Search

Luke Rasmussen's Birth Story

Cassandra Rasmussen
Mar 13, 2017
10 min read

First I thought I should share this photo from the day we found out we were pregnant 10/13/2014 It was a normal morning and I had some pregnancy tests lying around, my iPhone app said I was 1 day late so I took the test to check. Only because Patrick and I had decided to give it a try so there was a good possibility. I sat the test down thinking it would be negative, as were all the others I'd taken before, and went to clean the house. A while later I came into the bathroom and saw it sitting there positive! I wasn't sure what to do but I was racing with joy and emotions! I Went to the store and bought some pacifiers, card and a Minion balloon (We love despicable me, plus we were about to have a little minion of our own) to tell Patrick the news. I waited till he got home from work and told him there was a surprise in the bedroom. He opened the box with a pregnancy test that had bows and mustaches on it telling him he was going to be a daddy! It was positive! At first he didn't believe me but then he started to hug me and we were super excited to have baby #1 on the way! Now here is my birth story! Such an emotional and amazing day! One of the very few best days of my life. Of course the day I met Patrick is also one of those few days. I cannot imagine my life without Patrick or Luke. I love them so much!

Luke Everett Rasmussen Birth Story It’s June 10th, 2015. I woke up a few times in the middle of the night with menstrual-cramp-like contractions. I was not sure if these were Braxton Hicks or labor contractions. I asked Lisa (my mother-in-law whom we live with) as we were getting ready to head down to Ogden for my 37 week Dr. appointment what contractions felt like. I was trying to decide what was going on. I had felt the need to have someone go with me to my visit, and since Patrick was in St. Louis Missouri for flight training, I asked his mother to join me. We lived with them at the time and she wasn't working like my mom was. It was approaching 9:15 a.m. and we had to leave the house. Still feeling the contractions, I hurried to grab my hospital bag and threw it in the car even though I wasn’t sure I had packed everything I needed.

When we arrived at the doctor’s office we had to wait about an hour in the waiting room, I guess Dr. Lammi had a surgery go over the time. By the time we were taken back to the exam room I was a little hungry and frustrated. Dr. Lammi finally came into the room after waiting another 20 minutes or so. I was given the choice to be checked for dilation or not this time. Since I was experiencing Braxton Hicks for about 24 hours and feeling really crampy I decided it was a good idea for him to do the check. The week before I had been almost to 2cm dilated and about 70-75% effaced. When he checked me today I was at 4cm dilated and 90% effaced. Because he felt that I had progressed quite a bit from last week and there was some blood on his exam glove he expressed that he would be willing to strip my membranes. I wasn’t sure what this meant exactly in this case, but since I had blood and he seemed very surprised about my progress I said okay. He assured me that stripping them would not affect me or the baby, and it would not do anything unless I was in labor, then it would just help speed things up. After he stripped my membranes there was more blood and he was certain he wanted me to stay for some monitoring. He sent us to the triage room in Labor and Delivery (L&D) mostly because we live in Logan and he did not want us to be that far away in case I was having a baby! I cried out of surprise and being overwhelmed when he told me we were going to triage to be monitored for a couple hours. I knew something was up since I got out of bed this morning, but did not expect to be in labor. I told Lisa through my tears, “I want Patrick to be here.” We headed down to L&D and at one point I had to stop and hold the wall, I could not walk through the contractions that were starting to be pretty strong. Once in triage, the nurse hooked me up to the monitors and checked our progress. I was still 4cm and 90%. Contractions during the three hours in triage had been 4-6 minutes apart continuously. The monitor kept saying they were further apart then they felt to me. Maybe because I was having back contractions. I called my mom at this point and she hurried over from work to be there with me. Luckily she works in Ogden so McKay Dee Hospital was not that far of a drive for her. My mom was my Laboring partner if Patrick happened to be gone, which he was. We also called Patrick and were trying to decide if he needed to come home or not. My contractions were getting more intense and seemed closer together. The monitor was not picking up my back labor and I was frustrated that the nurse said we had to leave. At this point I was having pretty intense contractions, so I thought, later to discover they could get much much worse! I had been in contact with my friend and soon to be Doula Sharon (Link to her facebook page). She had been my support throughout my pregnancy answering any questions I had and helping me in every way possible from Texas. I felt some relief with her positive attitude and advice as I was freaking out in labor. It was about 3:30 when they released me. I was still at 4 cm, but now 100% effaced. The nurse told me to go eat and walk for a couple hours before heading out of town back home. This was in case I needed to come back I would be close by. Subway was right down the road, shoveling food between contractions that were about 2-3 minutes apart was tricky. We decided to go back to the hospital and walk outside by the fountain. I was told they would not admit me until my contractions were 2 minutes apart for at least 2 hours, or my water broke. Determined to get this baby out we told Patrick he better get on that 6:00 flight! The back pain was very intense and I was getting tired. I tried to lay down in the grass and sleep, my contractions only let me rest a few minutes. The hospital grounds were not cutting it, with some contractions 2 minutes apart and some 6 minutes apart we decided to get a hotel room. I took a hot bath and tried to rest for a couple hours. It had to be around 5 or 6 when we found a hotel, and Patrick got on that 6:00 flight (5:00 p.m. our time). He was on his way home! After a bath and dealing with still very painful back contractions we ordered some scones from Jeremiah’s, one of my favorite places which happened to be in the same parking lot as the hotel, and tried to stick it out a little longer. Mom and Lisa had been trying to relieve my pain by using counter pressures and whatever else they could do. I felt totally unprepared, hadn’t even been to a birthing class. All I knew was what Sharon had told me and my mind was sort of blank at the time of need. Lisa walked over to get the food and while she was gone I decided it was time. I told mom that I wanted to go to the hospital now. That I didn’t want to have my baby sitting over the toilet. I had to ask her a few times, she was doing a great job keeping me as long as she could from going back. I had told her if we wait long enough I can’t have the epidural even if I tried that would make it easier for me to do the drug free natural birth I wanted. As soon as Lisa got back to the hotel room we were getting our stuff ready to go! I felt like I was going to have my baby in the car, I was trying to hold back contractions. My mom’s telling me not to push. Lisa ran inside to get a wheelchair and basically ran pushing me up to L&D. They admitted us right away. While in the delivery room we were able to do a couple different laboring positions. The baby was face down, so we tried hands and knees to flip him. This was the cause of all my back labor. The nurse needed to check my status so I was then put in what’s called the “throne” position. Basically sitting up slightly leaned back and my feet were lower down on another part of the bed that lowered down. I was 6 cm and 100%. I was so relieved when they told me I wasn’t going anywhere. The nurses knew this baby was coming soon because there were people coming in and out getting the room all set up for baby to arrive! As they were running around they were also calling my doctor, Dr. Lammi, who happened to be the on-call doctor. Yay! I had been grunting and moaning and growling since we were in the car and I kept getting told to keep it at a low hum. It was 8:37 p.m. when we arrived and Patrick’s plane was supposed to land in Salt Lake City by 9:00 p.m. His flight was 20 minutes early and he was going as fast as he could. Shortly after we arrived at the hospital Tish and Amanda (my sisters) walked through the doors! The nurse put them straight to work to help me through the contractions. Mom was on my left holding my hand, Tish was snapping photos, Amanda was holding my Knees and putting pressure on them to help relieve pain, and Lisa was on my right helping Amanda and making sure I was okay, too. My water had been slowly leaking with each big contraction, but was stuck in the side so it had not fully popped. They called this a bulgy bag. To our surprise during one of my contractions we heard a huge pop and I felt so much relief. My water had burst! If the sheet had not been over my legs, Amanda who was standing right between them, would have been soaked!! The sheet even lifted up, we were all surprised and laughed. I had thought for a brief second that my baby flew out!

