Andy and Robert's Love Story - My Version

Chapter 31 pt.2

Ellie leaves the room and goes to get a shower chair. She brings it back and has Andy sit down. She then has Robert press on her back. She's able to rest in the shower with the support of Kathy and Robert taking turns putting pressure on her back.

4:00 in the morning/ 18 hours in labor... For the last hour, Andy has been sitting in the shower with Robert and Kathy holding pressure on her back. Plus, Kathy taking photos. Eventually, Liv comes back to check on her. She finds Robert holding pressure on her back.

Liv: How is she? Robert: She's resting for once in a while. I just have to hold pressure on her back. Liv: I'm glad. (For the next thirty minutes, Robert holds pressure on her back, and she's able to get a little rest. Eventually, Liz comes back into the room.) Liz: Hey. Let me take over. Robert: I'm good. Liz: You look exhausted. Guys, go get some coffee and I'll hold pressure on her back. Robert: Okay. (They switch, and Kathy and he goes to get coffee. Meanwhile, Andy wakes up to find Liz holding pressure.) Andy: Where's Robert and Kathy? Liz: Getting some coffee and walking around to wake up. They'll be back in a moment. May I check on the babies and you? Andy: Sure. (Andy turns around and Liz checks the heartbeats and dilation.) Liz: You're now nine centimeters and that means that you're in transition now. Andy: How did I dilate so much? Liz: Rest can do that for a person. Just taking a break, staying still, and being calm will do that.

Ellie: I'll get the room ready and the baby warmers. Should I page the NICU team? Liz: The babies are healthy and strong. So, just have them on standby. Ellie: Okay. How many people are in the room? Liz: One per baby and then you plus another nurse. (Robert comes back.) Robert: Hey, how are you? Andy: Rested. I'm a nine. (Robert and Kathy high-fived her.) Robert: How long till we have them? Liz: It could be anywhere between one to three hours. It just depends. Andy: When do we start pushing? Liz: At ten centimeters. Andy: Okay.

Andy walks around the room and labors more.

5:00 in the morning/ 19 hours in labor... Andy has been walking around the room for about forty-five minutes laboring. Eventually, Liz comes back into the room.

Liz: Let's check with you. (Liz checks Andy.) Liz: You're now ten centimeters dilated. Are you feeling any pressure? Andy: Not really. Liz: Okay. We'll do delayed pushing. Andy: Okay. Liz: We need to get ready for pushing. Where would you like to push? Andy: I don't know to be honest. Liz: That's okay. You can sit like you were earlier in the shower, and push like that. Or you can stand. It's up to you. You can even sit in the tub if you wish. Andy: I'm good. Ellie: Okay. (Andy walks around the room for the next thirty minutes. It's now 4:35 in the morning.) Andy: I'm feeling some pressure. Liz: Okay. (Liz checks Andy and she feels hair.) Liz: I feel hair. Andy: Really? Liz: Yeah. (Liz takes Andy's hand, and she feels her daughter's hair.) Andy: Wow. (Kathy gets an amazing photo of that.) Andy: I need the bed as support. Liz: Okay. (They help Andy get near the bed and they use the bed as her support.) Liz: Do you want to push? Andy: Really bad. Robert: Are you ready for this? Andy: I don't know. (Andy starts pushing on the next contraction which was at 4:42 in the morning. She pushes for around seven minutes.)

Liz: I can see her head. Do you want to catch her? Andy: Really? Liz: Yeah. Twin A who is Kaitlyn is the first one to come out. (Liz takes Andy's hands, and on her next push, she catches Kaitlyn's head. She then does one more push, and she catches her daughter.) Andy: I caught her. Liz: You did. Kaitlyn Grace was born at 5:53 in the morning on July 20th. Andy: Hello, my little girl. I've been waiting to meet you all of my life. Robert: Andy, I'm so proud of you. You did it. Andy: I did. I'm so tired. I can't do this again. Liz: You can. Because you have another little girl.

For the next seven minutes, Andy holds Kaitlyn and Kathy takes pictures of Andy holding Kaitlyn. Kathy loved watching and taking photos of Kaitlyn's birth. While Andy held her, Liz delivered the first placenta.

