Genny Genny, You're the Girl For Me!

The birth story. People have been asking so here it goes:

It was Monday morning (June 28) and I went for my regular appointment at the OB. Chris dragged me there. Lucky for me, both of the doctors were not in so I got to see the nurse practitioner. They hooked me up to the monitor for a while to see how baby was. Baby was great and I was having very mild contractions about 10 minutes apart. I didn't really think anything of it because I have a lot of false labor at the end of my pregnancies. We left the doctor's office planning on being induced the next morning.

I spent the day doing regular stuff. I went to the grocery store, did laundry, cleaned, etc... The contractions stayed with me getting a little stronger as time passed. My mother in law went with me late in the afternoon to pick out a new dishwasher (hooray!) and by that time, the contractions were quite a bit stronger. Chris researched the dishwashers online so I knew which one to get when we got to ABC Warehouse. I was so uncomfortable by this time, I could have cared less what features it had or what color it was. We got the dishwasher loaded in the van and a good friend came and installed it for us. By this time, Chris came home and I pretty much installed myself on the couch with a Coke while he took care of everything. I could tell he was getting panicked with each passing contraction because he kept thinking of last minute things he needed to take care of before we went to the hospital like paying bills and vacuuming. I think both of us expected the contractions to just stop like they had in my previous labors. But they didn't...they just kept on coming stronger and stronger.

Finally, around 11:30 I had Chris go get Anna so we could head to the hospital. The contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and strong enough that I could not talk through them. I found the coolest app for my Blackberry that kept track of them for me. We arrived at the hospital at 12:30 and they checked me. I was at 4 cm and had a bulging bag of water. So i thought they would break my water. By 4cm, that's what all my other midwives/doctors did. But not this hospital. If you admit in the middle of the night and water is not broken, they let you labor through the night and break water when your doctor gets there in the morning. I guess the delicate genius needs his sleep. :)

So I got my epidural and I labored. It wasn't so bad. I went from a 4 to 9 in 4 and a half hours. By 5am I felt like pushing. I also felt like the epidural wasn't as strong as it should have been, which was upsetting. They paged the doctor and, since it was middle of the night, it was a fill-in doctor. She ended up being really great. I had her and a midwife on staff at the hospital and two great nurses. The doctor finally broke my water, which was full of meconium. Started pushing and I could tell that it was not going to be good. It reminded me a lot of Calvin's birth in which I pushed for 2 hours and thought I was going to die. I was really scared I was going to have to go through that again. Then, her head turned in a more favorable position and I pushed twice really hard and she was out!!

There is nothing in the world like the sweet relief of pushing a baby out.


She had three knots in her cord, which the doctor said was very unusual and that it was a miracle that she was healthy. They took her and checked her for meconium aspiration. She did not aspirate it. It took a while for them to give her to me. I am used to being handed the baby right away on my belly. She weighed 9lbs and was 21 inches long. I nursed her for a bit. She had dark brown hair and a perfect little round head. Her ears weren't smooshed at all. Her little face looked just like her daddy's.

Then they took her away to the nursery for bath and other checking. This was also very unusual for me. Usually, they do this right in the room where I am. She was gone for several hours and I was getting impatient. I took a shower and ate breakfast but I wanted to have my baby! Finally they brought her into my room.

She had lots of visitors the first day: Jodi, Anna and kids, Grammy, Trish, Uncle Jeff...










Funny story: Anna brought all the kids up to see us Tuesday afternoon. She had mine minus Christopher plus Lucy, so six total. When she went to leave, Chris walked out with her to help and a desk lady told him, in a snotty tone, that only siblings can visit new babies. He said these are the baby's siblings. She looked at Anna holding Lizzie and said, even the little one? Her too, he replied, they are all mine. Love how proud he is of his kids.

We got to go home on Thursday. I missed all my babies so much and was so relieved to be home with them again.

Tomorrow Genny will be two weeks old. Where did the time go? I feel such a weird mixture of happiness, sadness, exhaustion, overwhelmedness, joy and loneliness. My emotions are taking me for quite a roller coaster ride. It is hard to explain and I'm hoping that it will pass soon and leave me with just the joy and happiness.

So I have 7 kids now. 7. It seems like a lot but also not quite enough. I love my little Genny and feel so happy snuggling her and playing with her little fingers and toes. Being a new mom again is wonderful.

I think I just upset the wake up guy.

So what happened to me yesterday?

Yesterday I went to my normal doctor's appointment. My doctor checked my cervix and it had not changed since last week. He put me on the monitor and monitored the baby's heart for a while. Everything looked great he said. Lets have a baby today he said. Those were his exact words. He said he was sending me to the hospital to be induced. He said they would give me two pills to soften my cervix more and then start pitocin and then baby. He said the hospital can be sticklers about letting people in for induction so he wrote up an order for me on a prescription pad and said to tell them I was to be admitted for induction as soon as there was an open bed. He said this in front of Me, Chris and a nurse. The nurse hugged me and said congratulations and good luck. I asked the chance of me being sent home. He said no chance.

I was ecstatic.

