Friday 15 June 2012

A Baby Story


“Chloe Seguin”
Proud Parents: Cody and Keven Seguin
Birth at Grand River Hospital - Saturday June 11th 2011 10:22pm
Written by attending Doula - Lindsay Cooper

Waiting to head to the hospital
        It was a grey and overcast Saturday morning, I woke up to the sound of my phone at 6:40am. It was Cody was letting me know that she had contractions wake her up, and that these were different; more lower down in the abdomen than the previous pre-labour contractions she had been having the past few days. I told her that the only way we could tell if this was true labour was to time them so we could see if they were consistent. They were a bit sporadic so I told her to get some more rest and let me know when things progressed a bit more. I had a feeling in my gut that this was going to be “the day” so I took a nap. I woke up a second time to the sound of my phone with Cody reporting that the contractions were stronger, and coming about 4 minutes apart. I told her to call her midwife. She did and was told to meet their midwife at the clinic. The midwife checked the progress and Cody was 4cm dilated. The midwife sent them home with instructions to return again in approx. 1 hour, and if she was 5cm then they could admit her to the hospital. I met with the couple at their house. They had made plans with a close friend that day for a visit so I met Josh when I walked in the door. There was excitement in the air. Everyone seemed very calm and excited at the same time. The men were wolfing down sandwiches to prepare for the long haul. Mom was rocking on a birthing ball, drinking ice tea, and starting to notify close family members of her labour status on her cell phone.

We went back to the midwife’s office only to be immediately directed across the street to be admitted to Grand River Hospital. The midwife wasn’t there at the time, she was on her way to meet us at the hospital. We had Nasrin, Cody’s secondary midwife her primary midwife, Min, was off this weekend. The couple were admitted quickly and we settled into our small private room at approximately 1:00pm. Cody was great at handling the contractions all morning, she preferred to be sitting or laying when they were happening and was very positive and relaxed in between. Nasrin walked us through protocols, procedures and told Cody to rest as much as possible because the contractions were still quite spaced out and we wanted mom to rest as much as possible to keep up her strength for later. Soon she would be allowed to go into the tub and move around when things picked up more and she was more uncomfortable. 

Cody’s labour was progressing at great speed! She was close to 6cm dilated just under 2 hours of being at the hospital. Kevin and I did as much as we could. We were mainly focused on coaching Cody on her breathing. Cody preferred to have some space and little distractions so we tried to keep the room as quiet and provide only the physical contact that was needed, hand holding, water fetching etc. Cody was so kind and positive in between contractions like nothing ever happened, constantly making sure we were all OK. We could tell that they were getting harder on her, she would tense up and started to be a little more vocal with each contraction. It became clear that she wasn’t comfortable in the hospital bed anymore. 


Breathing through a contraction
usting the heat of the water, holding her hand through contractions and getting her water or chap-stick when needed. She often had her eyes closed and just laid there peacefully in between contractions. As I sat there I just stared at her beauty. She was a true birthing Goddess in my eyes. In between each 20 minute session of jets on the tub, the midwife would come in with her hand held fetal monitor to check the heart rate of the baby. Each time Nasrin would say that the heart rate was great and the baby was very happy. The jets would go back on and we’d monitor the intensity and feel of contractions from time to time. After 3-4 sessions of 20 minutes of jets, Cody starting to feel a bit “pushy” with a lot of pressure on her bottom. She decided quite suddenly that she wanted out of the tub at around 4:20pm. We got her out, had her go to the washroom and got mom dried up and back in bed for another exam to check the progress. Things were going so great in the tub that we all expected things to keep continuing at the same pace but Cody was only 7cm. 

