Snow Mae Relitz: A Birth Story
A few days before the Labor Day weekend I was having trouble sleeping through the night due to some seriously itchy skin. I thought it was strange because I had read about itching on the belly due to skin stretching, but I was itchy everywhere else. I was so itchy I would lie awake for hours at night with my skin just crawling. My legs, arms, hand and feet were all just so itchy. I was becoming really irritated and could not figure out what was wrong with me. Spencer suggested I call the DR's office and tell them what was going on and to find out what kind of medication I could take to help. I insisted it wasn't that big of a problem and refused to call. Upon examining my skin I had no rash, bites, or irritations, so I was confused. Eventually I gave in and figured at least I could find out if I could take Benadryl or something to help stop the itching.
Once I called the DR they said I could take Benedryl and that they wanted me to come in for a blood test. I went in to have my blood drawn and did not think too much of it. Spencer asked me later if I was worried about the blood test and I said If there was a problem the Dr would call.
Later, at about 5:00pm I got a call from the DR saying they took 2 blood samples for 2 tests; one test showed I had elevated liver enzymes and the other test would show if I had Cholestasis of Pregnancy. The Dr explained that blood test to confirm my diagnosis would take around 4-5 days and it was already after 5pm on a friday of a holiday weekend so the lab would be closed. She explained how serious Cholestasis can be for a baby and asked if Spencer and I could come into the Hospital Saturday morning so she could run another blood test to see if my liver enzymes rose. She said elevated liver enzymes are an indicator of Cholestasis. She said to bring our hospital bags with us because might be saying to have a baby!
That night we felt a little panicked because our baby girl might be coming sooner than we had planned. WE cleaned the house, called our families and got our hospital bag ready to go.
Saturday morning we went into the hospital and had my blood tested again. I received an ultrasound to check on baby and They hooked me up to a fetal monitor to make sure everything was looking good. The baby had a strong heart beat and plenty of amniotic fluid, so the only worry was my Cholestasis. The Dr told us she could not 100% confirm a diagnosis but she was pretty confident I had Cholestasis and that delivering the baby early would be the best thing. We discussed it and decided any chance of harm on the baby was just too much of a risk to take so we were admitted for an induction!
Saturday night the Dr gave me a medication called Cervidel which was inserted inside and would help my cervix to dilate. This medication however made the heart rate of baby too fast so she had to remove the medication. Then I was given an oral pill called Cidoteq which essentially did the same thing. This pill was causing me to have serious contractions which were too close together. The Dr said my body was too sensitive to these types of medications and she would start me on Pitocin( a drug that induces labor) in the morning. I had to be given some pain medication to help me sleep because the contractions were quite painful.
The next day(Sunday) the hospital was very busy with women having babies the Dr did not get my Pitocin started until later in the afternoon. The medicine was making me contract, but I was only dilated to a 2! I was on Pitocin until about 11:00Pm when the Dr decided to give my body a rest and start again in the morning. She gave me the option to continue the Pitocin all through the night but I did not want to go into Labor in the middle of the night.
Monday morning the Dr came in early like she had promised, 8:30Am, and got the Pitocin started again and inserted a balloon device to help my body dilate. The Pitocin was making my contractions come pretty hard and fast. By about 3:00PM I was in tears and barely able to speak through my contractions. I begged my nurse for my epidural and she gave in even though I was only dilated to a 3. The anesthesiologist came and I instantly felt 1million times better. I was able to take a little nap. However, after a few hours the pain started to come back really quickly. I was a having a lot of back labor. We had to call the Anesthesiologist back to the hospital to give me some more medication. He had to come back 2 times to give me more medicine because it kept wearing off.
Finally at around 2:00AM I told the nurse I felt like I wanted to push. The contractions were almost unbearable. The only thing that helped with the pain was to push. I was exhausted from the pains of labor and now the DR was telling me I had to be the strongest now and give it my all. I had thrown up multiple times that day and just had no more energy. The DR told me her head was close to coming out and at that moment I gave up! I told the DR it was too hard for me and I couldn't do it anymore. I begged her to just cut me open. She looked at me and told me I was a strong woman and although it was hard I would be able to see my little girl very soon. She was amazing! I had my Husband on one side of me and my best friend Heidi on the other through this whole process! The room felt like a million degrees and the exhaustion is almost indescribable. Finally at 6:10am she was born! The pain was instantly gone and I was overcome with JOY, I am a MOM! Spencer was beaming and then he asked me what we should call her. I said she didn't look like an Elizabeth ( the name we were highly considering) and I just knew, Snow Mae, It was perfect!