We went home, got our bags, got Anna, got the kids all settled, said our goodbyes and see you soons.

We arrived at the hospital. The triage ladies were just like hostesses at a fancy restaurant. "Are you sure you belong here?" "Who sent you here?" "You aren't getting in." I started to worry. But they took me to a room and set me up on the monitor. Baby still looked great. A midwife checked my cervix. It hadn't changed. Still a 3 on outside and 1-2 on inside. Very long. Which the doctor knew when he sent me in. She left the room. She came back and said that she had consulted with the other doctor in my doctor's partnership and he was sending me home.

We asked to speak to my original doctor. He is unavailable. He went up north. He doesn't own a cell phone. A pager. He has dropped off the face of the earth.

New doctor tells me that he spoke with my original doctor and original doctor agrees I should be sent home.

I think new doctor is a liar. I don't think new doc talked to old doc at all.

Chris talks to new doctor. Chris is angry. Chris basically tells new doctor that he doesn't believe him. Chris demands to speak with original doctor. Chris is stonewalled. After much discussion during which new doctor does not listen to a word Chris is saying, finally new doctor says: "I have an office full of patients and I am hanging up now." And he hangs up. He hangs up on Chris. A professional doctor.

There's nothing we can do.

I start to cry. I get dressed. I'm pissed and sad and so upset.

They schedule me for induction on Tuesday morning at 7:45. I ask chances I could get sent home. There's still a chance.

They remind me to go to my regular doctor's appointment on Monday. In my head, I'm thinking, there's no chance and if Chris forgets about it, I'm not going. If I can feel Genny moving, I don't care what they have to say about it. What they say means nothing. They don't say what they mean. Or keep their word. They don't really care about patients. They care about insurance coverages, hospital policy and their precious schedule.

Last three labors for Jennifer Vos:

Dilated to 1-2. Unfavorable Cervix.
Induced on due date, one week over due, two weeks over due.
Induction takes a while to kick in. Takes 12-24 hours.
Finally get to a 4. Break water.
Go from 4-10 in about an hour.
Push 15 minutes.
Baby born.

My cervix isn't going to change in 4 days. What does it matter to them if they did it yesterday or Tuesday?

It mattered to me.

I've been on an emotional roller coaster for the past 3 months. To say that I am in a fragile state would be correct. I was ready. My kids were ready. The baby is ready. She is and don't even try to say for one second that she isn't or she knows best because she doesn't. My body doesn't work right at the end of pregnancy.

This doctor has met me once. I'll bet he didn't even read my history or care. I'll bet he doesn't know that I have had several big baby's with one breaking his shoulder during delivery. I'll bet he had tickets to something last night or reservations at some restaurant that he didn't want to mess up so he sent me home. Don't become an OB/GYN if you need your free time or like to have a schedule. You signed up for this.

Can I request that whatever staff doctor is on to deliver my baby so I don't have to see the other doctors? Because I really don't want either of them to deliver her now. I don't have any faith in them or their abilities. I don't think they care about me or my baby. Also, can I go somewhere else for my 6 week postpartum check up?

I'm not hard to get along with. I'm a nice person. I don't cause fights or problems when it's unwarranted. I'm not picky. I have had the same midwife care for me and deliver my last 3 children. If it weren't for an insurance change, I'd have them again. And I'd be happy.

Things could be different this time. My water could break. I could suddenly go into labor. I would LOVE that. But for now, I go Tuesday at 7:45am to be induced. But I'm not counting on it. I'm not getting my hopes up. I'm not going to take my bags into the hospital.

I'm having a really hard time smiling and saying everything is alright. Right now it just doesn't feel alright to me.

the delicate genius has a policy!

On monday, I found out that the baby was still breech. I was scheduled for a c-section on Thursday. We went on Wednesday and made all the funeral arrangements based on a three day hospital stay. We arrived at the hospital on Thursday AM to find that she had turned head down.

Here's where Jennifer goes berzerk.

My cervix was a three and long. The doctor on call (my own doc not even there. Hate hate hate docs. Miss my midiwfe) says we can try the pills to ripen the cervix but it would take a long time and that's all they'll do for a "social induction."

Ok. I have a few issues with what she said. I tried to express them but they were falling on deaf ears. Of course the delicate genius knows so much about my labor and delivery since she's experienced the last SIX I've been through. I'm not an amature. I know what happens for me.

A. I have not gone into labor on my own with last 4 babies.
B. I don't consider wanting to have this baby so I can be guaranteed to be at my fil's funeral comforting my husband and children an induction for social reasons. Its not a party I'm missing. This is our life.
C. If I go overdue and have a 9lb 9oz baby that breaks his clavicle, I'm suing someone.
D. I've been induced from a completely closed, long unfavorable cervix. It turned out fine. They just didn't want to do it.
E. Don't tell me to trust my body. My body doesn't know what the heck its doing.

Can you tell I'm upset? I am really upset. Upset no one really listened to me and my feelings and fears. Upset that I may be sitting alone in a hospital on wednesday while my family grieves without me.

My faith is waning. I'm sorry.