Ryan Wayne Hoyos: The Start of a Great Adventure, DAY 1

I'm not sure when I'll have time to write this, so for the next few days I'll try to get everything down that I can, in between recovering from Ryan's delivery and visiting him in the NICU. I know people have lots of questions, so here's everything that's happening on our adventure with our sweet, baby boy.

DAY 1: August 23rd, 2010

Sunday night at 11:15 Brenton and I were just getting into bed when I felt a little seeping on the mattress. I looked at Brenton, sat up, and my water broke. In a rush of excitement, we got our bags together, ate a meal since I knew I wouldn't get anything while in labor, and went to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital and got all settled in. Brenton and I began the Hypnobirthing techniques we'd practiced for months, and I began to relax. Now even though Ryan's birth didn't turn out as planned, I'm still a believer in Hypnobirthing. For the first 6 hours of labor I stayed relaxed and calm, only feeling contractions as I lost focus. If Ryan wasn't so big, I probably would have been able to deliver him naturally just fine.

Around 6am I was dilated to a 7 1/2 and the contractions were so intense I realized it was time for an intervention. I remember lying on my side gripping the bedrail just to get through them. After another 30 minutes the anesthesiologist came in and began the epidural. Now so far the staff had been extraordinary. My nurse was amazing, supportive, and so kind. The anesthesiologist, however, was far from that. He inserted the needle but had to try 4 different times to thread the catheter into my spinal fluid. Every time he'd miss he'd swear and tell me to stop moving, saying if I wanted this to work I had to do what he said. I was in so much pain I had no control over how I was moving. I just sobbed into Brenton's chest trying to stay as still as I could. Poor Brenton lost it seeing me in so much pain and had to sit down for a few minutes. Finally, the epidural was in place and I was able to lie down. In a few minutes, I was numb. What a blessing.

Right after they put the epidural in.

The next few hours progressed smoothly. Both Brenton and I were actually able to get some sleep. I moved from a 7 1/2 to a 10, and we were ready to start pushing. For the first hour or so I was pushing really well, and Ryan was progressing to my pelvis. When he was at a -2, the pain started coming. First of all, I was starving. I hadn't eaten anything in 13 hours. Second, I was tired. Pushing for an hour straight is exhausting. I began looking at the clock wondering why this was taking so long. The nurse kept reassuring me that everything was normal and to keep trying, adding a little Sprite to my ice chips as an incentive.

Over the next 2 1/2 hours I moved Ryan down from a -2 to a +2 through my pelvis. The only problem was every time I'd get him to a +2 pushing, he'd move right back up to a 0 after the contraction. I was getting very frustrated from the pain, exhaustion, and hunger. After 15 1/2 hours of labor, the nurse decided to get the doctor to help me push the rest of Ryan out with forceps. They brought in the delivery table, extra nurses came in to receive Ryan, and the bright spotlights came on. I remember thinking if I could just push a little longer our baby would be here, and the worst would be over. They brought in a new anesthesiologist to give me extra pain meds to handle the pressure of the forceps, and we were ready to go!

I knew I only had to push a little further and our baby would be here. The contractions came, and the doctor helped pull Ryan's head out. Brenton looked at me and said, "He's here, Katie! I can see him! He's right here!" That's when I knew we only had minutes left. I was about see the doctor hold my baby up to the light and I'd hear his beautiful cry.

The next thing I knew I heard the words c-section, shoulders, and "cord around the neck." Then all my IV's were being pulled out, the bed was moving, Brenton was thrown a set of scrubs then disappeared, and I was wheeled out of the room surrounded by twice as many doctors as before. All I remember was saying to anyone within an earshot, "Please, save my baby! Just save my baby!" Once in the OR there was a flutter of blue paper sheets, I was lifted onto the operating table, Brenton was nowhere to be seen, my arms were strapped down crucifix style, and I felt pressure in my lower abdomen as my belly was sliced open. I remember hearing the doctor say, "Oh come on! Come on!" as I felt Ryan being tugged, pulled, and yanked out of me. Then I saw for a split second a limp, lifeless baby rushed to a tiny table which was immediately surrounded by half a dozen people. That was all I got to see of my little Ryan until 2am that evening.