The awesomeness that is Josh
Once Cody was out of the tub it was obvious that she had lost her rhythm and she was having trouble staying on top of the contractions. Dad and I looked on as the Midwife was explaining that a rupture of the membranes would help pick things up some more so that the contractions would be more effective. We held her hand and spoke with her for a few moments, We said we were there for her no matter what, we had gone over the risks and benefits and Cody decided to go ahead with the procedure. Cody liked it when I put my cool hands on her forehead and neck, after being in the tub she was quite warm. Kevin seemed quite composed during the entire labour, he respected her need for space, was constantly by her side providing words of affirmation which was so sweet to hear, and gave her soft kisses on her head. Josh was there for the entire day. Sometimes we needed him to leave the room while Cody was exposed but he took everything in stride and waited patiently outside the room with a smile that came easily and calmness that radiated from him.

Cody worked through another hour of hard labour, the midwife was providing some massage on her lower back while we helped mom focus on her breathing. This was a very quiet hour. Cody was doing amazing. She was able to rest and snooze a bit in between contractions. Things picked up quickly again. One thing we had noticed was that baby Chloe was a very active and happy baby in moms belly. She like to move around, a lot! She would move in between contractions and cause mom a lot of pain. Cody would finally get over a contraction and then Chloe prevented her from resting in between and would spur on more contractions. Chloe was sitting up high still and pushing into moms ribs made it hard for Cody to take the deep breaths she needed. Around 5:30pm after another exam Cody seemed to have stalled a bit in her labour, with no progress still at 7cm. The contractions had become on top of each other with very little rest in between with Chloe's movements, the pain causing Cody to throwing up the sandwich she had ate earlier in the day. Finally, after a time, Cody calmly stated in between contractions that she needed a rest and wanted an epidural. Nasrin explained the risks and benefits. In this particular situation it would provide mom with rest in between contractions to help reserve her strength for pushing later. It would also allow mom to relax her muscles better and breath more oxygen to Chloe. With Chloe sitting high up, we wanted more effective contractions to get her lower in the pelvis to be ready for pushing. 

The hospital staff came in and did the necessary exams and forms needed prior to the administering of the epidural. Along with the epidural the staff was going to administer a very small amount of pitocen to help get those contractions effective at pushing Chloe down farther in the pelvis.  Kevin and I were asked to leave the room when the epidural went in. Kevin and I were very tense, things were getting very intense and I could tell Kevin was scared. Like mom, dad needed his space when I tried to check in with how he was doing emotionally. We tried to talk about light-hearted topics while we waited to keep our minds off of what was going on in the room. All of a sudden we heard a loud “BANG” and a sharp intake of breath by all the staff. Kevin and I nearly jumped out of our skin. Our hearts were in our throats. It sounded like Cody fell off the bed or something. Then we heard laughter, Kevin and I looked at each other and said everything must be okay if someone was laughing. Boy did they give us a heart attack out there.  At approx. 7:00pm we were allowed back in and as Nasrin let us in, she explained that the loud bang was them lowering the bed and all of a sudden the bed hydraulics gave out and dropped, startling the staff. Thankfully the midwife and techs caught her before she fell off! Everything was fine, we all had a good laugh. It helped to break all the tension. I rushed to Cody's side. I asked her how she was doing. She replied she was good and her butt was “tingly”. I laughed, It was nice to see mom back to her old self again. A complete flip in personality, she was talking, telling stories, calling family and updating them on her progress. Seeing mom happy again helped put Dad and I at ease. I could tell Cody was initially disappointed that she wasn’t able to do a natural birth but she quickly realized that it was the best choice for her at the time and she was prepared that things wouldn’t necessary go the way she planned. The happy couple had a lot of supportive friends and family so we had the next hour to relax and take visitors in 1-2 at a time to say hello. They had close college friend Josh, parents of Kevin; Fran & Brian, Cody’s co-worker Crystal, and friend Meghan. Cody’s dad and step mom were en route to the hospital.

At 8:00pm after all the visitors had a chance to wish the couple good luck the hospital staff came in again. There was such a cute conversation started about birds, nesting and eggs between the staff members and Cody. The staff was excellent, they were very kind and informative. The O.B. did another exam and announced that Cody was 9.5cm dilated! There was just a small lip of the cervix in the way but the baby was nice and low, the head was in a great position, face down. This helped reassure mom that she made the right decision and excitement kicked into high gear; to think we’d get to meet baby Chloe very shortly! The Dr. said one more hour and it would be time to push.

