Hanselmann Happenings: Liam's Birth Story

LIAM IS HERE!!! .... And has been for 2 months! Sorry it took me so long to post the story. We are so happy to have baby Liam with us. He brings more happiness and love into our lives than we ever thought possible. Here is the story:

On Tuesday, December 30^th, I had my 39 week doctors appointment. We had been going back and forth on the decision to induce early or not (due to the baby’s size and insurance reasons), and at this appointment we were going to figure out what to do. I was dilated to 1cm and my “cervix was favorable,” so the doctor recommended I go ahead with the induction and to stop eating by 2pm. As we were leaving, I asked the doctor if we should plan on staying the night or if we would be sent home if I wasn’t progressing quick enough. She responded with, “you will not be leaving the hospital without a baby.” That was when it hit me. I was going to have a baby SOON.

Later that evening, Christian and I showed up at the ER at 5:00pm, and by 6:30pm I was in my room in a hospital gown with an IV stuck in my hand, a blood pressure cuff on my arm, and 2 outer monitors around my belly. The doctor came in and checked me- and told me that I should expect to have a LONG night and a LONG day tomorrow. Oh good. Just what I was hoping to hear…

So they gave me the induction tablets and I waited. Thank goodness I had a TV in my room. The contractions started to come strong and fast that evening. Later in the evening around 11pm they gave me some GOOD pain medicine. It definitely dulled the pain and made me very loopy, but I was still not able to have a restful sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night/early morning they gave me another dose of pain medicine, which made me loopy all over again…Christian has a great video of it.

The next morning I was only dilated to 2cm. I still felt the contractions that were consistent and strong. By 9:00am I had the epidural. I was very nervous for this part. I had heard that the needle was big and that it was pretty uncomfortable to get a big shot in your back. It was very comforting to have an anesthesiologist who was talkative and personable through the whole epidural process. After he gave me the shot, I ached in my back and hips for just a little bit, and then tingling and numbness. It was so nice and relaxing to not feel any contractions. I literally could not feel a thing from the hips down. I was then able to take mini naps (not satisfying sleep though). I was also given a catheter so I didn’t need to use a bedpan…thank goodness.

As the morning and afternoon went on, I was progressing at the rate of a snail. From 2:00pm-4:00pm I was at 4cm. By 4:00pm my patience had worn thin. I hadn’t eaten solid food or slept soundly in over 24 hours, and was getting my hopes crushed every time the doctor or nurse checked me and said it would take a few more hours. At 6:00pm the doctor came in and told me that I was dilated to 9cm and that I should get ready to start pushing within the hour. I got really excited, and then REALLY nervous. I started shaking and my teeth were chattering with anxiety, nerves, and excitement all rolled into one. At 6:30pm the nurse came in and said we were going to get started.

At 6:46pm I started pushing. Gradually more and more nurses filed in to help. Then the doctor came in when the baby started crowning. The last 10 minutes of pushing consisted of lots of pressure and Christian, the doctor, and all the nurses telling me to push harder and to keep going. Finally, after 24 hours of labor and about 50 minutes of pushing, Liam Peter Hanselmann was born at 7:38pm on Wednesday, December 31, 2014.