Backing up a bit, here's what happened not from my terrified perspective. As Ryan's head was pulled out the doctor saw that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck two times, very tightly, and his shoulders were stuck. So if he was pulled out, he would have suffocated. The doctor quickly pushed Ryan's head back in, and raced me into an emergency c-section. It's a technique that none of the other doctor's at my OBGYN had ever performed before except him. He literally saved Ryan's life, as well as mine.

Brenton didn't have time to get the scrubs on to be in the room with me, but after Ryan was delivered and taken to the NICU they let Brenton go and be with him. I was left in the OR to be stitched up. I was so panicked and hysterical about my baby I literally tried to get up from the table to go check on him. They quickly gave me a pretty powerful dose of pain meds so that I was out of it for awhile. As it turns out, before the c-section I had a third degree episiotomy done to make room for Ryan's head, so that needed to be stitched up, too. I had the worst of both worlds. I delivered Ryan both vaginally and through cesarean section, suffering incisions from both.

I remember waking up in a recovery room, waiting to hear about my baby. All anyone told me was, "we're optimistic" which meant, "we really don't know so we can't tell you anything." It was devastating to me. Then my doctor came in and told me he had just been in the NICU to see Ryan. He said Ryan was stable, but that's all he knew for now. He mentioned things like brain damage and organ failure, everything you could imagine, but all that registered with me was, "he's alive." Soon after that Brenton was in the room and told me he saw Ryan. He showed me a picture on his cell phone so I could actually see our baby. I thought by this time my eyes couldn't possibly make more tears, but I began to sob again.

As the nurses were checking on all my pain meds and running IV's through my system left and right, my tummy started to really hurt. They gave me some pitocin to help my uterus go back down to size and I began to have serious contractions again. One of the nurses pressed down on my stomach and a cup of blood gushed out from my uterus. I was hemorrhaging, very badly. Each time they pressed on my abdomen more blood would come out in very large amounts. Yet again, half a dozen medical personal came flooding into the room, some hanging IV's, others poking me again and again and again trying to find a vein for more IV's, but because I was losing so much blood my veins were quickly disappearing. And there was always someone pressing on my abdomen as hard as they could. I began to cry again looking at Brenton and asking, "how much more to I have to give today? What's next?" Finally, after about an hour of pushing and bleeding, my uterus began to contract down. I had lost over two liters of blood.

About an hour later the doctor's decided I needed a blood transfusion. I was so weak I couldn't even string a coherent sentence together. To top it off, it was close to 24 hours I'd been without food, and now because of the c-section all I was allowed was fluids and jell-o. Brenton spoon fed me while they set up two units of blood for me to take. During that time a couple of Brenton's dear family friends came to see us. The husband and Brenton went to the NICU to give Ryan a blessing, and then came back to give me one. I was so grateful, and Brenton told me in Ryan's blessing all would be well, and he would make a full recovery.

After my blood transfusion, it was about 1:30 in the morning, but the nurses knew that I would not go to sleep until I saw my baby. I needed some closure from the day. I needed to know why I was dragged through hell. So very carefully, with IV's still attached, I was gently placed in a wheelchair and Brenton and I went to go see Ryan. I cannot express the emotion of seeing the sweet, baby boy I had carried for nine months sleeping peacefully, alive and breathing in front of me. I took his little hand in mine and tears of gratitude poured down my face. The fact that I got an epidural so that the c-section could happen without wasting time getting me numb. The fact that the one doctor who knew how to save my baby was the one who delivered him. So many things that the Lord put in place to keep us both alive that day. And there we were: beaten, worn out, but alive. All three of us together as a family. I will treasure that moment for the rest of my life.

Seeing Ryan for the very first time.

Happy Birthday, Ryan Wayne Hoyos.

August 23rd, 2010, 3:43 pm

9 lbs 1 oz, 20 in.

I know this was a very long entry, but that's how it all happened, and it was truly the longest and hardest day of my life. How very grateful I am for the modern technologies and medicine we have today. For the amazing medical staff who were so helpful and supportive. For the doctor who saved my life, and my sweet baby's. For my amazing husband who stayed by my side and tenderly watched the two most important people in his life go through all that suffering, yet was strong for us. For the many family and friends who poured out prayers for us. And most importantly, for my Heavenly Father and his Son who took the time to watch over and keep us safe. This is not a trial of our faith, just a trial. The largest one of our lives to this point, but we made it through Day 1 so that there could be a Day 2, and 3 etc...