This hour was just nice quiet conversation between Kevin, Cody and myself. We had a nurse the whole time Cody was in bed after the epidural. Her name was Sarah, she was nice and would answer any questions we had regarding the epidural effects and what to expect with the pushing stage. At 9:30pm, Sarah said it was time to push, we got the bed ready, the stirrups and equipment was all ready to go.  I was holding Cody’s right leg up to her chest and Kevin was helping Cody’s head and shoulder to keep her chin to her chest. Cody was to hold her breath and push for a count of 10, exhale and take another deep breath in and repeat 2 more times. We did 2 sessions of pushing when we heard that Craig and Susan (dad and step mom of Cody) made it to the hospital just in time. Cody insisted she needed to see her dad before Chloe came out, so we stopped the pushing, put moms legs back down and covered her up. Craig and Susan had a quick visit and once they left we got right back to it. We only did one session of pushing and I could see the top of the baby’s head. I told mom and dad and asked Cody if she wanted the mirror. She did. We got that rearranged, the rest of the hospital staff came in and we pushed some more. Mom was a champion when it came to pushing, she only pushed for about 20min. Each time the head was more and more visible. It was happening so fast! Cody reached down to touch the head and started tearing up. It was amazing to see the look on mom and dads face. They were glued to that mirror the whole time. 

10:22pm was the official time that Chloe made her debut into the world. Many tears were had by mom and dad. She cried right from the get go so we placed her up on moms chest for some skin to skin. She was a nice size, nice and pink with brown hair. She had a bit of fluid in her lungs and Cody was bleeding a bit so the cord needed to be cut and clamped soon. After dad cut the cord Nasrin took her to be cleaned up, measured, weighed and suctioned. I was acting as paparazzi snapping all the pictures I could. There was a special moment where Chloe held dads finger in her hand. She was very vocal and alert all night. Big, bright, blue eyes taking in everything.

Chloe weighed in at 8lbs 11.6oz. She was 20.5cm. She was a big girl! We were all guessing 8lbs 2oz. She had a bit of damp lung which is fairly normal and would clear up within 24hr. Since Cody had the epidural she needed to stay at the hospital for 8-10 hours. So it looked like they would get to spend the night. I took pictures of all the guests holding the newest member of the family and proud parents Cody and Kevin. I packed up all my things, congratulated and gushed over their beautiful girl, said my goodbyes, and took one final picture of me with the parents and Chloe.

It was by far one of the most exciting and interesting days of my life. I know that whatever I write will fail to capture the perfect joy that these people expressed when they met Chloe for the first time. I felt truly honored to be able to be a part of such a sacred moment between Cody and Kevin. Thank you so much for this opportunity and congratulations on your beautiful, perfect daughter.
Welcome Chloe-Lee



Oh What A Year...

For me?!
Chloe-Lee hit the big O-N-E this past Monday (for her birth story, click here). We came into St. Catharines on Friday and Friday night Chloe, Kevin, Dad, Sue, Aunt JoAnne, Aunt Lori and I all went to Kimonos in Welland and had an excellent time. Even the staff got into the swing of things, signing one of Chloe's birthday cards in Chinese. Seeing Chloe's name in a different language is awesome. Chloe got her first taste of birthday cake and proceed to share it with the floor, table and I'm pretty sure the couple sitting behind us. At one point she even pushed her face into the cake which was hilarious!

