Rhetten Arrives!

The Story of Rhetten Scott Giauque:

Saturday at 2am early morning, Mommy was awakened with a sudden feeling of something is not right. The first phrase that ran through my head was from a Madeline book, “Miss Clavel turn on the light and said, ‘”Something is not right!’”  The “something that is not right” was a lot of pressure in the upper abdomen.  It felt like I had a baseball in my diaphragm.  My belly was tight and stretched out a vertically like a football with a baseball towards the top and not nice and round like a basket ball.  

It was tricky to breathe with this new pressure so I went to the bathroom to see if that would relieve some of the pressure.  It didn’t touch it.  I needed to walk, find a more comfortable position, anything to relieve this new feeling.  I went downstairs, paced, had some water, laid on the carpet, and then back to upstairs.  Scott said that we needed to go to the hospital to check things out.  I wanted to agree but I was too overcome with emotion to think clearly or to have much faith.  My fear was that they would send us home because I was not having any contractions and I couldn’t face that.

Overwhelmed I did what most women do, I broke down and cried…sobbed really.  Scott was calm, was comforting, and asked if I would like a blessing.  I agreed and following the beautiful words I began to calm down and off we drove to Ogden.  I was not allowing myself to think about anything except for the words in the blessing that “I would be able to deliver this baby in the intended way.”

Scott helped me out of the car and held my hand the whole way up to the fourth floor.  After checking in, the nurses brought me to the triage rooms to do the standard work up: asking about contractions, how long, what is the pain like, any leakage—the whole drill.  All I could tell them is that something was not right and that I needed help.  Nurse Stephanie checked me and immediately said that there was nothing there.  Then she got grabbed by a hand or by a foot.  Baby had flipped to breech—not even a bum was there.  I immediately was overwhelmed with tears and fears.  All I could think was that he was in trouble and that this birth was NOT going to be like my other 6.

The nurses seemed to go from casual to very serious quickly.  I kept looking over at Scott for support and he was very calm and just stayed focused which helped to calm me down again and catch my breath and think, “ok we can do this”.  Quickly the nurses got a hold of Dr. Seale and handed to phone to me.  He explained what my options were and what the procedures were going to be and that he would be to the hospital in 10 minutes.   Procedures: 1) epidural, 2) turn the baby by pressing on my tummy, 3) break my waters, 4) pitocin, 5) and deliver this baby,but if at anytime we needed to C-section then that was going to happen. I had 10 minutes to wrap my head around this new reality and that I had to relinquish all control of this birth over to the Lord.  I was officially a participant and had to trust in the plan that was going to unfold.

Me and epidurals…this could be a section by itself, but the short and fat of it is that my blood pressure drops with it.  I mean really drops: 65/25.  That’s why I labor till I’m dilated to about a 7 or 8.  But I’ve never started labor with the epidural first.  I was worried I wouldn’t be able to feel it, help with pushing, or anything.  Regardless of theses fears, it was time.  Bend the back, hold Scott’s hand, in goes the needle, and we are done.  Take a breath, watch the blood pressure hold at 66/29, get the epi going, and welcome back!

In comes Dr. Seale, he was calm and reassured my mind that he was going to be successful with moving the baby: 1) goop up the tummy, 2) say a prayer, and 3) press down on the tummy with all his might to turn, and push and turn and push that baby into place.  Ouchy, ouchy, and…ahhhhhhhh.  It worked.  The pressure was gone!  Quickly Dr Seale broken my water to make sure that baby boy would not turn again and not slide out of position. Now On to the delivery!

Delivery.  Usually this is accomplished for me by a few hours of contractions, then some ouchy pain, an epidural when I’m about an 8, and then a few pushes, and viola`--  a baby.  This time I think I needed a different experience to help me understand a prayer that I had in my heart.  I had happy contractions (thanks to the pit) and I was smiling, laughing with Scott, figuring out his name, and just enjoying our time together.  That was for about 2 hours.  Then it all changed…

I was not able to catch my breath, my contractions increased, and then the pain!  The pain was on my right side and low.  I thought that my placenta was ripping away from the uterus. My bleeding increased and it was very difficult to control.  Then, the vomiting, the moaning, more vomiting, more moaning, can’t breathe, and poor Scott getting to see, hear, feel me at my worst.   Let’s just say that it was raw—raw pain, grief, and emotion.  This had never happened in any of my deliveries.  I had had a near death with Margaret, and even with that experience I was calm and had no fear, but this pain kept me right here and plenty scared. I knew I was in trouble and the Lord was going to have to step in and finish this, but wow, this one was going to give me a memory.

Let’s get on to the finish—baby was coming, I just had to push…it was a tough job.  Why?  He turned again to face up.  My pain, coping with this news, and trying to push was getting to me.  I had to turn it over to the Lord.  I handed it to him and felt the strength to finish. 

Just one more push and ta-dah!  Rhetten Scott Giauque was born: 7lbs, 5 oz, reddish brown hair, blue eyes, big hands, long arms, long torso,  on 9/10/11 at 10:38am.  I was relived, out of pain, and crying as I held this little warm wet baby against my chest--little Rhetten.  Scott came up with the name during our “fun time” of labor.  As soon as he said the name, I knew it was this little man.  His name means “to rescue or to save, to be a savior”.  It was most fitting that our family has a rescuer—someone who can help us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Rhetten Scott Giauque is here.  It is finished…he is here.  We are all here, the Giauque’s are complete from Kellis, Garrett, Isaac, Margaret, Virginia, Marianne, and little Rhetten…we are all here.  Welcome Little Rhetten, you have been waiting the longest, thanks for your patience on waiting for your mommy and daddy to be ready for you.  Love you!