Kaiden’s Birth Story

By Parita Jul 10, 2017

The name Kaiden randomly came to me one day.  I ran it past Vishnu, and surprisingly, he liked it a lot too.  Then we got into the discussion of how to spell it.  Obviously, we ultimately decided on the K and I version of the name.  Next came the question of what exactly does Kaiden mean (our parents were very curious!).  Well, after checking multiple sites, we learned that Kaiden means ‘warrior’ and ‘fighter.’  Little did we know how fitting our little man’s name would be come time for him to make his grand entrance into the world!

Kaiden’s birth story starts two days before I actually delivered.  On Tuesday morning, I walked to my OBGYN’s office for my 38 week appointment.  I was told that everything looked good and that I was only a fingertip dilated.  With that, I walked to work thinking I had a couple of more weeks until it was go time.

I had a very normal day at work and even joined my colleagues for dinner that night.

When I got home from dinner, I told Vishnu I was exhausted and headed to bed.  Five minutes later, I had the chills…like my whole body shook and my teeth chattered.  I put on sweatpants, a sweatshirt, and socks and was still shaking.  Vishnu checked my temperature…no fever.  We chalked it up to exhaustion, and I tried my best to fall asleep.  Fifteen minutes later I felt a dull ache in my pelvis area that continued throughout the night.  Vishnu called my doctor at about 1 am and asked if we should go to the hospital.  She said to call back in an hour if I felt worse.  Well, an hour later, I was asleep and “okay.”

The next morning I woke up and decided to work from home because I was experiencing some light contractions every 10-20 minutes.  I called the doctor’s office, and they told me to call back when the contractions were closer together.  I told Vishnu to go to work and that I would call him if things changed.  He looked at me before he left and said, “Today could be the day, Par!”

After checking emails and tying up a few loose ends, I laid down because the chills were back.  I checked my temperature, and it was 100.8.  I called the doctor back, left a message and immediately texted Vishnu.  He told me he was on his way home in case we were told to head to the hospital.  I also talked to my sister who was able to leave work early and come over in case Vishnu didn’t make it on time.  I checked my temperature again and it came back as 102.5.  I checked one more time right before Aekta and Vishnu got home and it was 103.1.  The doctor’s office called back, I told them everything that happened since the last time we talked.  Needless to say, I was given the ok to head to the hospital.

Vishnu, Aekta, and I quickly headed out the door around 2:15 pm with my hospital bag in tow.  For some reason, I honestly thought this was all a false alarm and that we would be back home in a few hours.

We checked into the hospital, and Vishnu and I were immediately taken to a triage room where a nurse examined me.  I was only 1-1.5 centimeters dilated at the time, however my fever was now registering at 103.8, and Kaiden’s heart rate was nearing the 200s.  An OBGYN resident came to do an ultrasound of the baby and told us that my amniotic sac was nearly drained of all it’s fluid.  He asked if I ever felt my water break or experienced anything remotely like that.  The answer was no.  He went on to tell us that the likely cause of my fever was an infection of the amniotic sac/fluid potentially caused by a small rupture that slowly allowed my water to leak out…or vice versa.  Chorioamnionitis was what I was diagnosed with.  A term I’ll never forget.

Once the team of doctors agreed on the diagnosis, everything moved sort of fast (at least for me).  At this time, my contractions were coming in stronger and more regularly.  I sat in the triage bed with Vishnu by my side screaming in pain and begging for the epidural.

Eventually, we moved upstairs to labor and delivery where I thought I would be delivering Kaiden.

At this time, the anesthesiologist’s assistant came in to administer the epidural, as my contractions were coming more frequently.  As she was setting everything up, my nurse mentioned my fever, which triggered a no go on the epidural front, as I hadn’t been given antibiotics yet.  I had to wait another 1.5-2 hours.  During this time, the baby’s heart rate periodically decelerated based on how I was positioned.  The nurse came by every so often to shift my body and give me oxygen.  Eventually, the epidural was administered.  This helped tremendously with the pain.

To make an already long story short, the OBGYN came to talk to us about our options around 11:45 pm.  We could either wait to deliver the baby vaginally, or we could opt for a c-section.  Her preference was a c-section, as I was still only 2 centimeters dilated.  This meant I would likely be in labor for hours longer, and we would potentially still have to go the c-section route.  The doctor was also worried about the stress a vaginal delivery would place on the baby.  Her main goal was to get Kaiden out safely before my condition worsened.

At this point, I looked to Vishnu to make an informed decision.  This was also exactly when my mom arrived (she changed her flight earlier that morning, as did Vishnu’s parents who arrived Friday afternoon). We talked it over and decided to go the c-section route because of the infection, the baby’s decelerating heart rate, and the overall risk of a vaginal delivery.

Within 15 minutes, we were headed to the OR.  And within another 30 minutes, Kaiden made his healthy grand entrance.  If there’s one thing I will be grateful for for the rest of my life, it’s the fact that he was born 100% unaffected by the infection and everything else that went on.  He didn’t let me know it at the time, but Vishnu later told me he was really scared for the baby.  So much could’ve gone wrong, and I thank God it didn’t.

After taking him out, Kaiden was taken to another room for his examination.  Soon thereafter, Vishnu was allowed to see him.  He came back and told me how cute our baby was. 🙂  A few minutes later, the nurses brought him back for me to hold.

I can’t adequately explain how I felt in that moment.  It really is a love unlike any other!  Vishnu and I, through our love, created a little human…our little human.  I’ve never felt such pure joy in my life…honestly, I felt like I was on top of the world.

Over the course of the next four nights, both Kaiden and I were monitored closely, given antibiotics, etc..  Other than my fever spiking once more, we didn’t experience any other health concerns from the delivery.  So thankful for the care and attention we received.  The doctors, residents, and nurses at the hospital treated us like family, and that’s something we’ll never forget.

Overall, I’m grateful Kaiden was/is ok and remained healthy throughout everything that happened.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked things went down the way they did.  My pregnancy couldn’t have been smoother (with a few expected and normal bumps along the way).  I worked out consistently, I ate healthily 90% of the time, and I truly felt great.  So to learn I had an infection and would have to undergo a c-section was out of left field for me.  But with the grace of God and positive thoughts, we got through it unscathed!  And who knows, maybe Kaiden had the strength to fight because I tried to take the best care of myself over the past nine months.

We’re now at home adjusting to our new and very full life.  Kaiden is doing so well, and I’m recovering faster than expected.  Vishnu and my mom are honestly my rocks right now.  Vishnu, despite going back to work, wakes up for the middle of the night feedings, diaper changes, etc.  He’s our expert swaddler and burper!  Seeing him be a dad is truly amazing.  I didn’t think it was possible, but my love for him grew exponentially overnight.  And my mom is simply the best.  Not only does she cook and clean (all day long), but she also spends every other minute of the day loving on Kaiden and taking care of me.

And that, my friends, is Mr. Kaiden’s birth story.  Not exactly what I expected to experience but beyond thankful that our little guy is a-ok!