Saturday Kevin and I got to attend the beautiful wedding of our good friend Pat and his lovely bride, Hollie-Rose. Chloe spent the afternoon with Grandma and Papa Raimondo then spent the evening with Grammy and Papa Cameron. It was a nice day but I sure missed Chloe. We went to a mall to kill some time (getting to the church 2 hours really requires time-killing) and there were babies EVERYWHERE :p



Best feeling EVER
Sunday we had a bigger party at my parents place. The week previously I had decided to build Chloe a birthday tutu, make ti-colored pennants and hand make the party favors; personal pinatas. I don't think I realized just how much I had bitten off but thankfully my fantastic Aunt Dana (along with Kev) cut out all the pennants and Margie, the absolute ANGEL that she is, pieced together the tutu while I made Chloe's Birthday cake and cupcakes (which Margie also helped decorate till past 2am!). Chloe spend a good portion of her birthday in the pool, wee waterbaby that she is and even tuckered herself out enough to fall asleep in my arms while we floated and nursed in a waterchair. It occurred to me while Chloe and I were just floating/nursing that a year ago I couldn't see to her first birthday, I was so in awe of just her having been there, in that moment of time and I'll tell ya, it was the best part of her whole birthday, just the two of us floating along. 

Mine! All mine!!!
Monday we headed to Kitchener for Chloe's last Roots of Empathy class. I am so, so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to be apart of such a fantastic program. I highly encourage anyone to look into if it's in their community if they have wee'un. What a blessing. The children had put together speeches, an insanely difficult scavenger hunt with a dang near impossible secret code called PigPen, gave letters, a ROE Teacher shirt for Chloe and a whole bunch of letters and drawings. My aim is to make a scrapbook for Chloe, to show her just how loved she was by these kids. Unfortunately we weren't able to get any visiting in with our friends in Kitchener. I'm hoping to fix that the next time I swing up there.

On a more serious note, Chloe started Prednisone today. She's on a high dose (20ml x2 day) and so far so good. She has to take it in conjunction with the Sabril. It kills me that my baby has had to be so deeply medicated so early in life but I also acknowledge the necessity of the meds. We have another EEG and consult arranged in 3 weeks and Lord willing we will see a vast improvement in Chloe's EEG. 

Please, for my friends who pray, we ask that you would pray that God would heal Chloe from these spasms and that her brain would be fine and untouched. Also, that Chloe would be spared any of the side effects from the Sabril and Prednisone.

Sunday 3 June 2012

Movin' Right Along

So it has been just over a month since Chloe has been given the diagnosis of Infantile Spasms and as all things time just moves along. Chloe is still on Sabril but we've seemed to have hit a wall of sorts. She's still having the spasms but some days they're nothing more then a chin quiver and some days they're full body ones. Sporadically we get a day with out a single one but those are few and far between. Chloe's doctor at CHEO (Dr Sell) is having us monitor Chloe for another week before he makes his decision regarding putting her on Prednisone. I've been doing some reading and I'm still pretty unsure as to where I stand on this. A lot of pages are saying that though Prednisone is a intense drug, it is incredibly effective. It also has a lot of tense side effects. 

I guess I'm just rambling at this point. 

No use getting worries till the doctor tells us what's the what so... SWITCHING TOPICS...

Such a proud Pépère
Chloe has had an interesting month. On May 20th she got to meet her Pépère Dan (Kevin's dad) for the first time. We only had a day so we drove up to Sudbury to see Dan and sadly had to drive back home the following afternoon but it was so worth it. We're planning on having a Meet Chloe BBQ for Kevin's family sometime in August or July. It'll be nice to see everyone again!

Tickets, Tickets please...
On May 18th we found out that Chloe's Opa (my father) Craig had suffered another massive heart attack so on May 22nd Chloe and I hopped a VIA Rail train and traveled to St. Catharines to see him. Thankfully he is back home and resting after having another stent procedure. The bright side to this was that Chloe and I got to come up a few days earlier then we had planned which meant we got in lots of visits with Grammy, Papa, Grandma and Papa Raimondo, Oma & Opa and even Aunties Margie and Lindsay. 

We also got to visit a few friends who we normally miss when we're in town. Chloe got to meet her great, great Uncle Louis and Aunt Roxy which was great, she spent quite a few days just lazin' about poolside and even took her first trip to Niagara Falls. All in all I'd say she had a nice visit.

Surprise visits are always fun!

Next up is Chloe's first birthday... Stayed tuned <3