on the ultrasound was very low as well. The doctor said that these symptoms could have multiple indications, but one was that the baby could be in distress. He did not see signs of true concern yet, but it showed that it could become concerning if we waited too much longer. So he recommended that we do an immediate C-section; we agreed, and felt peaceful about that decision even though it wasn’t our ideal preference. 

When I was brought to the OR, they found out I had eaten and said I needed to wait 2 more hours before surgery. During the two hours that we waited, they had a fetal heart rate monitor on my stomach and the baby’s heart rate began rising to a more preferable rate (120-130) but I needed to remain lying on my left side the entire time to continue monitoring. Also, my regular Braxton Hicks contractions that I’d been having started becoming painful and more regular. When the doctor returned after those two hours, he suggested that instead of a C-section we could try breaking my water and see if that would encourage labor to continue and to assess for meconium to see if the baby had been under stress.  No meconium was found. Around 7:30pm he broke my water, and by 11:20pm Felix Gordon Rehder was born!

So in one day, we went from deciding to go see the doctor, to thinking I’d need a C-section, to having a completely natural birth with an episiotomy. We’re so thankful for God’s clear hand throughout all the this. He guided us to go the hospital, and even to eat before the surgery! The nurse who worked with us throughout labor did not speak any English at all. But through body language and one or two word cues we were able to communicate without a problem. She was so dear, and we’re so thankful for her working with us during that time.

After his birth, the baby and I had skin to skin contact and he began breastfeeding without any difficulty! Then they took him away to run a series of tests. We didn’t get to see Felix for another few hours, which was very difficult for us. Around 1 am they brought him back to me to breastfeed, I asked if he could remain with me after that, but they said no - so I could get rest, but I didn’t rest at all that night. Dan had to go home at that point as well and could return in the morning. They brought Felix back to me the next morning, and Dan returned in the morning as well. Dan needed to go to a maternity office in the city to get Felix’s birth certificate, so he spent most of the day navigating the needed paperwork, including getting our marriage license translated into Romanian. While he was gone I had some visitors who helped hold Felix when I ran out of strength.

That night I was able to have Felix with me for most of the night, but the nurses took him for a few hours when I slept. It was difficult for both Dan and me to not be able to be together at night. The following day Dan came in during the morning, but needed to leave to complete the work for Felix’s birth certificate, a total of 8 hours to complete what was needed. The pediatrician told us that she was detecting jaundice in Felix and wanted him to have light therapy for 8 hours that day. That meant that he needed to sit with his skin exposed to a light with his eyes covered, for that amount of time. He ended having 10 hours the first day, and then again all throughout the night, and for another 6 hours the following day. He wouldn’t relax under the light on his own, so I held him under the light for that time so that he could be calm. The room was set at about 90 degrees the entire time he was under the light, we were all very hot by the end of it.

Finally, the third day the doctor gave the approval for us to go home because his jaundice had gone down. We were so relieved to go home, and also thankful for the thorough care that was given to both Felix and me while we were at the hospital. Since then, Felix has been doing very well at home, and we are all adjusting together.