Walker's Birth Story

Everyone always says that Baby #2 comes REALLY fast. The unknown of giving birth is always what makes me the most anxious – not the actual birthing part, but having no clue WHEN he was going to come was just plain stressful. Funny enough, even though this was my second baby, I still wan’t sure if I was actually in labor once the contractions started coming. Last time I kind of waited too long to head to the hospital but this time Paul was in charge of making that decision for me since I was clearly not thinking straight. So here’s what happened:

Friday night (Jan 29th), one day after my due date, I started having contractions around 10PM. They were spaced out and short but pretty painful. I got little to no sleep that night. Around 4AM Paul called my sister Jessica to come over in case we had to head to the hospital. Around 6AM the contractions subsided and I was able to get about an hour of sleep before Capri woke up and then of course, I was up too. The rest of the day was chill – very minimal contractions, I took a long walk around my neighborhood, ate light, and relaxed.

Saturday night we had Jessica come spend the night just in case (& also so much easier than waking up at 4AM to drive over). Of course the moment I got into bed (around 8PM) the contractions started. I was looking forward to nice long rest since I hadn’t slept in almost 24 hours, but Baby Nº2 had other plans for me. I took a bath, which really helped ease the pain, but the moment I got into my bed the contractions got intense. They started coming closer together for longer stretches at a much more painful level. Around 10PM Paul called my doctor and told him he was making the executive decision to head to the hospital. I honestly would have waited longer but THANK GOD we didn’t wait.

The moment we got into the car shit hit the fan and it was like my labor with Capri all over again! Sitting was incredibly painful, breathing through my contractions was no longer tolerable, and I couldn’t speak or think straight. At one point Paul pulled the car over because he thought he forgot to pack my phone (LOL) and was asking me to help him find it. All I remember was screaming at him “open your fucking eyes and leave me alone!” MEN.

We pulled up to the hospital and once again left our car in the middle of nowhere to rush me inside. Because of Covid the process to get into L&D (labor and delivery) was more involved and taking way too long for someone in labor IMO. Once we were checked in they had a nurse come and see how far along I was. 4CM and moving right along. I immediately opted for the epidural since things were progressing quickly and I didn’t want to miss my opportunity. IV, blood pressure tests, Covid test, multiple cervix tests, catheter, and epidural later I was ready to go.

I do want to mention that this time my epidural was absolutely flawless. I was SO nervous because last time I had to have it twice and both times were so incredibly painful. This time around I was able to lay down, the area was numbed, and the anesthesiologist was super gentle and kind. I felt nothing and was able to be very calm. It worked right away and I couldn’t be more thankful for someone who clearly was more experienced and able to guide me through it better.

Around 11:30PM I was 8-9CM dilated and my doctor was on the way. Since the epidural kicked in I was planning to get some rest until it was time to push, which they decided would happen within an hour. I was truly shocked how fast everything was happening but also super happy! If I delivered really soon I would be able to go home within 24 hours and get back to Capri, which was a huge worry for me going into this.

Once my doctor arrived he checked my cervix multiple times and informed us that I was kind of stuck around 9CM. We were in no rush and willing to be patient, however, baby’s heartbeat started to drop. This of course stressed me out so I was trying to remain as calm as possible and just focus on breathing. My doctor was analyzing the chart (contractions and heart monitor) for what seemed like an eternity before coming over and telling us that “we need to get this baby out NOW!” I honestly didn’t even realize what he meant by this but I was ready for whatever he told me to do. I trust him fully.

Seconds later I was wheeled into the surgery room with doctors and nurses rushing all around me. This is right around the time I realized I was about to have an emergency C-section. The reality of this was shocking, scary, and so much more but things were happening too quickly and I just tried to remain calm so they could safely get my baby out. I felt the rush of liquid through my spine to numb me and within seconds they were cutting me open. While I was totally numb I could still feel the pressure, tugging, and pushing happening below my waist. It is something I will never forget.

A few minutes later Paul was brought into the room and I heard him ask if I was sedated because according to him I looked dead (I was closing my eyes to stay calm / I was so numb I felt very out of it). A moment later they got the baby out and the room was silent, all I heard was Paul’s gasp and “oh my god” and I’m pretty sure MY heart stopped. The cord was apparently wrapped around his neck and he was totally blue and not moving. After pumping his cord they managed to get him breathing again and we heard the little cry. Phew…those seconds are probably the scariest of my life, and I wasn’t even myself during all of this due to all the medication I was on.

SO much happened in such a short amount of time. I went into emergency surgery. My baby almost didn’t make it. Paul was an absolute wreck over it all. I am so grateful for my doctor and nurses that made it all happen safely and quickly.

Walker Rome Richards was born on January 31st, 2021 at 2:34AM weighing 6 pounds 14 ounces and 21″ long.