6:00 in the morning/ 20 hours in labor... It's now a little after six in the morning, and Andy just had Kaitlyn. They've been letting Andy hold Kaitlyn on her chest.

Liz: Hey, Andy. I need to put you on the bed now. Andy: Okay. (They put her on the bed, and when they do, Katherine drops.) Andy: Katherine just dropped some. Liz: Good. I'm going to check on Katherine to see how she is. (Meanwhile, Liz used a doppler on Katherine to check on her and she checks her position.) Liz: Andy, I need to monitor Katherine on the monitor. Her heartbeat is a little slow. So, I would like to monitor her, please. Andy: What does that mean? Liz: You've been in labor for over twenty hours and have been pushing. It's normal. She's just a little stressed. So, I'm going to give you a couple of minutes and then you push. Andy: Okay. Liz: I need to change your position to help with her heartrate and give you some fluids. However, you can still hold your baby. (For a couple of minutes, Andy rests and holds Kaitlyn. She even gets a couple of minutes feeding in. When Liz comes back, it's around 6:12 in the morning.) Liz: How's it going? Andy: I'm not feeling much pain. Liz: I would like you to push some. Katherine needs to come out. Her heartbeat is staying low. Andy: I'm so tired. I can't. Robert: Andy, you can. Liz: Andy, you need to. I'm going to place Kaitlyn in the baby warmer. Robert: Andy, you can do it. I know you can. Push with all your might, and it will be over soon.

They cut Kaitlyn's cord and then move her to the baby warmer around 6:15 in the evening. Then at 6:17, Andy gets ready to push again. Meanwhile, they're checking Kaitlyn out while Andy pushes. It takes longer this time which puts stress on Katherine. It takes ten minutes to see her head.

Liz: Andy, I see her head. Just a couple of pushes more. (Liz takes Andy's hand, and she feels her head.) Andy: That's my little girl. Liz: Yes, it is. (Andy pushes another time, and that's when her heartbeat drops.) Liz: Andy, her beat dropped. You need to push now and get her out. Ellie, page the NICU team. Ellie: Okay. (Ellie pages the team, and Andy pushes four times in a row. After two pushes, her head comes out. Then another push, she comes out, and she's born at 6:28 in the morning. She gets taken to the warmer immediately.) Liz: Andy, she needs to be checked out. Her heartbeat dropped quite low. Andy: Is she okay? Liz: The NICU team needs to look at real quick. (At the warmer, they rub her down, and then they hear her cry, but it's weak. Eventually, a nurse comes over from the NICU team named Alice.)

NICU Nurse Alice: She looks good. She needs a little help with her oxygen. Andy: What does that mean? Alice: We're going to take her to the NICU to be evaluated. She may just need some oxygen for a few hours. We had to help her breathe some and she still needs a little assistance. Andy: Can I hold her for a moment? Alice: Of course. (Alice places her on Andy's chest for just a moment.) Andy: Kathy, can you go with her? Kathy: Of course. (Kathy gets a photo of her on Andy's chest. They then take her away with Kathy.) Alice: She'll be okay. I want to monitor her for two to three hours. Then we'll figure it out as we go. Andy: Okay. (Alice takes Katherine to the NICU with Kathy. Meanwhile, Liv delivers the second placenta. She finishes the delivery around seven.) Andy: Will she be okay?

Liv: Yeah. It happens when the labor is long and you've been in labor for over twenty hours. So, rest for a little bit and feed Kaitlyn. She'll be okay. I'll move you in two or three hours to postpartum. Andy: Okay. Can I have Kaitlyn? Ellie: Of course. I'm not sure if they told you, but she weighs 5lb and 2oz. Andy: Really? Ellie: Yeah. (Ellie places Kaitlyn on Andy's chest.) Ellie: I'm heading off shift. I'll stay if you want. Are you okay? Andy: Yeah, I'm good. Thank you for everything. Ellie: I'll stop by to check on you tonight. Can I get you anything? Andy: I'm good. Thank you.

Ellie leaves, and Andy rests for about two hours.