I was now dilated to a 7 I think, and was being told not to push. It was so hard not to just let my body push! Mid contraction, eyes closed, moaning in pain, I felt a kiss on my forehead and Patrick whispering “you can do it baby.” I was so relieved and happy he had made it! I was surprised he still kissed my forehead and rubbed it while I was soaking with sweat and tears. As soon as the doctor said I was at 10 cm and I was okay to push, I started pushing like crazy. Unaware I was only supposed to push during contractions they told me I needed to wait for them to come to push. I was apparently pushing too much and not breathing enough, I almost threw up about two times, and luckily I only tasted acid and didn’t actually do it. I was glad I had gotten part of my scone down in the car on the way to the hospital. At one point I had to stop pushing and catch my breath right when the baby was crowning and this caused me to have to hold Luke in with his head half way into the world. He was just fine, but he did have some bruising around his nose and mouth. Other than the bruising he was a perfectly healthy baby and just perfect in my eyes.

I finally had my sweet boy on my chest for skin to skin contact and I was in love. 9:40 p.m. Luke Everett Rasmussen was born. At this point Patrick was asked if he wanted to cut the cord and overwhelmed with joy and excitement mixed with all the blood, he could not do it. Tish stepped in and cut it as Patrick laid on the floor to recover! I did not know it at this time, but the umbilical cord was wrapped around Luke’s neck when he came out. Dr. Lammi took care of it so fast I had no idea until Amanda and Patrick told me. He sort of unwrapped it in a solid motion as he came out. The worst part of the whole thing was being stitched up from the tearing, I was "too much" of a champ at pushing I tore in three spots. When he was stitching one part was not all the way numb and it hurt like hell. I felt the needle go through the skin. After I told him I felt that, Dr. Lammi did more numbing shots and all was well again. They cleaned Luke up, weighed and measured him and handed him to our support group to hold him until I was finished getting stitched up. As soon as Dr. Lammi was done I breastfed Luke and he latched wonderfully! I was so happy to have our baby boy in my arms 7 lb. 20 in.

My best friend Lynee arrived just after he was born and Grandpa Pete was finally allowed in the room. I could not have asked for a more perfect day and support team. My family and friends and all the hospital staff were all amazing in allowing the whole process of my natural vaginal birth to be exactly as I wanted. No stirrups, no help stretching, pulling, etc. no interventions, besides stripping my membranes, and no epidural. I was not even asked once if I was sure I didn’t want it, which was amazing.

I was asked by one of the nurses after having him this way and knowing what it’s like, would I do it again? My answer was definitely yes! It was one of the best experiences to have a baby this way and get to see your own strength and courage!

Proud mamma here. Stay positive, believe in yourself, and you can do anything!

Here is a little slideshow of Luke and the family!